产肠毒素大肠杆菌亚单位疫苗3STaM(G)-K99和3STaM(S)-K99的纯化及其免疫学性质的研究

产肠毒素大肠杆菌(ETEC)是一种导致新生犊牛和仔猪腹泻的主要病原体之一.ETEC的毒力因子主要有黏附素(CFs)、不耐热性肠毒素(LT)和耐热性肠毒素(ST)三种.在前期研究中,利用PCR和酶切连接技术成功构建了两种ETEC亚单位疫苗3STaM (G)-K99和3STaM(S)-K99,且在大肠杆菌中获得高效表达.本研究利用阴离子交换层析纯化融合蛋白3STaM (G)-K99 and 3STaM(S)-K99,辅以弗氏佐剂免疫新西兰大白兔,通过Elisa分析其免疫学性质,并利用肠毒素中和实验在昆明系乳鼠中评价其激发抗STa中和抗体的能力.实验结果表明:亚单位疫苗3STaM(G)-K99 and 3STaM (S)-K99能够激发相对较高水平、可针对天然STa、ETEC和融合蛋白STa-K99的特异性抗体.其次,亚单位疫苗中STa突变体(STaM)组分的肠毒素活性显著降低,且其所激发的特异性抗体属于中和抗体,能有效抑制天然STa的肠毒素活性.亚单位疫苗3STaM (G)-K99 and 3STaM(S)-K99为研制预防ETEC感染性腹泻的多价基因工程疫苗提供了基本素材和理论指导.     

肠毒素大肠杆菌疫苗研究进展

肠毒素大肠杆菌是导致发展中国家婴幼儿及到这些国家旅游者腹泻的主要致病菌。致病机制是由ETEC表面的菌毛定居因子和肠毒素共同作用的结果。目前在研制和评价预防ETEC腹泻的修选菌苗方面已了得重大进展。本文对已研制的和正在研制的ETEC疫苗进行了概述,其中包括早期的亚单位疫苗、载体疫苗、减毒活菌苗、DNA疫苗和植物疫苗等。     

人源产肠毒素大肠杆菌疫苗的研发进展

腹泻是全球范围内引起5岁以下幼童死亡的第二大病因,而产肠毒素大肠杆菌(ETEC)是引起腹泻的最常见病原菌,其产生的细菌定植因子(CFs)和肠毒素是关键的毒力因子。CFs介导细菌黏附宿主小肠上皮细胞并完成定植,产生热敏肠毒素(LT)和热稳定肠毒素(ST)破坏宿主上皮细胞内的体液平衡,使体液和电介质过量分泌从而导致腹泻。预防ETEC腹泻的首选方法是使用能激发宿主产生抗黏附素免疫力和抗肠毒素免疫力的疫苗,阻断ETEC黏附和定植并中和肠毒素。目前一种名为Dukoral~的霍乱疫苗因能刺激机体产生抗热敏毒素免疫,已经被一些国家批准用于短期保护和预防旅行者腹泻。新型试验性ETEC候选疫苗正在研发中,旨在提供保护期长、反应谱广的抗ETEC感染免疫保护力。本文针对疫苗研发的关键问题和研究现状作一综述,并对未来的研究作出展望。     

人产肠毒素大肠杆菌ST、LT—B肠毒素基因融合的研究

将人产肠毒素大肠杆菌(ETEC),编码耐热肠毒素(ST)的基因片段与编码不耐热肠毒素B亚基(LT-B)的基因进行融合,并在此基础上进行不同数目ST基因的串联,ELISA检测融合基因表达蛋白产物观察到ST与LT-B之间存在着相互影响。ST的检测滴度随基因串联个数增加而逐渐升高,而LT的ELISA滴度则减弱。说明了ST可以通过基因串联提高表达产物抗原活性,这为产肠毒素大肠杆菌多价疫苗的研制提供了重要的研究基础。     

肠毒素大肠杆菌CS3定居因子抗原和融合肠毒素基因在减毒痢疾杆菌中的共表达

肠毒素和定居因子抗原 (CFAs)是肠毒素大肠杆菌 (ETEC)两种主要的致病因素。有效的ETEC疫苗应包括这两种成分。采用基因重组技术 ,将定居因子CFA/II的共有抗原成分CS3菌毛抗原和LT B/ST融合肠毒素基因克隆至以asd基因为选择标记的重组质粒上 ,与asd基因剔除的弗氏志贺氏菌Fwl0 1构成了宿主 载体平衡致死系统。结果表明 ,在无抗生素条件选择的情况下 ,该重组菌可稳定表达CS3菌毛抗原和LT B/ST融合肠毒素抗原。通过口服和鼻饲方式免疫小鼠 ,可诱生相应的血清IgG抗体 ,同时能够检测到分泌型IgA的产生 ,表明该重组菌可以有效的诱导产生粘膜免疫。     

