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Ferrara G, Colitti B, Gabriela FR, Rosati S, Iovane G, Pagnini U, Montagnaro S. Efficiency of recombinant Ybgf in a double antigen-ELISA for the detection of Coxiella antibodies in ruminants. Vet Anim Sci 2024; 25:100366. [PMID: 38957741 PMCID: PMC11217752 DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2024.100366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Q fever is a zoonosis whose main reservoirs are domestic ruminants. Surveillance in these species is carried out mainly with serological tests, which, however, have limited diagnostic performance, and their manufacturing requires laboratories equipped with high biosafety requirements for antigen production. Recombinant ELISAs do not depend on these requirements and, being based on a single antigen, can reduce potential false positivity by identifying antibodies specific to a phase of infection. The aim of this study was to apply a new technology (dual antigen test) to a recombinant protein (Ybgf), an antigen produced in recombinant form and already used in previous studies for the design of an indirect ELISA. The successfully produced recombinant antigen was used to coat 96-well plates and, at the same time, another antigen aliquot was conjugated with HRP to obtain an HRP-conjugated Ybgf. After setting the test conditions, the results obtained with the recombinant double antigen test were compared with those obtained with a commercial assay (considered as reference assay) testing a total of 514 ruminant samples (280 goats and 234 cattle). A concordance of 86.2 and a Cohen's Kappa value of 0.72 were obtained, with no significant difference between the two species tested. Notably, the test proved to be highly specific, having correctly identified 250 out of 253 animals. This research represents an additional effort to use recombinant antigens to enhance serological methods in veterinary medicine. In a "one-health scenario", improving the performance of serological tests used in veterinary practice also means improving the surveillance of this infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarco Ferrara
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, “Federico II”, Naples 80137, Italy
| | - Barbara Colitti
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Grugliasco, TO 10095, Italy
| | | | - Sergio Rosati
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Grugliasco, TO 10095, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Iovane
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, “Federico II”, Naples 80137, Italy
| | - Ugo Pagnini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, “Federico II”, Naples 80137, Italy
| | - Serena Montagnaro
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, “Federico II”, Naples 80137, Italy
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2
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van Schaik EJ, Fratzke AP, Gregory AE, Dumaine JE, Samuel JE. Vaccine development: obligate intracellular bacteria new tools, old pathogens: the current state of vaccines against obligate intracellular bacteria. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1282183. [PMID: 38567021 PMCID: PMC10985213 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1282183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Obligate intracellular bacteria have remained those for which effective vaccines are unavailable, mostly because protection does not solely rely on an antibody response. Effective antibody-based vaccines, however, have been developed against extracellular bacteria pathogens or toxins. Additionally, obligate intracellular bacteria have evolved many mechanisms to subvert the immune response, making vaccine development complex. Much of what we know about protective immunity for these pathogens has been determined using infection-resolved cases and animal models that mimic disease. These studies have laid the groundwork for antigen discovery, which, combined with recent advances in vaccinology, should allow for the development of safe and efficacious vaccines. Successful vaccines against obligate intracellular bacteria should elicit potent T cell memory responses, in addition to humoral responses. Furthermore, they ought to be designed to specifically induce strong cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses for protective immunity. This review will describe what we know about the potentially protective immune responses to this group of bacteria. Additionally, we will argue that the novel delivery platforms used during the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic should be excellent candidates to produce protective immunity once antigens are discovered. We will then look more specifically into the vaccine development for Rickettsiaceae, Coxiella burnetti, and Anaplasmataceae from infancy until today. We have not included Chlamydia trachomatis in this review because of the many vaccine related reviews that have been written in recent years.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J van Schaik
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX, United States
| | - A P Fratzke
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX, United States
- Charles River Laboratories, Reno, NV, United States
| | - A E Gregory
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX, United States
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jennifer E Dumaine
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX, United States
| | - J E Samuel
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX, United States
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University (TAMU), College Station, TX, United States
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3
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Kodori M, Amani J, Ahmadi A. Unveiling promising immunogenic targets in Coxiella burnetii through in silico analysis: paving the way for novel vaccine strategies. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:902. [PMID: 38129801 PMCID: PMC10740251 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08904-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coxiella burnetii, an intracellular pathogen, serves as the causative agent of zoonotic Q fever. This pathogen presents a significant threat due to its potential for airborne transmission, environmental persistence, and pathogenicity. The current whole-cell vaccine (WCV) utilized in Australia to combat Q fever exhibits notable limitations, including severe adverse reactions and limited regulatory approval for human use. This research employed the reverse vaccinology (RV) approach to uncover antigenic proteins and epitopes of C. burnetii, facilitating the development of more potent vaccine candidates. METHODS The potential immunogenic proteins derived from C. burnetii RSA493/Nine Mile phase I (NMI) were extracted through manual, automated RV, and virulence factor database (VFDB) methods. Web tools and bioinformatics were used to evaluate physiochemical attributes, subcellular localization, antigenicity, allergenicity, human homology, B-cell epitopes, MHC I and II binding ratios, functional class scores, adhesion probabilities, protein-protein interactions, and molecular docking. RESULTS Out of the 1850 proteins encoded by RSA493/NMI, a subset of 178 demonstrated the potential for surface or membrane localization. Following a series of analytical iterations, 14 putative immunogenic proteins emerged. This collection included nine proteins (57.1%) intricately involved in cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis processes (CBU_0197 (Q83EW1), CBU_0311 (Q83EK8), CBU_0489 (Q83E43), CBU_0939 (Q83D08), CBU_1190 (P39917), CBU_1829 (Q83AQ2), CBU_1412 (Q83BU0), CBU_1414 (Q83BT8), and CBU_1600 (Q83BB2)). The CBU_1627 (Q83B86 ) (7.1%) implicated in intracellular trafficking, secretion, and vesicular transport, and CBU_0092 (Q83F57) (7.1%) contributing to cell division. Additionally, three proteins (21.4%) displayed uncharacterized functions (CBU_0736 (Q83DJ4), CBU_1095 (Q83CL9), and CBU_2079 (Q83A32)). The congruent results obtained from molecular docking and immune response stimulation lend support to the inclusion of all 14 putative proteins as potential vaccine candidates. Notably, seven proteins with well-defined functions stand out among these candidates. CONCLUSIONS The outcomes of this study introduce promising proteins and epitopes for the forthcoming formulation of subunit vaccines against Q fever, with a primary emphasis on cellular processes and the virulence factors of C. burnetii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoor Kodori
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Non Communicable Diseases Research Center, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran
| | - Jafar Amani
- Applied Microbiology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Ahmadi
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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4
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Redden P, Parker K, Henderson S, Fourie P, Agnew L, Stenos J, Graves S, Govan B, Norton R, Ketheesan N. Q fever - immune responses and novel vaccine strategies. Future Microbiol 2023; 18:1185-1196. [PMID: 37850346 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2023-0117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. It is an occupational risk for employees of animal industries and is associated with contact with wildlife and domestic animals. Although Q fever infection may be asymptomatic, chronic sequelae such as endocarditis occur in 5% of symptomatic individuals. Disease outcomes may be predicted through measurement of immune correlates. Vaccination is the most efficient method to prevent Q fever. Currently, Q-VAX is the only licenced human vaccine. Q-VAX is highly effective; however, individuals previously exposed to C. burnetii are at risk of adverse reactions. This review examines the immunological responses of acute and chronic Q fever and the efforts to provide a safer and cost-effective Q fever vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Redden
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - Kaitland Parker
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - Sinead Henderson
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - Phillip Fourie
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - Linda Agnew
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
- Griffith Health Group, Griffith University, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - John Stenos
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, 3220, Australia
| | - Stephen Graves
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, 3220, Australia
| | - Brenda Govan
- College of Public Health, Medicine & Vet Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, 4811, Australia
| | - Robert Norton
- Pathology Queensland, Queensland Health, Townsville Hospital, Queensland, 4814, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Natkunam Ketheesan
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
- Griffith Health Group, Griffith University, Queensland, 4222, Australia
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5
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Ferrara G, Colitti B, Flores-Ramirez G, Pagnini U, Iovane G, Rosati S, Montagnaro S. Detection of Coxiella antibodies in ruminants using a SucB recombinant antigen. J Vet Diagn Invest 2023; 35:721-726. [PMID: 37705242 PMCID: PMC10621550 DOI: 10.1177/10406387231199964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The detection of Coxiella burnetii in ruminants remains challenging despite the use of new technology and the accumulation of novel knowledge. Serology tools, the primary methods of infection surveillance in veterinary medicine, have limitations. We used recombinant antigen production to develop an ELISA based on the SucB protein, one of the major immunodominant antigens described in humans and laboratory animals. We produced the antigen successfully in an Escherichia coli heterologous system, confirmed by sequencing and mass spectrometry, and seen as a band of ~50 kDa in SDS-PAGE and on western blot analysis. We compared the performance of the recombinant ELISA with a commercial ELISA. We observed agreement of 83.5% and a substantial Cohen κ value of 0.67 in our pilot study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarco Ferrara
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Barbara Colitti
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | | | - Ugo Pagnini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Iovane
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Sergio Rosati
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Serena Montagnaro
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
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6
