Microbiology Division, Defence Food Research Laboratory, Defence Research Development Organisation, Mysore, 570011, India.
School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.
Sci Rep. 2018 May 8;8(1):7242. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-25502-9.
Anthrax infection is primarily initiated by B. anthracis endospores that on entry into the host germinate to vegetative cells and cause severe bacteremia and toxaemia employing an array of host colonisation factors and the lethal tripartite toxin. The protective efficacy of conventional protective antigen (PA) based anthrax vaccines is improved by co-administration with inactivated spores or its components. In the present study, using structural vaccinology rationale we synthesized a bivalent protein r-PB encompassing toxin (PAIV) and spore components (BclACTD) and characterized its protective efficacy against B. anthracis infection. Active immunization of mice with r-PB generated high titer circulating antibodies which facilitated the phagocytic uptake of spores, inhibited their germination to vegetative cells and completely neutralized anthrax toxins in vivo resulting in 100 % survival against anthrax toxin challenge. Proliferation of CD4+ T cell subsets with up-regulation of Th1 (IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-12), Th2 (IL-5, IL-10) cytokines and balanced expression of IgG1:IgG2a antibody isotypes indicated the stimulation of both Th1 and Th2 subsets. The immunized mice exhibited 100 % survival upon challenge with B. anthracis spores or toxin indicating the ability of r-PB to provide comprehensive protection against anthrax. Our results thus demonstrate r-PB an efficient vaccine candidate against anthrax infection.
炭疽感染主要由炭疽芽胞杆菌内孢子引发,这些孢子进入宿主后发芽成营养细胞,并通过一系列宿主定植因子和致命的三组分毒素引起严重的菌血症和中毒。传统保护性抗原 (PA) 为基础的炭疽疫苗的保护效力通过与灭活孢子或其成分共同给药而提高。在本研究中,我们使用结构疫苗学原理合成了一种双价蛋白 r-PB,包含毒素 (PAIV) 和孢子成分 (BclACTD),并表征了其对炭疽感染的保护效力。r-PB 对小鼠的主动免疫产生了高滴度的循环抗体,这些抗体促进了孢子的吞噬摄取,抑制了它们发芽成营养细胞,并在体内完全中和炭疽毒素,导致对炭疽毒素攻击的 100%存活率。CD4+ T 细胞亚群的增殖伴随着 Th1(IFN-γ、IL-2 和 IL-12)、Th2(IL-5、IL-10)细胞因子的上调和 IgG1:IgG2a 抗体同种型的平衡表达表明 Th1 和 Th2 亚群都得到了刺激。免疫小鼠在炭疽芽胞杆菌孢子或毒素的攻击下表现出 100%的存活率,表明 r-PB 有能力提供针对炭疽的全面保护。因此,我们的研究结果表明 r-PB 是一种有效的炭疽感染疫苗候选物。