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Christodoulides M, Humbert MV, Heckels JE. The potential utility of liposomes for Neisseria vaccines. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20:1235-1256. [PMID: 34524062 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1981865] [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] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Species of the genus Neisseria are important global pathogens. Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus) causes the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea and Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) causes meningitis and sepsis. Liposomes are self-assembled spheres of phospholipid bilayers enclosing a central aqueous space, and they have attracted much interest and use as a delivery vehicle for Neisseria vaccine antigens. AREAS COVERED A brief background on Neisseria infections and the success of licensed meningococcal vaccines are provided. The absence of a gonococcal vaccine is highlighted. The use of liposomes for delivering Neisseria antigens and adjuvants, for the purposes of generating specific immune responses, is reviewed. The use of other lipid-based systems for antigen and adjuvant delivery is examined briefly. EXPERT OPINION With renewed interest in developing a gonococcal vaccine, liposomes remain an attractive option for delivering antigens. The discipline of nanotechnology provides additional nanoparticle-based options for gonococcal vaccine development. Future work would be needed to tailor the composition of liposomes and other nanoparticles to the specific vaccine antigen(s), in order to generate optimal anti-gonococcal immune responses. The potential use of liposomes and other nanoparticles to deliver anti-gonococcal compounds to treat infections also should be explored further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myron Christodoulides
- Neisseria Research Group, Molecular Microbiology, School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, UK
| | - Maria Victoria Humbert
- Neisseria Research Group, Molecular Microbiology, School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, UK
| | - John E Heckels
- Neisseria Research Group, Molecular Microbiology, School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, UK
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Meningococcal Vaccines: Current Status and Emerging Strategies. Vaccines (Basel) 2018; 6:vaccines6010012. [PMID: 29495347 PMCID: PMC5874653 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines6010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis causes most cases of bacterial meningitis. Meningococcal meningitis is a public health burden to both developed and developing countries throughout the world. There are a number of vaccines (polysaccharide-based, glycoconjugate, protein-based and combined conjugate vaccines) that are approved to target five of the six disease-causing serogroups of the pathogen. Immunization strategies have been effective at helping to decrease the global incidence of meningococcal meningitis. Researchers continue to enhance these efforts through discovery of new antigen targets that may lead to a broadly protective vaccine and development of new methods of homogenous vaccine production. This review describes current meningococcal vaccines and discusses some recent research discoveries that may transform vaccine development against N. meningitidis in the future.
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Matthias KA, Strader MB, Nawar HF, Gao YS, Lee J, Patel DS, Im W, Bash MC. Heterogeneity in non-epitope loop sequence and outer membrane protein complexes alters antibody binding to the major porin protein PorB in serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis. Mol Microbiol 2017; 105:934-953. [PMID: 28708335 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
PorB is a well-characterized outer membrane protein that is common among Neisseria species and is required for survival. A vaccine candidate, PorB induces antibody responses that are directed against six variable surface-exposed loops that differ in sequence depending on serotype. Although Neisseria meningitidis is naturally competent and porB genetic mosaicism provides evidence for strong positive selection, the sequences of PorB serotypes commonly associated with invasive disease are often conserved, calling into question the interaction of specific PorB loop sequences in immune engagement. In this report, we provide evidence that antibody binding to a PorB epitope can be altered by sequence mutations in non-epitope loops. Through the construction of hybrid PorB types and PorB molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that loops both adjacent and non-adjacent to the epitope loop can enhance or diminish antibody binding, a phenotype that correlates with serum bactericidal activity. We further examine the interaction of PorB with outer membrane-associated proteins, including PorA and RmpM. Deletion of these proteins alters the composition of PorB-containing native complexes and reduces antibody binding and serum killing relative to the parental strain, suggesting that both intramolecular and intermolecular PorB interactions contribute to host adaptive immune evasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn A Matthias
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Michael Brad Strader
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Hesham F Nawar
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Yamei S Gao
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Joonseong Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering Program, Lehigh University, PA, USA
| | - Dhilon S Patel
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering Program, Lehigh University, PA, USA
| | - Wonpil Im
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering Program, Lehigh University, PA, USA
| | - Margaret C Bash
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
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Costoya L, Marzoa J, Ferreirós C, Criado MT. Liposomes or traditional adjuvants: induction of bactericidal activity by the macrophage infectivity potentiator protein (Mip) of Neisseria meningitidis. APMIS 2017; 125:725-731. [PMID: 28543600 DOI: 10.1111/apm.12709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Currently, one of the main approaches to achieve a vaccine for serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis is based on outer membrane proteins with low antigenic variability among strains. Since these proteins tend to be minor components of the outer membrane, recombinant production is required to obtain them in sufficient amounts for evaluation and development of vaccines. In this study, we analysed the ability of recombinant macrophage infectivity potentiator (rMip) protein to induce protective bactericidal activity in mice. The rMip protein was cloned from N. meningitidis strain H44/76 and was used to immunise mice, and the sera obtained were tested against the homologous and several heterologous N. meningitidis strains. The sera were obtained using the rMip alone, with adjuvant Al(OH)3 , or after inclusion into liposomes. Bactericidal activity was variable depending on the strain, although high titres were seen against strains H44/76 and NmP27. Liposomes enhanced fourfold the reactivity against the homologous strain. The results presented suggest that the rMip protein should be considered a promising candidate for the improvement of future protein-based vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Costoya
- Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Juan Marzoa
- Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Carlos Ferreirós
- Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Maria Teresa Criado
- Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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Freixeiro P, Diéguez-Casal E, Costoya L, Seijo B, Ferreirós CM, Criado MT, Sánchez S. Study of the stability of proteoliposomes as vehicles for vaccines against Neisseria meningitidis based on recombinant porin complexes. Int J Pharm 2013; 443:1-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2012.12.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 12/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Freixeiro P, Diéguez-Casal E, Costoya L, Marzoa J, Ferreirós CM, Criado MT, Sánchez S. High resolution clear native electrophoresis (hrCNE) allows a detailed analysis of the heterotrimeric structure of recombinant Neisseria meningitidis porins inserted into liposomes. J Proteome Res 2013; 12:777-84. [PMID: 23259616 DOI: 10.1021/pr3008573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Three recombinant proteins of Neisseria meningitidis, rPorB, rPorA, and rRmpM, were purified and incorporated into liposomes prepared by dialysis-extrusion. The protein complexes formed using different combinations of recombinant proteins were studied by high resolution clear native electrophoresis (hrCNE) and 2-D hrCNE/SDS-PAGE, analyzing the influence of the stoichiometry of the two porins in the formation of complexes and comparing them with native porin complexes present in OMVs from five different N. meningitidis strains. Insertion of the recombinant proteins into liposomes allowed a complete refolding of porin complexes, and the electrophoretic analyses showed that, when the three recombinant proteins are present, the pattern of porin complexes obtained is similar to that observed in native OMVs. We could show homocomplexes of each individual porin and PorA/PorB, RmpM/PorB, and PorA/PorB/RmpM heterocomplexes. Our results suggest that RmpM binds only to PorB, confirm the trimeric structure of N. meningitidis pores, and demonstrate that insertion into liposomes restores the native structure of porin complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Freixeiro
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Campus Sur, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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Marzoa J, Sánchez S, Costoya L, Diéguez-Casal E, Freixeiro P, Brookes C, Allen L, Taylor S, Gorringe AR, Ferreirós CM, Criado MT. Induction of immune responses by purified outer membrane protein complexes from Neisseria meningitidis. Vaccine 2011; 30:2387-95. [PMID: 21911024 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.08.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2011] [Revised: 08/26/2011] [Accepted: 08/31/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
A broad-spectrum vaccine against disease caused by serogroup B of Neisseria meningitidis is still a challenge due to antigenic variability. In the present study outer membrane protein complexes and their components were analysed using non-denaturing 2D electrophoresis and identified using LC/MS-MS and MALDI-TOF. Outer membrane protein complexes were purified from both the wild-type strain H44/76 and their knock-out mutants lacking PorA, PorB, RmpM or FetA. The immune responses elicited by the whole outer membrane vesicles (OMV) and the purified complexes were analysed for bactericidal activity, antibody surface binding, antibody-mediated C3b/iC3b deposition, membrane attack complex (MAC) deposition and induction of opsonophagocytosis, both on the homologous and several heterologous strains. The main antigenic complexes found were homomeric, formed by the 60 kDa chaperonin (MSP63) or PorB, or heteromeric, formed by different combinations of PorA, PorB and/or RmpM. The lack of some of these proteins in the OMVs from the knock-out mutants did not affect significantly the immune responses analysed except MAC, which was significantly reduced in the anti-PorA- and anti-PorB- sera, and bactericidal activity, which was absent in the anti-PorA- serum. The sera against purified native complexes showed variable activities against the homologous strain, with greatest responses observed for anti-chaperonin and anti-PorA/PorB/RmpM sera. When tested against heterologous strains, the only anti-complex serum showing consistent responses was that against the 60 kDa chaperonin. The comparison of the responses elicited by the different sera suggests an important role of conformational epitopes, present only in native complexes, in the induction of more effective responses against N. meningitidis.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Marzoa
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Campus Sur, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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