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Bach E, Fitzgerald SF, Williams-MacDonald SE, Mitchell M, Golde WT, Longbottom D, Nisbet AJ, Dinkla A, Sullivan E, Pinapati RS, Tan JC, Joosten LAB, Roest HJ, Østerbye T, Koets AP, Buus S, McNeilly TN. Genome-wide epitope mapping across multiple host species reveals significant diversity in antibody responses to Coxiella burnetii vaccination and infection. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1257722. [PMID: 37954609 PMCID: PMC10637584 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1257722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is an important zoonotic bacterial pathogen of global importance, causing the disease Q fever in a wide range of animal hosts. Ruminant livestock, in particular sheep and goats, are considered the main reservoir of human infection. Vaccination is a key control measure, and two commercial vaccines based on formalin-inactivated C. burnetii bacterins are currently available for use in livestock and humans. However, their deployment is limited due to significant reactogenicity in individuals previously sensitized to C. burnetii antigens. Furthermore, these vaccines interfere with available serodiagnostic tests which are also based on C. burnetii bacterin antigens. Defined subunit antigen vaccines offer significant advantages, as they can be engineered to reduce reactogenicity and co-designed with serodiagnostic tests to allow discrimination between vaccinated and infected individuals. This study aimed to investigate the diversity of antibody responses to C. burnetii vaccination and/or infection in cattle, goats, humans, and sheep through genome-wide linear epitope mapping to identify candidate vaccine and diagnostic antigens within the predicted bacterial proteome. Using high-density peptide microarrays, we analyzed the seroreactivity in 156 serum samples from vaccinated and infected individuals to peptides derived from 2,092 open-reading frames in the C. burnetii genome. We found significant diversity in the antibody responses within and between species and across different types of C. burnetii exposure. Through the implementation of three different vaccine candidate selection methods, we identified 493 candidate protein antigens for protein subunit vaccine design or serodiagnostic evaluation, of which 65 have been previously described. This is the first study to investigate multi-species seroreactivity against the entire C. burnetii proteome presented as overlapping linear peptides and provides the basis for the selection of antigen targets for next-generation Q fever vaccines and diagnostic tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil Bach
- Department of Immunology & Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Annemieke Dinkla
- Department of Bacteriology, Host-Pathogen Interaction and Diagnostic Development, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
| | - Eric Sullivan
- Nimble Therapeutics, Inc., Madison, WI, United States
| | | | - John C. Tan
- Nimble Therapeutics, Inc., Madison, WI, United States
| | - Leo A. B. Joosten
- Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Hendrik-Jan Roest
- Department of Bacteriology, Host-Pathogen Interaction and Diagnostic Development, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
- Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Den Haag, Netherlands
- Department of Infection and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Thomas Østerbye
- Department of Immunology & Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ad P. Koets
- Department of Bacteriology, Host-Pathogen Interaction and Diagnostic Development, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
| | - Søren Buus
- Department of Immunology & Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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7
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Ramirez A, Felgner J, Jain A, Jan S, Albin TJ, Badten AJ, Gregory AE, Nakajima R, Jasinskas A, Felgner PL, Burkhardt AM, Davies DH, Wang SW. Engineering Protein Nanoparticles Functionalized with an Immunodominant Coxiella burnetii Antigen to Generate a Q Fever Vaccine. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:1653-1666. [PMID: 37682243 PMCID: PMC10515490 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever, for which there is yet to be an FDA-approved vaccine. This bacterial pathogen has both extra- and intracellular stages in its life cycle, and therefore both a cell-mediated (i.e., T lymphocyte) and humoral (i.e., antibody) immune response are necessary for effective eradication of this pathogen. However, most proposed vaccines elicit strong responses to only one mechanism of adaptive immunity, and some can either cause reactogenicity or lack sufficient immunogenicity. In this work, we aim to apply a nanoparticle-based platform toward producing both antibody and T cell immune responses against C. burnetii. We investigated three approaches for conjugation of the immunodominant outer membrane protein antigen (CBU1910) to the E2 nanoparticle to obtain a consistent antigen orientation: direct genetic fusion, high affinity tris-NTA-Ni conjugation to polyhistidine-tagged CBU1910, and the SpyTag/SpyCatcher (ST/SC) system. Overall, we found that the ST/SC approach yielded nanoparticles loaded with the highest number of antigens while maintaining stability, enabling formulations that could simultaneously co-deliver the protein antigen (CBU1910) and adjuvant (CpG1826) on one nanoparticle (CBU1910-CpG-E2). Using protein microarray analyses, we found that after immunization, antigen-bound nanoparticle formulations elicited significantly higher antigen-specific IgG responses than soluble CBU1910 alone and produced more balanced IgG1/IgG2c ratios. Although T cell recall assays from these protein antigen formulations did not show significant increases in antigen-specific IFN-γ production compared to soluble CBU1910 alone, nanoparticles conjugated with a CD4 peptide epitope from CBU1910 generated elevated T cell responses in mice to both the CBU1910 peptide epitope and whole CBU1910 protein. These investigations highlight the feasibility of conjugating antigens to nanoparticles for tuning and improving both humoral- and cell-mediated adaptive immunity against C. burnetii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Ramirez
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Jiin Felgner
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Sharon Jan
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Tyler J. Albin
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Alexander J. Badten
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Anthony E. Gregory
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Philip L. Felgner
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Amanda M. Burkhardt
- Department
of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - D. Huw Davies
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Szu-Wen Wang
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
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8
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Sam G, Stenos J, Graves SR, Rehm BHA. Q fever immunology: the quest for a safe and effective vaccine. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:133. [PMID: 37679410 PMCID: PMC10484952 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00727-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Q fever is an infectious zoonotic disease, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Transmission occurs from livestock to humans through inhalation of a survival form of the bacterium, the Small Cell Variant, often via handling of animal parturition products. Q fever manifests as an acute self-limiting febrile illness or as a chronic disease with complications such as vasculitis and endocarditis. The current preventative human Q fever vaccine Q-VAX poses limitations on its worldwide implementation due to reactogenic responses in pre-sensitized individuals. Many strategies have been undertaken to develop a universal Q fever vaccine but with little success to date. The mechanisms of the underlying reactogenic responses remain only partially understood and are important factors in the development of a safe Q fever vaccine. This review provides an overview of previous and current experimental vaccines developed for use against Q fever and proposes approaches to develop a vaccine that establishes immunological memory while eliminating harmful reactogenic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayathri Sam
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia
| | - John Stenos
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia
| | - Stephen R Graves
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW, 2567, Australia
| | - Bernd H A Rehm
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia.
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia.
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9
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Jan S, Fratzke AP, Felgner J, Hernandez-Davies JE, Liang L, Nakajima R, Jasinskas A, Supnet M, Jain A, Felgner PL, Davies DH, Gregory AE. Multivalent vaccines demonstrate immunogenicity and protect against Coxiella burnetii aerosol challenge. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1192821. [PMID: 37533862 PMCID: PMC10390735 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1192821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccines are among the most cost-effective public health measures for controlling infectious diseases. Coxiella burnetii is the etiological agent of Q fever, a disease with a wide clinical spectrum that ranges from mild symptoms, such as fever and fatigue, to more severe disease, such as pneumonia and endocarditis. The formalin-inactivated whole-cell vaccine Q-VAX® contains hundreds of antigens and confers lifelong protection in humans, but prior sensitization from infection or vaccination can result in deleterious reactogenic responses to vaccination. Consequently, there is great interest in developing non-reactogenic alternatives based on adjuvanted recombinant proteins. In this study, we aimed to develop a multivalent vaccine that conferred protection with reduced reactogenicity. We hypothesized that a multivalent vaccine consisting of multiple antigens would be more immunogenic and protective than a monovalent vaccine owing to the large number of potential protective antigens in the C. burnetii proteome. To address this, we identified immunogenic T and B cell antigens, and selected proteins were purified to evaluate with a combination adjuvant (IVAX-1), with or without C. burnetii lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in immunogenicity studies in vivo in mice and in a Hartley guinea pig intratracheal aerosol challenge model using C. burnetii strain NMI RSA 493. The data showed that multivalent vaccines are more immunogenic than monovalent vaccines and more closely emulate the protection achieved by Q-VAX. Although six antigens were the most immunogenic, we also discovered that multiplexing beyond four antigens introduces detectable reactogenicity, indicating that there is an upper limit to the number of antigens that can be safely included in a multivalent Q-fever vaccine. C. burnetii LPS also demonstrates efficacy as a vaccine antigen in conferring protection in an otherwise monovalent vaccine formulation, suggesting that its addition in multivalent vaccines, as demonstrated by a quadrivalent formulation, would improve protective responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Jan
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Alycia P. Fratzke
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, United States
- Department of Pathology, Charles River Laboratories, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Jiin Felgner
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jenny E. Hernandez-Davies
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Li Liang
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Medalyn Supnet
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Aarti Jain
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Philip L. Felgner
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - D. Huw Davies
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Anthony E. Gregory
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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Yadav A, Brewer MN, Elshahed MS, Shaw EI. Comparative Transcriptomics and Genomics from Continuous Axenic Media Growth Identifies Coxiella burnetii Intracellular Survival Strategies. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.06.527305. [PMID: 36798183 PMCID: PMC9934583 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.06.527305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii (Cb) is an obligate intracellular pathogen in nature and the causative agent of acute Q fever as well as chronic diseases. In an effort to identify genes and proteins crucial to their normal intracellular growth lifestyle, we applied a "Reverse evolution" approach where the avirulent Nine Mile Phase II strain of Cb was grown for 67 passages in chemically defined ACCM-D media and gene expression patterns and genome integrity from various passages was compared to passage number one following intracellular growth. Transcriptomic analysis identified a marked downregulation of the structural components of the type 4B secretion system (T4BSS), the general secretory (sec) pathway, as well as 14 out of 118 previously identified genes encoding effector proteins. Additional downregulated pathogenicity determinants genes included several chaperones, LPS, and peptidoglycan biosynthesis. A general marked downregulation of central metabolic pathways was also observed, which was balanced by a marked upregulation of genes encoding transporters. This pattern reflected the richness of the media and diminishing anabolic and ATP-generation needs. Finally, genomic sequencing and comparative genomic analysis demonstrated an extremely low level of mutation across passages, despite the observed Cb gene expression changes following acclimation to axenic media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana Yadav
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Oklahoma State University. Stillwater, OK.USA
| | - Melissa N. Brewer
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Oklahoma State University. Stillwater, OK.USA
- Biological Sciences. Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Durant, OK. USA
| | - Mostafa S. Elshahed
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Oklahoma State University. Stillwater, OK.USA
| | - Edward I. Shaw
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Oklahoma State University. Stillwater, OK.USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Moultrie, GA. USA
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11
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Yadav A, Brewer MN, Elshahed MS, Shaw EI. Comparative transcriptomics and genomics from continuous axenic media growth identifies Coxiella burnetii intracellular survival strategies. Pathog Dis 2023; 81:ftad009. [PMID: 37193663 PMCID: PMC10237335 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftad009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii (Cb) is an obligate intracellular pathogen in nature and the causative agent of acute Q fever as well as chronic diseases. In an effort to identify genes and proteins crucial to their normal intracellular growth lifestyle, we applied a 'reverse evolution' approach where the avirulent Nine Mile Phase II strain of Cb was grown for 67 passages in chemically defined ACCM-D media and gene expression patterns and genome integrity from various passages was compared to passage number one following intracellular growth. Transcriptomic analysis identified a marked downregulation of the structural components of the type 4B secretion system (T4BSS), the general secretory (Sec) pathway, as well as 14 out of 118 previously identified genes encoding effector proteins. Additional downregulated pathogenicity determinants genes included several chaperones, LPS, and peptidoglycan biosynthesis. A general marked downregulation of central metabolic pathways was also observed, which was balanced by a marked upregulation of genes encoding transporters. This pattern reflected the richness of the media and diminishing anabolic, and ATP-generation needs. Finally, genomic sequencing and comparative genomic analysis demonstrated an extremely low level of mutation across passages, despite the observed Cb gene expression changes following acclimation to axenic media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana Yadav
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University,, 74078 Stillwater, OK, United States
| | - Melissa N Brewer
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University,, 74078 Stillwater, OK, United States
- Biological Sciences, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 74078 Durant, OK, United States
| | - Mostafa S Elshahed
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University,, 74078 Stillwater, OK, United States
| | - Edward I Shaw
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University,, 74078 Stillwater, OK, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 74078 Moultrie, GA, United States
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12
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Ferrara G, Colitti B, Pagnini U, Iovane G, Rosati S, Montagnaro S. Characterization of recombinant Ybgf protein for the detection of Coxiella antibodies in ruminants. J Vet Diagn Invest 2022; 34:646-653. [PMID: 35610946 DOI: 10.1177/10406387221093581] [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] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Q fever remains a One Health problem, posing a zoonotic threat and causing significant economic losses to the livestock industry. The advancement of detection tools is critical to the effective control of infection. In humans, laboratory investigations depend largely on the immunofluorescence assay, considered the gold standard. In contrast, serologic tools routinely used for veterinary screening have several gaps, resulting in interpretations that are frequently misleading. We investigated the potential application of recombinant Ybgf antigen (r-Ybgf), a periplasmic protein described as one of the most immunodominant antigens in humans, in an indirect ELISA. Following successful expression in the prokaryotic system and the preliminary evaluation of immunoreactivity in western blot, we used r-Ybgf to develop an in-house ELISA using serum samples from sheep, goats, and cattle, which were tested in parallel with an Idexx ELISA kit. The results obtained with the 2 tests were compared, and r-Ybgf performed favorably, with 81.8% sensitivity and 90.1% specificity and substantial agreement, as revealed by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Moreover, we evaluated the serologic response against phase I (PhI) and phase II (PhII) antigens, and r-Ybgf antigen induced by vaccination, using phase-specific ELISAs. The dynamics of antibody response showed a significant increase in reactivity against PhI and PhII, but not against r-Ybgf, antigens. This property may be very useful given the absence of a protocol for the differentiation of infected from vaccinated animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarco Ferrara
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Barbara Colitti
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Ugo Pagnini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Iovane
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Sergio Rosati
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Serena Montagnaro
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, "Federico II", Naples, Italy
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13
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Jeske R, Dangel L, Sauerbrey L, Frangoulidis D, Teras LR, Fischer SF, Waterboer T. Development of High-Throughput Multiplex Serology to Detect Serum Antibodies against Coxiella burnetii. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9112373. [PMID: 34835498 PMCID: PMC8623512 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The causative agent of Q fever, the bacterium Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii), has gained increasing interest due to outbreak events and reports about it being a potential risk factor for the development of lymphomas. In order to conduct large-scale studies for population monitoring and to investigate possible associations more closely, accurate and cost-effective high-throughput assays are highly desired. To address this need, nine C. burnetii proteins were expressed as recombinant antigens for multiplex serology. This technique enables the quantitative high-throughput detection of antibodies to multiple antigens simultaneously in a single reaction. Based on a reference group of 76 seropositive and 91 seronegative sera, three antigens were able to detect C. burnetii infections. Com1, GroEL, and DnaK achieved specificities of 93%, 69%, and 77% and sensitivities of 64%, 72%, and 47%, respectively. Double positivity to Com1 and GroEL led to a combined specificity of 90% and a sensitivity of 71%. In a subgroup of seropositives with an increased risk for chronic Q fever, the double positivity to these markers reached a specificity of 90% and a sensitivity of 86%. Multiplex serology enables the detection of antibodies against C. burnetii and appears well-suited to investigate associations between C. burnetii infections and the clinical manifestations in large-scale studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rima Jeske
- Division of Infections and Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (L.S.); (T.W.)
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Correspondence:
| | - Larissa Dangel
- German National Consiliary Laboratory of Coxiella burnetii, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany; (L.D.); (S.F.F.)
- State Health Office Baden-Württemberg, 70565 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Leander Sauerbrey
- Division of Infections and Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (L.S.); (T.W.)
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dimitrios Frangoulidis
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, 80937 Munich, Germany;
- Bundeswehr Medical Service Headquarters VI-2, Medical Intelligence & Information (MI2), 80637 Munich, Germany
| | - Lauren R. Teras
- Department of Population Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA 30303-1002, USA;
| | - Silke F. Fischer
- German National Consiliary Laboratory of Coxiella burnetii, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany; (L.D.); (S.F.F.)
- State Health Office Baden-Württemberg, 70565 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Tim Waterboer
- Division of Infections and Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (L.S.); (T.W.)
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14
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Identification of Immunogenic Linear B-Cell Epitopes in C. burnetii Outer Membrane Proteins Using Immunoinformatics Approaches Reveals Potential Targets of Persistent Infections. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10101250. [PMID: 34684199 PMCID: PMC8540810 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10101250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is a global, highly infectious intracellular bacterium, able to infect a wide range of hosts and to persist for months in the environment. It is the etiological agent of Q fever—a zoonosis of global priority. Currently, there are no national surveillance data on C. burnetii’s seroprevalence for any South American country, reinforcing the necessity of developing novel and inexpensive serological tools to monitor the prevalence of infections among humans and animals—especially cattle, goats, and sheep. In this study, we used immunoinformatics and computational biology tools to predict specific linear B-cell epitopes in three C. burnetii outer membrane proteins: OMP-H (CBU_0612), Com-1 (CBU_1910), and OMP-P1 (CBU_0311). Furthermore, predicted epitopes were tested by ELISA, as synthetic peptides, against samples of patients reactive to C. burnetii in indirect immunofluorescence assay, in order to evaluate their natural immunogenicity. In this way, two linear B-cell epitopes were identified in each studied protein (OMP-H(51–59), OMP-H(91–106), Com-1(57–76), Com-1(191–206), OMP-P1(197–209), and OMP-P1(215–227)); all of them were confirmed as naturally immunogenic by the presence of specific antibodies in 77% of studied patients against at least one of the identified epitopes. Remarkably, a higher frequency of endocarditis cases was observed among patients who presented an intense humoral response to OMP-H and Com-1 epitopes. These data confirm that immunoinformatics applied to the identification of specific B-cell epitopes can be an effective strategy to improve and accelerate the development of surveillance tools against neglected diseases.
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15
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Q Fever Vaccine Development: Current Strategies and Future Considerations. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10101223. [PMID: 34684172 PMCID: PMC8539696 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10101223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the intracellular pathogen Coxiella burnetii. This disease typically manifests as a self-limiting, febrile illness known as acute Q fever. Due to the aerosol transmissibility, environmental persistence, and infectivity of C. burnetii, this pathogen is a notable bioterrorism threat. Despite extensive efforts to develop next-generation human Q fever vaccines, only one vaccine, Q-Vax®, is commercially available. Q-Vax® is a phase I whole-cell vaccine, and its licensed use is limited to Australia, presumably due to the potential for a post-vaccination hypersensitivity response. Pre-clinical Q fever vaccine development is a major area of interest, and diverse approaches have been undertaken to develop an improved Q fever vaccine. Following a brief history of Q fever vaccine development, current approaches will be discussed along with future considerations for an improved Q fever vaccine.
