title: A single component two-valent LcrV-F1 vaccine protects non-human primates against pneumonic plague.
abstract: Yersinia pestis continues to pose a threat as a potential biological weapon and is recognized by public health experts as a re-emerging infectious disease. Therefore there is great interest in developing a safe and effective vaccine. Vaccines against plague containing both the Fraction 1 (F1) and V antigens of Y. pestis have shown promise in protecting animal models against pneumonic plague, the deadliest form of the disease. Here we report on a plague vaccine consisting of the F1 and LcrV antigens fused to a single carrier molecule, the thermostable enzyme lichenase from Clostridium thermocellum, and expressed in and purified from Nicotiana benthamiana plants. When administered to Cynomolgus Macaques this purified plant-produced vaccine induced high titers of serum IgG, mainly of the IgG1 isotype, against both F1 and LcrV. These immunized animals were subsequently challenged and the LcrV-F1 plant-produced vaccine conferred complete protection against aerosolized Y. pestis.
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, 9 Innovation Way, Suite 200, Newark, DE 19711, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Chichester
authors.forename: Konstantin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Musiychuk
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Farrance
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mett
authors.forename: Jarred
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: Vadim
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mett
authors.forename: Vidadi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yusibov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D010930:Plague / Q000517:prevention & control; D010931:Plague Vaccine / Q000276:immunology*; D052899:Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C043908:LcrV protein, Yersinia; D010931:Plague Vaccine; D052899:Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; C086725:caf1 protein, Yersinia pestis