Presenting a foreign antigen on live attenuated Edwardsiella tarda using twin-arginine translocation signal peptide as a multivalent vaccine

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system is a major pathway for transmembrane translocation of fully folded proteins. In this study, a multivalent vaccine to present foreign antigens on live attenuated vaccine Edwardsiella tarda WED using screened Tat signal peptide was constructed. Because the Tat system increases the yields of folded antigens in periplasmic space or extracellular milieu, it is expected to contribute to the production of conformational epitope-derived specific antibodies. E. tarda Tat signal peptides fused with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was constructed under the control of an in vivo inducible dps promoter. The resulting plasmids were electroporated into WED and the subcellular localizations of GFP were analyzed with Western blotting. Eight signal peptides with optimized GFP translocation efficiency were further fused to a protective antigen glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GapA) from a fish pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila. Signal peptides of DmsA, NapA, and SufI displayed high efficiency for GapA translocation. The relative percent survival (RPS) of turbot was measured with a co-infection of E. tarda and A. hydrophila, and the strain with DmsA signal peptide showed the maximal protection. This study demonstrated a new platform to construct multivalent vaccines using optimized Tat signal peptide in E. tarda.     

The aspartate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase of Edwardsiella ictaluri and its use as balanced-lethal system in fish vaccinology

asdA mutants of gram-negative bacteria have an obligate requirement for diaminopimelic acid (DAP), which is an essential constituent of the peptidoglycan layer of the cell wall of these organisms. In environments deprived of DAP, i.e., animal tissues, they will undergo lysis. Deletion of the asdA gene has previously been exploited to develop antibiotic-sensitive strains of live attenuated recombinant bacterial vaccines. Introduction of an Asd(+) plasmid into a ΔasdA mutant makes the bacterial strain plasmid-dependent. This dependence on the Asd(+) plasmid vector creates a balanced-lethal complementation between the bacterial strain and the recombinant plasmid. E. ictaluri is an enteric gram-negative fish pathogen that causes enteric septicemia in catfish. Because E. ictaluri is a nasal/oral invasive intracellular pathogen, this bacterium is a candidate to develop a bath/oral live recombinant attenuated Edwardsiella vaccine (RAEV) for the catfish aquaculture industry. As a first step to develop an antibiotic-sensitive RAEV strain, we characterized and deleted the E. ictaluri asdA gene. E. ictaluri ΔasdA01 mutants exhibit an absolute requirement for DAP to grow. The asdA gene of E. ictaluri was complemented by the asdA gene from Salmonella. Several Asd(+) expression vectors with different origins of replication were transformed into E. ictaluri ΔasdA01. Asd(+) vectors were compatible with the pEI1 and pEI2 E. ictaluri native plasmids. The balanced-lethal system was satisfactorily evaluated in vivo. Recombinant GFP, PspA, and LcrV proteins were synthesized by E. ictaluri ΔasdA01 harboring Asd(+) plasmids. Here we constructed a balanced-lethal system, which is the first step to develop an antibiotic-sensitive RAEV for the aquaculture industry.     

Surface Display of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aeromonas hydrophila</Emphasis> GAPDH in Attenuated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vibrio anguillarum</Emphasis> to Develop a Noval Multivalent Vector Vaccine

Displaying foreign antigens on the surface of attenuated or avirulent bacteria is an important strategy to develop live multivalent vector vaccines. In our previous work, several efficient surface display systems have been established based on outer membrane anchoring elements, which could successfully display heterologous proteins in attenuated Vibrio anguillarum. In this work, the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) from pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila LSA34 was fused to seven display systems and introduced into attenuated V. anguillarum strain MVAV6203 (AV) to get seven GAPDH-display strains. The strain AV/pN-gapA showed the best display efficacy of GAPDH and was tested as the multivalent vaccine candidate. Further immune protection evaluation of AV/pN-gapA in turbot (Scophtalmus maximus) demonstrated that the attenuated V. anguillarum with surface-displayed GAPDH of A. hydrophila LSA34 effectively protected turbot from the infections of A. hydrophila and V. anguillarum and showed potential value for further multivalent vaccine development.     