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Ricci AD, Brunner M, Ramoa D, Carmona SJ, Nielsen M, Agüero F. APRANK: Computational Prioritization of Antigenic Proteins and Peptides From Complete Pathogen Proteomes. Front Immunol 2021; 12:702552. [PMID: 34335615 PMCID: PMC8320365 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.702552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Availability of highly parallelized immunoassays has renewed interest in the discovery of serology biomarkers for infectious diseases. Protein and peptide microarrays now provide a rapid, high-throughput platform for immunological testing and validation of potential antigens and B-cell epitopes. However, there is still a need for tools to prioritize and select relevant probes when designing these arrays. In this work we describe a computational method called APRANK (Antigenic Protein and Peptide Ranker) which integrates multiple molecular features to prioritize potentially antigenic proteins and peptides in a given pathogen proteome. These features include subcellular localization, presence of repetitive motifs, natively disordered regions, secondary structure, transmembrane spans and predicted interaction with the immune system. We trained and tested this method with a number of bacteria and protozoa causing human diseases: Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), Brucella melitensis (Brucellosis), Coxiella burnetii (Q fever), Escherichia coli (Gastroenteritis), Francisella tularensis (Tularemia), Leishmania braziliensis (Leishmaniasis), Leptospira interrogans (Leptospirosis), Mycobacterium leprae (Leprae), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Tuberculosis), Plasmodium falciparum (Malaria), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Periodontal disease), Staphylococcus aureus (Bacteremia), Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcal infections), Toxoplasma gondii (Toxoplasmosis) and Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas Disease). We have evaluated this integrative method using non-parametric ROC-curves and made an unbiased validation using Onchocerca volvulus as an independent data set. We found that APRANK is successful in predicting antigenicity for all pathogen species tested, facilitating the production of antigen-enriched protein subsets. We make APRANK available to facilitate the identification of novel diagnostic antigens in infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro D Ricci
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Rodolfo Ugalde" (IIB), Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mauricio Brunner
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Rodolfo Ugalde" (IIB), Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Diego Ramoa
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Rodolfo Ugalde" (IIB), Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Santiago J Carmona
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Rodolfo Ugalde" (IIB), Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Morten Nielsen
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Rodolfo Ugalde" (IIB), Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Department of Health Technology, The Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Fernán Agüero
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Rodolfo Ugalde" (IIB), Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Piel LMW, Durfee CJ, White SN. Proteome-wide analysis of Coxiella burnetii for conserved T-cell epitopes with presentation across multiple host species. BMC Bioinformatics 2021; 22:296. [PMID: 34078271 PMCID: PMC8170629 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-021-04181-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Coxiella burnetii is the Gram-negative bacterium responsible for Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in domesticated agricultural animals. Previous vaccination efforts with whole cell inactivated bacteria or surface isolated proteins confer protection but can produce a reactogenic immune responses. Thereby a protective vaccine that does not cause aberrant immune reactions is required. The critical role of T-cell immunity in control of C. burnetii has been made clear, since either CD8+ or CD4+ T cells can empower clearance. The purpose of this study was to identify C. burnetii proteins bearing epitopes that interact with major histocompatibility complexes (MHC) from multiple host species (human, mouse, and cattle). Results Of the annotated 1815 proteins from the Nine Mile Phase I (RSA 493) assembly, 402 proteins were removed from analysis due to a lack of inter-isolate conservation. An additional 391 proteins were eliminated from assessment to avoid potential autoimmune responses due to the presence of host homology. We analyzed the remaining 1022 proteins for their ability to produce peptides that bind MHCI or MHCII. MHCI and MHCII predicted epitopes were filtered and compared between species yielding 777 MHCI epitopes and 453 MHCII epitopes. These epitopes were further examined for presentation by both MHCI and MHCII, and for proteins that contained multiple epitopes. There were 31 epitopes that overlapped positionally between MHCI and MHCII across host species. Of these, there were 9 epitopes represented within proteins containing ≥ 5 total epitopes, where an additional 24 proteins were also epitope dense. In all, 55 proteins were found to contain high scoring T-cell epitopes. Besides the well-studied protein Com1, most identified proteins were novel when compared to previously studied vaccine candidates. Conclusion These data represent the first proteome-wide evaluation of C. burnetii peptide epitopes. Furthermore, the inclusion of human, mouse, and bovine data capture a range of hosts for this zoonotic pathogen plus an important model organism. This work provides new vaccine targets for future vaccination efforts and enhances opportunities for selecting multiple T-cell epitope types to include within a vaccine. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12859-021-04181-w.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Codie J Durfee
- USDA-ARS Animal Disease Research Unit, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Stephen N White
- USDA-ARS Animal Disease Research Unit, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA. .,Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA. .,Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA.
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18
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Mathioudaki E, Arvaniti K, Muenke C, Drakonaki A, Vranakis I, Koutantou M, Psaroulaki A, Xie H, Tsiotis G. Expression, purification and characterization of the IcmG and IcmK proteins of the type IVB secretion system from Coxiella burnetii. Protein Expr Purif 2021; 186:105905. [PMID: 33989770 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2021.105905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is an intracellular bacterial pathogen. Studies on Coxiella have shown that a type IVB secretion system (T4BSS) contributes to the establishment of the infection by transferring protein molecules. In this report, we focus on two core proteins of the Coxiella T4BSS, namely the IcmG/DotF protein (CBU_1626) and the IcmK/DotH protein (CBU_1628). Here we present a method for the recombinant expression of IcmG and IcmK in E. coli. IcmG was purified by Strep-Tactin affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography, while for the purification of IcmK an additional anion exchange chromatography step was introduced. The yields of the purified IcmG and IcmK proteins were 1.2 mg/L and 3 mg/L, respectively. The purified proteins showed predominant band on SDS-PAGE gel of 37 kDa for the IcmG and 40 kDa for the IcmK. Protein folding is confirmed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The dynamic light scattering experiment indicated that IcmG and IcmK existed in a homogenous form. Further Blue native PAGE indicates the presences of a monomeric form for the IcmK and IcmG. Our work lays the basis for functional exploration and structural determination of IcmG and IcmK proteins of Coxiella's secretion system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirini Mathioudaki
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, GR-71003, Voutes, Greece
| | - Katerina Arvaniti
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, GR-71003, Voutes, Greece
| | - Cornelia Muenke
- Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Max-von-Laue-Straße 3, D-60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Athina Drakonaki
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, GR-71003, Voutes, Greece
| | - Iosif Vranakis
- Department of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, Medical School, University of Crete, GR-71110, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Myrto Koutantou
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, GR-71003, Voutes, Greece
| | - Anna Psaroulaki
- Department of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, Medical School, University of Crete, GR-71110, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Hao Xie
- Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Max-von-Laue-Straße 3, D-60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Georgios Tsiotis
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, GR-71003, Voutes, Greece.
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Ledda S, Santucciu C, Chisu V, Masala G. Validation of a Novel Commercial ELISA Test for the Detection of Antibodies against Coxiella burnetii. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9121075. [PMID: 33371440 PMCID: PMC7767449 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9121075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, a Gram-negative pathogen with a complex life cycle and a high impact on public and animal health all over the world. The symptoms are indistinguishable from those belonging to other diseases, and the disease could be symptomless. For these reasons, reliable laboratory tests are essential for an accurate diagnosis. The aim of this study was to validate a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, named the Chorus Q Fever Phase II IgG and IgM Kit (DIESSE, Diagnostica Senese S.p.A), which is performed by an instrument named Chorus, a new device in medical diagnostics. This diagnostic test is employed for the detection of antibodies against C. burnetii Phase II antigens in acute disease. Our validation protocol was performed according to the Italian Accreditation Body (ACCREDIA) (Regulation UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 and 17043:2010), OIE (World Organization for Animal Health), and Statement for Reporting Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD). Operator performance was evaluated along with the analytical specificity and sensitivity (ASp and ASe) and diagnostic accuracy of the kit, with parameters such as diagnostic specificity and sensitivity (DSp and DSe) and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV), in addition to the repeatability. According to the evaluated parameters, the diagnostic ELISA test was shown to be suitable for validation and commercialization as a screening method in human sera and a valid support for clinical diagnostics.
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20
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Miller HK, Kersh GJ. Analysis of recombinant proteins for Q fever diagnostics. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20934. [PMID: 33262373 PMCID: PMC7708433 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77343-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Serology is essential for Q fever diagnostics, a disease caused by the bacterial pathogen Coxiella burnetii. The gold standard test is an immunofluorescence assay utilizing whole cell antigens, which are both dangerous and laborious to produce. Complexities of the antigen coupled with the subjective nature of the assay lead to decreased uniformity of test results and underscore the need for improved methodologies. Thirty-three C. burnetii proteins, previously identified as immunoreactive, were screened for reactivity to naturally infected goat serum. Based on reactivity, 10 proteins were analyzed in a secondary screen against human serum from healthy donors. Assay sensitivity and specificity ranged from 21 to 71% and 90 to 100%, respectively. Three promising antigens were identified based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (CBU_1718, CBU_0307, and CBU_1398). Five multiplex assays failed to outperform the individual proteins, with sensitivities and specificities ranging from 29 to 57% and 90 to 100%, respectively. Truncating the top antigen, CBU_1718, had no effect on specificity (90%); yet sensitivity decreased dramatically (71% to 21%). Through this study, we have expanded the subset of C. burnetii immunoreactive proteins validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and demonstrate the effect of novel antigen combinations and protein truncations on assay performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halie K Miller
- Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Gilbert J Kersh
- Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
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21
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Evaluation of the Diagnostic Potential of Recombinant Coxiella burnetii Com1 in an ELISA for the Diagnosis of Q Fever in Sheep, Goats and Cattle. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8081235. [PMID: 32823774 PMCID: PMC7465334 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8081235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever, a zoonosis infecting domestic ruminants and humans. Currently used routine diagnostic tools offer limited sensitivity and specificity and symptomless infected animals may be missed. Therefore, diagnostic tools of higher sensitivity and specificity must be developed. For this purpose, the C. burnetii outer membrane protein Com1 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The His-tagged recombinant protein was purified and used in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Assay performance was tested with more than 400 positive and negative sera from sheep, goats and cattle from 36 locations. Calculation of sensitivity and specificity was undertaken using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The sensitivities and specificities for sheep were 85% and 68% (optical density at 450nm, OD450 cut-off value 0.32), for goats 94% and 77% (OD450 cut-off value 0.23) and for cattle 71% and 70% (OD450 cut-off value 0.18), respectively. These results correspond to excellent, outstanding and acceptable discrimination of positive and negative sera. In summary, recombinant Com1 can provide a basis for more sensitive and specific diagnostic tools in veterinary medicine.
