title: Strategies for mimicking Neisserial saccharide epitopes as vaccines.
abstract: Monoclonal antibody (mAb) 2C7 recognizes a conserved and widely expressed oligosaccharide (OS) epitope on Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This OS epitope evokes a significant bactericidal and opsonic immune response after natural infection and vaccination. The OS epitope structure represents an excellent target for a potential protective gonococcal vaccine. Because carbohydrate antigens are T-cell independent, inducing weak antibody responses, OS molecules are not useful immunogens. We developed and examined two different strategies to mimic the 2C7 OS epitope: (i) an anti-idiotope (mAb CA1); and (ii) a peptide (PEP-1). These surrogate immunogens elicited antibody responses in mice (CA1 and PEP-1) and rabbits (CA1) that were bactericidal in vitro against gonococci. Both CA1 and PEP-1 are true immunologic mimics of OS and may form a basis for the development of vaccine candidates for human immunization against N. gonorrhoeae.
authors.affiliation: Evans Biomedical Research Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University, MA, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gulati
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ngampasutadol
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: McQuillen
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D018716:Molecular Mimicry; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D000939:Epitopes; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; C023023:lipid-linked oligosaccharides