Recombinant Flagellin-Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Cap Fusion Protein Promotes Protective Immune Responses in Mice

The Cap protein of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) that serves as a major host-protective immunogen was used to develop recombinant vaccines for control of PCV2-associated diseases. Growing research data have demonstrated the high effectiveness of flagellin as an adjuvant for humoral and cellular immune responses. Here, a recombinant protein was designed by fusing a modified version of bacterial flagellin to PCV2 Cap protein and expressed in a baculovirus system. When administered without adjuvant to BALB/c mice, the flagellin-Cap fusion protein elicited stronger PCV2-specific IgG antibody response, higher neutralizing antibody levels, milder histopathological changes and lower viremia, as well as higher secretion of cytokines such as TNF-α and IFN-γ that conferred better protection against virus challenge than those in the recombinant Cap alone-inoculated mice. These results suggest that the recombinant Cap protein when fused to flagellin could elicit better humoral and cellular immune responses against PCV2 infection in a mouse model, thereby acting as an attractive candidate vaccine for control of the PCV2-associated diseases.     

Enhancement of the immunogenicity of a porcine circovirus type 2 DNA vaccine by a recombinant plasmid coexpressing capsid protein and porcine interleukin‐6 in mice

The development of effective vaccines against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) has been accepted as an important strategy in the prophylaxis of post‐weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome; a DNA vaccine expressing the major immunogenic capsid (Cap) protein of PCV2 is considered to be a promising candidate. However, DNA vaccines usually induce weak immune responses. In this study, it was found that the efficacy of a DNA vaccine expressing Cap protein was improved by simultaneous expression of porcine IL‐6. A plasmid (pIRES‐ORF2/IL6) separately expressing both Cap protein and porcine IL‐6 was constructed and compared with another plasmid (pIRES‐ORF2) expressing Cap protein for its potential to induce PCV2‐specific immune responses. Mice were vaccinated i.m. twice at 3 week intervals and the induced humoral and cellular responses evaluated. All animals vaccinated with pIRES‐ORF2/IL6 and pIRES‐ORF2 developed specific anti‐PCV2 antibodies (according to enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay) and a T lymphocyte proliferation response. The percentages of CD3⁺, CD3⁺CD8⁺, and CD3⁺CD4⁺ subgroups of peripheral blood T‐lymphocytes were significantly higher in mice immunized with pIRES‐ORF2/IL6 than in those that had received pIRES‐ORF2. After challenge with the virulent PCV2 Wuzhi isolate, mice vaccinated with pIRES‐ORF2/IL6 had significantly less viral replication than those vaccinated with pIRES‐ORF2, suggesting that the protective immunity induced by pIRES‐ORF2/IL6 is superior to that induced by pIRES‐ORF2.     

乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原及Flt3配体双表达核酸疫苗的小鼠免疫应答研究

目的 构建乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原(HBcAg)和Flt3配体(FL)胞外段双表达核酸疫苗,并观察其免疫原性。方法 分别将HBcAg、FL基因克隆入pJW4303载体,获得双表达核酸疫苗,体外转染293T细胞检测目的基因的表达。分组免疫BABL／c小鼠,酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测小鼠血清抗-HBc IgG效价,酶联免疫斑点试验(ELISPOT)检测HBcAg特异性Th1／Th2型细胞因子的分泌水平。结果 所构建疫苗在体外均能表达HBcAg和FL,当基因位于内部核糖体切入位点(IRES)元件上游时表达水平明显较优。pJW4303／C／FL免疫组产生的抗-HBc IgG效价和Th1／Th2型细胞因子的分泌水平均显著优于pJW4303／C和pJW4303／FL／C组。结论 成功构建双表达核酸疫苗,基因位于上游时表达水平高于下游。FL基因的引入明显增强了HBcAg核酸疫苗的免疫原性。     

Immunity Elicited by an Experimental Vaccine Based on Recombinant Flagellin-Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Cap Fusion Protein in Piglets

