Detection of foot-and-mouth virus antibodies using a purified protein from the high-level expression of codon-optimized, foot-and-mouth disease virus complex epitopes in Escherichia coli

A codon optimized DNA sequence coding for foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) capsid protein complex epitopes of VP1 amino acid residues 21-40, 135-160, and 200-213 was genetically fused to the C-terminal end of a glutathione-S-transferase (GST) gene in pGEX-6P-1 vector with the synonymous codons preferred by Escherichia coli . The gene was synthesized using PCR and subsequently expressed in E. coli producing an intracellular, soluble fusion protein that retained antigenicity associated with FMDV antibodies by western blot analysis. The chimera was purified from bacterial lysates by affinity chromatography and could be used in ELISA tests for antibodies against FMDV.     

乙肝PreS_2抗原决定簇和霍乱毒素B亚基基因的融合与表达

本研究通过全化学法按大肠杆菌密码偏性合成了HBV PreS_2抗原决定簇基因,与ctxB基因的3’端融合。重组质粒转化大肠杆菌后融合基因得到高效表达,表达量达30μg/ml,表达产物95％以上分泌到胞外。表达的融合蛋白能与神经节苷脂GM1结合,说明融合蛋白保持了CTB的基本高级结构和生物学功能;ELISA实验证明融合蛋白具有CTB和HBV PreS_2的抗原性;应用亲和层析纯化后得到了电泳纯融合蛋白制品,为研究融合蛋白的免疫原性并进一步构建基因工程肽苗奠定了基础。     

Foot-and-mouth disease virus VP1 protein fused with cholera toxin B subunit expressed in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast

A Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast expression vector, pACTBVP1, containing the fusion of the foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) VP1 gene and the cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) gene was constructed and transfered to the chloroplast genome of C. reinhardtii by the biolistic method. The transformants were identified by PCR, Southern blot, Western blot and ELISA assays after selection on resistant medium and incubation in the dark. The CTBVP1 fusion protein was expressed in C. reinhardtii chloroplast and accounted for up to 3% of the total soluble protein. The fusion protein also retained both GM1-ganglioside binding affinity and antigenicity of the FMDV VP1 and CTB proteins. These experimental results support the possibility of using transgenic chloroplasts of green alga as a mucosal vaccine source.     

大肠杆菌脂蛋白与CTB-pres2抗原基因的融合及表达

首次采用基因融合方式,在乱毒素B亚基-乙型肝炎病毒Pres2抗原融合基因（ctxB-Pres2）的5’端了引入编码大肠杆菌脂蛋白信号肽及N端九个氨基酸的核苷酸序列,分别置于ctb及lpp／lac启动子下在大肠杆菌中获得分泌性表达．表达的融合蛋白均定位于膜上,并且可以和GM1、抗-CTB抗体及抗HBVPreS2单克隆抗体结合,说明该融合蛋白保留了CTB的基本高级结构及CTB、PreS2抗原的抗原性．3H-棕榈酸标记实验证实该融合蛋白发生脂肪化,为免疫原性研究奠定了基础．此外,还研究了不同信号肽和宿主菌对该蛋白表达的影响．     

A Novel Mucosal Vaccine Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Induces Protection in Mice and Swine

Epitopes of a foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) capsid protein VP1 complex and a chimera of 6×His-tagged cholera toxin B subunit (hCTB) were expressed in Hansenula polymorpha and used together as a mucosal vaccine. Antibody and cytokine responses to VP1–hCTB vaccine and protection against FMDV were evaluated by ELISA and a virus challenge test in mice, respectively. VP1–hCTB directly enhanced the expression of interleukin-5 (IL-5) both in serum and supernatants of cultured spleen cells. After challenging suckling mice with 10⁵ FMDV (=50% lethal dosage per mouse) a greater protection was seen after intraperitoneal and intranasal vaccinations than after oral vaccination. In swine immunized with VP1–hCTB, immune responses were achieved after three administrations, and the vaccine protected swine (80%) when challenged with 10^6.5 FMDV (=50% infectious dosage per swine). These results demonstrated the possibility of using CTB as a mucosal adjuvant to elicit protective immune responses against FMDV. Houhui Song, Zhiliang Wang and Dongxia Zheng contributed equally to this work.     