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22
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Gilkes AP, Albin TJ, Manna S, Supnet M, Ruiz S, Tom J, Badten AJ, Jain A, Nakajima R, Felgner J, Davies DH, Stetkevich SA, Zlotnik A, Pearlman E, Nalca A, Felgner PL, Esser-Kahn AP, Burkhardt AM. Tuning Subunit Vaccines with Novel TLR Triagonist Adjuvants to Generate Protective Immune Responses against Coxiella burnetii. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 204:611-621. [PMID: 31871024 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of Q fever. C. burnetii is considered a potential bioterrorism agent because of its low infectious dose; resistance to heat, drying, and common disinfectants; and lack of prophylactic therapies. Q-Vax, a formalin-inactivated whole-bacteria vaccine, is currently the only prophylactic measure that is protective against C. burnetii infections but is not U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved. To overcome the safety concerns associated with the whole-bacteria vaccine, we sought to generate and evaluate recombinant protein subunit vaccines against C. burnetii To accomplish this, we formulated C. burnetii Ags with a novel TLR triagonist adjuvant platform, which used combinatorial chemistry to link three different TLR agonists together to form one adjuvanting complex. We evaluated the immunomodulatory activity of a panel of TLR triagonist adjuvants and found that they elicited unique Ag-specific immune responses both in vitro and in vivo. We evaluated our top candidates in a live C. burnetii aerosol challenge model in C56BL/6 mice and found that several of our novel vaccine formulations conferred varying levels of protection to the challenged animals compared with sham immunized mice, although none of our candidates were as protective as the commercial vaccine across all protection criteria that were analyzed. Our findings characterize a novel adjuvant platform and offer an alternative approach to generating protective and effective vaccines against C. burnetii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienne P Gilkes
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - Tyler J Albin
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - Saikat Manna
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,The Institute for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637; and
| | - Medalyn Supnet
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - Sara Ruiz
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - Janine Tom
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - Alexander J Badten
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - Aarti Jain
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - Jiin Felgner
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - D Huw Davies
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | | | - Albert Zlotnik
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - Eric Pearlman
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - Aysegul Nalca
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - Philip L Felgner
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697.,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - Aaron P Esser-Kahn
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697; .,The Institute for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637; and
| | - Amanda M Burkhardt
- Vaccine Research and Design Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697; .,Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
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23
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Com1 as a Promising Protein for the Differential Diagnosis of the Two Forms of Q Fever. Pathogens 2019; 8:pathogens8040242. [PMID: 31752191 PMCID: PMC6963606 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8040242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of acute and chronic Q fever in humans. Although the isolates studied so far showed a difference in virulence potential between those causing the two forms of the disease, implying a difference in their proteomic profile, the methods used so far to diagnose the two forms of the disease do not provide sufficient discriminatory capability, and human infections may be often misdiagnosed. The aim of the current study was to identify the outer membrane Com1 (CBU_1910) as a candidate protein for serodiagnostics of Q fever. The protein was cloned, expressed, purified, and used as an antigen in ELISA. The protein was then used for the screening of sera from patients suffering from chronic Q fever endocarditis, patients whose samples were negative for phase I immunoglobulin G (IgG), patients for whom at least one sample was positive for phase I IgG, and patients suffering from any kind of rheumatoid disease. Blood donors were used as the control group. Following statistical analysis, 92.4% (122/132) of the samples tested agreed with the negative clinical diagnosis, and 72.2% (26/36) agreed with the positive clinical diagnosis. Moreover, a significant correlation to the presence of the disease (p = 0.00) was calculated. The results support the idea that a Com1 antigen-based serodiagnostic test may be useful for differential diagnosis of chronic Q fever. Further studies are required to compare more immunogenic proteins of the bacterium against samples originating from patients suffering from different forms of the disease.
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24
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Chen C, van Schaik EJ, Gregory AE, Vigil A, Felgner PL, Hendrix LR, Faris R, Samuel JE. Chemokine Receptor 7 Is Essential for Coxiella burnetii Whole-Cell Vaccine-Induced Cellular Immunity but Dispensable for Vaccine-Mediated Protective Immunity. J Infect Dis 2019; 220:624-634. [PMID: 30938819 PMCID: PMC6639598 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiz146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Protective immunity against Coxiella burnetii infection is conferred by vaccination with virulent (PI-WCV), but not avirulent (PII-WCV) whole-cell inactivated bacterium. The only well-characterized antigenic difference between virulent and avirulent C. burnetii is they have smooth and rough lipopolysaccharide (LPS), respectively. METHODS Mice were vaccinated with PI-WCV and PII-WCV. Humoral and cellular responses were evaluated using protein chip microarrays and ELISpots, respectively. Dendritic cell (DC) maturation after stimulation with PI-WVC and PII-WVC was evaluated using flow cytometry. Vaccine-challenge studies were performed to validate the importance of the receptor CCR7. RESULTS Other than specific antibody response to PI-LPS, similar antibody profiles were observed but IgG titers were significantly higher after vaccination with PI-WCV. Furthermore, higher frequency of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells was detected in mice immunized with PI-WCV. PI-WCV-stimulated DCs displayed significantly higher levels of CCR7 and migratory ability to secondary lymphoid organs. Challenge-protection studies in wild-type and CCR7-deficient mice confirmed that CCR7 is critical for PI-WCV-induced cellular immunity. CONCLUSIONS PI-WVC stimulates protective immunity to C. burnetii in mice through stimulation of migratory behavior in DCs for protective cellular immunity. Additionally, the humoral immune response to LPS is an important component of protective immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan
| | - Erin J van Schaik
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan
| | - Anthony E Gregory
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan
| | - Adam Vigil
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, Irvine
| | - Phillip L Felgner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, Irvine
| | - Laura R Hendrix
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan
| | - Robert Faris
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan
| | - James E Samuel
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Bryan
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25
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Scholzen A, Richard G, Moise L, Baeten LA, Reeves PM, Martin WD, Brauns TA, Boyle CM, Raju Paul S, Bucala R, Bowen RA, Garritsen A, De Groot AS, Sluder AE, Poznansky MC. Promiscuous Coxiella burnetii CD4 Epitope Clusters Associated With Human Recall Responses Are Candidates for a Novel T-Cell Targeted Multi-Epitope Q Fever Vaccine. Front Immunol 2019; 10:207. [PMID: 30828331 PMCID: PMC6384241 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium transmitted via aerosol. Regulatory approval of the Australian whole-cell vaccine Q-VAX® in the US and Europe is hindered by reactogenicity in previously exposed individuals. The aim of this study was to identify and rationally select C. burnetii epitopes for design of a safe, effective, and less reactogenic T-cell targeted human Q fever vaccine. Immunoinformatic methods were used to predict 65 HLA class I epitopes and 50 promiscuous HLA class II C. burnetii epitope clusters, which are conserved across strains of C. burnetii. HLA binding assays confirmed 89% of class I and 75% of class II predictions, and 11 HLA class II epitopes elicited IFNγ responses following heterologous DNA/DNA/peptide/peptide prime-boost immunizations of HLA-DR3 transgenic mice. Human immune responses to the predicted epitopes were characterized in individuals naturally exposed to C. burnetii during the 2007–2010 Dutch Q fever outbreak. Subjects were divided into three groups: controls with no immunological evidence of previous infection and individuals with responses to heat-killed C. burnetii in a whole blood IFNγ release assay (IGRA) who remained asymptomatic or who experienced clinical Q fever during the outbreak. Recall responses to C. burnetii epitopes were assessed by cultured IFNγ ELISpot. While HLA class I epitope responses were sparse in this cohort, we identified 21 HLA class II epitopes that recalled T-cell IFNγ responses in 10–28% of IGRA+ subjects. IGRA+ individuals with past asymptomatic and symptomatic C. burnetii infection showed a comparable response pattern and cumulative peptide response which correlated with IGRA responses. None of the peptides elicited reactogenicity in a C. burnetii exposure-primed guinea pig model. These data demonstrate that a substantial proportion of immunoinformatically identified HLA class II epitopes show long-lived immunoreactivity in naturally infected individuals, making them desirable candidates for a novel human multi-epitope Q fever vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Leonard Moise
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, United States.,Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute for Immunology and Informatics, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Laurie A Baeten
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Patrick M Reeves
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Timothy A Brauns
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Susan Raju Paul
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Richard Bucala
- Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Richard A Bowen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | | | - Anne S De Groot
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, United States.,Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute for Immunology and Informatics, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Ann E Sluder
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mark C Poznansky
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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26
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Abstract
The varied landscape of the adaptive immune response is determined by the peptides presented by immune cells, derived from viral or microbial pathogens or cancerous cells. The study of immune biomarkers or antigens is not new, and classical methods such as agglutination, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or Western blotting have been used for many years to study the immune response to vaccination or disease. However, in many of these traditional techniques, protein or peptide identification has often been the bottleneck. Recent progress in genomics and mass spectrometry have led to many of the rapid advances in proteomics approaches. Immunoproteomics describes a rapidly growing collection of approaches that have the common goal of identifying and measuring antigenic peptides or proteins. This includes gel-based, array-based, mass spectrometry-based, DNA-based, or in silico approaches. Immunoproteomics is yielding an understanding of disease and disease progression, vaccine candidates, and biomarkers. This review gives an overview of immunoproteomics and closely related technologies that are used to define the full set of protein antigens targeted by the immune system during disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M Fulton
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Isabel Baltat
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Susan M Twine
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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27
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Matsuyama T, Sano N, Takano T, Sakai T, Yasuike M, Fujiwara A, Kawato Y, Kurita J, Yoshida K, Shimada Y, Nakayasu C. Antibody profiling using a recombinant protein–based multiplex ELISA array accelerates recombinant vaccine development: Case study on red sea bream iridovirus as a reverse vaccinology model. Vaccine 2018; 36:2643-2649. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.03.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Revised: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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28
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Flores-Ramírez G, Danchenko M, Quevedo-Díaz M, Skultety L. Reliable tool for detection of novel Coxiella burnetii antigens, using immobilized human polyclonal antibodies. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2017; 1047:84-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2016.08.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Revised: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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29
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Technologies for Proteome-Wide Discovery of Extracellular Host-Pathogen Interactions. J Immunol Res 2017; 2017:2197615. [PMID: 28321417 PMCID: PMC5340944 DOI: 10.1155/2017/2197615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogens have evolved unique mechanisms to breach the cell surface barrier and manipulate the host immune response to establish a productive infection. Proteins exposed to the extracellular environment, both cell surface-expressed receptors and secreted proteins, are essential targets for initial invasion and play key roles in pathogen recognition and subsequent immunoregulatory processes. The identification of the host and pathogen extracellular molecules and their interaction networks is fundamental to understanding tissue tropism and pathogenesis and to inform the development of therapeutic strategies. Nevertheless, the characterization of the proteins that function in the host-pathogen interface has been challenging, largely due to the technical challenges associated with detection of extracellular protein interactions. This review discusses available technologies for the high throughput study of extracellular protein interactions between pathogens and their hosts, with a focus on mammalian viruses and bacteria. Emerging work illustrates a rich landscape for extracellular host-pathogen interaction and points towards the evolution of multifunctional pathogen-encoded proteins. Further development and application of technologies for genome-wide identification of extracellular protein interactions will be important in deciphering functional host-pathogen interaction networks, laying the foundation for development of novel therapeutics.