In a recent study, we reported that a recombinant protein from fusion expression of flagellin to porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) Cap induced robust humoral and cell-mediated immunity that afforded full protection for PCV2 infection using BALB/c mice. Here, we further evaluated the immunogenicity and protection of the recombinant protein using specific pathogen free (SPF) pigs. Twenty-five 3-week-old piglets without passively acquired immunity were divided into 5 groups. All piglets except negative controls were challenged with a virulent PCV2 at 21 days after booster vaccination and necropsied at 21 days post-challenge. Vaccination of piglets with the recombinant protein without adjuvant induced strong humoral and cellular immune responses as observed by high levels of PCV2-specific IgG antibodies and neutralizing antibodies, as well as frequencies of PCV2-specific IFN-γ-secreting cells that conferred good protection against PCV2 challenge, with significant reduced PCV2 viremia, mild lesions, low PCV2 antigen-positive cells, as well as improved body weight gain, comparable to piglets vaccinated with a commercial PCV2 subunit vaccine. These results further demonstrated that the recombinant flagellin-Cap fusion protein is capable of inducing solid protective humoral and cellular immunity when administered to pigs, thereby becoming an effective PCV2 vaccine candidate for control of PCV2 infection.     

Enhancing immune responses against SARS-CoV nucleocapsid DNA vaccine by co-inoculating interleukin-2 expressing vector in mice

The immunogenicity of SARS-CoV nucleocapsid DNA vaccine and the immunoregulatory activity of interleukin-2 (IL-2) were investigated. DNA vaccine plasmids, pcDNA-N and pcDNA-IL2, were constructed and inoculated into BALB/c mice with or without pcDNA-IL2 by intramuscular injection. Cellular and humoral immune responses were assessed by indirect ELISA, lymphocyte proliferation assays, ELISPOT and FACS. The nucleocapsid DNA vaccine had good immunogenicity and can induce specific humoral and cellular immunity in BALB/c mice, while IL-2 plays an immunoadjuvant role and enhances specific immune responses. This study provides a frame of reference for the design of DNA vaccines against SARS-CoV.     

Conjugation of chitosan oligosaccharides via a carrier protein markedly improves immunogenicity of porcine circovirus vaccine

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2)-associated diseases have led to huge economic losses in pig industry. Our laboratory previously found that conjugation of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) enhanced the immunogenicity of PCV2 vaccine against infectious pathogens. In this study, an effective adjuvant system was developed by covalent conjugation of COS via a carrier protein (Ovalbumin, OVA) to further increase the immunogenicity of vaccine. Its effect on dendritic cells maturation was assessed in vitro and its immunogenicity was investigated in mice. The results indicated that, as compared to the PCV2 and COS-PCV2, COS-OVA-PCV2 stimulated dendritic cells to express higher maturation markers (CD80, CD86, CD40 and MHC class II) and remarkably promoted both humoral and cellular immunity against PCV2 by enhancing the lymphocyte proliferation and inducing a mixed Th1/Th2 response, including the increased production of PCV2-specific antibodies and raised levels of inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, it displayed better immune-stimulating effects than the physical mixture of vaccine and ISA206 (a commercialized adjuvant). In conclusion, conjugation of COS via a carrier protein might be a promising strategy to enhance the immunogenicity of vaccines.     

融合表达小鼠IgG2b-Fc可增强人类免疫缺陷病毒1型Gag DNA疫苗的免疫原性

为阐明小鼠IgG2b-Fc对DNA疫苗免疫原性的增强作用,首先构建表达人类免疫缺陷病毒1型(human immunodeficiency virus type 1,HIV-1)CN54Gag基因的DNA疫苗及表达Gag与小鼠IgG2b-Fc融合基因的DNA疫苗,限制性酶切和DNA测序结果表明这两个疫苗均构建成功,蛋白免疫印迹结果也显示其正确表达。然后,利用上述DNA疫苗接种C57BL/6小鼠,比较两个DNA疫苗所诱导的特异性体液免疫反应和特异性细胞免疫反应。结果显示,融合表达小鼠IgG2b-Fc对特异性细胞免疫和体液免疫反应均有增强作用,但只有对特异性体液免疫反应的增强作用有统计学意义。     

