title: Immunization with dendritic cells pulsed ex vivo with recombinant chlamydial protease-like activity factor induces protective immunity against genital chlamydiamuridarum challenge.
abstract: We have shown that immunization with soluble recombinant chlamydial protease-like activity factor (rCPAF) and a T helper 1 type adjuvant can induce significantly enhanced bacterial clearance and protection against Chlamydia-induced pathological sequelae in the genital tract. In this study, we investigated the use of bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) pulsed ex vivo with rCPAF + CpG in an adoptive subcutaneous immunization for the ability to induce protective immunity against genital chlamydial infection. We found that BMDCs pulsed with rCPAF + CpG efficiently up-regulated the expression of activation markers CD86, CD80, CD40, and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II), and secreted interleukin-12, but not IL-10 and IL-4. Mice adoptively immunized with rCPAF + CpG-pulsed BMDCs or UV-EB + CpG-pulsed BMDCs produced elevated levels of antigen-specific IFN-γ and enhanced IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies. Moreover, mice immunized with rCPAF + CpG-pulsed BMDCs or UV-EB + CpG-pulsed BMDCs exhibited significantly reduced genital Chlamydia shedding, accelerated resolution of infection, and reduced oviduct pathology when compared to infected mock-immunized animals. These results suggest that adoptive subcutaneous immunization with ex vivo rCPAF-pulsed BMDCs is an effective approach, comparable to that induced by UV-EB-BMDCs, for inducing robust anti-Chlamydia immunity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Weidang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ashlesh K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Murthy
authors.forename: B K R
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Chaganty
authors.forename: M Neal
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Guentzel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seshu
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Bernard P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Arulanandam