Recombinant BCG expressing the leishmania surface antigen Gp63 induces protective immunity against Leishmania major infection in BALB/c mice.
We have cloned and expressed the gp63 gene of Leishmania major in BCG to develop a recombinant vaccine against zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis. Two different expression systems were investigated. The first system consists of pAN, a Mycobacterium paratuberculosis promoter, which drives expression of ORF2, an open reading frame in IS900. This system allows the production of heterologous polypeptides as hybrids with the ORF2 gene product. The second expression system relies on the production of antigenic fragments as fusion proteins with the N-terminal region of Mycobacterium fortuitum beta-lactamase. Both constructs resulted in the production of Gp63 in BCG. The ability of the two recombinant BCG strains to induce protective immunity against a challenge with L. major amastigotes was evaluated after vaccination of susceptible (BALB/c), and resistant (C57BL/6) mice. Recombinant BCG producing Gp63 as a hybrid protein with the N-terminal region of the beta-lactamase elicited significant protection against a challenge with L. major in BALB/c-immunized mice.
Abdelhak
S
S
Unité de Génétique Mycobactérienne (CNRS URA 1300), Institut Pasteur de Paris, France.
Louzir
H
H
Timm
J
J
Blel
L
L
Benlasfar
Z
Z
Lagranderie
M
M
Gheorghiu
M
M
Dellagi
K
K
Gicquel
B
B
D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000235:genetics; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors; D014611:Vaccination; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; C055146:glycoprotein gp63, Leishmania