An ELISA based on a truncated soluble ORF2 protein for the detection of PCV2 antibodies in domestic pigs

Postweaning multisystemie wasting syndrome (PMWS) is an important swine disease that is closely associated with porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2). The capsid protein (Cap protein) is a major structural protein that has at least three immunoreactive regions, and it can be a suitable candidate antigen for detecting the specific antibodies of a PCV2 infection. In the present study, an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TcELISA)based on a truncated soluble Cap protein produced in Escherichia coli (E.coli) was established and validated for the diagnostic PCV2 antibodies in swine. The TcELISA was validated by comparison with an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIFA). The diagnostic sensitivity (DSN), specificity (DSP), and accuracy of the TcELISA were 88.6%, 90.7% and 89.4%, respectively. The agreement rate was 89.38% between results obtained with TcELISA and IIFA on 113 field sera. A cross-reactivity assay showed that the method was PCV2-specific by comparison with other sera of viral disease. Therefore ,the TcELISA will be helpful for the development of a reliable serology diagnostic test for large scale detection of PCV2 antibodies and for the evaluation of vaccine against PCV2 in swine.     

猪圆环病毒2型Cap蛋白在大肠杆菌中的可溶性表达及在小鼠体内免疫特性研究

猪圆环病毒2型(PCV2)Cap蛋白基因是该病毒基因工程疫苗的重要目的基因,但其在大肠杆菌表达系统中的表达产物通常以包涵体形式存在,影响其作为亚单位疫苗使用的免疫保护作用。将ORF2基因密码子改造为大肠杆菌偏爱的密码子,或构建MPG与ORF2基因融合,分别克隆至表达载体pET28a,再转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3),经IPTG诱导表达。SDS-PAGE和Western blot结果证实改造后的PCV2 Cap蛋白基因实现了可溶性表达。将上述两种重组蛋白纯化后,分别与GEL01、ISA206或ISA15A三种佐剂混合配制疫苗,小鼠免疫保护试验结果证明,以GEL01为佐剂的两免疫组PCV2 ELISA抗体和中和抗体水平最高。攻毒试验结果显示,除ISA15A组外,其他各免疫组脾脏中 PCV2 含量都显著低于非免疫对照组,表明两种重组蛋白与佐剂GEL01和ISA206制成的疫苗可诱导产生一定水平的免疫保护作用,为PCV2亚单位疫苗的研制奠定了基础。     

Immunogenicity and pathogenicity of chimeric infectious DNA clones of pathogenic porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and nonpathogenic PCV1 in weanling pigs

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary causative agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), whereas the ubiquitous porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV1) is nonpathogenic for pigs. We report here the construction and characterization of two chimeric infectious DNA clones of PCV1 and PCV2. The chimeric PCV1-2 clone contains the PCV2 capsid gene cloned in the backbone of the nonpathogenic PCV1 genome. A reciprocal chimeric PCV2-1 DNA clone was also constructed by replacing the PCV2 capsid gene with that of PCV1 in the backbone of the PCV2 genome. The PCV1, PCV2, and chimeric PCV1-2 and PCV2-1 DNA clones were all shown to be infectious in PK-15 cells, and their growth characteristics in vitro were determined and compared. To evaluate the immunogenicity and pathogenicity of the chimeric infectious DNA clones, 40 specific-pathogen-free (SPF) pigs were randomly assigned into five groups of eight pigs each. Group 1 pigs received phosphate-buffered saline as the negative control. Group 2 pigs were each injected in the superficial inguinal lymph nodes with 200 micro g of the PCV1 infectious DNA clone. Group 3 pigs were each similarly injected with 200 micro g of the PCV2 infectious DNA clone, group 4 pigs were each injected with 200 micro g of the chimeric PCV1-2 infectious DNA clone, and group 5 pigs were each injected with 200 micro g of the reciprocal chimeric PCV2-1 infectious DNA clone. As expected, seroconversion to antibodies to the PCV2 capsid antigen was detected in group 3 and group 4 pigs. Group 2 and 5 pigs all seroconverted to PCV1 antibody. Gross and microscopic lesions in various tissues of animals inoculated with the PCV2 infectious DNA clone were significantly more severe than those found in pigs inoculated with PCV1, chimeric PCV1-2, and reciprocal chimeric PCV2-1 infectious DNA clones. These data indicated that the chimeric PCV1-2 virus with the immunogenic ORF2 capsid gene of pathogenic PCV2 cloned into the nonpathogenic PCV1 genomic backbone induces a specific antibody response to the pathogenic PCV2 capsid antigen but is attenuated in pigs. Future studies are warranted to evaluate the usefulness of the chimeric PCV1-2 infectious DNA clone as a genetically engineered live-attenuated vaccine against PCV2 infection and PMWS.     

