title: Antibodies elicited by a Cryptococcus neoformans-tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine have the same specificity as those elicited in infection.
abstract: The antibody responses of BALB/c mice to serotype A Cryptococcus neoformans capsular polysaccharide (CNPS) were compared after cryptococcal infection and immunization with a serotype A glucuronoxylomannan-tetanus toxoid conjugate (GXM-TT). Infection rarely resulted in a rise of serum antibody titer to CNPS. In contrast, mice immunized with GXM-TT produced serum IgM and IgG to CNPS. Six IgM and one IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were generated from the spleen of one infected mouse. Nine IgM, 1 IgG3, 16 IgG1, and 7 IgA MAbs were generated from the spleen of one GXM-TT-immunized mouse. All MAbs generated from both mice bound to the GXM fraction of the capsular polysaccharide. For some MAbs, de-O-acetylation of serotype A GXM abolished or greatly reduced MAb binding compared with the native GXM. All MAbs reacted with CNPS from C. neoformans serotypes A-D. MAbs generated from the infected mouse competitively inhibited the binding of MAbs generated from the GXM-TT-immunized mouse. These results indicate that some antibodies elicited by infection with C. neoformans or by immunization with GXM-TT bind to the same antigenic determinant in the GXM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casadevall
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Devi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schneerson
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Robbins
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Scharff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000276:immunology; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000276:immunology; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005657:Fungal Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D006825:Hybridomas; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid / Q000276:immunology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D005657:Fungal Vaccines; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D011134:Polysaccharides; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; C014426:cryptococcal polysaccharide