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Fan X, Zhao X, Wang R, Li M, Luan X, Wang R, Wan K, Liu H. A novel multistage antigens ERA005f confer protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis by driving Th-1 and Th-17 type T cell immune responses. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1276887. [PMID: 38022539 PMCID: PMC10662081 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1276887] [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: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) is a major threat to human health. In 2021, TB was the second leading cause of death after COVID-19 among infectious diseases. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG), the only licensed TB vaccine, is ineffective against adult TB. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new effective vaccines. Methods In this study, we developed a novel multistage subunit vaccine (ERA005f) comprising various proteins expressed in metabolic states, based on three immunodominant antigens (ESAT-6, Rv2628, and Ag85B). We utilized the E. coli prokaryotic expression system to express ERA005f and subsequently purified the protein using nickel affinity chromatography and anion exchange. Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of ERA005f and ERA005m were evaluated in BALB/c mice. Results ERA005f was consistently expressed as an inclusion body in a prokaryotic expression system, and a highly pure form of the protein was successfully obtained. Both ERA005f and ERA005m significantly improved IgG titers in the serum. In addition, mice immunized with ERA005f and ERA005m generated higher titers of antigen-specific IgG2a than the other groups. Elispot results showed that, compared with other groups, ERA005f increased the numbers of IFN-γ-secreting and IL-4-secreting T cells, especially the number of IFN-γ-secreting T cells. Meanwhile, ERA005f induced a higher number of IFN-γ+ T lymphocytes than ERA005m did. In addition, ERA005f improved the expression of cytokines, including IFN-γ, IL-12p70, TNF-α, IL-17, and GM-CSF and so on. Importantly, both ERA005f and ERA005m significantly inhibited the growth of Mtb. Conclusion The novel multistage antigen ERA005f elicited a strong antigen-specific humoral response and Th-1 and Th-17 cell-mediated immunity in mice. Meanwhile, it can effectively inhibit H37Rv growth in vitro, and represents a correlate of protection in vivo, indicating that ERA005f may exhibit excellent protective efficacy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv infection. Our study suggests that ERA005f has the potential to be a promising multistage tuberculosis vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueting Fan
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuqin Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Ruibai Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Machao Li
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuli Luan
- Department of Tuberculosis, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University/Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Ruihuan Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Kanglin Wan
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Haican Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
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Bellini C, Vergara E, Bencs F, Fodor K, Bősze S, Krivić D, Bacsa B, Surguta SE, Tóvári J, Reljic R, Horváti K. Design and Characterization of a Multistage Peptide-Based Vaccine Platform to Target Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:1738-1753. [PMID: 37606258 PMCID: PMC10587871 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
The complex immunopathology ofMycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb) is one of the main challenges in developing a novel vaccine against this pathogen, particularly regarding eliciting protection against both active and latent stages. Multistage vaccines, which contain antigens expressed in both phases, represent a promising strategy for addressing this issue, as testified by the tuberculosis vaccine clinical pipeline. Given this approach, we designed and characterized a multistage peptide-based vaccine platform containing CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes previously validated for inducing a relevant T cell response against Mtb. After preliminary screening, CFP10 (32-39), GlfT2 (4-12), HBHA (185-194), and PPE15 (1-15) were selected as promising candidates, and we proved that the PM1 pool of these peptides triggered a T cell response in Mtb-sensitized human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Taking advantage of the use of thiol-maleimide chemoselective ligation, we synthesized a multiepitope conjugate (Ac-CGHP). Our results showed a structure-activity relationship between the conjugation and a higher tendency to fold and assume an ordered secondary structure. Moreover, the palmitoylated conjugate (Pal-CGHP) comprising the same peptide antigens was associated with an enhanced cellular uptake in human and murine antigen-presenting cells and a better immunogenicity profile. Immunization study, conducted in BALB/c mice, showed that Pal-CGHP induced a significantly higher T cell proliferation and production of IFNγ and TNFα over PM1 formulated in the Sigma Adjuvant System.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Bellini
- MTA-TTK
Lendület “Momentum” Peptide-Based Vaccines Research
Group, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary
- Hevesy
György PhD School of Chemistry, Eötvös
Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - Emil Vergara
- Institute
for Infection and Immunity, St. George’s,
University of London, London SW17 0RE, U.K.