猪圆环病毒2型(PCV2)核衣壳蛋白免疫原性的鉴定和应用及其多抗在PCV2感染诊断中的应用

猪圆环病毒2型ORF2编码与病毒毒力相关的结构蛋白--核衣壳蛋白(Cap),该蛋白可以用于PCV2感染的血清学调查,但不同区域的PCV2分离株的ORF2特别是其抗原表位序列存在一定的突变.本研究将PCV2浙江分离株ORF2的主要抗原表位以及PCV1 ORF2进行了原核表达,将分别纯化的融合蛋白Cap2s和Cap1s免疫SPF兔后制备多抗,并进一步分析了纯化蛋白的免疫原性和多抗的特性.Western blot结果表明无论Cap2s和Cap1s均能与两个多抗发生交叉反应,而PCV2或PCV1阳性猪血清只能分别特异性地识别Cap2s和Cap1s.IFA结果则证明两个多抗对于天然Cap蛋白无交叉反应性.利用Cap2s作为包被抗原对13个猪场的259份血清样品的PCV2抗体进行ELISA检测,平均阳性率为80.69%(209/259),而各猪场的阳性率差异较大(48.28%～100%).以上结果表明Cap2s可作为一个型特异性抗原用于浙江省本地猪场猪群血清中PCV2抗体的监控,而其多抗也可用于免疫组化对PCV2感染进行有效诊断.     

High-level expression and immunogenicity of a porcine circovirus type 2 capsid protein through codon optimization in Pichia pastoris

The porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) capsid protein (Cap) is an important antigen for the development of vaccines. To achieve high-level expression of recombinant PCV2 Cap in Pichia pastoris, the wild-type Cap (wt-Cap) and optimized Cap (opti-Cap) gene fragments encoding the same amino acid sequence of PCV2 were amplified by PCR using DNA from lymph nodes of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome-suffered pigs and synthesized based on the codon bias of the methylotrophic yeast P. pastoris, respectively. The wt-Cap and opti-Cap gene fragments were inserted into the site between EcoRI and NotI sites in pPIC9K, which was under the control of the alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) promoter and α-mating factor signal sequence from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The recombinant plasmids, designated as pPIC9K-wt-Cap and pPIC9K-opti-Cap, were linearized using SacI and transformed into P. pastoris GS115 by electroporation. The expressed intracellular soluble opti-Cap reached 174 μg/mL without concentration in a shake flask and kept good reactivity to PCV2-specific positive sera, whereas the wt-Cap could not be detectable throughout three times electroporation. Strong specific PCV2-Cap antibodies were elicited from piglets immunized with vaccine based on opti-Cap. To the best of our knowledge, the achieved opti-Cap yield is the highest ever reported. Our results demonstrated that codon optimization play an important role on the high-level expression of a codon-optimized PCV2-Cap gene in P. pastoris, and the vaccine based on opti-Cap may be a potential subunit vaccine candidate.     