Identification of antigenic Edwardsiella tarda surface proteins and their role in pathogenesis

Edwardsiella tarda causes an infectious fish disease called edwardsiellosis. Several outer membrane proteins (OMPs) are associated with virulence factors and are attractive as vaccine candidates. In this study, 4 immuno-reactive OMPs of E. tarda were detected using anti-sera from flounder infected with E. tarda. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry analyses, 2 of the 4 OMPs were identified as OmpA and murein lipoprotein (Lpp), which are highly conserved surface proteins in gram-negative bacteria. For further characterization of these surface proteins, we generated ompA- and lpp-inactivated mutants by insertion of a kanamycin cassette in the corresponding genes, and named these mutants E. tarda CK99 and CK164, respectively. As expected, immuno-reactive OmpA and Lpp proteins were absent in E. tarda CK99 and CK164, respectively, confirming that OmpA and Lpp are antigenic surface proteins. Interestingly, the LD₅₀ value of E. tarda CK164 in fish (2.0 × 10⁸ colony-forming unit [CFU]/fish) was greater than that of the parental strain (3.0 × 10⁷ CFU/fish). The LD₅₀ of E. tarda CK99 did not differ from that of its parental strain. After administering attenuated E. tarda CK164 to fish, we monitored the E. tarda-specific immune response profile. We observed that the E. tarda-specific serum IgM titer increased in a time-dependent manner, and was much higher than the value observed after the administration of a heat-killed E. tarda control. Moreover, fish vaccinated with E. tarda CK164 were 100% protected when challenged by CK41, a pathogenic strain. Our results suggest that E. tarda CK164 can potentially be used for developing an effective live attenuated vaccine for edwardsiellosis that can be applied in the aquaculture industry.     

Inv1: an Edwardsiella tarda invasin and a protective immunogen that is required for host infection

Invasin is an outer membrane protein that is known to mediate entry of enteric bacteria into mammalian cells. In this study, we analyzed the function and immunoprotective potential of the invasin Inv1 from Edwardsiella tarda, a serious fish pathogen that can also infect humans. In silico analysis indicated that Inv1 possesses a conserved N-terminal DUF3442 domain and a C-terminal group 1 bacterial Ig-like domain. Subcellular localization analysis showed that Inv1 is exposed on cell surface and could be recognized by specific antibodies. Mutation of inv1 had no effect on bacterial growth but attenuates overall bacterial virulence and impaired the ability of E. tarda to attach and invade into host cells. Consistent with these observations, antibody blocking of Inv1 inhibited E. tarda infection of host cells. To examine the immunoprotective potential of Inv1, recombinant Inv1 (rInv1) corresponding to the DUF3442 domain was purified and used to vaccinate Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). The results showed that rInv1 induced strong protection against lethal-dose challenge of E. tarda. ELISA analysis showed that rInv1-vaccinated fish produced specific serum antibodies that could enhance the serum bactericidal activity against E. tarda. Taken together, these results indicate that Inv1 is a surface-localized virulence factor that is involved in host infection and can induce effective immunoprotection when used as a subunit vaccine.     

A Listeria ivanovii balanced-lethal system may be a promising antigen carrier for vaccine construction

Expressing heterologous antigens by plasmids may cause antibiotic resistance. Additionally, antigen expression via plasmids is unstable due to the loss of the plasmid. Here, we developed a balanced-lethal system. The Listeria monocytogenes (LM) balanced-lethal system has been previously used as an antigen carrier to induce cellular immune response. However, thus far, there has been no reports on Listeria ivanovii (LI) balanced-lethal systems. The dal and dat genes from the LI-attenuated LIΔatcAplcB (LIΔ) were deleted consecutively, resulting in a nutrient-deficient LIΔdd strain. Subsequently, an antibiotic resistance-free plasmid carrying the LM dal gene was transformed into the nutrient-deficient strain to generate the LI balanced-lethal system LIΔdd:dal. The resultant bacterial strain retains the ability to proliferate in phagocytic cells, as well as the ability to adhere and invade hepatocytes. Its genetic composition was stable, and compared to the parent strain, the balanced-lethal system was substantially attenuated. In addition, LIΔdd:dal induced specific CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T-cell responses and protected mice against LIΔ challenge. Similarly, we constructed an LM balanced-lethal system LMΔdd:dal. Sequential immunization with different recombinant Listeria strains will significantly enhance the immunotherapeutic effect. Thus, LIΔdd:dal combined with LMΔdd:dal, or with other balanced-lethal systems will be more promising alternative for vaccine development.     

Edwardsiella tarda DnaK: expression, activity, and the basis for the construction of a bivalent live vaccine against E. tarda and Streptococcus iniae

Edwardsiella tarda and Streptococcus iniae are important aquaculture pathogens that affect many species of farmed fish. In this study, we analyzed the expression, activity, and immunoprotective potential of E. tarda heat shock protein DnaK. We found that dnaK expression was upregulated under conditions of heat shock, oxidative stress, and infection of host cells. Recombinant DnaK (rDnaK) purified from Escherichia coli exhibited ATPase activity and induced protection in Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) against lethal E. tarda challenge. On the basis of these results and our previous observation that a protective S. iniae antigen Sia10 which, when expressed heterogeneously in E. coli DH5α, is secreted into the extracellular milieu, we constructed a chimeric antigen by fusing DnaK to Sia10. The resulting fusion protein Sia10-DnaK was expressed in DH5α via the plasmid pTDK. Western blot analysis indicated that Sia10-DnaK was detected in the culture supernatant of DH5α/pTDK. When flounder were vaccinated with live DH5α/pTDK, strong protection was observed against both E. tarda and S. iniae. ELISA analysis detected specific serum antibody production in fish vaccinated with rDnaK and DH5α/pTDK. Taken together, these results indicate that rDnaK is an intrinsic ATPase with immunoprotective property and that Sia10-DnaK delivered by a live bacterial host is an effective bivalent vaccine candidate against E. tarda and S. iniae infection.     

Functional characterization of Edwardsiella tarda twin-arginine translocation system and its potential use as biological containment in live attenuated vaccine of marine fish

Bacterial twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system contributes to translocate folded proteins to the periplasm and plays pleiotropic roles in physiological fitness. Here, we showed that the fish pathogen Edwardsiella tarda Tat pathway was functional and was essential for H₂S production and hemolytic activity. E. tarda Tat mutant was more susceptible to diverse stresses such as high temperature, SDS, ethanol, and high-salt conditions. However, E. tarda Tat mutant displayed marginal in vivo virulence attenuation in fish models. Comparative proteomics analysis using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry were performed to identify proteins undergoing changes in expression levels under high-salt conditons when the Tat pathway was mutilated. Of the 96 differently expressed proteins on the 2-DGE map, 15 proteins were successfully identified with a MASCOT score >45 (p?<?0.05) and fold change higher than 2. These significantly differentially expressed proteins were functionally related to basal metabolism and the biosynthesis of proteins and macromolecules. The results of plate counting further confirmed that the Tat mutant was high-salt-sensitive, indicating that Tat mutant merits as a novel salt-sensitive biological containment system for live attenuated vaccine (LAV) in marine fish vaccinology. To test this, we deleted the type III secretion system genes and cured endogenous plasmid pEIB202 to construct a LAV candidate in the context of Tat abrogation in E. tarda. The results indicated that the LAV candidate was highly attenuated when injected intraperitoneally and elicited significant protection against challenge of wild-type E. tarda in turbot while being rapidly eliminated in seawater.     

A Streptococcus iniae DNA vaccine delivered by a live attenuated Edwardsiella tarda via natural infection induces cross‐genus protection

Edwardsiella tarda and Streptococcus iniae are important fish pathogens. We have reported previously a live E. tarda vaccine based on the attenuated strain TX5RM and a S. iniae DNA vaccine based on the antigen Sia10. In this study, we examined the possibility of constructing a cross‐genus vaccine by taking advantage of the residual infectivity of TX5RM and using it as a carrier host for the natural delivery of a S. iniae DNA vaccine. For this purpose, the recombinant TX5RM, TX5RMS10, was created, which harbours and retains stably the DNA vaccine plasmid pCS10 that expresses Sia10. When flounder were vaccinated with TX5RMS10 via oral and immersion routes, TX5RMS10 was detected in multiple tissues within 12–14 days postvaccination (p.v.). At 7 and 14 days p.v., expression of the DNA vaccine was detected in spleen, kidney and liver. Following E. tarda and S. iniae challenge at one and 2 months p.v., the vaccinated fish exhibited relative per cent survival rates of 69–83%. Immunological analysis indicated that TX5RMS10‐vaccinated fish produced specific serum antibodies and exhibited enhanced expression of a wide range of immune genes.     

Role of CD4+ and CD8α+ T cells in protective immunity against Edwardsiella tarda infection of ginbuna crucian carp,Carassius auratus langsdorfii

Edwardsiella tarda is an intracellular pathogen that causes edwardsiellosis in fish. Our previous study suggests that cell-mediated immunity (CMI) plays an essential role in protection against E. tarda infection. In the present study, we adoptively transferred T-cell subsets sensitized with E. tarda to isogenic naïve ginbuna crucian carp to determination the T-cell subsets involved in protecting fish from E. tarda infection. Recipients of CD4⁺ and CD8α⁺ cells acquired significant resistance to infection with E. tarda 8 days after sensitization, indicating that helper T cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes plays crucial roles in protective immunity to E. tarda. Moreover, transfer of sensitized CD8α⁺ cells up-regulated the expression of genes encoding interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and perforin, suggesting that protective immunity to E. tarda involves cell-mediated cytotoxicity and interferon-γ-mediated induction of CMI. The results establish that CMI plays a crucial role in immunity against E. tarda. These findings provide novel insights into understanding the role of CMI to intracellular pathogens of fish.     

