Assessment of a recombinant F1-V fusion protein vaccine intended to protect Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) from plague

As part of an ongoing restoration program in Colorado, USA, we evaluated adverse reactions and seroconversion in captive Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) after vaccination with a recombinant F1-V fusion protein vaccine against Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague. Ten adult female lynx received the F1-V vaccine; 10 source- and age-matched lynx remained unvaccinated as controls. All of the vaccinated and control lynx remained apparently healthy throughout the confinement period. We observed no evidence of injection site or systemic reactions to the F1-V vaccine. Among vaccinated lynx, differences in log(10) reciprocal antibody titers measured in sera collected before and after vaccination (two doses) ranged from 1.2 to 5.2 for anti-F1 antibodies and from 0.6 to 5.2 for anti-V antibodies; titers in unvaccinated lynx did not change appreciably over the course of confinement prior to release, and thus differences in anti-F1 (P=0.003) and anti-V (P=0.0005) titers were greater among vaccinated lynx than among controls. Although our findings suggest that the F1-V fusion protein vaccine evaluated here is likely to stimulate antibody responses that may help protect Canada lynx from plague, we observed no apparent differences in survival between vaccinated and unvaccinated subject animals. Retrospectively, 22 of 50 (44%; 95% confidence interval 29-59%) unvaccinated lynx captured or recaptured in Colorado during 2000-08 had passive hemagglutination antibody titers >1:16, consistent with exposure to Y. pestis; paired pre- and postrelease titers available for eight of these animals showed titer increases similar in magnitude to those seen in response to vaccination, suggesting at least some lynx may naturally acquire immunity to plague in Colorado habitats.     

Evaluation of an anti-rPA IgG ELISA for measuring the antibody response in mice.

A recombinant protective antigen (rPA)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to measure the serological response of female A/J mice after inoculation with the new rPA-based anthrax vaccine. Several fundamental parameters of the ELISA were evaluated: specificity, precision, accuracy, linearity, and stability. Experimental results suggested that the quantitative anti-rPA IgG ELISA could be used to measure antibody levels in female A/J mice and may be useful as a potency assay to monitor consistency of manufacture of a rPA-based vaccine for planned clinical trials.     

Design of a protective single-dose intranasal nanoparticle-based vaccine platform for respiratory infectious diseases

Despite the successes provided by vaccination, many challenges still exist with respect to controlling new and re-emerging infectious diseases. Innovative vaccine platforms composed of adaptable adjuvants able to appropriately modulate immune responses, induce long-lived immunity in a single dose, and deliver immunogens in a safe and stable manner via multiple routes of administration are needed. This work describes the development of a novel biodegradable polyanhydride nanoparticle-based vaccine platform administered as a single intranasal dose that induced long-lived protective immunity against respiratory disease caused by Yesinia pestis, the causative agent of pneumonic plague. Relative to the responses induced by the recombinant protein F1-V alone and MPLA-adjuvanted F1-V, the nanoparticle-based vaccination regimen induced an immune response that was characterized by high titer and high avidity IgG1 anti-F1-V antibody that persisted for at least 23 weeks post-vaccination. After challenge, no Y. pestis were recovered from the lungs, livers, or spleens of mice vaccinated with the nanoparticle-based formulation and histopathological appearance of lung, liver, and splenic tissues from these mice post-vaccination was remarkably similar to uninfected control mice.     

Protection against lethal subcutaneous challenge of virulent Y. pestis strain 141 using an F1-V subunit vaccine

In this study, we designed and engineered a two-component recombinant fusion protein antigen as a vaccine candidate against the possible biological threat of Yersinia pestis. The recombinant F1-V pro-tein was formulated with Alhydrogel. A four-time injection with a dosage of 10, 20 and 50 μg/mouse in about two months was adopted for vaccination. Serum antibodies and subclass of T helper cells were measured and analyzed. After the final vaccination, the mice were challenged by 141 strain with 25― 600 LD50. In conclusion, the recombinant vaccine was capable of inducing protective immunity against subcutaneous challenge. The level of serum IgG was supposed to be a main factor that affected the final protection of challenge. 20 μg recombinant protein could induce an endpoint titre of serum IgG as high as 51200, which was enough to afford 100% protection against 400 LD50 virulent 141 challenge. The antibody isotype analysis showed that the vaccine induced predominantly an IgG1 rather than IgG2a response. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that Alhydrogel significantly helped induce a stronger humoral immunity instead of CTL cellular response. These findings suggested that the plague F1-V subunit vaccine is promising for the next plague vaccine.     