表达猪圆环病毒2型Cap和猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒GP5融合蛋白重组腺病毒的构建和免疫原性测定

断奶后多系统衰弱综合征(PMWS)是目前规模化猪场常见的传染病,由PCV2感染引起。临床上PCV2与PRRSV混合感染较常见,死亡率和发病率很高,但目前尚无能有效预防该病的商品化疫苗。本研究利用基因克隆方法,构建融合表达PCV2-Cap蛋白与PRRSV-GP5蛋白的重组腺病毒rAd-Cap-GP5,经IPMA、IFA和Western blotting验证了Cap蛋白和GP5蛋白在该重组病毒中获得表达。将该重组腺病毒免疫小鼠测定其抗体、中和抗体,结果显示小鼠免疫后出现两种病毒的抗体和中和抗体,诱导小鼠产生明显的体液免疫应答,可以作为预防PCV2-PRRSV混合感染的基因工程疫苗候选毒株,为PCV2和PRRSV二联重组亚单位疫苗的研究奠定了基础。     

Characterization of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) capsid particle assembly and its application to virus-like particle vaccine development

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary causative agent of porcine circovirus-associated diseases in pigs. The sole structural capsid protein of PCV2, Cap, consists of major antigenic domains, but little is known about the assembly of capsid particles. The purpose of this study is to produce a large amount of Cap protein using Escherichia coli expression system for further studying the essential sequences contributing to formation of particles. By using codon optimization of rare arginine codons near the 5'-end of the cap gene for E. coli, a full-length Cap without any fusion tag recombinant protein (Cap1-233) was expressed and proceeded to form virus-like particles (VLPs) in normal Cap appearance that resembled the authentic PCV2 capsid. The N-terminal deletion mutant (Cap51-233) deleted the nuclear localization signal (NLS) domain, while the internal deletion mutant (CapΔ51-103) deleted a likely dimerization domain that failed to form VLPs. The unique Cys108 substitution mutant (CapC/S) exhibited most irregular aggregates, and only few VLPs were formed. These results suggest that the N-terminal region within the residues 1 to 103 possessing the NLS and dimerization domains are essential for self-assembly of stable Cap VLPs, and the unique Cys108 plays an important role in the integrity of VLPs. The immunogenicity of PCV2 VLPs was further evaluated by immunization of pigs followed by challenge infection. The Cap1-233-immunized pigs demonstrated specific antibody immune responses and are prevented from PCV2 challenge, thus implying its potential use for a VLP-based PCV2 vaccine.     

电脉冲和布吡卡因增强A型肉毒毒素DNA核酸疫苗的免疫效果

目的：考查DNA疫苗注射免疫后电脉冲和布吡卡因佐剂化DNA疫苗递送方式对A型肉毒毒素DNA核酸疫苗免疫效果的影响。方法：A型肉毒毒素DNA复制子疫苗和传统DNA疫苗肌肉注射免疫小鼠后电脉冲和布吡卡因佐剂化DNA后再肌肉注射免疫小鼠;检测免疫小鼠的抗体和细胞水平,并分析抗体亚类。结果：电脉冲和布吡卡因这二种递送方式均增强DNA复制子疫苗和传统DNA疫苗的体液免疫和细胞免疫效果;电脉冲提高DNA疫苗免疫效果更为明显,并且电脉冲和布吡卡因组合这种递送方式增强DNA疫苗体液免疫和细胞免疫水平最高;与传统DNA疫苗相比,A型肉毒毒素DNA复制子疫苗在这些递送方式下均诱导产生了更好的特异性体液免疫和细胞免疫应答,并且这些递送方式没有改变DNA疫苗的Th1/Th2免疫应答特性,即DNA复制子疫苗诱导产生Th1/Th2混合免疫应答但偏向于Th2途经,而传统DNA疫苗则完全偏向于Th2途经。结论：电脉冲和布吡卡因增强DNA复制子疫苗和传统DNA疫苗的免疫效果,是提高DNA疫苗免疫原性的良好策略。     

A multivalent combination of experimental antituberculosis DNA vaccines based on Ag85B and regions of difference antigens

Two candidate DNA vaccines based on the proteins CFP10 and CFP21 encoded by regions of difference (RDs) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were evaluated individually and in multivalent combination with the immunodominant protein Ag85B for induction of protective immune responses against experimental tuberculosis. Experimental DNA vaccines induced substantial levels of cell-mediated immune responses as indicated by marked lymphocyte proliferation, significant release of the Th1 cytokines IFN-gamma and IL-12 (p40), and predominant cytotoxic T cell activity. High levels of antigen-specific IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies observed in the sera of immunized mice depicted strong humoral responses generated by DNA vaccine constructs. The multivalent combination of three DNA vaccine constructs induced maximal T cell and humoral immune responses. All the experimental vaccines imparted significant protection against challenge with M. tuberculosis H(37)Rv (in terms of colony-forming unit reduction in lungs and spleen) as compared to vector controls. The level of protection exhibited by multivalent DNA vaccine formulation was found to be equivalent to that of Mycobacterium bovis BCG observed both at 4 and 8 weeks post-challenge. These results show the protective potential of the multivalent DNA vaccine formulation used in this study.     

表达猪圆环病毒2型Cap蛋白的重组猪瘟兔化弱毒疫苗株的构建与鉴定

猪瘟(CSF)是由猪瘟病毒(CSFV)引起的一种毁灭性传染病,给养猪业造成重大经济损失。猪瘟兔化弱毒疫苗(C株)是一株非常安全、有效的优秀弱毒疫苗,对各年龄和品种的猪都极其安全,同时对不同基因亚型的CSFV均能提供有效的免疫保护。在现地,CSFV和猪圆环病毒2型(PCV2)混合感染的现象时常发生,有必要研制针对这两种病毒混合感染的二价疫苗。本研究首次构建了表达PCV2 Cap蛋白的重组C株,并评价了其在体内外的特性。结果表明,该重组病毒与C株具有相近的体外增殖特征,能够稳定表达Cap蛋白,在家兔体内具有与C株相似的生物学表型,在免疫家兔后10 d,抗CSFV E2抗体全部转阳,然而抗Cap抗体未能转阳。本研究为进一步优化表达PCV2Cap蛋白的重组C株奠定了基础。     

Virus-like particles of recombinant PCV2b carrying FMDV-VP1 epitopes induce both anti-PCV and anti-FMDV antibody responses

Mixed infection of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is devastating to swine populations. To develop an effective vaccine that can protect the pigs from the infection of PCV2 and FMDV, we used the neutralizing B cell epitope region (aa 135–160) of FMDV to replace the regions aa 123–151 and aa 169–194 of the PCV2b Cap protein to generate a recombinant protein designated as Capfb. The Capfb protein was expressed in Escherichia coli system and the purified Capfb protein assembled into virus-like particles (VLPs) through dialysis. The ability of the Capfb protein to induce effective immune response against FMDV and PCV2b was tested in mice and guinea pigs. The results showed that the Capfb-VLPs could elicit anti-PCV2b and anti-FMDV antibody response in mice and guinea pigs without inducing antibodies against decoy epitope. Moreover, the Capfb-VLPs could enhance the percentage and activation of B cells in lymph nodes when the mice were stimulated with inactivated FMDV or PCV2b. These data suggested that the Capfb-VLPs could be an efficacious candidate antigen for developing a novel PCV2b-FMDV bivalent vaccine.

     

Plasmid chemokines and colony-stimulating factors enhance the immunogenicity of DNA priming-viral vector boosting human immunodeficiency virus type 1 vaccines

Heterologous "prime-boost" regimens that involve priming with plasmid DNA vaccines and boosting with recombinant viral vectors have been shown to elicit potent virus-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses. Increasing evidence, however, suggests that the utility of recombinant viral vectors in human populations will be significantly limited by preexisting antivector immunity. Here we demonstrate that the coadministration of plasmid chemokines and colony-stimulating factors with plasmid DNA vaccines markedly increases the immunogenicity of DNA prime-recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (rAd5) boost and DNA prime-recombinant vaccinia virus (rVac) boost vaccine regimens in BALB/c mice. In mice with preexisting anti-Ad5 immunity, priming with the DNA vaccine alone followed by rAd5 boosting elicited only marginal immune responses. In contrast, cytokine-augmented DNA vaccine priming followed by rAd5 vector boosting was able to generate potent immune responses in mice with preexisting anti-Ad5 immunity. These data demonstrate that plasmid cytokines can markedly improve the immunogenicity of DNA prime-viral vector boost vaccine strategies and can partially compensate for antivector immunity.