Transgenic zebrafish eggs containing bactericidal peptide is a novel food supplement enhancing resistance to pathogenic infection of fish

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) was used as a bioreactor to produce bovine lactoferricin (LFB), which has wide-ranging antimicrobial activity. We constructed an expression plasmid in which LFB was fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP) and driven by zebrafish β-actin promoter. After microinjection, six transgenic founders were screened on the basis of GFP appearance. Among them, a stable ZBL-5 line was selected by the ubiquitous and strong expression of GFP. Using PCR and Western blot analysis, we confirmed that the recombinant LFB-GFP protein was produced by the F2 progeny derived from the ZBL-5 line. The bactericidal agar plate assay proved that the functional domain of LFB was released from the LFB-GFP fusion protein, resulting in strong bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli, Edwardsiella tarda and Aeromonas hydrophila. Furthermore, adult zebrafish were given one feeding of fifty 72-hpf transgenic embryos. The treated fish were then immersed in freshwater containing 1 × 10⁵ CFU ml^?1 E. tarda for 7 days. The survival rate of the treated zebrafish was significantly higher than that of fish fed with fifty wild-type embryos (75 ± 12.5% versus 4 ± 7.2%). This line of evidence suggested that pathogen resistance can be enhanced by using transgenic embryos containing LFB-GFP as a food supplement for fish, while, at the same time, reducing the demand of chemical antibiotics.     

Identification of Omp38 by immunoproteomic analysis and evaluation as a potential vaccine antigen against Aeromonas hydrophila in Chinese breams

Aeromonas hydrophila is a fish pathogen causing systemic infections in aquatic environments, and determining its antigenic proteins is important for vaccine development to reduce economic losses in aquaculture worldwide. Here, an immunoproteomic approach was used to identify immunogenic outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of the Chinese vaccine strain J-1 using convalescent sera from Chinese breams. Seven unique immunogenic proteins were identified by two-dimensional (2-D) electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS). One protein of interest, Omp38, was expressed, and its immunogenicity and protective efficacy were evaluated in Chinese breams. The two groups of fish immunized with the inactivated vaccine and recombinant Omp38 protein showed significant serum IgM antibody levels after vaccination, compared with the fish injected with PBS buffer. In addition, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, lysozyme (LSZ) activity and phagocytosis activity of head kidney lymphocytes of immunized groups were significantly higher than those of the control. The fish receiving inactivated vaccine and recombinant Omp38 protein developed a protective response to a live A. hydrophila challenge 45 days post-immunization, as demonstrated by increased survival of vaccinated fish over the control and by decreased histological alterations in vaccinated fish. Furthermore, protective effect was better in Omp38 group than in the inactivated vaccine group. These results suggest that the recombinant Omp38 protein could effectively stimulate both specific and non-specific immune responses and protect against A. hydrophila infection. Therefore, Omp38 may be developed as a potential vaccine candidate against A. hydrophila infection.     

Secreted glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase as a broad spectrum vaccine candidate against microbial infection in aquaculture