人产肠毒素大肠杆菌ST、LT—B肠毒素基因融合的研究

将人产肠毒素大肠杆菌(ETEC),编码耐热肠毒素(ST)的基因片段与编码不耐热肠毒素B亚基(LT—B)的基因进行融合,并在此基础上进行不同数目sT基因的串联,ELJlSA检测融合基因表达蛋白产物观察到sT与LT－B之间存在着相互影响。ST的检测滴度随基因串联个数增加而逐渐升高,而LT的ELISA滴度则减弱。说明了ST可以通过基因串联提高表达产物抗原活性,这为产肠毒素大肠杆菌多价疫苗的研制提供了重要的研究基础。     

动物源产肠毒素大肠杆菌(ETEC)黏附素研究进展

动物源产肠毒素大肠杆菌(enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli,ETEC)是引起动物(尤其是幼龄动物)腹泻的主要病原菌。已知黏附素和肠毒素是ETEC中两种重要的毒力因子,在致病性中两者缺一不可。其中黏附素结合到宿主易感肠上皮细胞是ETEC感染的第一步,也是最重要的关键步骤。动物源ETEC的菌毛黏附素主要包括K88、K99、987P、F18、F17和F41等。人们从20世纪60年代就开始了ETEC菌毛黏附素的相关研究,包括菌毛的基因、结构组成、生物合成、菌毛表达的调控机制以及黏附素和宿主受体相互作用等,这些研究基础有助于我们深入了解ETEC病原菌的感染机理;并且在疾病诊断和新疫苗的开发中具有重大意义。     

产肠毒素大肠杆菌、空肠弯曲菌和志贺痢疾杆菌结合疫苗平台的研究

<正>产肠毒素大肠杆菌(ETEC)、空肠弯曲杆菌(CJ)和志贺杆菌是全球细菌性腹泻的主要原因,但是目前还没有针对这些病原体的疫苗。目前大多数ETEC疫苗的途径都是基于与毒力相关的重组蛋白,尤其是黏附蛋白。相比之下,志贺杆菌疫苗和CJ疫苗的研发途径包括结合疫苗,其中志贺杆菌脂多糖(LPS)或CJ荚膜多糖与蛋白质发生化学结合。作者已经探索了利用ETEC蛋白作为CJ和志贺菌     

肠毒素大肠杆菌定居因子CFA/Ⅰ和CS6在减毒福氏志贺氏菌中的共表达

定居因子CFA/I和CS6是肠毒素大肠杆菌 (ETEC)中重要的两种优势抗原 ,是ETEC疫苗研制的首选组分。采用基因重组技术将二者构建在以asd基因为选择标记的重组质粒上 ,与asd基因缺失突变型减毒福氏志贺氏菌FWL0 1构成宿主 载体平衡致死系统。实验结果表明 ,重组疫苗候选株能够稳定表达CFA/I和CS6抗原 ,并可在菌体表面形成相应菌毛。重组菌口服免疫BALB/c小鼠后 ,可诱生相应的抗CFA/I和CS6的特异性血清抗体IgG和分泌型抗体sIgA ,说明以志贺氏菌为载体 ,可以构建同时表达多个定居因子抗原的ETEC多价菌苗     

肠毒素大肠杆菌定居因子CFA／I和CS6在减毒福氏志贺氏菌中的共表达

定居因子CFA／I和CS6是肠毒素大肠杆菌(ETEC)中重要的两种优势抗原,是ETEC疫苗研制的首选组分。采用基因重组技术将二者构建在asd基因为选择标记的重组质粒上,与asd基因缺失突变型减毒福氏志贺氏菌FWL01构成宿主．载体平衡致死系统,实验结果表明,重组疫苗候选株能够稳定表达CFA／I和CS6抗原,并可在菌体表面形成相应菌毛。重组菌口服免疫BALB／c小鼠后,可诱生相应的抗CFA／I和CS6的特异性血清抗体IsG和分泌型抗体sIgA．说明以志贺氏菌为载体．可以构建同时表达多个定居因子抗原的ETEC多价菌苗。     