重组鼠疫菌F1抗原在大肠杆菌中的表达及免疫原性分析

利用基因重组技术,用pET42(b+)质粒在大肠杆菌DE3中表达鼠疫菌F1抗原。经分析rF1抗原基因序列与天然F1抗原结构基因序列完全一致,电泳扫描测其表达量为25%:W estern B lot结果表明,rF1抗原可与F1特异性抗体相互作用,具有天然F1抗原的活性。用镍离子亲和层析纯化rF1抗原免疫BALB/c小鼠,在其血清中可检测到高滴度的抗F1抗体。     

Protection against lethal subcutaneous challenge of virulent <Emphasis Type="Italic">Y. pestis</Emphasis> strain 141 using an F1-V subunit vaccine

In this study, we designed and engineered a two-component recombinant fusion protein antigen as a vaccine candidate against the possible biological threat of Yersinia pestis. The recombinant F1-V protein was formulated with Alhydrogel. A four-time injection with a dosage of 10, 20 and 50 μg/mouse in about two months was adopted for vaccination. Serum antibodies and subclass of T helper cells were measured and analyzed. After the final vaccination, the mice were challenged by 141 strain with 25–600 LD₅₀. In conclusion, the recombinant vaccine was capable of inducing protective immunity against subcutaneous challenge. The level of serum IgG was supposed to be a main factor that affected the final protection of challenge. 20 μg recombinant protein could induce an endpoint titre of serum IgG as high as 51200, which was enough to afford 100% protection against 400 LD₅₀ virulent 141 challenge. The antibody isotype analysis showed that the vaccine induced predominantly an IgG1 rather than IgG2a response. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that Alhydrogel significantly helped induce a stronger humoral immunity instead of CTL cellular response. These findings suggested that the plague F1-V subunit vaccine is promising for the next plague vaccine.     

Th1-type immune response to a Coccidioides immitis antigen delivered by an attenuated strain of the non-invasive enteropathogen Vibrio cholerae

The antigen-2 or proline rich antigen (Ag2/PRA) from Coccidioides immitis, known to protect mice against experimental Coccidioidomycosis, was expressed in the genetically attenuated cholera vaccine candidate Vibrio cholerae 638 and its thymine auxotrophic derivative 638T. Intranasal immunization of mice with strains producing Ag2/PRA induced serum vibriocidal antibody and Ag2/PRA-specific total IgG responses in outbred Swiss Webster and inbred BALB/c mice. Analysis of IgG subclasses showed a predominance of IgG2a subclass antibodies. Lymphocytes from immunized mice stimulated with pure Ag2/PRA showed a significant proliferative response with production of interferon-gamma. Positive selection for plasmid maintenance in vivo did not enhance immune response to Ag2/PRA. These results demonstrate that genetically attenuated strains of the non-invasive pathogen V. cholerae can be used to express and deliver foreign antigens to stimulate a Th1 type of immune response.     

以人精子抗原消化道免疫后的体液免疫反应

The inbred Balb/c and C57 mice, and the outbred Swiss Webster mice were intragastrointestinally immunized with human sperm antigens. The lymphocytes from the spleen, mesenteric lymph node (MLN), Peyer's patch (PP) and uterus or epididymis were isolated and cultured. The lymphocyte-secreting antisperm IgG and IgA and the antisperm antibodies in the gut wash and serum were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In the Balb/c and Swiss Webster mice, the immune responses to sperm have shown to be stronger than that in C57, stronger in female than in male. The antigenicity of sperm membrane extracts seems to be higher than that of whole sperm. Antisperm antibodies secreted by lymphocytes from the epididymis and uterus have demonstrated to be detectable. For stimulation of the local immune response, the intra-PP and intralumina immunizations are more effective than others.     

以人精子抗原消化道免疫后的体液免疫反应

在Balb/c、C57和昆明鼠的消化道不同部位以人精子抗原免疫后,取其脾、肠系膜淋巴结、Peyer氏淋巴小结及子宫或附睾中的淋巴细胞进行培养。以ELISA法测定了这些部位的淋巴细胞所分泌的以及免疫小鼠肠道冲洗液和血清中的抗精子抗体。结果提示,Balb/c和昆明鼠抗精子免疫反应较强,而且雌性强于雄性。免疫部位以小肠及Peyer氏淋巴小结内注射的免疫效果较好,不仅可引起消化道局部免疫反应,而且子宫、附睾等生殖道组织也有淋巴细胞分泌抗精子抗体。     

Analysis of V2 Antibody Responses Induced in Vaccinees in the ALVAC/AIDSVAX HIV-1 Vaccine Efficacy Trial