Aims: Subcellullar localizations and cross‐immunities of GAPDHs from six common pathogenic bacteria in aquaculture were investigated. Methods and Results: Subcellullar localizations of GAPDHs of Edwardsiella tarda EIB202, Edwardsiella ictaluri ATCC33202, Aeromonas hydrophila LSA34, Vibrio anguillarum MVM425, Vibrio alginolyticus EPGS020401 and Vibrio harveyi VIB647 were analysed with Western blotting, indirect immunofluorescence and flow cytometry examinations. Immunoprotections of different recombinant GAPDHs against these pathogens were investigated with zebrafish model. Western blotting of subcellular extractions showed that all GAPDHs were secreted into extracellular medium and periplasmic space. In addition, GAPDHs were demonstrated to distribute in the outer membranes except MVM425 and VIB647. And, GAPDHs were confirmed to be present on the surface of these bacteria with indirect immunofluorescence and flow cytometry examinations. The remarkable cross‐protective immunities of these recombinant GAPDHs were induced in zebrafish, and the relative protective survivals were almost over 60%. Conclusions: Localizations of GAPDHs from these pathogenic bacteria were similar to many other causative agents. And, GAPDHs could be important protective antigens and give remarkable cross‐immunity against different pathogens. Significance and Impact of the Study: Recombinant GAPDH could be designed as a broad spectrum vaccine candidate against multiple microbial infections in aquaculture.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of Toll-like receptor 14 in Japanese flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential for activation of the innate immune system in response to invading pathogens. TLR14, which is unique to fish, has been identified in several fish species, but its function is unclear. In this study, Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) TLR14 gene (JfTLR14) was cloned and its expression profiles were analyzed after infection with viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, gram-positive Streptococcus iniae and gram-negative Edwardsiella tarda. The coding region of JfTLR14 cDNA was 2,607 bp, encoding 878 amino acid residues. JfTLR14 was highly expressed in head kidney of healthy flounder. In response to infection with VHSV and S. iniae, the JfTLR14 gene was up-regulated at only 1 day post-infection (dpi). However, E. tarda infection increased JfTLR14 gene expression from 1 to 6 dpi. These results imply that JfTLR14 participates more in the immune response against E. tarda infection than in the immune responses to other pathogen infections.     

Genome Sequence of the Versatile Fish Pathogen Edwardsiella tarda Provides Insights into its Adaptation to Broad Host Ranges and Intracellular Niches

Background

Edwardsiella tarda is the etiologic agent of edwardsiellosis, a devastating fish disease prevailing in worldwide aquaculture industries. Here we describe the complete genome of E. tarda, EIB202, a highly virulent and multi-drug resistant isolate in China.

Methodology/Principal Findings

E. tarda EIB202 possesses a single chromosome of 3,760,463 base pairs containing 3,486 predicted protein coding sequences, 8 ribosomal rRNA operons, and 95 tRNA genes, and a 43,703 bp conjugative plasmid harboring multi-drug resistant determinants and encoding type IV A secretion system components. We identified a full spectrum of genetic properties related to its genome plasticity such as repeated sequences, insertion sequences, phage-like proteins, integrases, recombinases and genomic islands. In addition, analysis also indicated that a substantial proportion of the E. tarda genome might be devoted to the growth and survival under diverse conditions including intracellular niches, with a large number of aerobic or anaerobic respiration-associated proteins, signal transduction proteins as well as proteins involved in various stress adaptations. A pool of genes for secretion systems, pili formation, nonfimbrial adhesions, invasions and hemagglutinins, chondroitinases, hemolysins, iron scavenging systems as well as the incomplete flagellar biogenesis might feature its surface structures and pathogenesis in a fish body.

Conclusion/Significance

Genomic analysis of the bacterium offered insights into the phylogeny, metabolism, drug-resistance, stress adaptation, and virulence characteristics of this versatile pathogen, which constitutes an important first step in understanding the pathogenesis of E. tarda to facilitate construction of a practical effective vaccine used for combating fish edwardsiellosis.     

Identification and immunoprotective analysis of an in vivo-induced Edwardsiella tarda antigen

Edwardsiella tarda is a severe aquaculture pathogen that can infect many important fish species cultured worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the vaccine potential of an E. tarda antigen, Eta21, which was identified from a pathogenic E. tarda strain via the method of in vivo-induced antigen technology (IVIAT). Eta21 is 510-amino acid in length and shares 58% sequence identity with a putative peptidase of several bacterial species. eta21 was subcloned into Escherichia coli, and recombinant Eta21 was purified as a histidine-tagged protein. When used as a subunit vaccine, purified recombinant Eta21 was effective against lethal E. tarda challenge in a Japanese flounder model. In order to improve the immunoprotective efficacy of Eta21, the chimera AgaV-Eta21 was constructed, which consists of Eta21 fused in-frame to the secretion domain of AgaV, an extracellular β-agarase. E. coli DH5α harboring plasmid pTAET21, which constitutively expresses agaV-eta21, was able to produce and secret AgaV-Eta21 into the extracellular milieu. Vaccination of Japanese flounder with live DH5α/pTAET21 elicited immunoprotection that is significantly higher in level than that induced by vaccination with purified recombinant Eta21. Vaccination with DH5α/pTAET21 and recombinant Eta21 both induced the production of specific serum antibodies at four to eight weeks post-vaccination. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Eta21, especially that delivered by DH5α/pTAET21, is an effective vaccine candidate against E. tarda infection.