Safety and immunogenicity of a DNA vaccine encoding human calcium-activated chloride channel 1 (hCLCA1) in asthmatic mice

For t 2 DNA vaccine prevents Forcipomyia taiwana (biting midge) allergy in a mouse model

BACKGROUND

Forcipomyia taiwana (biting midge) is the most prevalent allergenic biting insect in Taiwan, and 60% of the exposed subjects develop allergic reactions. Subjects with insect allergy frequently limit their outdoor activities to avoid the annoyingly intense itchy allergic reactions, leading to significant worsening of their quality of life. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only known therapy that provides long-term host immune tolerance to the allergen, but is time-consuming and cumbersome. This study tested whether the For t 2 DNA vaccine can prevent allergic symptoms in For t 2-sensitized mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two consecutive shots of For t 2 DNA vaccine were given to mice with a 7-day interval before sensitization with recombinant For t 2 proteins, using the two-step sensitization protocol reported previously.

RESULTS

The For t 2 DNA vaccine at 50 μg prevented the production of For t 2-specific IgE (P < 0.05), as well as midge allergen-challenge-induced scratch bouts, midge allergen-induced IL-13 and IL-4 production from splenocytes, and inflammatory cell infiltrations in the lesions 48 h after intradermal challenge.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to demonstrate that DNA vaccine encoding midge allergen is effective in preventing allergic skin inflammation induced by biting midge. Immunotherapy using For t 2 DNA vaccine can protect mice from being sensitized by midge allergen and may be a promising treatment for biting midge allergy in the future.

Novel Roles for Chloride Channels, Exchangers, and Regulators in Chronic Inflammatory Airway Diseases

Chloride transport proteins play critical roles in inflammatory airway diseases, contributing to the detrimental aspects of mucus overproduction, mucus secretion, and airway constriction. However, they also play crucial roles in contributing to the innate immune properties of mucus and mucociliary clearance. In this review, we focus on the emerging novel roles for a chloride channel regulator (CLCA1), a calcium-activated chloride channel (TMEM16A), and two chloride exchangers (SLC26A4/pendrin and SLC26A9) in chronic inflammatory airway diseases.

HO-1 inhibits IL-13-induced goblet cell hyperplasia associated with CLCA1 suppression in normal human bronchial epithelial cells

Mucus hypersecretion and goblet cell hyperplasia are common features that characterize asthma. IL-13 increases mucin (MUC) 5AC, the major component of airway mucus, in airway epithelial cells. According to the literature, IL-13 receptor activation leads to STAT6 activation and consequent induction of chloride channel accessory 1 (CLCA1) gene expression, associated with the induction of MUC5AC. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an enzyme that catalyzes oxidation of heme to biliverdin, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. We examined the effects of HO-1 on mucin production and goblet cell hyperplasia induced by IL-13. Moreover, we assessed the cell signaling intermediates that appear to be responsible for mucin production. Normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells were grown at air liquid interface (ALI) in the presence or absence of IL-13 and hemin, a HO-1 inducer, for 14 days. Protein concentration was analyzed using ELISA, and mRNA expression was examined by real-time PCR. Histochemical analysis was performed using HE staining, andWestern blotting was performed to evaluate signaling transduction pathway. Hemin (4 μM) significantly increased HO-1 protein expression (p b 0.01) and HO-1 mRNA expression (p b 0.001). IL-13 significantly increased goblet cells, MUC5AC protein secretion (p b 0.01) and MUC5AC mRNA (p b 0.001), and these were decreased by hemin by way of HO-1. Tin protoporphyrin (SnPP)-IX, a HO-1 inhibitor, blocked the effect of hemin restoring MUC5AC protein secretion (p b 0.05) and goblet cell hyperplasia. Hemin decreased the expression of CLCA1 mRNA (p b 0.05) and it was reversed by SnPP-IX, but could not suppress IL-13-induced phosphorylation of STAT6 or SAM pointed domain-containing ETS transcription factor (SPDEF) and Forkhead box A2 (FOXA2) mRNA expression. In summary, HO-1 overexpression suppressed IL-13-induced goblet cell hyperplasia and MUC5AC production, and involvement of CLCA1 in the mechanism was suggested.

