A Protective and Safe Intranasal RSV Vaccine Based on a Recombinant Prefusion-Like Form of the F Protein Bound to Bacterium-Like Particles

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of respiratory tract disease in infants and the elderly. Currently, no licensed vaccine against RSV is available. Here we describe the development of a safe and effective intranasal subunit vaccine that is based on recombinant fusion (F) protein bound to the surface of immunostimulatory bacterium-like particles (BLPs) derived from the food-grade bacterium Lactococcus lactis. Different variants of F were analyzed with respect to their conformation and reactivity with neutralizing antibodies, assuming that F proteins mimicking the metastable prefusion form of RSV F expose a more extensive and relevant epitope repertoire than F proteins corresponding to the postfusion structure. Our results indicate that the recombinant soluble ectodomain of RSV F readily adopts a postfusion conformation, generation of which cannot be prevented by C-terminal addition of a trimerization motif, but whose formation is prevented by mutation of the two furin cleavage sites in F. While the putative postfusion form of F is recognized well by the monoclonal antibody Palivizumab, this is much less so for the more potently neutralizing, prefusion-specific antibodies D25 and AM22. Both addition of the trimerization motif and mutation of the furin cleavage sites increased the reactivity of F with D25 and AM22, with the highest reactivity being observed for F proteins in which both these features were combined. Intranasal vaccination of mice or cotton rats with BLPs loaded with this latter prefusion-like F protein (BLP-F), resulted in the potent induction of F-specific immunoglobulins and in significantly decreased virus titers in the lungs upon RSV challenge. Moreover, and in contrast to animals vaccinated with formalin-inactivated RSV, animals that received BLP-F exhibited high levels of F-specific secretory IgA in the nose and RSV-neutralizing antibodies in sera, but did not show symptoms of enhanced disease after challenge with RSV.     

Assembly of Recombinant Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus Capsids

The dicistrovirus Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) has been implicated in the worldwide decline of honey bees. Studies of IAPV and many other bee viruses in pure culture are restricted by available isolates and permissive cell culture. Here we show that coupling the IAPV major structural precursor protein ORF2 to its cognate 3C-like processing enzyme results in processing of the precursor to the individual structural proteins in a number of insect cell lines following expression by a recombinant baculovirus. The efficiency of expression is influenced by the level of IAPV 3C protein and moderation of its activity is required for optimal expression. The mature IAPV structural proteins assembled into empty capsids that migrated as particles on sucrose velocity gradients and showed typical dicistrovirus like morphology when examined by electron microscopy. Monoclonal antibodies raised to recombinant capsids were configured into a diagnostic test specific for the presence of IAPV. Recombinant capsids for each of the many bee viruses within the picornavirus family may provide virus specific reagents for the on-going investigation of the causes of honeybee loss.     

Recombinant Measles AIK-C Vaccine Strain Expressing the prM-E Antigen of Japanese Encephalitis Virus

An inactivated Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccine, which induces neutralizing antibodies, has been used for many years in Japan. In the present study, the JEV prM-E protein gene was cloned, inserted at the P/M junction of measles AIK-C cDNA, and an infectious virus was recovered. The JEV E protein was expressed in B95a cells infected with the recombinant virus. Cotton rats were inoculated with recombinant virus. Measles PA antibodies were detected three weeks after immunization. Neutralizing antibodies against JEV developed one week after inoculation, and EIA antibodies were detected three weeks after immunization. The measles AIK-C-based recombinant virus simultaneously induced measles and JEV immune responses, and may be a candidate for infant vaccines. Therefore, the present strategy of recombinant viruses based on a measles vaccine vector would be applicable to the platform for vaccine development.     

Fermentation, Purification, and Characterization of Protective Antigen from a Recombinant, Avirulent Strain of Bacillus anthracis

Bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent for anthrax, produces two bipartite, AB-type exotoxins, edema toxin and lethal toxin. The B subunit of both exotoxins is an M_r 83,000 protein termed protective antigen (PA). The human anthrax vaccine currently licensed for use in the United States consists primarily of this protein adsorbed onto aluminum oxyhydroxide. This report describes the production of PA from a recombinant, asporogenic, nontoxigenic, and nonencapsulated host strain of B. anthracis and the subsequent purification and characterization of the protein product. Fermentation in a high-tryptone, high-yeast-extract medium under nonlimiting aeration produced 20 to 30 mg of secreted PA per liter. Secreted protease activity under these fermentation conditions was low and was inhibited more than 95% by the addition of EDTA. A purity of 88 to 93% was achieved for PA by diafiltration and anion-exchange chromatography, while greater than 95% final purity was achieved with an additional hydrophobic interaction chromatography step. The purity of the PA product was characterized by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-capillary electrophoresis, capillary isoelectric focusing, native gel electrophoresis, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The biological activity of the PA, when combined with excess lethal factor in the macrophage cell lysis assay, was comparable to previously reported values.     