人毒素原性大肠杆菌肠毒素ST、LT-B基因的融合

将毒素原性大肠杆菌(ETEC)编码耐热肠毒素(ST)的基因片段与编码热敏肠毒素B亚基(LT—B)的基因进行融合,并在此基础上进行不同数目ST基因的串联。ELISA检测融合基因表达蛋白产物,观察到ST与LT-B之间存在着相互影响。ST的检测滴度随基因串联个数增加而逐渐升高,而LT的ELISA滴度则减弱。本研究说明ST可以通过基因串联提高表达产物抗原活性。这为毒素原性大肠杆菌多价疫苗的研制提供了重要的研究基础。     

Mice protected by oral immunization with Lactobacillus reuteri secreting fusion protein of Escherichia coli enterotoxin subunit protein

A green fluorescent protein (gfp) gene was ligated to the Lactobacillus reuteri-specific nisin-inducible expression-secretion vector pNIES, generating a pNIES-GFP vector capable of secreting the cloned gene as a GFP-fusion protein with fluorescent activity. To develop this system as a live vehicle carrying the heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) and heat-labile enterotoxin B (LT(B)) of the enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), a recombinant 5'-ST-LT(B)-3' DNA fragment was cloned into pNIES-GFP. The resulting L. reuteri/pNIES-GFP:STLT(B) system was found to possess the capability of adhering to the mice gut, secreting GFP:STLT(B) product at 0.14 and 0.026 pgcell(-1) under induced and noninduced conditions, respectively. Further analysis of the GFP:STLT(B) product confirmed its ganglioside-binding ability, LT(B) antigenicity and relative freedom from the ST-associated toxicity, making it suitable for use as an oral vaccine in mice. Oral inoculation of the L. reuteri/pNIES-GFP:STLT(B) culture in mice elicited significant (P<0.01) serum IgG and mucosal IgA antibodies against the STLT(B) antigen. These immunized mice were subsequently challenged with ETEC and showed full protection against the fluid influx response in the gut. This is the first report of using L. reuteri as a vaccine carrier to induce complete immunologic protection against ETEC.     

Protection of mice against enterotoxigenic E. coli by immunization with a polyvalent enterotoxin comprising a combination of LTB, STa, and STb

Currently available enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) vaccines are based on colonization factors and/or the heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTB). However, the induction of antitoxic responses against heat-stable enterotoxin a (STa) and b (STb) has merit as these two poorly immunogenic toxins are frequently associated with ETEC strains. In this study, we genetically constructed a trivalent enterotoxin fusion protein (STa–LTB–STb, abbreviated to SLS) in an effort to develop a single toxoid containing these three enterotoxins for vaccination against ETEC. Mutagenesis at one disulfide-bridge-forming cysteine in STa led to a dramatic reduction in the STa toxicity of SLS; however, the fusion peptide retained the STb-associated toxicity. Immunization of mice with SLS protein elicited significant antibody responses to LTB, STa, and STb. Significantly, the mice antisera were able to neutralize the biological activity of both STa and STb. In the experiment to assess the protective effect of SLS immunization, the mortality of mice receiving SLS was significantly lower than their control cohorts (P < 0.01) after intraperitoneal challenge with ETEC. These results show that the trivalent fusion enterotoxin SLS has the potential to serve as a useful toxin-based vaccine against ETEC-induced diarrheal disease via a single immunogen.     

Detection of heat-stable and heat-labile enterotoxin genes of Escherichia coli in diarrhoeic faecal samples of mithun (Bos frontalis) calves by polymerase chain reaction

Aims:  To find out the prevalence of different serogroups of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and to detect heat-stable (ST) and heat-labile (LT) enterotoxin genes of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) from the faeces of mithun calves with diarrhoea.
Methods and Results:  Faecal samples obtained from 65 diarrhoeic mithun calves of under 2 months of age were examined for E. coli using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Fifty-four E. coli isolates were obtained from those samples, which belonged to 38 different serogroups. Out of 54 isolates tested by PCR, two isolates (3·70%) belonging to serogroups O26 and O55 were found to possess gene that code for ST enterotoxin and one isolate (1·85%) belonging to serogroup O125 was found to carry LT enterotoxin gene.
Conclusions:  Escherichia coli isolates from diarrhoeic mithun calves were found to possess ST and LT enterotoxin genes, which are designated as ETEC, and these isolates can be detected through PCR using specific primers.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  This study reports the isolation of ETEC possessing ST and LT enterotoxin genes for the first time and ETEC could be a cause of diarrhoea in mithun calves leading to calf mortality.     

