Surfome analysis as a fast track to vaccine discovery: identification of a novel protective antigen for Group B Streptococcus hypervirulent strain COH1.
Safe recombinant vaccines, based on a small number of antigenic proteins, are emerging as the most attractive, cost-effective solution against infectious diseases. In the present work, we confirmed previous data from our laboratory showing that whole viable bacterial cell treatment with proteases followed by the identification of released peptides by mass spectrometry is the method of choice for the rapid and reliable identification of vaccine candidates in Gram-positive bacteria. When applied to the Group B Streptococcus COH1 strain, 43 surface-associated proteins were identified, including all the protective antigens described in the literature as well as a new protective antigen, the cell wall-anchored protein SAN_1485 belonging to the serine-rich repeat protein family. This strategy overcomes the difficulties so far encountered in the identification of novel vaccine candidates and speeds up the entire vaccine discovery process by reducing the number of recombinant proteins to be tested in the animal model.
Doro
Francesco
F
Research Centre, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Liberatori
Sabrina
S
Rodríguez-Ortega
Manuel J
MJ
Rinaudo
Cira D
CD
Rosini
Roberto
R
Mora
Marirosa
M
Scarselli
Maria
M
Altindis
Emrah
E
D'Aurizio
Romina
R
Stella
Maria
M
Margarit
Immaculada
I
Maione
Domenico
D
Telford
John L
JL
Norais
Nathalie
N
Grandi
Guido
G
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D020543:Proteome; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic