A recombinant vaccine based on domain II of Plasmodium vivax Apical Membrane Antigen 1 induces high antibody titres in mice.
The Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA-1) is considered a promising candidate for development of a malaria vaccine against asexual stages of Plasmodium. We recently identified domain II (DII) of Plasmodium vivax AMA-1 (PvAMA-1) as a highly immunogenic region recognised by IgG antibodies present in many individuals during patent infection with P. vivax. The present study was designed to evaluate the immunogenic properties of a bacterial recombinant protein containing PvAMA-1 DII. To accomplish this, the recombinant protein was administered to mice in the presence of each of the following six adjuvants: Complete/Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA/IFA), aluminium hydroxide (Alum), Quil A, QS21 saponin, CpG-ODN 1826 and TiterMax. We found that recombinant DII was highly immunogenic in BALB/c mice when administered in the presence of any of the tested adjuvants. Importantly, we show that DII-specific antibodies recognised the native AMA-1 protein expressed on the surface of P. vivax merozoites isolated from the blood of infected patients. These results demonstrate that a recombinant protein containing PvAMA-1 DII is immunogenic when administered in different adjuvant formulations, and indicate that this region of the AMA-1 protein should continue to be evaluated as part of a subunit vaccine against vivax malaria.
Gentil
Fernanda
F
Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Bargieri
Daniel Y
DY
Leite
Juliana A
JA
Françoso
Kátia S
KS
Patricio
Mariana B M
MB
Espíndola
Noeli M
NM
Vaz
Adelaide J
AJ
Palatnik-de-Sousa
Clarisa B
CB
Rodrigues
Mauricio M
MM
Costa
Fabio T M
FT
Soares
Irene S
IS
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000276:immunology; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit / Q000276:immunology
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit; C090077:apical membrane antigen I, Plasmodium