Novel Chlamydia pneumoniae vaccine candidates confirmed by Th1-enhanced genetic immunization.
Identification of highly immunogenic antigens is critical for the construction of an efficacious subunit vaccine against Chlamydia pneumoniae infections. A previous project used a genome-wide screen to identify 12 protective C. pneumoniae candidate genes in an A/J mouse lung disease model (Li et al. [14]). Due to insufficient induction of Th1 immunity, these genes elicited only modest protection. Here, we used the Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin as a Th1-enhancing genetic adjuvant, and re-tested these 12 genes, in parallel with six genes identified by other investigators. Vaccine candidate genes cutE and Cpn0420 conferred significant protection by all criteria evaluated (prevention of C. pneumoniae-induced death, reduction of lung disease, elimination of C. pneumoniae). Gene oppA_2 was protective by disease reduction and C. pneumoniae elimination. Four other genes were protective by a single criterion. None of the six genes reported elsewhere protected by reduction of lung disease or elimination of C. pneumoniae, but three protected by increasing survival.
Li
Yihang
Y
Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849-5519, USA.
Ahluwalia
Sudhir K
SK
Borovkov
Alexandre
A
Loskutov
Andrey
A
Wang
Chengming
C
Gao
Dongya
D
Poudel
Anil
A
Sykes
Kathryn F
KF
Kaltenboeck
Bernhard
B
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D023521:Chlamydophila Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008805:Mice, Inbred A; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D004768:Enterotoxins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C027538:heat-labile enterotoxin, E coli