Influenza Antigen Engineering Focuses Immune Responses to a Subdominant but Broadly Protective Viral Epitope

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鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒gB基因重组DNA疫苗的构建与免疫试验

本研究构建了编码ILTV主要抗原gB基因的重组DNA疫苗pcDNA-gB,质粒转染293-T细胞的间接免疫表明其表达的蛋白具有免疫反应性。为测定该DNA疫苗的免疫效果,将其与本室保存的重组鸡痘病毒rFPV-gB-gD-IgY分别以单独和混合的方式给4周龄非免疫鸡进行免疫,然后测定ILTV特异性抗体和T淋巴细胞增殖反应。结果表明这2种基因工程疫苗均能诱导鸡产生特异性的体液免疫及细胞免疫应答。其中以pcDNA-gB/rFPV-gB-gD-IgY联合免疫组的效果最好,其诱导的抗体水平已接近于常规弱毒疫苗,而细胞免疫水平则比后者高得多。上述研究结果为ILTV新型疫苗的研究奠定了基础。     

鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒gB基因重组DNA疫苗的构建与免疫试验

本研究构建了编码ILTV主要抗原gB基因的重组DNA疫苗pcDNA-gB,质粒转染293-T细胞的间接免疫表明其表达的蛋白具有免疫反应性.为测定该DNA疫苗的免疫效果,将其与本室保存的重组鸡痘病毒rFPV-gB-gD-IgY分别以单独和混合的方式给4周龄非免疫鸡进行免疫,然后测定ILTV特异性抗体和T淋巴细胞增殖反应.结果表明这2种基因工程疫苗均能诱导鸡产生特异性的体液免疫及细胞免疫应答.其中以pcDNA-gB/rFPV-gB-gD-IgY联合免疫组的效果最好,其诱导的抗体水平已接近于常规弱毒疫苗,而细胞免疫水平则比后者高得多.上述研究结果为ILTV 新型疫苗的研究奠定了基础.     

炭疽杆菌保护性抗原(PA)重组腺病毒的构建及免疫效果分析

探讨利用腺病毒载体作为炭疽杆菌基因工程疫苗载体的可行性.从载体pcDNA3.1-PA上PCR扩增PA片断,将该片断克隆入质粒pAdTrack-CMV,得到阳性克隆pAdTrack-PA.PmeI线性化的阳性克隆转化含有腺病毒骨架质粒pAdeasy-1的BJ5183感受态细胞,经同源重组后得到重组腺病毒vAd-PA.vAd-PA经PacI线性化后,脂质体介导转染293细胞,经Western- blot检测表明PA在293细胞中得到表达.重组病毒肌肉注射免疫BALB/c小鼠,用ELISA方法检测血清中产生了特异性抗体,抗体滴度计算几何均数为12800.该研究为进一步研究以腺病毒为活载体的疫苗奠定了基础.     

炭疽杆菌保护性抗原（PA）重组腺病毒的构建及免疫效果分析

探讨利用腺病毒载体作为炭疽杆菌基因工程疫苗载体的可行性。从载体pcDNA3.1-PA上PCR扩增PA片断,将该片断克隆入质粒pAdTrack-CMV,得到阳性克隆pAdTrack-PA。PmeI线性化的阳性克隆转化含有腺病毒骨架质粒pAdeasy-1的BJ5183感受态细胞,经同源重组后得到重组腺病毒vAd-PA。vAd-PA经PacI线性化后,脂质体介导转染293细胞,经Western-blot检测表明PA在293细胞中得到表达。重组病毒肌肉注射免疫BALB/c小鼠,用ELISA方法检测血清中产生了特异性抗体,抗体滴度计算几何均数为1:2800。该研究为进一步研究以腺病毒为活载体的疫苗奠定了基础。     

炭疽芽孢杆菌保护性抗原在大肠杆菌中的表达及纯化

按照炭疽芽孢杆菌保护性抗原（PA）基因成熟肽编码序列设计引物,从炭疽杆菌pOX1质粒中扩增出PA基因片段,将该片段定向插入到原核表达载体pET-28a中,获得了pET-PA原核表达重组质粒,限制性酶切分析和DNA序列测定均证实该克隆插入片段为PA基因的成熟呔编码序列。将该重组质粒转化大肠杆菌BL21（DE3）,经IPTG诱导,重组蛋白在大肠杆菌表达系统中获得了高效表达;Western印迹分析表明表达产物具有良好的免疫学活性。     