| | - Fruzsina Bencs
- Hevesy
György PhD School of Chemistry, Eötvös
Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
- Laboratory
of Structural Chemistry and Biology, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - Kinga Fodor
- Department
of Laboratory Animal Science and Animal Protection, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest 1078, Hungary
| | - Szilvia Bősze
- ELKH-ELTE
Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd
Research Network (ELKH), Eötvös
Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - Denis Krivić
- Division
of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Gottfried Schatz Research Center, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Bernadett Bacsa
- Division
of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Gottfried Schatz Research Center, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Sára Eszter Surguta
- Department
of Experimental Pharmacology and National Tumor Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest 1122, Hungary
| | - József Tóvári
- Department
of Experimental Pharmacology and National Tumor Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest 1122, Hungary
| | - Rajko Reljic
- Institute
for Infection and Immunity, St. George’s,
University of London, London SW17 0RE, U.K.
| | - Kata Horváti
- MTA-TTK
Lendület “Momentum” Peptide-Based Vaccines Research
Group, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary
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Gong W, Pan C, Cheng P, Wang J, Zhao G, Wu X. Peptide-Based Vaccines for Tuberculosis. Front Immunol 2022; 13:830497. [PMID: 35173740 PMCID: PMC8841753 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.830497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the global TB mortality rate in 2020 is rising, making TB prevention and control more challenging. Vaccination has been considered the best approach to reduce the TB burden. Unfortunately, BCG, the only TB vaccine currently approved for use, offers some protection against childhood TB but is less effective in adults. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new TB vaccines that are more effective than BCG. Accumulating data indicated that peptides or epitopes play essential roles in bridging innate and adaptive immunity and triggering adaptive immunity. Furthermore, innovations in bioinformatics, immunoinformatics, synthetic technologies, new materials, and transgenic animal models have put wings on the research of peptide-based vaccines for TB. Hence, this review seeks to give an overview of current tools that can be used to design a peptide-based vaccine, the research status of peptide-based vaccines for TB, protein-based bacterial vaccine delivery systems, and animal models for the peptide-based vaccines. These explorations will provide approaches and strategies for developing safer and more effective peptide-based vaccines and contribute to achieving the WHO's End TB Strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenping Gong
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Cheng
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou City, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Guangyu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Xueqiong Wu
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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Gong W, Liang Y, Mi J, Jia Z, Xue Y, Wang J, Wang L, Zhou Y, Sun S, Wu X. Peptides-Based Vaccine MP3RT Induced Protective Immunity Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection in a Humanized Mouse Model. Front Immunol 2021; 12:666290. [PMID: 33981313 PMCID: PMC8108698 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.666290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tuberculosis (TB) is still a global infectious disease that seriously threatens human beings. The only licensed TB vaccine Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)’s protective efficacy varies significantly among populations and regions. It is very urgent to develop more effective vaccines. Methods In this study, eleven candidate proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were selected to predict peptides with high-affinity binding capacity for the HLA-DRB1*01:01 molecule. The immunodominant peptides were identified with the enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT) and linked in silico to result in a novel polypeptide vaccine in Escherichia coli cells. The vaccine’s protective efficacy was evaluated in humanized and wild-type C57BL/6 mice. The potential immune protective mechanisms were explored with Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), flow cytometry, and ELISPOT. Results Six immunodominant peptides screened from 50 predicted peptides were used to construct a new polypeptide vaccine named MP3RT. After challenge with M. tuberculosis, the colony-forming units (CFUs), lung lesion area, and the number of inflammatory cells in humanized mice rather than wild-type mice vaccinated with MP3RT were significantly lower than these in mice immunized with PBS. The humanized mice vaccinated with MP3RT revealed significant increases in IFN-γ cytokine production, IFN-γ+ T lymphocytes, CD3+IFN-γ+ T lymphocytes, and the MP3RT-specific IgG antibody. Conclusions Taken together, MP3RT is a promising peptides-based TB vaccine characterized by inducing high levels of IFN-γ and CD3+IFN-γ+ T lymphocytes in humanized mice. These new findings will lay a foundation for the development of peptides-based vaccines against TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenping Gong
