title: Improved immunogenicity of recombinant Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin strains expressing fusion protein Ag85A-ESAT-6 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
abstract: Early secretory antigen target 6 (ESAT-6) is a dominant target for cell-mediated immunity in the early phase of tuberculosis (TB) in patients with TB, causing T-cell proliferation and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production, which has been considered to be a protective antigen that can be used for future vaccine development. Ag85A is the most essential component for bacterial survival within macrophages and has been used in numerous vaccine preparations, which can induce strong cellular immune responses. In this study, we constructed a new recombinant bacilli Calmette-Guérin (BCG) strain (rBCG-AE) that could express fusion protein Ag85A-ESAT-6 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and evaluated its immunogenicity in BALB/c mice. There was no evidence for increased virulence of this rBCG. Our experiments illustrated that the rBCG-AE was able to induce higher titer of antibody and elicit more long-lasting and stronger Th1 type cellular immune responses than the parental BCG strain, or rBCG-A (expressing Ag85A) strain, or rBCG-E (expressing ESAT-6) strain, which are characterized by the strong antibody response, the proliferation rate of splenocytes, the ratio of CD4(+) T and CD8(+) T cells stimulated by tuberculin-purified protein derivative and elevated levels of IFN-γ in antigen-stimulated splenocyte cultures. The results show that rBCG-AE is an improved TB vaccine for further study.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, West China Center of Medical sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: X L
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bao
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C093276:ESAT-6 protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D000217:Acyltransferases; C112580:antigen 85A, Mycobacterium tuberculosis