神经坏死病毒MCP重组疫苗对军曹鱼稚鱼的免疫保护

用赤点石斑鱼神经坏死病毒衣壳蛋白基因重纽蛋白制备成的疫苗,通过腹腔注射免疫军曹鱼稚鱼,实验鱼分为一次免疫组A(A1、A2、A3)和三次免疫组B(B1、B2、B3)及对照组C.结果显示免疫效果与免疫接种的剂量并不是呈线性关系,免疫剂量为50μg的B2组免疫效果明显好过10μg或100μg的B3组.免疫组死亡率和发病率均比对照组低,其中A2、B2组的相对存活率和相对保护率分别为31%、28%和54%、56%.B2组和对照组的累计死亡率和发病率呈现极显著差异,分别为P＜0.01和P＜0.04.免疫组问比较,三次免疫组死亡率和发病率均比一次免疫组低.在对存活下来的鱼进行RT-PCR检测,免疫组的阳性率只有60%或80%,而对照组的则高达100%.可见,此重组疫苗对军曹鱼有显著的免疫保护效应,可作为预防神经坏死病毒感染的疫苗.     

重组风疹病毒抗原的分离纯化

为了制备临床诊断用的风疹病毒抗原,建立了亲合色谱分离纯化的方法.风疹抗原以可溶性形式在大肠杆菌工程菌中获得高效表达,用GST亲合色谱在不变性的条件下直接从细菌裂解液中分离纯化.纯化的目的蛋白电泳为单一条带,EUISA试验表明,重组抗原与风疹病毒IgM阳性血清能特异反应,而与IgM阴性血清不反应,表明重组蛋白具有良好的抗原性,能满足临床检验要求.     

Brucella abortus Strain RB51 Leucine Auxotroph as an Environmentally Safe Vaccine for Plasmid Maintenance and Antigen Overexpression

To avoid potentiating the spread of an antibiotic resistance marker, a plasmid expressing a leuB gene and a heterologous antigen, green fluorescent protein (GFP), was shown to complement a leucine auxotroph of cattle vaccine strain Brucella abortus RB51, which protected CD1 mice from virulent B. abortus 2308 and elicited GFP antibodies.     

Rational Development of an Attenuated Recombinant Cyprinid Herpesvirus 3 Vaccine Using Prokaryotic Mutagenesis and In Vivo Bioluminescent Imaging

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) is causing severe economic losses worldwide in common and koi carp industries, and a safe and efficacious attenuated vaccine compatible with mass vaccination is needed. We produced single deleted recombinants using prokaryotic mutagenesis. When producing a recombinant lacking open reading frame 134 (ORF134), we unexpectedly obtained a clone with additional deletion of ORF56 and ORF57. This triple deleted recombinant replicated efficiently in vitro and expressed an in vivo safety/efficacy profile compatible with use as an attenuated vaccine. To determine the role of the double ORF56-57 deletion in the phenotype and to improve further the quality of the vaccine candidate, a series of deleted recombinants was produced and tested in vivo. These experiments led to the selection of a double deleted recombinant lacking ORF56 and ORF57 as a vaccine candidate. The safety and efficacy of this strain were studied using an in vivo bioluminescent imaging system (IVIS), qPCR, and histopathological examination, which demonstrated that it enters fish via skin infection similar to the wild type strain. However, compared to the parental wild type strain, the vaccine candidate replicated at lower levels and spread less efficiently to secondary sites of infection. Transmission experiments allowing water contamination with or without additional physical contact between fish demonstrated that the vaccine candidate has a reduced ability to spread from vaccinated fish to naïve sentinel cohabitants. Finally, IVIS analyses demonstrated that the vaccine candidate induces a protective mucosal immune response at the portal of entry. Thus, the present study is the first to report the rational development of a recombinant attenuated vaccine against CyHV-3 for mass vaccination of carp. We also demonstrated the relevance of the CyHV-3 carp model for studying alloherpesvirus transmission and mucosal immunity in teleost skin.     

A Dual TLR Agonist Adjuvant Enhances the Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy of the Tuberculosis Vaccine Antigen ID93

With over eight million cases of tuberculosis each year there is a pressing need for the development of new vaccines against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Subunit vaccines consisting of recombinant proteins are an attractive vaccine approach due to their inherent safety compared to attenuated live vaccines and the uniformity of manufacture. Addition of properly formulated TLR agonist-containing adjuvants to recombinant protein vaccines enhances the antigen-specific CD4⁺ T cell response characterized by IFN-γ and TNF, both of which are critical for the control of TB. We have developed a clinical stage vaccine candidate consisting of a recombinant fusion protein ID93 adjuvanted with the TLR4 agonist GLA-SE. Here we examine whether ID93+GLA-SE can be improved by the addition of a second TLR agonist. Addition of CpG containing DNA to ID93+GLA-SE enhanced the magnitude of the multi-functional T_H1 response against ID93 characterized by co-production of IFN-γ, TNF, and IL-2. Addition of CpG also improved the protective efficacy of ID93+GLA-SE. Finally we demonstrate that this adjuvant synergy between GLA and CpG is independent of TRIF signaling, whereas TRIF is necessary for the adjuvant activity of GLA-SE in the absence of CpG.     