Chimeric polioviruses that include sequences derived from two independent antigenic sites of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) induce neutralizing antibodies against FMDV in guinea pigs.

Five poliovirus recombinants containing sequences corresponding to foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) antigenic sites were constructed. Viable virus was recovered from four of these plasmids, in which the VP1 beta B-beta C loop (antigenic site 1) of poliovirus type 1 Sabin had been replaced with sequences derived from the VP1 beta G-beta H loop (antigenic site 1) of FMDV O1 Kaufbeuren (O1K), chimera O1.1 (residues 141 to 154), chimera O1.2 (residues 147 to 156), and chimera O1.3 (residues 140 to 160) or from the beta B-beta C loop of VP1 (antigenic site 3) in chimera O3.1 (residues 40 to 49). One chimera (O1.3) was neutralized by FMDV-specific polyclonal serum and monoclonal antibodies directed against antigenic site 1 of FMDV. Chimeras O1.3 and O3.1 induced site-specific FMDV-neutralizing antibodies in guinea pigs. Chimera O1.3 was capable of inducing a protective response against FMDV challenge in some guinea pigs.     

Evaluation of TcpF-A2-CTB Chimera and Evidence of Additive Protective Efficacy of Immunizing with TcpF and CTB in the Suckling Mouse Model of Cholera

The secreted colonization factor, TcpF, which is produced by Vibrio cholerae 01 and 0139, has generated interest as a potential protective antigen in the development of a subunit vaccine against cholera. This study evaluated immunogenicity/protective efficacy of a TcpF holotoxin-like chimera (TcpF-A2-CTB) following intraperitoneal immunization compared to TcpF alone, a TcpF+CTB mixture, or CTB alone. Immunization with the TcpF-A2-CTB chimera elicited significantly greater amounts of anti-TcpF IgG than immunization with the other antigens (P<0.05). Protective efficacy was measured using 6-day-old pups reared from immunized dams and orogastrically challenged with a lethal dose of El Tor V. cholerae 01 Inaba strain N16961. Protection from death, and weight loss analysis at 24 and 48 hours post-infection demonstrated that immunization with TcpF alone was poorly protective. However, immunization with TcpF+CTB was highly protective and showed a trend toward greater protection than immunization with CTB alone (82% vs 64% survival). Immunization with the TcpF-A2-CTB chimera demonstrated less protection (50% survival) than immunization with the TcpF+CTB mixture. The TcpF-A2-CTB chimera used for this study contained the heterologous classical CTB variant whereas the El Tor CTB variant (expressed by the challenge strain) was used in the other immunization groups. For all immunization groups that received CTB, quantitative ELISA data demonstrated that the amounts of serum IgG directed against the homologous immunizing CTB antigen was statistically greater than the amount to the heterologous CTB antigen (P≤0.003). This finding provides a likely explanation for the poorer protection observed following immunization with the TcpF-A2-CTB chimera and the relatively high level of protection seen after immunization with homologous CTB alone. Though immunization with TcpF alone provided no protection, the additive protective effect when TcpF was combined with CTB demonstrates its possible value as a component of a multivalent subunit vaccine against Vibrio cholerae 01 and 0139.     

