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Sainz-Mejías M, Jurado-Martín I, McClean S. Understanding Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Host Interactions: The Ongoing Quest for an Efficacious Vaccine. Cells 2020; 9:cells9122617. [PMID: 33291484 PMCID: PMC7762141 DOI: 10.3390/cells9122617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of chronic respiratory infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), bronchiectasis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and acute infections in immunocompromised individuals. The adaptability of this opportunistic pathogen has hampered the development of antimicrobial therapies, and consequently, it remains a major threat to public health. Due to its antimicrobial resistance, vaccines represent an alternative strategy to tackle the pathogen, yet despite over 50 years of research on anti-Pseudomonas vaccines, no vaccine has been licensed. Nevertheless, there have been many advances in this field, including a better understanding of the host immune response and the biology of P. aeruginosa. Multiple antigens and adjuvants have been investigated with varying results. Although the most effective protective response remains to be established, it is clear that a polarised Th2 response is sub-optimal, and a mixed Th1/Th2 or Th1/Th17 response appears beneficial. This comprehensive review collates the current understanding of the complexities of P. aeruginosa-host interactions and its implication in vaccine design, with a view to understanding the current state of Pseudomonal vaccine development and the direction of future efforts. It highlights the importance of the incorporation of appropriate adjuvants to the protective antigen to yield optimal protection.
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Faezi S, Nikokar I, Elmi A, Ghasemi Y, Farahbakhsh M, Salimi Chirani A, Mahdavi M. Molecular characterization and Functional Analysis of the PilQ 380-706: a Novel Secretin Domain in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Avicenna J Med Biotechnol 2018; 10:34-40. [PMID: 29296265 PMCID: PMC5742652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Type 4 pili (T4P) is an important virulence factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). T4P pass the outer membrane through a large oligomeric channel made of a single PilQ protein that is most highly conserved at their C-termini. To develop a functional vaccine that can be used in clinical application, the secretin domain of the PilQ (PilQ380-706) was produced as a recombinant protein. METHODS A 981 bp fragment of C-terminal of the pilQ secretin (pilQ1138-2118) from was designed into the prokaryotic expression vector pET28a. The presence of the pilQ1138-2118 gene in the recombinant construct (pET28a/pilQ) was assessed by double digestion and PCR. After transformation, expression of the recombinant PilQ was induced by addition of IPTG. The expressed recombinant protein was purified by a modified method using a HisTrap affinity column and finally confirmed by SDS-PAGE. The functional activities of the produced PilQ380-706 confirmed by Western blot analysis and twitching inhibition assay. RESULTS The PCR and enzymatic digestion results showed the presence of the pilQ1138-2118 gene in the construct. The protein electrophoresis showed that the molecular weight of the recombinant PilQ380-706 is approximately 37 kDa. The Western blot analysis confirmed the specificity of specific IgG against the PilQ380-706 protein. The PilQ380-706 protein showed high biological activity in all of these standard assays. CONCLUSION Since, the PilQ380-706 protein plays an important role in the biogenesis of pili; and thus, the primary establishment of P. aeruginosa; it seems that it can be used as a candidate vaccine or an adjuvant in the future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sobhan Faezi
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran,Department of Mycobacteriology and Pulmonary Research, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran,Mycobacteriology Research Center (MRC), Tehran, Iran
| | - Iraj Nikokar
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran,Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran,Corresponding author: Iraj Nikokar, Ph.D., Central Research Laboratory of Modern Technologies of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Paramedicine, Guilan, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, Tel: +98 1342537171, Fax: +98 1342537171, E-mail: ,
| | - Ali Elmi
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Yusuf Ghasemi
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Farahbakhsh
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Alireza Salimi Chirani
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshty University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Mahdavi
- Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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In silico analysis to identify vaccine candidates common to multiple serotypes of Shigella and evaluation of their immunogenicity. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0180505. [PMID: 28767653 PMCID: PMC5540609 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2017] [Accepted: 06/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Shigellosis or bacillary dysentery is an important cause of diarrhea, with the majority of the cases occurring in developing countries. Considering the high disease burden, increasing antibiotic resistance, serotype-specific immunity and the post-infectious sequelae associated with shigellosis, there is a pressing need of an effective vaccine against multiple serotypes of the pathogen. In the present study, we used bio-informatics approach to identify antigens shared among multiple serotypes of Shigella spp. This approach led to the identification of many immunogenic peptides. The five most promising peptides based on MHC binding efficiency were a putative lipoprotein (EL PGI I), a putative heat shock protein (EL PGI II), Spa32 (EL PGI III), IcsB (EL PGI IV) and a hypothetical protein (EL PGI V). These peptides were synthesized and the immunogenicity was evaluated in BALB/c mice by ELISA and cytokine assays. The putative heat shock protein (HSP) and the hypothetical protein elicited good humoral response, whereas putative lipoprotein, Spa32 and IcsB elicited good T-cell response as revealed by increased IFN-γ and TNF-α cytokine levels. The patient sera from confirmed cases of shigellosis were also evaluated for the presence of peptide specific antibodies with significant IgG and IgA antibodies against the HSP and the hypothetical protein, bestowing them as potential future vaccine candidates. The antigens reported in this study are novel and have not been tested as vaccine candidates against Shigella. This study offers time and cost-effective way of identifying unprecedented immunogenic antigens to be used as potential vaccine candidates. Moreover, this approach should easily be extendable to find new potential vaccine candidates for other pathogenic bacteria.
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Faezi S, Bahrmand AR, Mahdavi M, Siadat SD, Nikokar I, Sardari S. Development of a Novel Anti-Adhesive Vaccine Against Pseudomonasaeruginosa Targeting the C-terminal Disulfide Loop of the Pilin Protein. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR MEDICINE 2017; 6:96-108. [PMID: 28890886 PMCID: PMC5581551 DOI: 10.22088/acadpub.bums.6.2.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Type IV pili (T4P) are major virulence factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) that are associated with primary adhesion, biofilm formation and twitching motility. This study focuses on the introduction of a novel biologically active subunit vaccine derived from the disulfide loop (DSL) of P. aeruginosa pilin. We investigated the expression of the novel PilA in-frame with pET26b vector, which contains three domains, that each domain contains three tandem repeats. The flexible (GGGGS) and (GGGGS)3 linkers were linked between the three tandem repeats and each pilA domain, respectively. The recombinant construct (pET26b/pilA) was transformed and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The reactivity of specific antiserum against PilA was assessed by ELISA method. The biological activities of this candidate vaccine were evaluated by western blotting, opsonophagocytosis and twitching inhibition assays. The pET26b/pilA plasmid was confirmed by enzymatic digestion. The purified PilA protein was confirmed by immunoblot analysis. The checkerboard titration showed that the optimal dilution of the antibody to react with antigen was 1:8. The results of opsonophagocytosis assay revealed that the antibodies raised against PilA promoted phagocytosis of the PAO1 and 6266E strains to some extent (17.5% and 16.3%, respectively), so the twitching inhibition test confirmed this result. Taken together, these are the preliminary results based on a first chimerical structure failure to induce antibodies that promote the opsonization and eradication of the pathogen. Therefore, the biological activity of the PilA protein showed that it should be introduced with other proteins or target antigens against P. aeruginosa in the future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sobhan Faezi
- Departments of Mycobacteriology and Pulmonary Research, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.,Microbiology Research Center (MRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Reza Bahrmand
- Departments of Mycobacteriology and Pulmonary Research, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.,Microbiology Research Center (MRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Mahdavi
- Departments of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Davar Siadat
- Departments of Mycobacteriology and Pulmonary Research, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.,Microbiology Research Center (MRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Iraj Nikokar
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Soroush Sardari
- Biotechnology Research Center, Drug Design and Bioinformatics Group, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Skwarczynski M, Toth I. Peptide-based synthetic vaccines. Chem Sci 2015; 7:842-854. [PMID: 28791117 PMCID: PMC5529997 DOI: 10.1039/c5sc03892h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 360] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Classically all vaccines were produced using live or attenuated microorganisms or parts of them. However, the use of whole organisms, their components or the biological process for vaccine production has several weaknesses. The presence of immunologically redundant biological components or biological impurities in such vaccines might cause major problems. All the disadvantageous of traditional vaccines might be overcome via the development of fully synthetic peptide-based vaccines. However, once minimal antigenic epitopes only are applied for immunisation, the immune responses are poor. The use of an adjuvant can overcome this obstacle; however, it may raise new glitches. Here we briefly summarise the current stand on peptide-based vaccines, discuss epitope and adjuvant design, and multi-epitope and nanoparticle-based vaccine approaches. This mini review discusses also the disadvantages and benefits associated with peptide-based vaccines. It proposes possible methods to overcome the weaknesses of the synthetic vaccine strategy and suggests future directions for its development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariusz Skwarczynski
- The University of Queensland , School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences , St Lucia 4072 , Australia .
| | - Istvan Toth
- The University of Queensland , School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences , St Lucia 4072 , Australia . .,The University of Queensland , Institute for Molecular Bioscience , St Lucia 4072 , Australia.,The University of Queensland , School of Pharmacy , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
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Abstract
Type IV pili (T4P) are multifunctional protein fibers produced on the surfaces of a wide variety of bacteria and archaea. The major subunit of T4P is the type IV pilin, and structurally related proteins are found as components of the type II secretion (T2S) system, where they are called pseudopilins; of DNA uptake/competence systems in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive species; and of flagella, pili, and sugar-binding systems in the archaea. This broad distribution of a single protein family implies both a common evolutionary origin and a highly adaptable functional plan. The type IV pilin is a remarkably versatile architectural module that has been adopted widely for a variety of functions, including motility, attachment to chemically diverse surfaces, electrical conductance, acquisition of DNA, and secretion of a broad range of structurally distinct protein substrates. In this review, we consider recent advances in this research area, from structural revelations to insights into diversity, posttranslational modifications, regulation, and function.
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Sharma A, Krause A, Worgall S. Recent developments for Pseudomonas vaccines. HUMAN VACCINES 2011; 7:999-1011. [PMID: 21941090 DOI: 10.4161/hv.7.10.16369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa are a major health problem for immune-compromised patients and individuals with cystic fibrosis. A vaccine against: P. aeruginosa has long been sought after, but is so far not available. Several vaccine candidates have been assessed in experimental animals and humans, which include sub-cellular fractions, capsule components, purified and recombinant proteins. Unique characteristics of the host and the pathogen have complicated the vaccine development. This review summarizes the current state of vaccine development for this ubiquitous pathogen, in particular to provide mucosal immunity against infections of the respiratory tract in susceptible individuals with cystic fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag Sharma
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
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