产肠毒素大肠杆菌的热敏肠毒素B亚基(LT-B)和耐热肠毒素(ST)基因融合及其表达

采用基因重组技术构建了表达产肠毒素大肠杆菌(ETEC)的耐热肠毒素(ST)基因和热敏肠毒素B亚基(LT-B)基因融合抗原的疫苗候选株。将ST基因的5’端与LT-B基因的3’端连接,并置于同一阅读框。编码ST的基因是通过PCR从pSLM004质粒中扩增得到的,含有ST的pro序列(其编码ST前体的pro区域),并应用寡核苷酸定点突变技术将编码ST的第14位氨基酸残基发生突变,使ST的第14位氨基酸残基Ala突变为Leu。在所构建的结构中,于LT-B和proST之间分别插入了不同长度的氨基酸Linkers。表达的融合多肽同时具有ST和LT-B的抗原性,并保留结合GM-1神经节苷脂的能力,且无LT和ST的生物毒性。表达的融合蛋白免疫动物,能诱导产生相应的特异性抗体。     

大肠杆菌耐热性肠毒素STI三重串联突变体与黏附素K99融合基因的表达研究

产肠毒素大肠杆菌（ETEC）是一种导致仔畜和婴儿腹泻的主要病原之一,它的毒力因子主要有两类：黏附素（CFAs）和耐热性肠毒素（ST）或不耐热性肠毒素（LT）。通过PCR技术及双酶切连接技术,成功构建了含有3个STI突变体和1个黏附素K99基因的重组表达质粒pE3S(S)LK和pE3S(G)LK。重组菌株BL21(DE3) (pE3S(S)LK)和BL21(DE3)(pE3S(G)LK)的表达产物经SDS-PAGE和免疫印迹分析,表明以上两种重组菌株均能高效表达3STI(S)-K99和3STI(G)-K99融合蛋白,且融合蛋白能够被产肠毒素性大肠杆菌强毒株C83922 抗血清特异性识别。其次,利用乳鼠灌胃实验检测重组蛋白的生物学毒性,结果均为阴性(G/C值≤0.083),这表明该菌株已无STI生物学毒性。这些为研发预防大肠杆菌性腹泻的新型高效多价基因工程疫苗提供了基本素材和理论指导。     

Conjugal acquisition and stable maintenance of Ent plasmids in nontoxigenic wild-type strains of Escherichia coli

In spite of the ability of the genetic determinants for enterotoxin production to be conjugally transferred, mobilized or transposed, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolated from diarrheal patients is restricted to certain serotypes. Four conjugative enterotoxigenic plasmids (Ent plasmids) encoding either a heat-labile enterotoxin or a heat-stable enterotoxin or both and belonging to one of three incompatibility groups IncFI, IncHl, or IncX, were examined for their transferability to and stability in 157 nonenterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains belonging to various serotypes and 89 clinical isolates nonenterotoxigenic but belonging to those serotypes in which ETEC from diarrheal patients are usually found. The serotypes of the strains to which Ent plasmids were efficiently transferred and in which they were maintained stably were not always the serotypes in which ETEC had usually been found and vice versa. The frequencies of transfer of four Ent and two R plasmids to each of the 157 recipients were correlated with each other, indicating that the frequency of transfer of the plasmid is not determined by a resident plasmid, if there is one, but by a recipient factor which commonly affects transferability to all donors. These results have led to the conclusion that the reason why only certain serotypes are found among ETEC isolated from diarrheal patients is not the ability of these strains specifically and preferentially to acquire and maintain the Ent plasmids.     

Immunogenicity of nuclear-encoded LTB:ST fusion protein from Escherichia coli expressed in tobacco plants

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is one of the main causative agents of diarrhea in infants and for travelers. Inclusion of a heat-stable (ST) toxin into vaccine formulations is mandatory as most ETEC strains can produce both heat-labile (LT) and ST enterotoxins. In this study, a genetic fusion gene encoding for an LTB:ST protein has been constructed and transferred into tobacco via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Transgenic tobacco plants carrying the LTB:ST gene are then subjected to GM1-ELISA revealing that the LTB:ST has assembled into pentamers and displays antigenic determinants from both LTB and ST. Protein accumulation of up to 0.05% total soluble protein is detected. Subsequently, mucosal and systemic humoral responses are elicited in mice orally dosed with transgenic tobacco leaves. This has suggested that the plant-derived LTB:ST is immunogenic via the oral route. These findings are critical for the development of a plant-based vaccine capable of eliciting broader protection against ETEC and targeting both LTB and ST. Features of this platform in comparison to transplastomic approaches are discussed.