O型口蹄疫病毒VP1 T细胞、B细胞表位双拷贝基因与大肠杆菌LTB、STI肠毒素基因融合表达产物的免疫应答

合成O型口蹄疫病毒VP1蛋白中与细胞免疫（21～40表位肽）及体液免疫（141～160表位肽）相关的基因序列2020VP1,运用基因工程技术构建了含有肠毒素大肠杆菌LTB、STI基因及双拷贝2020VP1的融合表达载体r2020-B-2020-STI,转化宿主菌BL21(DE3)RIL后的表达产物经SDS-PAGE分析,结果显示重组融合蛋白的分子量约为45kDa,表达量较高。ELISA实验结果显示,融合蛋白能与霍乱毒素（choleratoxin）CTB抗体特异结合。动物实验表明,融合蛋白能够诱发兔体产生较强的FMDV中和抗体,免疫豚鼠在低浓度FMDV刺激下能够产生特异性T淋巴细胞增殖反应,说明融合蛋白能诱导机体产生FMDV特异性细胞及体液免疫反应;同时,融合蛋白免疫雌鼠能够抵抗大肠杆菌强毒株攻击,免疫兔体能够产生STI中和抗体,且融合蛋白不具STI毒性,证明融合蛋白具有良好的LTB、STI免疫原性。实验结果表明,此融合蛋白具有开发成为口蹄疫及肠毒素腹泻联合疫苗的应用价值。     

Expression of cholera toxin B subunit and assembly as functional oligomers in silkworm

The nontoxic B subunit of cholera toxin (CTB) can significantly increase the ability of proteins to induce immunological tolerance after oral administration, when it was conjugated to various proteins. Recombinant CTB offers great potential for treatment of autoimmune disease. Here we firstly investigated the feasibility of silkworm baculovirus expression vector system for the cost-effective production of CTB under the control of a strong polyhedrin promoter. Higher expression was achieved via introducing the partial non-coding and coding sequences (ATAAAT and ATGCCGAAT) of polyhedrin to the 5' end of the native CTB gene, with the maximal accumulation being approximately 54.4 mg/L of hemolymph. The silkworm bioreactor produced this protein vaccine as the glycoslated pentameric form, which retained the GM1-ganglioside binding affinity and the native antigenicity of CTB. Further studies revealed that mixing with silkworm-derived CTB increases the tolerogenic potential of insulin. In the nonconjugated form, an insulin : CTB ratio of 100 : 1 was optimal for the prominent reduction in pancreatic islet inflammation. The data presented here demonstrate that the silkworm bioreactor is an ideal production and delivery system for an oral protein vaccine designed to develop immunological tolerance against autoimmune diabetes and CTB functions as an effective mucosal adjuvant for oral tolerance induction.     

共表达口蹄疫病毒衣壳前体蛋白P1-2A基因和蛋白酶3C基因牛肾细胞株的筛选及稳定性

[目的]筛选稳定表达口蹄疫病毒衣壳蛋白的牛肾细胞(Madin-Darby bovinekidney,MDBK)株.[方法]采用聚合酶链式反应(Polymerase chain reaction,PCR)方法从重组质粒pMD-P1-2A和pMD-3C中分别扩增口蹄疫病毒衣壳前体蛋白P1-2A基因和蛋白酶3C基因,将两基因依次插入逆转录病毒载体pBABE-puro.重组逆转录病毒载体pBABE-puro/P1-2A-3C和pVSV-G质粒载体用脂质体介导共转染GP2-293包装细胞.产生的重组逆转录病毒感染MDBK细胞后使用嘌呤霉素筛选抗性细胞.利用克隆环套取法得到单克隆细胞.经间接免疫荧光和酶联免疫吸附测定(Enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay,ELISA)方法检测MDBK细胞中衣壳蛋白的表达,并在电镜下观察口蹄疫病毒空衣壳.[结果]成功筛选到稳定表达口蹄疫病毒衣壳蛋白的MDBK细胞株,衣壳前体蛋白P1-2A在蛋白酶3C裂解作用下正确组装成空衣壳.[结论]该研究为口蹄疫亚单位疫苗的研制提供了实验材料.     

Bacterially expressed antigenic peptide from foot-and-mouth disease virus capsid elicits variable immunologic responses in animals

A fusion protein consisting of beta-galactosidase (GZ) to which was attached at its N-terminus the amino acid sequence corresponding to residues 142-160 of the immunogenic protein VP1 of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) has been expressed in E. coli. A chemically synthesized section of DNA corresponding to the amino acid sequence 142-160 was inserted into a vector (pXY410) designed to express fusion proteins with the carboxy terminal 1015 amino acids of GZ. The hybrid protein immunopurified by a GZ-specific monoclonal antibody was soluble, retained full GZ activity, and induced virus-neutralizing antibody in guinea pigs and mice. There were significant differences between the responses of individual mice to the FMDV peptide sequence, although the titers against GZ were uniformly high. This variable pattern did not change after hyperimmunization and was demonstrable in a range of mouse strains of different haplotype. The same results were obtained whether the response was measured by virus neutralization or by RIA against the FMDV peptide sequence. The possible reasons for the variable recognition of the FMDV epitopes by individual mice are discussed.     