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, 8th Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Liang
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, 8th Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Mi
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, 8th Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zaixing Jia
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, 8th Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Graduate School, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, China
| | - Yong Xue
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, 8th Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, 8th Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lan Wang
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, 8th Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yusen Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Shihui Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Xueqiong Wu
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, 8th Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
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Bellini C, Horváti K. Recent Advances in the Development of Protein- and Peptide-Based Subunit Vaccines against Tuberculosis. Cells 2020; 9:cells9122673. [PMID: 33333744 PMCID: PMC7765234 DOI: 10.3390/cells9122673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) herald of the “End TB Strategy” has defined goals and targets for tuberculosis prevention, care, and control to end the global tuberculosis endemic. The emergence of drug resistance and the relative dreadful consequences in treatment outcome has led to increased awareness on immunization against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). However, the proven limited efficacy of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the only licensed vaccine against Mtb, has highlighted the need for alternative vaccines. In this review, we seek to give an overview of Mtb infection and failure of BCG to control it. Afterward, we focus on the protein- and peptide-based subunit vaccine subtype, examining the advantages and drawbacks of using this design approach. Finally, we explore the features of subunit vaccine candidates currently in pre-clinical and clinical evaluation, including the antigen repertoire, the exploited adjuvanted delivery systems, as well as the spawned immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Bellini
- Hevesy György PhD School of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary;
- MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kata Horváti
- MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Correspondence:
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Abdalla AE, Yan S, Zeng J, Deng W, Xie L, Xie J. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv0341 Promotes Mycobacterium Survival in In Vitro Hostile Environments and within Macrophages and Induces Cytokines Expression. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9060454. [PMID: 32521796 PMCID: PMC7350357 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9060454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis represents an ancient deadly human pathogen that can survive and multiply within macrophages. The effectors are key players for the successful pathogenesis of this bacterium. M. tuberculosis open reading frame (ORF) Rv0341, a pathogenic mycobacteria-specific gene, was found to be upregulated in macrophages isolated from human tuberculosis granuloma and inside the macrophages during in vitro infection by M. tuberculosis. To understand the exact role of this gene, we expressed the Rv0341 gene in M. smegmatis, which is a non-pathogenic Mycobacterium. We found that Rv0341 expression can alter colony morphology, reduce the sliding capability, and decrease the cell wall permeability of M. smegmatis. Furthermore, Rv0341 remarkably enhanced M. smegmatis survival within macrophages and under multiple in vitro stress conditions when compared with the control strain. Ms_Rv0341 significantly induced expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-10 compared with M. smegmatis harboring an empty vector. In summary, these data suggest that Rv0341 is one of the M. tuberculosis virulence determinants that can promote bacilli survival in harsh conditions and inside macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abualgasim Elgaili Abdalla
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China; (A.E.A.); (S.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.D.)
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka, Al Jouf 2014, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shuangquan Yan
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China; (A.E.A.); (S.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.D.)
| | - Jie Zeng
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China; (A.E.A.); (S.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.D.)
| | - Wanyan Deng
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China; (A.E.A.); (S.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.D.)
| | - Longxiang Xie
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Bioinformatics Center, Henan Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China;
| | - Jianping Xie
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China; (A.E.A.); (S.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.D.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-135-9439-2126
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