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30
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Cornillot E, Dassouli A, Pachikara N, Lawres L, Renard I, Francois C, Randazzo S, Brès V, Garg A, Brancato J, Pazzi JE, Pablo J, Hung C, Teng A, Shandling AD, Huynh VT, Krause PJ, Lepore T, Delbecq S, Hermanson G, Liang X, Williams S, Molina DM, Ben Mamoun C. A targeted immunomic approach identifies diagnostic antigens in the human pathogen Babesia microti. Transfusion 2016; 56:2085-99. [PMID: 27184823 PMCID: PMC5644385 DOI: 10.1111/trf.13640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Revised: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Babesia microti is a protozoan parasite responsible for the majority of reported cases of human babesiosis and a major risk to the blood supply. Laboratory screening of blood donors may help prevent transfusion-transmitted babesiosis but there is no Food and Drug Administration-approved screening method yet available. Development of a sensitive, specific, and highly automated B. microti antibody assay for diagnosis of acute babesiosis and blood screening could have an important impact on decreasing the health burden of B. microti infection. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Herein, we take advantage of recent advances in B. microti genomic analyses, field surveys of the reservoir host, and human studies in endemic areas to apply a targeted immunomic approach to the discovery of B. microti antigens that serve as signatures of active or past babesiosis infections. Of 19 glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein candidates (BmGPI1-19) identified in the B. microti proteome, 17 were successfully expressed, printed on a microarray chip, and used to screen sera from uninfected and B. microti-infected mice and humans to determine immune responses that are associated with active and past infection. RESULTS Antibody responses to various B. microti BmGPI antigens were detected and BmGPI12 was identified as the best biomarker of infection that provided high sensitivity and specificity when used in a microarray antibody assay. CONCLUSION BmGPI12 alone or in combination with other BmGPI proteins is a promising candidate biomarker for detection of B. microti antibodies that might be useful in blood screening to prevent transfusion-transmitted babesiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Cornillot
- Institut de Biologie Computationnelle (IBC), Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier (IRCM-INSERM U1194), Institut régional du Cancer Montpellier (ICM) and Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Amina Dassouli
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire (LBCM-EA4558 Vaccination Antiparasitaire), UFR Pharmacie, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Niseema Pachikara
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Lauren Lawres
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Isaline Renard
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Celia Francois
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire (LBCM-EA4558 Vaccination Antiparasitaire), UFR Pharmacie, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Sylvie Randazzo
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire (LBCM-EA4558 Vaccination Antiparasitaire), UFR Pharmacie, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Virginie Brès
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire (LBCM-EA4558 Vaccination Antiparasitaire), UFR Pharmacie, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Aprajita Garg
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Janna Brancato
- Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | | | - Chris Hung
- Antigen Discovery, Inc., Irvine, California
| | - Andy Teng
- Antigen Discovery, Inc., Irvine, California
| | | | | | - Peter J. Krause
- Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Timothy Lepore
- Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Stephane Delbecq
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire (LBCM-EA4558 Vaccination Antiparasitaire), UFR Pharmacie, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Scott Williams
- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Choukri Ben Mamoun
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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31
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Zavašnik-Bergant T, Bergant Marušič M. Exogenous Thyropin from p41 Invariant Chain Diminishes Cysteine Protease Activity and Affects IL-12 Secretion during Maturation of Human Dendritic Cells. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150815. [PMID: 26960148 PMCID: PMC4784741 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 02/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DC) play a pivotal role as antigen presenting cells (APC) and their maturation is crucial for effectively eliciting an antigen-specific immune response. The p41 splice variant of MHC class II-associated chaperone, called invariant chain p41 Ii, contains an amino acid sequence, the p41 fragment, which is a thyropin-type inhibitor of proteolytic enzymes. The effects of exogenous p41 fragment and related thyropin inhibitors acting on human immune cells have not been reported yet. In this study we demonstrate that exogenous p41 fragment can enter the endocytic pathway of targeted human immature DC. Internalized p41 fragment has contributed to the total amount of the immunogold labelled p41 Ii-specific epitope, as quantified by transmission electron microscopy, in particular in late endocytic compartments with multivesicular morphology where antigen processing and binding to MHC II take place. In cell lysates of treated immature DC, diminished enzymatic activity of cysteine proteases has been confirmed. Internalized exogenous p41 fragment did not affect the perinuclear clustering of acidic cathepsin S-positive vesicles typical of mature DC. p41 fragment is shown to interfere with the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 subunit in LPS-stimulated DC. p41 fragment is also shown to reduce the secretion of interleukin-12 (IL-12/p70) during the subsequent maturation of treated DC. The inhibition of proteolytic activity of lysosomal cysteine proteases in immature DC and the diminished capability of DC to produce IL-12 upon their subsequent maturation support the immunomodulatory potential of the examined thyropin from p41 Ii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Zavašnik-Bergant
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- * E-mail:
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32
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A systems biology approach for diagnostic and vaccine antigen discovery in tropical infectious diseases. Curr Opin Infect Dis 2016; 28:438-45. [PMID: 26237545 DOI: 10.1097/qco.0000000000000193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW There is a need for improved diagnosis and for more rapidly assessing the presence, prevalence, and spread of newly emerging or reemerging infectious diseases. An approach to the pathogen-detection strategy is based on analyzing host immune response to the infection. This review focuses on a protein microarray approach for this purpose. RECENT FINDINGS Here we take a protein microarray approach to profile the humoral immune response to numerous infectious agents, and to identify the complete antibody repertoire associated with each disease. The results of these studies lead to the identification of diagnostic markers and potential subunit vaccine candidates. These results from over 30 different organisms can also provide information about common trends in the humoral immune response. SUMMARY This review describes the implications of the findings for clinical practice or research. A systems biology approach to identify the antibody repertoire associated with infectious diseases challenge using protein microarray has become a powerful method in identifying diagnostic markers and potential subunit vaccine candidates, and moreover, in providing information on proteomic feature (functional and physically properties) of seroreactive and serodiagnostic antigens. Combining the detection of the pathogen with a comprehensive assessment of the host immune response will provide a new understanding of the correlations between specific causative agents, the host response, and the clinical manifestations of the disease.
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33
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Large screen approaches to identify novel malaria vaccine candidates. Vaccine 2015; 33:7496-505. [PMID: 26428458 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.09.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Revised: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Until recently, malaria vaccine development efforts have focused almost exclusively on a handful of well characterized Plasmodium falciparum antigens. Despite dedicated work by many researchers on different continents spanning more than half a century, a successful malaria vaccine remains elusive. Sequencing of the P. falciparum genome has revealed more than five thousand genes, providing the foundation for systematic approaches to discover candidate vaccine antigens. We are taking advantage of this wealth of information to discover new antigens that may be more effective vaccine targets. Herein, we describe different approaches to large-scale screening of the P. falciparum genome to identify targets of either antibody responses or T cell responses using human specimens collected in Controlled Human Malaria Infections (CHMI) or under conditions of natural exposure in the field. These genome, proteome and transcriptome based approaches offer enormous potential for the development of an efficacious malaria vaccine.
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34
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Hu B, Niu X, Cheng L, Yang LN, Li Q, Wang Y, Tao SC, Zhou SM. Discovering cancer biomarkers from clinical samples by protein microarrays. Proteomics Clin Appl 2015; 9:98-110. [PMID: 25523829 DOI: 10.1002/prca.201400094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2014] [Revised: 11/26/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cancer biomarkers are of potential use in early cancer diagnosis, anticancer therapy development, and monitoring the responses to treatments. Protein-based cancer biomarkers are major forms in use, as they are much easier to be monitored in body fluids or tissues. For cancer biomarker discovery, high-throughput techniques such as protein microarrays hold great promises, because they are capable of global unbiased monitoring but with a miniaturized format. In doing so, novel and cancer type specific biomarkers can be systematically discovered at an affordable cost. In this review, we give a relatively complete picture on protein microarrays applied to clinical samples for cancer biomarker discovery, and conclude this review with the future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Hu
- Institute for Microsurgery of Limbs, Shanghai Sixth Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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Zaheer R, Klima CL, McAllister TA. Expeditious screening of candidate proteins for microbial vaccines. J Microbiol Methods 2015; 116:53-9. [PMID: 26149626 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2015.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Revised: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Advancements in high-throughput "omics" technologies have revolutionized the way vaccine candidates are identified. Now every surface expressed protein that an organism produces can be identified in silico and possibly made available for the rapid development of recombinant/subunit vaccines. However, evaluating the antigenicity of a large number of candidate proteins is an immense challenge, typically requiring cloning of several hundred candidates followed by immunogenicity screening. Here we report the development of a rapid, high-throughput method for screening candidate proteins for vaccines. This method involves utilizing a coupled, cell-free transcription-translation system to screen tagged proteins that are captured at the C-termini using appropriate ligand coated wells in 96 well ELISA plates. The template DNA for the cell-free expression is generated by two sequential PCRs and includes gene coding sequences, promoter, terminator, other necessary cis-acting elements and appropriate tag sequences. The process generates expressible candidate proteins containing two different peptide tags at the N- and the C-termini of the protein molecules. Proteins are screened in parallel for their quantity and immunoreactivity with N-terminal tag antibodies and antisera raised against the pathogen of interest, respectively. Normalization against the total detectable bound protein in the control wells allows for the identification of highly immunoreactive candidates. For this study we selected 30 representatives of >300 potential candidate proteins from Mannheimia haemolytica, a bacterial agent of pneumonia in feedlot cattle for expression with N-terminal Strep-II and C-terminal His(x6)-tag and evaluated their relative immunoreactivities using Strep-tactin-HRP and rabbit antisera generated against M. haemolytica. Using this system we were able to swiftly and quantitatively analyze and rank the suitability of proteins to identify potentially viable vaccine candidates, with the majority of the high ranking candidates being associated with virulence and pathogenicity. The system is adaptable to any bacterial target and presents an alternative to conventional laborious cloning, expression and screening procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahat Zaheer
- Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1 Canada
| | - Cassidy L Klima
- Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1 Canada
| | - Tim A McAllister
- Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1 Canada.
