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Mangas KM, Tobias NJ, Marion E, Babonneau J, Marsollier L, Porter JL, Pidot SJ, Wong CY, Jackson DC, Chua BY, Stinear TP. High antibody titres induced by protein subunit vaccines using Mycobacterium ulcerans antigens Hsp18 and MUL_3720 with a TLR-2 agonist fail to protect against Buruli ulcer in mice. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9659. [PMID: 32844063 PMCID: PMC7416718 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of a debilitating skin and soft tissue infection known as Buruli ulcer (BU). There is no vaccine against BU. The purpose of this study was to investigate the vaccine potential of two previously described immunogenic M. ulcerans proteins, MUL_3720 and Hsp18, using a mouse tail infection model of BU. Methods Recombinant versions of the two proteins were each electrostatically coupled with a previously described lipopeptide adjuvant. Seven C57BL/6 and seven BALB/c mice were vaccinated and boosted with each of the formulations. Vaccinated mice were then challenged with M. ulcerans via subcutaneous tail inoculation. Vaccine performance was assessed by time-to-ulceration compared to unvaccinated mice. Results The MUL_3720 and Hsp18 vaccines induced high titres of antigen-specific antibodies that were predominately subtype IgG1. However, all mice developed ulcers by day-40 post-M. ulcerans challenge. No significant difference was observed in the time-to-onset of ulceration between the experimental vaccine groups and unvaccinated animals. Conclusions These data align with previous vaccine experiments using Hsp18 and MUL_3720 that indicated these proteins may not be appropriate vaccine antigens. This work highlights the need to explore alternative vaccine targets and different approaches to understand the role antibodies might play in controlling BU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirstie M Mangas
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nicholas J Tobias
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany.,LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity in Genomics (TBG), Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Estelle Marion
- Université de Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université de Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Jérémie Babonneau
- Université de Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Laurent Marsollier
- Université de Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Jessica L Porter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sacha J Pidot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Chinn Yi Wong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - David C Jackson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Brendon Y Chua
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Timothy P Stinear
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Gherardin NA, Souter MN, Koay HF, Mangas KM, Seemann T, Stinear TP, Eckle SB, Berzins SP, d'Udekem Y, Konstantinov IE, Fairlie DP, Ritchie DS, Neeson PJ, Pellicci DG, Uldrich AP, McCluskey J, Godfrey DI. Human blood MAIT cell subsets defined using MR1 tetramers. Immunol Cell Biol 2018; 96:507-525. [PMID: 29437263 PMCID: PMC6446826 DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Revised: 12/10/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Mucosal‐associated invariant T (MAIT) cells represent up to 10% of circulating human T cells. They are usually defined using combinations of non‐lineage‐specific (surrogate) markers such as anti‐TRAV1‐2, CD161, IL‐18Rα and CD26. The development of MR1‐Ag tetramers now permits the specific identification of MAIT cells based on T‐cell receptor specificity. Here, we compare these approaches for identifying MAIT cells and show that surrogate markers are not always accurate in identifying these cells, particularly the CD4+ fraction. Moreover, while all MAIT cell subsets produced comparable levels of IFNγ, TNF and IL‐17A, the CD4+ population produced more IL‐2 than the other subsets. In a human ontogeny study, we show that the frequencies of most MR1 tetramer+ MAIT cells, with the exception of CD4+ MAIT cells, increased from birth to about 25 years of age and declined thereafter. We also demonstrate a positive association between the frequency of MAIT cells and other unconventional T cells including Natural Killer T (NKT) cells and Vδ2+ γδ T cells. Accordingly, this study demonstrates that MAIT cells are phenotypically and functionally diverse, that surrogate markers may not reliably identify all of these cells, and that their numbers are regulated in an age‐dependent manner and correlate with NKT and Vδ2+ γδ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A Gherardin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Michael Nt Souter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Hui-Fern Koay
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Kirstie M Mangas
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Torsten Seemann
- Life Sciences Computation Centre, Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
| | - Timothy P Stinear
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Sidonia Bg Eckle
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Stuart P Berzins
- Federation University Australia, Ballarat, VIC, 3350, Australia.,Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute, Ballarat, VIC, 3350, Australia
| | - Yves d'Udekem
- Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | | | - David P Fairlie
- Division of Chemistry & Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - David S Ritchie
- Cancer Immunology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia.,Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Paul J Neeson
- Cancer Immunology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia
| | - Daniel G Pellicci
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Adam P Uldrich
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - James McCluskey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Dale I Godfrey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