Enhanced Protective Efficacy of Nonpathogenic Recombinant Leishmania tarentolae Expressing Cysteine Proteinases Combined with a Sand Fly Salivary Antigen

Background

Novel vaccination approaches are needed to prevent leishmaniasis. Live attenuated vaccines are the gold standard for protection against intracellular pathogens such as Leishmania and there have been new developments in this field. The nonpathogenic to humans lizard protozoan parasite, Leishmania (L) tarentolae, has been used effectively as a vaccine platform against visceral leishmaniasis in experimental animal models. Correspondingly, pre-exposure to sand fly saliva or immunization with a salivary protein has been shown to protect mice against cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Here, we tested the efficacy of a novel combination of established protective parasite antigens expressed by L. tarentolae together with a sand fly salivary antigen as a vaccine strategy against L. major infection. The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of different DNA/Live and Live/Live prime-boost vaccination modalities with live recombinant L. tarentolae stably expressing cysteine proteinases (type I and II, CPA/CPB) and PpSP15, an immunogenic salivary protein from Phlebotomus papatasi, a natural vector of L. major, were tested both in susceptible BALB/c and resistant C57BL/6 mice. Both humoral and cellular immune responses were assessed before challenge and at 3 and 10 weeks after Leishmania infection. In both strains of mice, the strongest protective effect was observed when priming with PpSP15 DNA and boosting with PpSP15 DNA and live recombinant L. tarentolae stably expressing cysteine proteinase genes.

Conclusion/Significance

The present study is the first to use a combination of recombinant L. tarentolae with a sand fly salivary antigen (PpSP15) and represents a novel promising vaccination approach against leishmaniasis.     

A Novel Synthetic TLR-4 Agonist Adjuvant Increases the Protective Response to a Clinical-Stage West Nile Virus Vaccine Antigen in Multiple Formulations

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-transmitted member of the Flaviviridae family that has emerged in recent years to become a serious public health threat. Given the sporadic nature of WNV epidemics both temporally and geographically, there is an urgent need for a vaccine that can rapidly provide effective immunity. Protection from WNV infection is correlated with antibodies to the viral envelope (E) protein, which encodes receptor binding and fusion functions. Despite many promising E-protein vaccine candidates, there are currently none licensed for use in humans. This study investigates the ability to improve the immunogenicity and protective capacity of a promising clinical-stage WNV recombinant E-protein vaccine (WN-80E) by combining it with a novel synthetic TLR-4 agonist adjuvant. Using the murine model of WNV disease, we find that inclusion of a TLR-4 agonist in either a stable oil-in-water emulsion (SE) or aluminum hydroxide (Alum) formulation provides both dose and dosage sparing functions, whereby protection can be induced after a single immunization containing only 100 ng of WN-80E. Additionally, we find that inclusion of adjuvant with a single immunization reduced viral titers in sera to levels undetectable by viral plaque assay. The enhanced protection provided by adjuvanted immunization correlated with induction of a Th1 T-cell response and the resultant shaping of the IgG response. These findings suggest that inclusion of a next generation adjuvant may greatly enhance the protective capacity of WNV recombinant subunit vaccines, and establish a baseline for future development.     

表达乙型脑炎病毒E蛋白重组减毒沙门菌活载体疫苗株的构建

目的:构建表达乙型脑炎病毒(JEV)E蛋白的口服重组减毒鼠伤寒沙门菌活载体疫苗株。方法:克隆JEV E基因,将其插入表达载体pYA3341中,构建重组质粒pYA3341-E,将重组质粒电转入鼠伤寒沙门菌疫苗株X4550(缺失asd、cya、crp基因),获得重组疫苗菌株X4550(pYA3341-E);鉴定重组菌E蛋白的表达,测定重组菌的稳定性、生长曲线、安全性,以及小鼠的免疫试验和血清中和试验。结果:酶切鉴定和序列测定证实重组质粒构建成功;SDS-PAGE检测有目的蛋白条带;Western印迹证实表达的E蛋白能与猪抗JEV阳性血清特异性结合;重组菌株在体外营养选择压力下,可稳定地携带重组质粒传代繁殖,在体内可较稳定地定居于肠系膜淋巴结和脾脏;小鼠口服试验证实重组菌无毒性作用,安全可靠;小鼠口服重组菌免疫,ELISA检测产生了抗JEV抗体;中和试验表明产生的抗体具有中和活性。结论:构建了能稳定表达JEV E蛋白的口服减毒鼠伤寒沙门菌疫苗株X4550(pYA3341-E),为研究乙型脑炎口服基因工程疫苗奠定基础。