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Stramer SL, Dodd RY, Chiu CY. Advances in testing technology to ensure transfusion safety - NAT and beyond. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/voxs.12152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. L. Stramer
- American Red Cross Biomedical Services; Gaithersburg MD USA
| | - R. Y. Dodd
- Research and Development; American Red Cross Biomedical Services; Rockville MD USA
| | - C. Y. Chiu
- Laboratory Medicine and Medicine/Infectious Diseases; UCSF School of Medicine; San Francisco CA USA
- UCSF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center; UCSF School of Medicine; San Francisco CA USA
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Jiao J, Xiong X, Qi Y, Gong W, Duan C, Yang X, Wen B. Serological characterization of surface-exposed proteins of Coxiella burnetii. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2014; 160:2718-2731. [PMID: 25298245 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.082131-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetii causes Q fever, a worldwide zoonosis. Here we labelled Cox. burnetii with biotin and used biotin-streptavidin affinity chromatography to isolate surface-exposed proteins (SEPs). Using two-dimensional electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry, we identified 37 proteins through bioinformatics analysis. Thirty SEPs expressed in Escherichia coli (recombinant SEPs, rSEPs) were used to generate microarrays, which were probed with sera from mice experimentally infected with Cox. burnetii or sera from Q fever patients. Thirteen rSEPs were recognized as seroreactive, and the majority reacted with at least 50 % of the sera from mice infected with Cox. burnetii but not with sera from mice infected with Rickettsia rickettsii, R. heilongjiangensis, or R. typhi. Further, 13 proteins that reacted with sera from patients with Q fever did not react with sera from patients with brucellosis or mycoplasma pneumonia. Our results suggest that these seroreactive SEPs have potential as serodiagnostic antigens or as subunit vaccine antigens against Q fever.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, PR China
| | - Xiaolu Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, PR China
| | - Yong Qi
- Department of Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Huadong Research Institute for Medicine and Biotechniques, Nanjing 210002, PR China
| | - Wenping Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, PR China
| | - Changsong Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, PR China
| | - Xiaomei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, PR China
| | - Bohai Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, PR China
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The impact of "omic" and imaging technologies on assessing the host immune response to biodefence agents. J Immunol Res 2014; 2014:237043. [PMID: 25333059 PMCID: PMC4182007 DOI: 10.1155/2014/237043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2014] [Revised: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the interactions between host and pathogen is important for the development and assessment of medical countermeasures to infectious agents, including potential biodefence pathogens such as Bacillus anthracis, Ebola virus, and Francisella tularensis. This review focuses on technological advances which allow this interaction to be studied in much greater detail. Namely, the use of “omic” technologies (next generation sequencing, DNA, and protein microarrays) for dissecting the underlying host response to infection at the molecular level; optical imaging techniques (flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy) for assessing cellular responses to infection; and biophotonic imaging for visualising the infectious disease process. All of these technologies hold great promise for important breakthroughs in the rational development of vaccines and therapeutics for biodefence agents.
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Min CK, Kwon YJ, Ha NY, Cho BA, Kim JM, Kwon EK, Kim YS, Choi MS, Kim IS, Cho NH. Multiple Orientia tsutsugamushi ankyrin repeat proteins interact with SCF1 ubiquitin ligase complex and eukaryotic elongation factor 1 α. PLoS One 2014; 9:e105652. [PMID: 25166298 PMCID: PMC4148323 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2014] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus, is an obligate intracellular bacterium. Previously, a large number of genes that encode proteins containing eukaryotic protein-protein interaction motifs such as ankyrin-repeat (Ank) domains were identified in the O. tsutsugamushi genome. However, little is known about the Ank protein function in O. tsutsugamushi. Methodology/Principal Findings To characterize the function of Ank proteins, we investigated a group of Ank proteins containing an F-box–like domain in the C-terminus in addition to the Ank domains. All nine selected ank genes were expressed at the transcriptional level in host cells infected with O. tsutsugamushi, and specific antibody responses against three Ank proteins were detected in the serum from human patients, indicating an active expression of the bacterial Ank proteins post infection. When ectopically expressed in HeLa cells, the Ank proteins of O. tsutsugamushi were consistently found in the nucleus and/or cytoplasm. In GST pull-down assays, multiple Ank proteins specifically interacted with Cullin1 and Skp1, core components of the SCF1 ubiquitin ligase complex, as well as the eukaryotic elongation factor 1 α (EF1α). Moreover, one Ank protein co-localized with the identified host targets and induced downregulation of EF1α potentially via enhanced ubiquitination. The downregulation of EF1α was observed consistently in diverse host cell types infected with O. tsutsugamushi. Conclusion/Significance These results suggest that conserved targeting and subsequent degradation of EF1α by multiple O. tsutsugamushi Ank proteins could be a novel bacterial strategy for replication and/or pathogenesis during mammalian host infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chan-Ki Min
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ye-Jin Kwon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Na-Young Ha
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Bon-A Cho
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jo-Min Kim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Kyung Kwon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeon-Sook Kim
- Divisions of Infectious Diseases, Chungnam National University Hospital, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Myung-Sik Choi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ik-Sang Kim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Nam-Hyuk Cho
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Endemic Disease, Seoul National University Medical Research Center and Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail:
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Adam RD, Dahlstrom EW, Martens CA, Bruno DP, Barbian KD, Ricklefs SM, Hernandez MM, Narla NP, Patel RB, Porcella SF, Nash TE. Genome sequencing of Giardia lamblia genotypes A2 and B isolates (DH and GS) and comparative analysis with the genomes of genotypes A1 and E (WB and Pig). Genome Biol Evol 2014; 5:2498-511. [PMID: 24307482 PMCID: PMC3879983 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evt197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Giardia lamblia (syn G. intestinalis, G. duodenalis) is the most common pathogenic intestinal parasite of humans worldwide and is a frequent cause of endemic and epidemic diarrhea. G. lamblia is divided into eight genotypes (A-H) which infect a wide range of mammals and humans, but human infections are caused by Genotypes A and B. To unambiguously determine the relationship among genotypes, we sequenced GS and DH (Genotypes B and A2) to high depth coverage and compared the assemblies with the nearly completed WB genome and draft sequencing surveys of Genotypes E (P15; pig isolate) and B (GS; human isolate). Our results identified DH as the smallest Giardia genome sequenced to date, while GS is the largest. Our open reading frame analyses and phylogenetic analyses showed that GS was more distant from the other three genomes than any of the other three were from each other. Whole-genome comparisons of DH_A2 and GS_B with the optically mapped WB_A1 demonstrated substantial synteny across all five chromosomes but also included a number of rearrangements, inversions, and chromosomal translocations that were more common toward the chromosome ends. However, the WB_A1/GS_B alignment demonstrated only about 70% sequence identity across the syntenic regions. Our findings add to information presented in previous reports suggesting that GS is a different species of Giardia as supported by the degree of genomic diversity, coding capacity, heterozygosity, phylogenetic distance, and known biological differences from WB_A1 and other G. lamblia genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodney D. Adam
- Departments of Medicine and Immunobiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine
- *Corresponding author: E-mail:
| | - Eric W. Dahlstrom
- Research Technologies Section, Genomics Unit, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Hamilton, MT
| | - Craig A. Martens
- Research Technologies Section, Genomics Unit, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Hamilton, MT
| | - Daniel P. Bruno
- Research Technologies Section, Genomics Unit, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Hamilton, MT
| | - Kent D. Barbian
- Research Technologies Section, Genomics Unit, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Hamilton, MT
| | - Stacy M. Ricklefs
- Research Technologies Section, Genomics Unit, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Hamilton, MT
| | - Matthew M. Hernandez
- Research Technologies Section, Genomics Unit, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Hamilton, MT
| | - Nirmala P. Narla
- Departments of Medicine and Immunobiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine
| | - Rima B. Patel
- Departments of Medicine and Immunobiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine
| | - Stephen F. Porcella
- Research Technologies Section, Genomics Unit, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Hamilton, MT
| | - Theodore E. Nash
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD
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Lu F, Li J, Wang B, Cheng Y, Kong DH, Cui L, Ha KS, Sattabongkot J, Tsuboi T, Han ET. Profiling the humoral immune responses to Plasmodium vivax infection and identification of candidate immunogenic rhoptry-associated membrane antigen (RAMA). J Proteomics 2014; 102:66-82. [PMID: 24607491 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2014.02.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2013] [Revised: 02/05/2014] [Accepted: 02/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Completion of sequencing of the Plasmodium vivax genome and transcriptome offers the chance to identify antigens among >5000 candidate proteins. To identify those P. vivax proteins that are immunogenic, a total of 152 candidate proteins (160 fragments) were expressed using a wheat germ cell-free system. The results of Western blot analysis showed that 92.5% (148/160) of the targets were expressed, and 96.6% (143/148) were in a soluble form with 67.7% of solubility rate. The proteins were screened by protein arrays with sera from 22 vivax malaria patients and 10 healthy individuals to confirm their immune profile, and 44 (27.5%, 44/160) highly reactive P. vivax antigens were identified. Overall, 5 candidates (rhoptry-associated membrane antigen [RAMA], Pv-fam-a and -b, EXP-1 and hypothetical protein PVX_084775) showed a positive reaction with >80% of patient sera, and 21 candidates with 50% to 80%. More than 23% of the highly immunoreactive proteins were hypothetical proteins, described for the first time in this study. One of the top immunogenic proteins, RAMA, was characterized and confirmed to be a serological marker of recent exposure to P. vivax infection. These novel immunoproteomes should greatly facilitate the identification of promising novel malaria antigens and may warrant further study. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE The establishment of high-throughput cloning and expression systems has permitted the construction of protein arrays for proteome-wide study of Plasmodium vivax. In this study, high-throughput screening assays have been applied to investigate blood stage-specific immune proteomes from P. vivax. We identified 44 antigenic proteins from the 152 putative candidates, more than 23% of which were hypothetical proteins described for the first time in this study. In addition, PvRAMA was characterized further and confirmed to be a serological marker of exposure to infections. The expression of one-third of the selected antigenic genes were shifted between P. vivax and Plasmodium falciparum, suggesting that these genes may represent important factors associated with P. vivax selectivity for young erythrocytes and/or with immune evasion. These novel immune proteomes of the P. vivax blood stage provide a baseline for further prospective serological marker studies in malaria. These methods could be used to determine immunodominant candidate antigens from the P. vivax genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Lu
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea; Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Key Laboratory on Technology for Parasitic Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Li
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea; Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Key Laboratory on Technology for Parasitic Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Yang Cheng
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Deok-Hoon Kong
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Liwang Cui
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Kwon-Soo Ha
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Jetsumon Sattabongkot
- Mahidol Vivax Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Takafumi Tsuboi
- Division of Malaria Research, Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan.
| | - Eun-Taek Han
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea.
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42
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Chandra H, Reddy PJ, Srivastava S. Protein microarrays and novel detection platforms. Expert Rev Proteomics 2014; 8:61-79. [DOI: 10.1586/epr.10.99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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43
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Walters MS, Mobley HLT. Bacterial proteomics and identification of potential vaccine targets. Expert Rev Proteomics 2014; 7:181-4. [DOI: 10.1586/epr.10.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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44
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Ayoglu B, Häggmark A, Neiman M, Igel U, Uhlén M, Schwenk JM, Nilsson P. Systematic antibody and antigen-based proteomic profiling with microarrays. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2014; 11:219-34. [DOI: 10.1586/erm.10.110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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45
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Casado-Vela J, Fuentes M, Franco-Zorrilla JM. Screening of Protein–Protein and Protein–DNA Interactions Using Microarrays. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2014; 95:231-81. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800453-1.00008-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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46
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Baum E, Badu K, Molina DM, Liang X, Felgner PL, Yan G. Protein microarray analysis of antibody responses to Plasmodium falciparum in western Kenyan highland sites with differing transmission levels. PLoS One 2013; 8:e82246. [PMID: 24312649 PMCID: PMC3846730 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2013] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria represents a major public health problem in Africa. In the East African highlands, the high-altitude areas were previously considered too cold to support vector population and parasite transmission, rendering the region particularly prone to epidemic malaria due to the lack of protective immunity of the population. Since the 1980’s, frequent malaria epidemics have been reported and these successive outbreaks may have generated some immunity against Plasmodium falciparum amongst the highland residents. Serological studies reveal indirect evidence of human exposure to the parasite, and can reliably assess prevalence of exposure and transmission intensity in an endemic area. However, the vast majority of serological studies of malaria have been, hereto, limited to a small number of the parasite’s antigens. We surveyed and compared the antibody response profiles of age-stratified sera from residents of two endemic areas in the western Kenyan highlands with differing malaria transmission intensities, during two distinct seasons, against 854 polypeptides of P. falciparum using high-throughput proteomic microarray technology. We identified 107 proteins as serum antibody targets, which were then characterized for their gene ontology biological process and cellular component of the parasite, and showed significant enrichment for categories related to immune evasion, pathogenesis and expression on the host’s cell and parasite’s surface. Additionally, we calculated age-fitted annual seroconversion rates for the immunogenic proteins, and contrasted the age-dependent antibody acquisition for those antigens between the two sampling sites. We observed highly immunogenic antigens that produce stable antibody responses from early age in both sites, as well as less immunogenic proteins that require repeated exposure for stable responses to develop and produce different seroconversion rates between sites. We propose that a combination of highly and less immunogenic proteins could be used in serological surveys to detect differences in malaria transmission levels, distinguishing sites of unstable and stable transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Baum
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Kingsley Badu
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Sciences, College of Health Science, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Douglas M. Molina
- Antigen Discovery Inc., Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Xiaowu Liang
- Antigen Discovery Inc., Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Philip L. Felgner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Guiyun Yan
- Program in Public Health, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
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47
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Systematic reference sample generation for multiplexed serological assays. Sci Rep 2013; 3:3259. [PMID: 24247282 PMCID: PMC3832875 DOI: 10.1038/srep03259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2013] [Accepted: 11/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Quality controls of serological assays have to contain defined amounts of human antibodies specific for the targeted antigen. A prevailing issue for array-based antigen assays is that dozens of antigens are targeted within the same assay. Commonly different patient sera are combined and optimal pools are empirically identified. Here, we report a mathematical approach how an optimal sample pool composition can be systematically calculated and accurately compiled. The approach was used to compose suitable quality controls for a 71 plex Tuberculosis antigen bead array using a limited number of positive human sera.
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48
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Protein arrays as tool for studies at the host-pathogen interface. J Proteomics 2013; 94:387-400. [PMID: 24140974 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2013.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2013] [Revised: 09/06/2013] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Pathogens and parasites encode a wide spectrum of multifunctional proteins interacting to and modifying proteins in host cells. However, the current lack of a reliable method to unveil the protein-protein interactions (PPI) at the host-pathogen interface is retarding our understanding of many important pathogenic processes. Thus, the identification of proteins involved in host-pathogen interactions is important for the elucidation of virulence determinants, mechanisms of infection, host susceptibility and/or disease resistance. In this sense, proteomic technologies have experienced major improvements in recent years and protein arrays are a powerful and modern method for studying PPI in a high-throughput format. This review focuses on these techniques analyzing the state-of-the-art of proteomic technologies and their possibilities to diagnose and explore host-pathogen interactions. Major technical advancements, applications and protocol concerns are presented, so readers can appreciate the immense progress achieved and the current technical options available for studying the host-pathogen interface. Finally, future uses of this kind of array-based proteomic tools in the fight against infectious and parasitic diseases are discussed.
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49
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Pearson T, Hornstra HM, Sahl JW, Schaack S, Schupp JM, Beckstrom-Sternberg SM, O'Neill MW, Priestley RA, Champion MD, Beckstrom-Sternberg JS, Kersh GJ, Samuel JE, Massung RF, Keim P. When outgroups fail; phylogenomics of rooting the emerging pathogen, Coxiella burnetii. Syst Biol 2013; 62:752-62. [PMID: 23736103 PMCID: PMC3739886 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syt038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2012] [Revised: 02/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rooting phylogenies is critical for understanding evolution, yet the importance, intricacies and difficulties of rooting are often overlooked. For rooting, polymorphic characters among the group of interest (ingroup) must be compared to those of a relative (outgroup) that diverged before the last common ancestor (LCA) of the ingroup. Problems arise if an outgroup does not exist, is unknown, or is so distant that few characters are shared, in which case duplicated genes originating before the LCA can be used as proxy outgroups to root diverse phylogenies. Here, we describe a genome-wide expansion of this technique that can be used to solve problems at the other end of the evolutionary scale: where ingroup individuals are all very closely related to each other, but the next closest relative is very distant. We used shared orthologous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 10 whole genome sequences of Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever in humans, to create a robust, but unrooted phylogeny. To maximize the number of characters informative about the rooting, we searched entire genomes for polymorphic duplicated regions where orthologs of each paralog could be identified so that the paralogs could be used to root the tree. Recent radiations, such as those of emerging pathogens, often pose rooting challenges due to a lack of ingroup variation and large genomic differences with known outgroups. Using a phylogenomic approach, we created a robust, rooted phylogeny for C. burnetii. [Coxiella burnetii; paralog SNPs; pathogen evolution; phylogeny; recent radiation; root; rooting using duplicated genes.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Talima Pearson
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Heidie M. Hornstra
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Jason W. Sahl
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- Department of Biology, Reed College, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Sarah Schaack
- Pathogen Genomics Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | | | - Stephen M. Beckstrom-Sternberg
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- Department of Biology, Reed College, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Matthew W. O'Neill
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Rachael A. Priestley
- Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mia D. Champion
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- Department of Biology, Reed College, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | - Gilbert J. Kersh
- Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - James E. Samuel
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Robert F. Massung
- Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Paul Keim
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- Department of Biology, Reed College, Portland, OR, USA
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Wang X, Xiong X, Graves S, Stenos J, Wen B. Protein array of Coxiella burnetii probed with Q fever sera. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2013; 56:453-9. [PMID: 23633077 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-013-4472-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2012] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is the etiological agent of Q fever. To identify its major seroreactive proteins, a subgenomic protein array was developed. A total of 101 assumed virulence-associated recombinant proteins of C. burnetii were probed with sera from mice experimentally infected with C. burnetii and sera from Q fever patients. Sixteen proteins were recognized as major seroreactive antigens by the mouse sera. Seven of these 16 proteins reacted positively with at least 45% of Q fever patient sera. Notably, HspB had the highest fluorescence intensity value and positive frequency of all the proteins on the array when probed with both Q fever patient sera and mouse sera. These results suggest that these seven major seroreactive proteins, particularly HspB, are potential serodiagnostic and subunit vaccine antigens of Q fever.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xile Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
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