Prophylactic and therapeutic DNA vaccines against Chagas disease

Chagas disease is a zoonosis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi in which the most affected organ is the heart. Conventional chemotherapy has a very low effectiveness; despite recent efforts, there is currently no better or more effective treatment available. DNA vaccines provide a new alternative for both prevention and treatment of a variety of infectious disorders, including Chagas disease. Recombinant DNA technology has allowed some vaccines to be developed using recombinant proteins or virus-like particles capable of inducing both a humoral and cellular specific immune response. This type of immunization has been successfully used in preclinical studies and there are diverse models for viral, bacterial and/or parasitic diseases, allergies, tumors and other diseases. Therefore, several research groups have been given the task of designing a DNA vaccine against experimental infection with T. cruzi. In this review we explain what DNA vaccines are and the most recent studies that have been done to develop them with prophylactic or therapeutic purposes against Chagas disease.

Antibody to mCLCA3 suppresses symptoms in a mouse model of asthma

Background

Asthma is a complex and heterogeneous chronic inflammatory disorder that is associated with mucous cell metaplasia and mucus hypersecretion. Functional genomic analysis indicates that mucous cell metaplasia and mucus hypersecretion depend on members of the calcium-activated chloride channel (CLCA) gene family. It has been reported that the inhibition of CLCAs could relieve the symptoms of asthma. Thus, the mCLCA3 antibody may be a promising strategy to treat allergic diseases such as asthma.

Methods

We constructed asthmatic mouse models of OVA-induced chronic airway inflammatory disorder to study the function of the mCLCA3 antibody. Airway inflammation was measured by HE staining; goblet cell hyperplasia and mucus hypersecretion were detected by PAS staining; muc5ac, IL-13, IFN-γ levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were examined by ELISA; Goblet cell apoptosis was measured by TUNEL assay and alcian blue staining; mCLCA3, Bcl-2 and Bax expression were detected by RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemical analysis.

Results

In our study, mice treated with mCLCA3 antibody developed fewer pathological changes compared with control mice and asthmatic mice, including a remarkable reduction in airway inflammation, the number of goblet cells and mCLCA3 expression in lung tissue. The levels of muc5ac and IL-13 were significantly reduced in BALF. We also found that the rate of goblet cell apoptosis was increased after treatment with mCLCA3 antibody, which was accompanied by an increase in Bax levels and a decrease in Bcl-2 expression in goblet cells.

Conclusions

Taken together, our results indicate that mCLCA3 antibody may have the potential as an effective pharmacotherapy for asthma.

hCLCA1 DNA vaccine suppresses cell hyperplasia and mucin expression of goblet cells in vitro

BACKGROUND

Excessive airway mucus secretion is a remarkable trait of asthma. Mucus overproduction mainly resulted from an increase in goblet cell numbers, which causes considerable damage to health. However, effective therapeutic treatments are still lacking for mucus hypersecretion. Human calcium-activated chloride channel 1 (hCLCA1) has been identified to be predominantly responsible for mucus hypersecretion.

OBJECTIVES

In this study, we investigated the effects of an hCLCA1 DNA vaccine on the control of mucus production and goblet cell proliferation using an in vitro model goblet cell line (NCI-H292).

METHODS

The effect of the hCLCA1 DNA vaccine on cell viability and proliferative activity of NCI-H292/hCLCA1 was analyzed by electron microscopy, MTT assay, and flow cytometry. Expression of mucins and MUC5AC, a major member of the mucin gene family in airway goblet cells, was assessed under hCLCA1 DNA vaccine challenges by periodic acid-Schiff staining, quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively, and the expression profile of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a critical cytokine in airway inflammation, was also examined by real-time PCR and immunocytochemistry.

RESULTS

Results showed that hCLCA1 overexpression caused high cell proliferation and mucin expression, whereas the hCLCA1 DNA vaccine could effectively reverse these abnormal effects. In addition, GM-CSF expression was highly induced by hCLCA1 overexpression and efficiently suppressed by hCLCA1 DNA vaccine.

CONCLUSIONS

These results illustrate that the hCLCA1 DNA vaccine effectively inhibits cell hyperplasia and mucin gene expression of goblet cells, suggesting that the hCLCA1 DNA vaccine has potential value in the treatment of human asthma.