猪胸膜肺炎放线杆菌血清1型RTX毒素I的N-端表达多肽具有良好的免疫原性

ApxI外毒素是猪胸膜肺炎放线杆菌(APP)最重要的毒力因子,为了研究其N端多肽的免疫原性,分别将apxIA基因的全长编码区(apxIA,3146bp)及其5′端1140bp的片段(apxIA5)克隆到原核表达载体pET28a,经IPTG诱导后在大肠杆菌中实现了表达,表达产物ApxIA和ApxIAN均以包涵体的形式存在,Westernblot检测证实两种表达产物均具有免疫反应性。将纯化的重组蛋白(rApxIA和rApxIAN)和提取的天然毒素ApxI(nApxI)分别经腹腔免疫BALBc小鼠,于免疫前、免疫2周和4周后分别检测了ELISA抗体和毒素中和抗体水平,结果表明,rApxIAN免疫组的ELISA抗体显著低于rApxIA免疫组和nApxI免疫组,但rApxIAN免疫组血清中和试验中测定的溶血素单位与rApxIA及天然nApxI免疫组没有显著差异。第二次免疫2周后,用1个LD50的APP血清1型J101株和2型标准菌株攻击试验动物,rApxIAN免疫组对血清1型和2型菌株的保护率分别为80%和100%。

Study on Immunogenicity of the N-terminal Polypeptide of RTX Toxin I of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

ApxI is one of the most important virulence factors of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP). To study the immunogenicity of the ApxI, the complete coding sequence (3146bp) and its 5'-terminal 1140 bp fragment of the apxIA gene were separately cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-28a, and expressed in the E. coli BL21 (DE3) with induction by IPTG. The expression products, rApxIA and rApxIAN, were present in a form of inclusion bodies and showed the same immunological reactivity as natural ApxI (nApxI) in Western-blot analysis. BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally immunized with the rApxIA, rApxIAN and nApxI respectively. The serum antibody levels of the rApxIAN immunized mice were significantly lower than those immunized with rApxIA or nApxI in an ApxI-specific ELISA, but serum neutralization test demonstrated that immunized mice with rApxIAN, rApxIA and nApxI could generate similar levels of antibodies neutralizing the hemolytic activity of the natural ApxI. The rApxIAN was able to elicite 80% protection rate against APP serovar 1 and 100% against serovar 2 when challenged at a dose of one LD50 after 2 weeks of boost immunization.