The RV144 clinical trial of a prime/boost immunizing regimen using recombinant canary pox (ALVAC-HIV) and two gp120 proteins (AIDSVAX B and E) was previously shown to have a 31.2% efficacy rate. Plasma specimens from vaccine and placebo recipients were used in an extensive set of assays to identify correlates of HIV-1 infection risk. Of six primary variables that were studied, only one displayed a significant inverse correlation with risk of infection: the antibody (Ab) response to a fusion protein containing the V1 and V2 regions of gp120 (gp70-V1V2). This finding prompted a thorough examination of the results generated with the complete panel of 13 assays measuring various V2 Abs in the stored plasma used in the initial pilot studies and those used in the subsequent case-control study. The studies revealed that the ALVAC-HIV/AIDSVAX vaccine induced V2-specific Abs that cross-react with multiple HIV-1 subgroups and recognize both conformational and linear epitopes. The conformational epitope was present on gp70-V1V2, while the predominant linear V2 epitope mapped to residues 165–178, immediately N-terminal to the putative α4β7 binding motif in the mid-loop region of V2. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to compare the risk of infection with data from 12 V2 assays, and in 11 of these, the ORs were ≤1, reaching statistical significance for two of the variables: Ab responses to gp70-V1V2 and to overlapping V2 linear peptides. It remains to be determined whether anti-V2 Ab responses were directly responsible for the reduced infection rate in RV144 and whether anti-V2 Abs will prove to be important with other candidate HIV vaccines that show efficacy, however, the results support continued dissection of Ab responses to the V2 region which may illuminate mechanisms of protection from HIV-1 infection and may facilitate the development of an effective HIV-1 vaccine.     

Trichinella spiralis: dose dependence and kinetics of the mucosal immune response in mice.

The role of the mucosal immune response in helminth infections is not clear. In this study, the dose dependence and kinetics of the mucosal immune response to Trichinella spiralis were determined in experimentally infected Swiss Webster and BALB/c mice. The primary mucosal isotype was sIgA, although IgG was also detected, and primary infections with 10 and 150 larvae produced an anamnestic response on challenge. The mucosal and systemic immunoglobulin responses were dose dependent in both primary and challenge infections. The fecundity and length of worms and the rate of expulsion from the gut were determined on Day 6 postchallenge in Swiss Webster mice. Adult worm recovery and fecundity were reduced by greater than 50% and worm length by 28% in mice infected and challenged with 10 larvae and by 90, 85, and 35%, respectively, in mice infected and challenged with 150 larvae. The rate of expulsion was correlated with the size of both primary and challenge doses and a reduction in fecundity was correlated with the size of the primary dose only. The reduction in worm length did not differ significantly between the infection doses, but the trend was similar to that for expulsion. In BALB/c mice the expulsion response was dissociated from a reduction in fecundity and worm length, the latter two being positively correlated with sIgA levels, supporting a role for sIgA and/or IgG in these effects. However, expulsion does not appear to be dependent on the mucosal immunoglobulin response.     

A Single-Dose PLGA Encapsulated Protective Antigen Domain 4 Nanoformulation Protects Mice against Bacillus anthracis Spore Challenge

Bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, is a major bioterror agent. Vaccination is the most effective prophylactic measure available against anthrax. Currently available anthrax vaccines have issues of the multiple booster dose requirement, adjuvant-associated side effects and stability. Use of biocompatible and biodegradable nanoparticles to deliver the antigens to immune cells could solve the issues associated with anthrax vaccines. We hypothesized that the delivery of a stable immunogenic domain 4 of protective antigen (PAD4) of Bacillus anthracis encapsulated in a poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) - an FDA approved biocompatible and biodegradable material, may alleviate the problems of booster dose, adjuvant toxicity and stability associated with anthrax vaccines. We made a PLGA based protective antigen domain 4 nanoparticle (PAD4-NP) formulation using water/oil/water solvent evaporation method. Nanoparticles were characterized for antigen content, morphology, size, polydispersity and zeta potential. The immune correlates and protective efficacy of the nanoparticle formulation was evaluated in Swiss Webster outbred mice. Mice were immunized with single dose of PAD4-NP or recombinant PAD4. The PAD4-NP elicited a robust IgG response with mixed IgG1 and IgG2a subtypes, whereas the control PAD4 immunized mice elicited low IgG response with predominant IgG1 subtype. The PAD4-NP generated mixed Th1/Th2 response, whereas PAD4 elicited predominantly Th2 response. When we compared the efficacy of this single-dose vaccine nanoformulation PAD4-NP with that of the recombinant PAD4 in providing protective immunity against a lethal challenge with Bacillus anthracis spores, the median survival of PAD4-NP immunized mice was 6 days as compared to 1 day for PAD4 immunized mice (p<0.001). Thus, we demonstrate, for the first time, the possibility of the development of a single-dose and adjuvant-free protective antigen based anthrax vaccine in the form of PAD4-NP. Further work in this direction may produce a better and safer candidate anthrax vaccine.     

Gold nanoparticle-adjuvanted S protein induces a strong antigen-specific IgG response against severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus infection,but fails to induce protective antibodies and limit eosinophilic infiltration in lungs

The spike (S) protein of coronavirus, which binds to cellular receptors and mediates membrane fusion for cell entry, is a candidate vaccine target for blocking coronavirus infection. However, some animal studies have suggested that inadequate immunization against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) induces a lung eosinophilic immunopathology upon infection. The present study evaluated two kinds of vaccine adjuvants for use with recombinant S protein: gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which are expected to function as both an antigen carrier and an adjuvant in immunization; and Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, which have previously been shown to be an effective adjuvant in an ultraviolet-inactivated SARS-CoV vaccine. All the mice immunized with more than 0.5 µg S protein without adjuvant escaped from SARS after infection with mouse-adapted SARS-CoV; however, eosinophilic infiltrations were observed in the lungs of almost all the immunized mice. The AuNP-adjuvanted protein induced a strong IgG response but failed to improve vaccine efficacy or to reduce eosinophilic infiltration because of highly allergic inflammatory responses. Whereas similar virus titers were observed in the control animals and the animals immunized with S protein with or without AuNPs, Type 1 interferon and pro-inflammatory responses were moderate in the mice treated with S protein with and without AuNPs. On the other hand, the TLR agonist-adjuvanted vaccine induced highly protective antibodies without eosinophilic infiltrations, as well as Th1/17 cytokine responses. The findings of this study will support the development of vaccines against severe pneumonia-associated coronaviruses.     

Protective efficacy of a Mycoplasma pneumoniae P1C DNA vaccine fused with the B subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin

In the present study, we investigated the immunomodulatory responses of a DNA vaccine constructed by fusing Mycoplasma pneumoniae P1 protein carboxy terminal region (P1C) with the Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin B subunit (LTB). BALB/c mice were immunized by intranasal inoculation with control DNAs, the P1C DNA vaccine or the LTB-P1C fusion DNA vaccine. Levels of the anti-M. pneumoniae antibodies and levels of interferon-γ and IL-4 in mice were increased significantly upon inoculation of the LTB-P1C fusion DNA vaccine when compared with the inoculation with P1C DNA vaccine. The LTB-P1C fusion DNA vaccine efficiently enhanced the M. pneumoniae-specific IgA and IgG levels. The IgG2a/IgG1 ratio was significantly higher in bronchoalveolar lavages fluid and sera from mice fusion with LTB and P1C than mice receiving P1C alone. When the mice were challenged intranasally with 10(7) CFU M. pneumoniae strain (M129), the LTB-P1C fusion DNA vaccine conferred significantly better protection than P1C DNA vaccine (P < 0.05), as suggested by the results, such as less inflammation, lower histopathological score values, lower detectable number of M. pneumoniae strain, and lower mortality of challenging from 5 × 10(8) CFU M. pneumoniae. These results indicated that the LTB-P1C fusion DNA vaccine efficiently improved protective efficacy against M. pneumoniae infection and effectively attenuated development of M. pneumoniae in mice.     

Flt3配体增强HCV核心-包膜E2融合基因DNA疫苗诱导的细胞免疫应答

建立一种可高效诱导细胞免疫应答 ,对丙型肝炎病毒 (HCV)感染可能起预防和治疗作用的DNA疫苗。将小鼠Flt3配体 (FL)信号肽和胞外段cDNA插入结构优化的HCV核心 包膜E2融合抗原DNA疫苗pST CE2t,构建成pST CE2t FL。将pST CE2t FL转染COS7细胞 ,Westernblot和ELISA检测表明该重组质粒能表达HCV核心 包膜E2融合抗原和可溶性小鼠FL。分别将pST CE2t、pST CE2t FL和空载体pCI neo肌肉注射接种BALB c小鼠 ,检测小鼠的体液和细胞免疫应答。结果表明两种DNA结构均能在小鼠体内诱生细胞和体液免疫应答 ,但pST CE2t诱导的体液免疫应答强于pST CE2t FL ,而后者诱导的细胞免疫应答明显强于前者。FL能明显增强HCV核心 包膜E2融合抗原DNA疫苗诱导的细胞免疫应答 ,对于发展HCV预防和治疗性疫苗有潜在的应用价值。     

Mechanism for the isotype dependence of antibody-mediated toxicity in Cryptococcus neoformans-infected mice

Ab-based therapies have undergone a renaissance in recent years, but infusion-related reactions are a significant clinical problem. Administration of certain mAbs to Swiss Webster mice infected with Cryptococcus neoformans can result in acute lethal toxicity (ALT) characterized by cardiovascular collapse. The ability of a mAb to produce ALT is isotype dependent and occurs with IgG1 but not IgG3. To investigate this phenomenon, we measured spleen and liver cytokine responses and platelet-activating factor (PAF) content in mice given C. neoformans glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) followed by specific Ab of IgG1 or IgG3 isotype. We found no evidence to suggest that the differences in IgG1 and IgG3 toxicity were due to differences in chemokine or cytokine response. In contrast, liver and spleen tissue PAF content was significantly greater in mice IgG1. Furthermore, our results show differences in the response to IgG1- and IgG3-GXM complexes regarding: 1) macrophage-inflammatory protein-1alpha and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 regulation, 2) splenic and hepatic PAF content, and 3) hepatic PAF content in infected mice. IgG1-associated ALT appears to be the result of greater production of PAF in response to IgG1-GXM complex formation. The results are consistent with the view that IgG1 and IgG3 interact with different Fc receptors. Our findings strongly suggest that the mechanism for Ab-mediated ALT is different from the cytokine release syndrome described after administration of other therapeutic mAbs.     

IgG1 is pathogenic in Leishmania mexicana infection

There are >2 million new cases of leishmaniasis annually, and no effective vaccine has been developed to prevent infection. In murine infection, Leishmania mexicana, which lives intracellularly in host macrophages, has developed pathways to hijack host IgG to induce a suppressive IL-10 response through FcγRs, the cell-surface receptors for IgG. To guide vaccine development away from detrimental Ab responses, which can accompany attempts to induce cell-mediated immunity, it is crucial to know which isotypes of IgG are pathogenic in this infection. We found that IgG1 and IgG2a/c induce IL-10 from macrophages in vitro equally well but through different FcγR subtypes: IgG1 through FcγRIII and IgG2a/c through FcγRI primarily, but also through FcγRIII. In sharp contrast, mice lacking IgG1 develop earlier and stronger IgG2a/c, IgG3, and IgM responses to L. mexicana infection and yet are more resistant to the infection. Thus, IgG1, but not IgG2a/c or IgG3, is pathogenic in vivo, in agreement with prior studies indicating that FcγRIII is required for chronic disease. This calls into question the assumption that macrophages, which should secrete IL-10 in response to IgG1 and IgG2a/c immune complexes, are the most important source of IL-10 generated by IgG-FcγR engagement in L. mexicana infection. Further investigations are required to better determine the cell type responsible for this immunosuppressive FcγRIII-induced IL-10 pathway and whether IgG2a/c is protective.     

Design and testing for a nontagged F1-V fusion protein as vaccine antigen against bubonic and pneumonic plague

A two-component recombinant fusion protein antigen was re-engineered and tested as a medical counter measure against the possible biological threat of aerosolized Yersinia pestis. The active component of the proposed subunit vaccine combines the F1 capsular protein and V virulence antigen of Y. pestis and improves upon the design of an earlier histidine-tagged fusion protein. In the current study, different production strains were screened for suitable expression and a purification process was optimized to isolate an F1-V fusion protein absent extraneous coding sequences. Soluble F1-V protein was isolated to 99% purity by sequential liquid chromatography including capture and refolding of urea-denatured protein via anion exchange, followed by hydrophobic interaction, concentration, and then transfer into buffered saline for direct use after frozen storage. Protein identity and primary structure were verified by mass spectrometry and Edman sequencing, confirming a purified product of 477 amino acids and removal of the N-terminal methionine. Purity, quality, and higher-order structure were compared between lots using RP-HPLC, intrinsic fluorescence, CD spectroscopy, and multi-angle light scattering spectroscopy, all of which indicated a consistent and properly folded product. As formulated with aluminum hydroxide adjuvant and administered in a single subcutaneous dose, this new F1-V protein also protected mice from wild-type and non-encapsulated Y. pestis challenge strains, modeling prophylaxis against pneumonic and bubonic plague. These findings confirm that the fusion protein architecture provides superior protection over the former licensed product, establish a foundation from which to create a robust production process, and set forth assays for the development of F1-V as the active pharmaceutical ingredient of the next plague vaccine.