title: Immunogenicity of a fusion protein containing immunodominant epitopes of Ag85C, MPT51, and HspX from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in mice and active TB infection.
abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem. The only vaccine against tuberculosis, attenuated Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), has demonstrated relatively low efficacy and does not provide satisfactory protection against the disease in adults. More effective vaccines and better therapies are urgently needed to reduce the global spread of TB. This study evaluated the immunogenicity of a recombinant M. tuberculosis Ag85C-MPT51-HspX fusion protein (CMX) in mice and individuals with active tuberculosis. BALB/c mice were immunized with the CMX protein liposome-encapsulated with CpG DNA or with CpGDNA liposome-encapsulated, liposome or saline as negative controls. The immunization produced high levels of anti-CMX -specific IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies and induced an increase in the relative and absolute numbers of specific TCD4 IFN-γ(+) and TNF-α(+) cells in the spleen. Sera from a cohort of individuals with active tuberculosis contained higher levels of IgG and IgM that recognized CMX when compared to healthy individuals. In conclusion, this protein was shown to be immunogenic both in mice and humans.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo Martins
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: de Sousa
authors.forename: Adeliane Castro
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.forename: Monalisa Martins
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Trentini
authors.forename: João Alves
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: de Araújo Filho
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kipnis
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Junqueira-Kipnis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000378:metabolism; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C118127:HspX protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; C082911:MPT51 protein, Mycobacterium; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C461641:antigen 85C1, Mycobacterium tuberculosis