title: Induction of protective immunity against Chlamydia muridarum intravaginal infection with the chlamydial immunodominant antigen macrophage infectivity potentiator.
abstract: We previously reported that 5 Chlamydia muridarum antigens reacted with antisera from >90% mice urogenitally infected with C. muridarum and they are TC0660 (ABC transporter or ArtJ), TC0727 (outer membrane complex protein B or OmcB), TC0828 (macrophage infectivity potentiator or MIP), TC0726 (inclusion membrane protein or Inc) & TC0268 (hypothetical protein or HP). The orthologs of these antigens in Chlamydia trachomatis were also highly reactive with antisera from women urogenitally infected with C. trachomatis. In the current study, we evaluated these C. muridarum antigens for their ability to induce protection against a C. muridarum intravaginal challenge infection in mice. We found that only MIP induced the most pronounced protection against C. muridarum infection. The protection correlated well with robust C. muridarum MIP-specific antibody and Th1-dominant T cell responses. The MIP-immunized mice displayed significantly reduced live organism shedding from the lower genital tract and highly attenuated inflammatory pathologies in the upper genital tissues. These results demonstrate that MIP, an immunodominant antigen identified by both human and mouse antisera, may be considered a component of a multi-subunit chlamydial vaccine for inducing protective immunity.
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South China, 28 West Changsheng Rd., Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
authors: Chunxue
authors: C
authors: Lu
authors: Bo
authors: B
authors: Peng
authors: Zhihong
authors: Z
authors: Li
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Lei
authors: Zhongyu
authors: Z
authors: Li
authors: Lili
authors: L
authors: Chen
authors: Qingzhi
authors: Q
authors: He
authors: Guangming
authors: G
authors: Zhong
authors: Yimou
authors: Y
authors: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D057138:Bacterial Shedding; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D023502:Chlamydia muridarum / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D060737:Reproductive Tract Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes