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Benazzouz SM, Benlouahmia N, Bouhadida K, Benlamara M, Arezki N, Sadeddine OEK, Issad M, Attal N, Mansouri K, Derrar F, Djidjik R. Evaluation of the immunoprotective power of a multiple antigenic peptide against Aah II toxin of Androctonus australis hector scorpion. Vaccine X 2024; 19:100503. [PMID: 38868522 PMCID: PMC11167365 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2024.100503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Scorpion envenoming (SE) is a public health problem in developing countries. In Algeria, the population exposed to the risk of SE was estimated at 86.45% in 2019. Thus, the development of a vaccine to protect the exposed population against scorpion toxins would be a major advance in the fight against this disease. This work aimed to evaluate the immunoprotective effect of a Multiple Antigenic Peptide against the Aah II toxin of Androctonus australis hector scorpion, the most dangerous scorpion species in Algeria. The immunogen MAP1Aah2 was designed and tested accordingly. This molecule contains a B epitope, derived from Aah II toxin, linked by a spacer to a universal T epitope, derived from the tetanus toxin. The results showed that MAP1Aah2 was non-toxic despite the fact that its sequence was derived from Aah II toxin. The immunoenzymatic assay revealed that the 3 immunization regimens tested generated specific anti-MAP1Aah2 antibodies and cross-reacted with the toxin. Mice immunized with this immunogen were partially protected against mortality caused by challenge doses of 2 and 3 LD50 of the toxin. The survival rate and developed symptoms varied depending on the adjuvant and the challenge dose used. In the in vitro neutralization test, the immune sera of mice having received the immunogen with incomplete Freund's adjuvant neutralized a challenge dose of 2 LD50. Hence, the concept of using peptide dendrimers, based on linear epitopes of scorpion toxins, as immunogens against the parent toxin was established. However, the protective properties of the tested immunogen require further optimizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safouane M. Benazzouz
- Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Faculté de Pharmacie d’Alger, Université d’Alger 1. 8 Rue du Lieutenant Mohamed Benarfa, El Biar, Alger 16000, Algeria
- Laboratoire des Sérums Thérapeutiques, Département des Produits Biologiques Humains, Direction de la Production, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie. Rue du Petit Staoueli, Dely Ibrahim, Alger 16320, Algeria
| | - Nesrine Benlouahmia
- Laboratoire des Sérums Thérapeutiques, Département des Produits Biologiques Humains, Direction de la Production, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie. Rue du Petit Staoueli, Dely Ibrahim, Alger 16320, Algeria
| | - Karima Bouhadida
- Laboratoire des Sérums Thérapeutiques, Département des Produits Biologiques Humains, Direction de la Production, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie. Rue du Petit Staoueli, Dely Ibrahim, Alger 16320, Algeria
| | - Meriem Benlamara
- Laboratoire des Sérums Thérapeutiques, Département des Produits Biologiques Humains, Direction de la Production, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie. Rue du Petit Staoueli, Dely Ibrahim, Alger 16320, Algeria
| | - Naziha Arezki
- Laboratoire des Sérums Thérapeutiques, Département des Produits Biologiques Humains, Direction de la Production, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie. Rue du Petit Staoueli, Dely Ibrahim, Alger 16320, Algeria
| | - Oum El Kheir Sadeddine
- Laboratoire des Sérums Thérapeutiques, Département des Produits Biologiques Humains, Direction de la Production, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie. Rue du Petit Staoueli, Dely Ibrahim, Alger 16320, Algeria
| | - Mourad Issad
- Laboratoire des Vaccins Viraux Humains, Département des Produits Biologiques Humains, Direction de la Production, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, Rue du Petit Staoueli, Dely Ibrahim, Alger 16320, Algeria
| | - Nabila Attal
- Laboratoire d’Immunologie, Faculté de Pharmacie d’Alger, Université d’Alger 1. 8 Rue du Lieutenant Mohamed Benarfa, El Biar, Alger 16000, Algeria
- Département d’Immunologie, Direction des Laboratoires, de la Recherche et du Développement, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, Rue du Petit Staoueli, Dely Ibrahim, Alger 16320, Algeria
| | - Kamel Mansouri
- Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Faculté de Pharmacie d’Alger, Université d’Alger 1. 8 Rue du Lieutenant Mohamed Benarfa, El Biar, Alger 16000, Algeria
| | - Fawzi Derrar
- Laboratoire de la Grippe et autres Virus Respiratoires, Département de Virologie, Direction des Laboratoires, de la Recherche et du Développement, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie. Rue du Petit Staoueli, Dely Ibrahim, Alger 16320, Algeria
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine d’Alger, Université d’Alger 1. 8 Rue du Lieutenant Mohamed Benarfa, El Biar, Alger 16000, Algeria
| | - Reda Djidjik
- Laboratoire d’Immunologie, Faculté de Pharmacie d’Alger, Université d’Alger 1. 8 Rue du Lieutenant Mohamed Benarfa, El Biar, Alger 16000, Algeria
- Laboratoire d’Immunologie Médicale, CHU Issaad Hassani, Rue Ibrahim Hadjeras, Beni Messous, Alger 16206, Algeria
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Sun L, Lu Y, Zhao N, Wang Y, Wang B, Li H, Wu Z, Li H, Zhang X, Zhao X. Construction of constitutive expression of Eimeria tenella eukaryotic initiation factor U6L5H2 on the surface of Lactobacillus plantarum and evaluation of its immunoprotective efficiency against chicken coccidiosis. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2022; 252:111527. [PMID: 36272440 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2022.111527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Lactobacillus strains exhibit preferable properties that make them attractive candidates for vaccine delivery systems because of their ability to regulate intestinal mucosal immunity in the body. To date, live Lactobacillus delivery vaccines reported for the defense against Eimeria tenella have been inducer-dependent systems whose applications are significantly limited due to their unattainable induction conditions in vivo. Here, a constitutive expression of Lactobacillus plantarum NC8 surface display system was constructed. Then, this system was used to prepare a live oral vaccine to constitutively express the E. tenella U6L5H2 (EtU6) protein on the NC8 surface and to evaluate its protective efficacy against E. tenella challenge in chickens. The results showed that the heterologous protein (EGFP or EtU6) was successfully expressed on the surface of L. plantarum NC8 without any inducer. The immunoprotection of EtU6 with constitutive expression in L. plantarum NC8 system (NC8/Pc-EtU6) was significantly stronger than that of EtU6 with induced expression of L. plantarum NC8 system (NC8/Pi-EtU6) (ACI: 168.28 vs. 152.74) as evidenced by increased body weight, decreased oocyst output and lesion scores. Furthermore, the constitutive system NC8/Pc-EtU6 produced higher levels of specific cecal SIgA, serum IgG, transcription of cytokines IFN-γ and IL-2, and lymphocyte proliferation than the induced system NC8/Pi-EtU6. These results indicate that, compared to the inducible system, the constitutive surface display system of L. plantarum has the advantages of continuously expressing antigens in vivo and stimulating the host immune system. It could be an ideal platform for vaccine expression. The live vector vaccine for coccidiosis constructed by this constitutive system greatly improves the application potential in chicken production and provides a novel platform for the prevention of coccidiosis in chickens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyu Sun
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yaru Lu
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Ningning Zhao
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yakun Wang
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Bingxiang Wang
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Huihui Li
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Zhiyuan Wu
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Hongmei Li
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xiao Zhang
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China.
| | - Xiaomin Zhao
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China; Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an City 271018, Shandong Province, China.
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Bordbar A, Amanlou M, Pooshang Bagheri K, Ready PD, Ebrahimi S, Shahbaz Mohammadi H, Ghafari SM, Parvizi P. Cloning, high-level gene expression and bioinformatics analysis of SP15 and LeIF from Leishmania major and Iranian Phlebotomus papatasi saliva as single and novel fusion proteins: a potential vaccine candidate against leishmaniasis. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2021; 115:699-713. [PMID: 33155034 DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/traa119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early exacerbation of cutaneous leishmaniasis is mainly affected by both the salivary and Leishmania parasite components. Little is known of the vaccine combination made by immunogenic proteins of sandfly saliva (SP15) with Leishmania parasites (LeIF) as a single prophylactic vaccine, namely SaLeish. Also, there are no data available to determine the species-specific sequence of SP15 isolated from the Iranian Phlebotomus papatasi. METHODS Integrated bioinformatics and genetic engineering methods were employed to design, optimize and obtain a vector-parasite-based vaccine formulation in a whole-length fusion form of LeIF-SP15 against leishmaniasis. Holistic gene optimization was initially performed to obtain a high yield of pure 'whole-SaLeish' expression using bioinformatics analyses. Genomic and salivary gland RNAs of wild-caught P. papatasi were extracted and their complementary DNA was amplified and cloned into pJET vector. RESULTS The new chimeric protein of whole-SaLeish and randomly selected transcripts of native PpIRSP15 (GenBank accession nos. MT025054 and MN938854, MN938855 and MN938856) were successfully expressed, purified and validated by immunoblotting assay. Furthermore, despite the single amino acid polymorphisms of PpIRSP15 found at positions Y23 and E73 within the population of wild Iranian sandflies, antigenicity and conservancy of PpIRSP15 epitopes remained constant to activate T cells. CONCLUSIONS The SaLeish vaccine strategy takes advantage of a plethora of vector-parasite immunogenic proteins with potential protective efficacy to stimulate both the innate and specific cellular immune responses against Leishmania parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Bordbar
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 69 Pasteur Ave., Tehran, Iran.,Venom and Biotherapeutics Molecules Laboratory, Biotechnology Department, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Massoud Amanlou
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Drug Design and Development Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kamran Pooshang Bagheri
- Venom and Biotherapeutics Molecules Laboratory, Biotechnology Department, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Paul Donald Ready
- Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Sahar Ebrahimi
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 69 Pasteur Ave., Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Shahbaz Mohammadi
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Metabolism Research Group, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyedeh Maryam Ghafari
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 69 Pasteur Ave., Tehran, Iran
| | - Parviz Parvizi
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 69 Pasteur Ave., Tehran, Iran
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Bordbar A, Bagheri KP, Ebrahimi S, Parvizi P. Bioinformatics analyses of immunogenic T-cell epitopes of LeIF and PpSP15 proteins from Leishmania major and sand fly saliva used as model antigens for the design of a multi-epitope vaccine to control leishmaniasis. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2020; 80:104189. [PMID: 31931259 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 01/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoan parasites belonging to 20 Leishmania species. This infectious disease is transmitted by bites of infected phlebotomine sandflies, and is widespread in 97 countries throughout the world. No preventive or effective vaccine has been developed yet. In this study, diverse computational methods were integrated to calculate evolutionary divergence, immunogenicity, IFN-γ production, epitope conservancy, and population coverage of protein fusion models of LeIF-SP15 namely SaLeish. Immunogenicity of LeIF of Leishmania species and SP15 of sandfly saliva has not been investigated in-silico in fusion form. A complete set of 9-mer MHC class I and 15-mer MHC class II peptides were identified with a high affinity for the antigenic epitopes of SaLeish inducing specific responses of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells from BALB/c and human. Our preferred approach was determining truncated fragment of SaLeish rather than a whole length bearing the capacity to trigger specific immune response. Phylogenetic analysis showed that LeIF protein is under balancing selection and is conserved between different Leishmania species. Selected SaLeish model contained 19 and 35 antigenic peptides for MHC class I and II, respectively, with strong binding affinity to both highly frequent HLA-I and HLA-II alleles. Analysis of class I CTL epitopes showed that promiscuous peptides of KSLKADIRK, MSCIPHCKY, LQAGVIVAV, and YQYYGFVAM have greater affinity to interact with HLA-A*01:01, HLA-A*02 (03, 06), HLA-A*30:02, HLA-B*40:01, and HLA-B*52:01 molecules. Population coverage with a range of 78-85% confirmed SaLeish-Model4 as an appropriate vaccine candidate among Persian, South Asia, Europe, and North America population. Also, predicted antigenic epitopes of AKPEIRTFSNVLIKY, TRVQDDLRKLQAGVI, and VALFSATMPEEVLEL corresponding to MHC class II were found to provide strong ability to produce IFNγ toward TH(1)-biased-DTH responses. Findings of the current investigation warrant the future experimental assessment of promising SaLeish prophylaxis vaccine that is capable to enhance both innate and specific cellular immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Bordbar
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Microbiology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Kamran Pooshang Bagheri
- Venom and Biotherapeutics Molecules Lab., Biotechnology Dept., Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sahar Ebrahimi
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Microbiology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parviz Parvizi
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Microbiology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
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Abdulla F, Adhikari UK, Uddin MK. Exploring T & B-cell epitopes and designing multi-epitope subunit vaccine targeting integration step of HIV-1 lifecycle using immunoinformatics approach. Microb Pathog 2019; 137:103791. [PMID: 31606417 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.103791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Till now, AIDS, caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is still a severe health problem worldwide. It weakens the immune system by targeting the T-helper cells. Specifically, the severity of the pandemic HIV-1 makes the emergence of an enduring effective vaccine against HIV-1. Therefore, we have applied a series of immunoinformatics approaches to the four conserved domains of HIV-1 integrase (IN) proteins to design an effective multi-epitope based subunit vaccine which might induce a competent immunity against HIV-1. Therefore, we have selected three peptide fragments that contained all overlapping epitopes (35 CD4+, 8 CD8+ T-cell epitopes, and 3 B-cell epitopes) where the epitopes had a high conservancy score. The cumulative population coverage for combined CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell epitopes and their respective HLA-alleles were found as 98.03% in the world which is also followed by East Asia (96.24%), South Asia (96.31%), North Africa (96.14%), North America (98.99%), and Europe (98.80%). The proposed vaccine composed by an adjuvant (β-defensin) at the N-terminal site of the vaccine constructs and three peptide fragments where the adjuvant was fused by EAAAK linker and the peptide fragments were fused by GPGPG linker. The designed final vaccine construct (length: 159 amino acid) was found to be antigenic and non-allergic, which indicates its safety. The vaccine construct was found as good antigenic, stable, higher thermostable, and hydrophilic in nature. The codon adaptation and in silico cloning ensured the high expression rate of the vaccine constructs in E. coli K12 with CAI value of 1.0. Finally, the binding affinity of the vaccine constructs with the immune receptor TLR3 was confirmed by the lowest energy score of -1026.8 evaluated by molecular docking. However, the proposed in silico vaccine construct needs experimental validation for assuring the safety and immunogenicity profile which will ensure an active immunity against HIV-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faruq Abdulla
- Department of Statistics, Islamic University, Kushtia-7003, Bangladesh
| | - Utpal Kumar Adhikari
- School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW-2560, Australia
| | - M Kamal Uddin
- Department of Statistics, Islamic University, Kushtia-7003, Bangladesh.
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New Insights on the Adjuvant Properties of the Leishmania infantum Eukaryotic Initiation Factor. J Immunol Res 2019; 2019:9124326. [PMID: 31183394 PMCID: PMC6515109 DOI: 10.1155/2019/9124326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccination is the most effective tool against infectious diseases. Subunit vaccines are safer compared to live-attenuated vaccines but are less immunogenic and need to be delivered with an adjuvant. Adjuvants are essential for enhancing vaccine potency by improving humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Only a limited number of adjuvants are licensed for human vaccines, and their mode of action is still not clear. Leishmania eukaryotic initiation factor (LeIF) has been described having a dual role, as a natural adjuvant and as an antigen that possesses advantageous immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we assessed the adjuvant properties of recombinant Leishmania infantum eukaryotic initiation factor (LieIF) through in vitro and in vivo assays. LieIF was intraperitoneally administered in combination with the protein antigen ovalbumin (OVA), and the widely used alum was used as a reference adjuvant. Our in vitro studies using J774A.1 macrophages showed that LieIF induced stimulatory effects as demonstrated by the enhanced surface expression of CD80 and CD86 co-stimulatory molecules and the induced production of the immune mediators NO and MIP-1α. Additionally, LieIF co-administration with OVA in an in vivo murine model induced a proinflammatory environment as demonstrated by the elevated expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and NF-κB2 genes in peritoneal exudate cells (PEC). Furthermore, PEC derived from OVA-LieIF-immunized mice exhibited elevated expression of CD80 molecule and production of NO and MIP-1α in culture supernatants. Moreover, LieIF administration in the peritoneum of mice resulted in the recruitment of neutrophils and monocytes at 24 h post-injection. Also, we showed that this immunopotentiating effect of LieIF did not depend on the induction of uric acid danger signal. These findings suggest the potential use of LieIF as adjuvant in new vaccine formulations against different infectious diseases.
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Dias DS, Ribeiro PAF, Martins VT, Lage DP, Costa LE, Chávez-Fumagalli MA, Ramos FF, Santos TTO, Ludolf F, Oliveira JS, Mendes TAO, Silva ES, Galdino AS, Duarte MC, Roatt BM, Menezes-Souza D, Teixeira AL, Coelho EAF. Vaccination with a CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell epitopes-based recombinant chimeric protein derived from Leishmania infantum proteins confers protective immunity against visceral leishmaniasis. Transl Res 2018; 200:18-34. [PMID: 29908151 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2018.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Vaccination seems to be the best approach to control visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Resistance against infection is based on the development of a Th1 immune response characterized by the production of interferons-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-12 (IL-12), granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), among others. A number of antigens have been tested as potential targets against the disease; few of them are able to stimulate human immune cells. In the present study, 1 prediction of MHC class I and II molecules-specific epitopes in the amino acid sequences of 3 Leishmania proteins: 1 hypothetical, prohibitin, and small glutamine-rich tetratricopeptide repeat-containing proteins, was performed using bioinformatics tools, and a T-cell epitopes-based recombinant chimeric protein was constructed, synthetized and purified to be evaluated in invitro and in vivo experiments. The purified protein was tested regarding its immunogenicity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy subjects and VL patients, as well as to its immunogenicity and protective efficacy in a murine model against Leishmania infantum infection. Results showed a Th1 response based on high IFN-γ and low IL-10 levels derived from in chimera-stimulated PBMCs in both healthy subjects and VL patients. In addition, chimera and/or saponin-immunized mice presented significantly lower parasite burden in distinct evaluated organs, when compared to the controls, besides higher levels of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-12, and GM-CSF, and an IgG2a isotype-based humoral response. In addition, the CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subtypes contributed to IFN-γ production in the protected animals. The results showed the immunogenicity in human cells and the protective efficacy against L. infantum in a murine model, and well indicate that this recombinant chimera can be considered as a promising strategy to be used against human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Dias
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Patrícia A F Ribeiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Vívian T Martins
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Daniela P Lage
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Lourena E Costa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Miguel A Chávez-Fumagalli
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda F Ramos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Thaís T O Santos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Ludolf
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jamil S Oliveira
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Tiago A O Mendes
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Eduardo S Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei, Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alexsandro S Galdino
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei, Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Mariana C Duarte
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Bruno M Roatt
- Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Daniel Menezes-Souza
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Antonio L Teixeira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Neuropsychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; 1941 East Road, Houston, TX, 77041
| | - Eduardo A F Coelho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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