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Wallace JR, Mangas KM, Porter JL, Marcsisin R, Pidot SJ, Howden B, Omansen TF, Zeng W, Axford JK, Johnson PDR, Stinear TP. Mycobacterium ulcerans low infectious dose and mechanical transmission support insect bites and puncturing injuries in the spread of Buruli ulcer. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005553. [PMID: 28410412 PMCID: PMC5406025 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Addressing the transmission enigma of the neglected disease Buruli ulcer (BU) is a World Health Organization priority. In Australia, we have observed an association between mosquitoes harboring the causative agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans, and BU. Here we tested a contaminated skin model of BU transmission by dipping the tails from healthy mice in cultures of the causative agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans. Tails were exposed to mosquito (Aedes notoscriptus and Aedes aegypti) blood feeding or punctured with sterile needles. Two of 12 of mice with M. ulcerans contaminated tails exposed to feeding A. notoscriptus mosquitoes developed BU. There were no mice exposed to A. aegypti that developed BU. Eighty-eight percent of mice (21/24) subjected to contaminated tail needle puncture developed BU. Mouse tails coated only in bacteria did not develop disease. A median incubation time of 12 weeks, consistent with data from human infections, was noted. We then specifically tested the M. ulcerans infectious dose-50 (ID50) in this contaminated skin surface infection model with needle puncture and observed an ID50 of 2.6 colony-forming units. We have uncovered a biologically plausible mechanical transmission mode of BU via natural or anthropogenic skin punctures.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R. Wallace
- Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA, United States of America
| | - Kirstie M. Mangas
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jessica L. Porter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Renee Marcsisin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sacha J. Pidot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Brian Howden
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Till F. Omansen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Groningen, Groningen, RB, The Netherlands
| | - Weiguang Zeng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jason K. Axford
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute and School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic, Australia
| | - Paul D. R. Johnson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Timothy P. Stinear
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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Ablordey AS, Vandelannoote K, Frimpong IA, Ahortor EK, Amissah NA, Eddyani M, Durnez L, Portaels F, de Jong BC, Leirs H, Porter JL, Mangas KM, Lam MMC, Buultjens A, Seemann T, Tobias NJ, Stinear TP. Correction: Whole Genome Comparisons Suggest Random Distribution of Mycobacterium ulcerans Genotypes in a Buruli Ulcer Endemic Region of Ghana. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0003798. [PMID: 25970176 PMCID: PMC4430544 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
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Ablordey AS, Vandelannoote K, Frimpong IA, Ahortor EK, Amissah NA, Eddyani M, Durnez L, Portaels F, de Jong BC, Leirs H, Porter JL, Mangas KM, Lam MMC, Buultjens A, Seemann T, Tobias NJ, Stinear TP. Whole genome comparisons suggest random distribution of Mycobacterium ulcerans genotypes in a Buruli ulcer endemic region of Ghana. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0003681. [PMID: 25826332 PMCID: PMC4380315 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Efforts to control the spread of Buruli ulcer – an emerging ulcerative skin infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans - have been hampered by our poor understanding of reservoirs and transmission. To help address this issue, we compared whole genomes from 18 clinical M. ulcerans isolates from a 30km2 region within the Asante Akim North District, Ashanti region, Ghana, with 15 other M. ulcerans isolates from elsewhere in Ghana and the surrounding countries of Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Contrary to our expectations of finding minor DNA sequence variations among isolates representing a single M. ulcerans circulating genotype, we found instead two distinct genotypes. One genotype was closely related to isolates from neighbouring regions of Amansie West and Densu, consistent with the predicted local endemic clone, but the second genotype (separated by 138 single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] from other Ghanaian strains) most closely matched M. ulcerans from Nigeria, suggesting another introduction of M. ulcerans to Ghana, perhaps from that country. Both the exotic genotype and the local Ghanaian genotype displayed highly restricted intra-strain genetic variation, with less than 50 SNP differences across a 5.2Mbp core genome within each genotype. Interestingly, there was no discernible spatial clustering of genotypes at the local village scale. Interviews revealed no obvious epidemiological links among BU patients who had been infected with identical M. ulcerans genotypes but lived in geographically separate villages. We conclude that M. ulcerans is spread widely across the region, with multiple genotypes present in any one area. These data give us new perspectives on the behaviour of possible reservoirs and subsequent transmission mechanisms of M. ulcerans. These observations also show for the first time that M. ulcerans can be mobilized, introduced to a new area and then spread within a population. Potential reservoirs of M. ulcerans thus might include humans, or perhaps M. ulcerans-infected animals such as livestock that move regularly between countries. In this study we use the power of whole genome sequence comparisons to track the spread of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, through several villages in the Ashanti region of Ghana, providing new insights on the behaviour of this enigmatic and emerging pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony S. Ablordey
- Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- * E-mail: (ASA); (TPS)
| | - Koen Vandelannoote
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Isaac A. Frimpong
- Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Evans K. Ahortor
- Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Nana Ama Amissah
- Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Miriam Eddyani
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lies Durnez
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Françoise Portaels
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bouke C. de Jong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Herwig Leirs
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jessica L. Porter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Kirstie M. Mangas
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Margaret M. C. Lam
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Andrew Buultjens
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Torsten Seemann
- Life Sciences Computation Centre, Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nicholas J. Tobias
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Timothy P. Stinear
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- * E-mail: (ASA); (TPS)
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