CTB/CS3融合蛋白与GM1结合能力和免疫原性的分析

免疫霍乱毒素B亚单位（CTB）或肠毒素大肠杆菌（ETEC）定居因子CS3可使人体对ETEC的侵染有保护作用.为探索研制ETEC双组分亚单位疫苗的可行性,利用大肠杆菌诱导表达系统表达了CTB与CS3的融合蛋白（CTB/CS3）.蛋白质印迹结果表明,诱导表达的29 ku蛋白具有CTB和CS3蛋白双重抗原性.经Ni-NTA亲和层析纯化获得重组蛋白CTB/CS3,复性的重组蛋白可以部分形成五聚体并保留了与神经节苷脂GM1的结合能力.动物实验表明,融合蛋白CTB/CS3具有CTB和CS3蛋白的双重免疫原性,同时,CTB的免疫载体作用提高了CS3的免疫强度.     

乙肝PreS_2抗原决定簇和霍乱毒素B亚基基因的融合与表达

通过全化学法按大肠杆菌密码偏性合成了乙肝炎病毒（ＨＢＶ）前Ｓ２抗原（ＰｒｅＳ２）抗原决定簇基因,与霍乱毒素Ｂ亚基基因的３’端融合。重组质粒转化大肠杆菌后融合基因得到高效表达,表达量达３０μｇ／ｍＬ,表达产物９５％以上分泌到胞外。表达的融合蛋白能与神经节苷脂ＧＭ１结合,说明融合蛋白保持了霍乱毒素Ｂ亚基（ＣＴＢ）的基本高级结构和生物学功能;酶联免疫吸附实验证明融合蛋白具有ＣＴＢ和ＨＢＶＰｒｅＳ２的抗原性;应用亲和层析纯化后得到了电泳纯融合蛋白制品,为研究融合蛋白免疫原性并进一步构建基因工程肽苗奠定了基础。     

Identification of the cadmium-inducible Hansenula polymorpha SEO1 gene promoter by transcriptome analysis and its application to whole-cell heavy-metal detection systems

The genomewide gene expression profiling of the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha exposed to cadmium (Cd) allowed us to identify novel genes responsive to Cd treatment. To select genes whose promoters can be useful for construction of a cellular Cd biosensor, we further analyzed a set of H. polymorpha genes that exhibited >6-fold induction upon treatment with 300 muM Cd for 2 h. The putative promoters, about 1,000-bp upstream fragments, of these genes were fused with the yeast-enhanced green fluorescence protein (GFP) gene. The resultant reporter cassettes were introduced into H. polymorpha to evaluate promoter strength and specificity. The promoter derived from the H. polymorpha SEO1 gene (HpSEO1) was shown to drive most strongly the expression of GFP upon Cd treatment among the tested promoters. The Cd-inducible activity was retained in the 500-bp deletion fragment of the HpSEO1 promoter but was abolished in the further truncated 250-bp fragment. The 500-bp HpSEO1 promoter directed specific expression of GFP upon exposure to Cd in a dose-dependent manner, with Cd detection ranging from 1 to 900 muM. Comparative analysis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SEO1 (ScSEO1) promoter revealed that the ScSEO1 promoter has a broader specificity for heavy metals and is responsive to arsenic and mercury in addition to Cd. Our data demonstrate the potential use of the HpSEO1 promoter as a bioelement in whole-cell biosensors to monitor heavy metal contamination, particularly Cd.     

Expression of cholera toxin B subunit oligomers in transgenic potato plants

A gene encoding the cholera toxin B subunit protein (CTB), fused to an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal (SEKDEL) was inserted adjacent to the bi-directional mannopine synthase P2 promoter in a plant expression vector containing a bacterial luciferase AB fusion gene (luxF) linked to the P1 promoter. Potato leaf explants were transformed by Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying the vector and kanamycin-resistant plants were regenerated. The CTB-SEKDEL fusion gene was identified in the genomic DNA of bioluminescent plants by polymerase chain reaction amplification. Immunoblot analysis indicated that plant-derived CTB protein was antigenically indistinguishable from bacterial CTB protein, and that oligomeric CTB molecules (Mr 50 kDa) were the dominant molecular species isolated from transgenic potato leaf and tuber tissues. Similar to bacterial CTB, plant-synthesized CTB dissociated into monomers (Mr 15 kDa) during heat or acid treatment. The maximum amount of CTB protein detected in auxin-induced transgenic potato leaf and tuber tissues was approximately 0.3% of total soluble plant protein. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods indicated that plant-synthesized CTB protein bound specifically to GM1-ganglioside, the natural membrane receptor of cholera toxin. In the presence of the SEKDEL signal, CTB protein accumulates in potato tissues and is assembled into an oligomeric form that retains native biochemical and immunological properties. The expression of oligomeric CTB protein with immunological and biochemical properties identical to native CTB protein in edible plants opens the way for preparation of inexpensive food plant-based oral vaccines for protection against cholera and other pathogens in endemic areas throughout the world     

High-yield expression of a viral peptide animal vaccine in transgenic tobacco chloroplasts

The 2L21 peptide, which confers protection to dogs against challenge with virulent canine parvovirus (CPV), was expressed in tobacco chloroplasts as a C-terminal translational fusion with the cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) or the green fluorescent protein (GFP). Expression of recombinant proteins was dependent on plant age. A very high-yield production was achieved in mature plants at the time of full flowering (310 mg CTB-2L21 protein per plant). Both young and senescent plants accumulated lower amounts of recombinant proteins than mature plants. This shows the importance of the time of harvest when scaling up the process. The maximum level of CTB-2L21 was 7.49 mg/g fresh weight (equivalent to 31.1% of total soluble protein, TSP) and that of GFP-2L21 was 5.96 mg/g fresh weight (equivalent to 22.6% of TSP). The 2L21 inserted epitope could be detected with a CPV-neutralizing monoclonal antibody, indicating that the epitope is correctly presented at the C-terminus of the fusion proteins. The resulting chimera CTB-2L21 protein retained pentamerization and G(M1)-ganglioside binding characteristics of the native CTB and induced antibodies able to recognize VP2 protein from CPV. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an animal vaccine epitope expression in transgenic chloroplasts. The high expression of antigens in chloroplasts would reduce the amount of plant material required for vaccination (approximately 100 mg for a dose of 500 microg antigen) and would permit encapsulation of freeze-dried material or pill formation.     

Construction of flavocytochrome b2-overproducing strains of the thermotolerant methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha (Pichia angusta)

L-Lactate cytochrome c oxidoreductase (flavocytochrome b2, FC b2) from the thermotolerant methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha (Pichia angusta) is, unlike the enzyme form baker's yeast, a thermostable enzyme potentially important for bioanalytical technologies for highly selective assays of L-lactate in biological fluids and foods. This paper describes the construction of flavocytochrome b2 producers with overexpression of the H. polymorpha CYB2 gene, encoding FC b2. The HpCYB2 gene under the control of the strong H. polymorpha alcohol oxidase promoter in a plasmid for multicopy integration was transformed into the recipient strain H. polymorpha C-105 (gcr1 catX), impaired in glucose repression and devoid of catalase activity. A method was developed for preliminary screening of the transformants with increased FC b2 activity in permeabilized yeast cells. The optimal cultivation conditions providing for the maximal yield of the target enzyme were found. The constructed strain is a promising FC b2 producer characterized by a sixfold increased (to 3 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) protein in cell-free extract) activity of the enzyme.