CT043, a protective antigen that induces a CD4+ Th1 response during Chlamydia trachomatis infection in mice and humans.
Despite several decades of intensive studies, no vaccines against Chlamydia trachomatis, an intracellular pathogen causing serious ocular and urogenital diseases, are available yet. Infection-induced immunity in both animal models and humans strongly supports the notion that for a vaccine to be effective a strong CD4(+) Th1 immune response should be induced. In the course of our vaccine screening program based on the selection of chlamydial proteins eliciting cell-mediated immunity, we have found that CT043, a protein annotated as hypothetical, induces CD4(+) Th1 cells both in chlamydia-infected mice and in human patients with diagnosed C. trachomatis genital infection. DNA priming/protein boost immunization with CT043 results in a 2.6-log inclusion-forming unit reduction in the murine lung infection model. Sequence analysis of CT043 from C. trachomatis human isolates belonging to the most representative genital serovars revealed a high degree of conservation, suggesting that this antigen could provide cross-serotype protection. Therefore, CT043 is a promising vaccine candidate against C. trachomatis infection.
Meoni
Eva
E
Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Faenzi
Elisa
E
Frigimelica
Elisabetta
E
Zedda
Luisanna
L
Skibinski
David
D
Giovinazzi
Serena
S
Bonci
Alessandra
A
Petracca
Roberto
R
Bartolini
Erika
E
Galli
Giuliano
G
Agnusdei
Mauro
M
Nardelli
Filomena
F
Buricchi
Francesca
F
Norais
Nathalie
N
Ferlenghi
Ilaria
I
Donati
Manuela
M
Cevenini
Roberto
R
Finco
Oretta
O
Grandi
Guido
G
Grifantini
Renata
R
D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D023502:Chlamydia muridarum / Q000276:immunology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018272:Porins / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D018272:Porins; C071677:omp1 protein, Chlamydia trachomatis; D007371:Interferon-gamma