title: A vault nanoparticle vaccine induces protective mucosal immunity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Generation of robust cell-mediated immune responses at mucosal surfaces while reducing overall inflammation is a primary goal for vaccination. Here we report the use of a recombinant nanoparticle as a vaccine delivery platform against mucosal infections requiring T cell-mediated immunity for eradication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We encapsulated an immunogenic protein, the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of Chlamydia muridarum, within hollow, vault nanocapsules (MOMP-vaults) that were engineered to bind IgG for enhanced immunity. Intranasal immunization (i.n) with MOMP-vaults induced anti-chlamydial immunity plus significantly attenuated bacterial burden following challenge infection. Vault immunization induced anti-chlamydial immune responses and inflammasome formation but did not activate toll-like receptors. Moreover, MOMP-vault immunization enhanced microbial eradication without the inflammation usually associated with adjuvants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vault nanoparticles containing immunogenic proteins delivered to the respiratory tract by the i.n. route can act as "smart adjuvants" for inducing protective immunity at distant mucosal surfaces while avoiding destructive inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Cheryl I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Champion
authors.forename: Valerie A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Kickhoefer
authors.forename: Guangchao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Raymond J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Moniz
authors.forename: Amanda S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Freed
authors.forename: Liisa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Bergmann
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vaccari
authors.forename: Sujna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raval-Fernandes
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Leonard H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Rome
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D023502:Chlamydia muridarum / Q000276:immunology; D004339:Drug Compounding / Q000379:methods; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000517:prevention & control; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines