title: Production of recombinant botulism antigens: a review of expression systems.
abstract: Botulism is a paralytic disease caused by intoxication with neurotoxins produced by Clostridium botulinum. Despite their similar mechanism of action, the botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) are classified in eight serotypes (A to H). As to veterinary medicine, the impact of this disease is essentially economic, since different species of production animals can be affected, especially by BoNT/C and D. In human health, botulism is feared in a possible biological warfare, what would involve mainly the BoNT/A, B, E and F. In both cases, the most effective way to deal with botulism is through prevention, which involves vaccination. However, the current vaccines against this disease have several drawbacks on their process of production and, besides this, can be dangerous to producers since it requires certain level of biosafety. This way, recombinant vaccines have been shown to be a great alternative for the development of vaccines against both animal and human botulism. All BoNTs have a 50-kDa light chain (LC) and a 100-kDa heavy chain (HC). The latter one presents two domains of 50 kDa, called the N-terminal (HN) and C-terminal (HC) halves. Among these regions, the HC alone seem to confer the proper immune response against intoxication. Since innumerous studies describe the expression of these distinct regions using different systems, strategies, and protocols, it is difficult to define the best option for a viable vaccine production. Thereby, the present review describes the problematic of botulism and discusses the main advances for the viable production of vaccines for both human and veterinary medicine using recombinant antigens.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico e Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas CP 354, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: moreira.gmsg@gmail.com.
authors.forename: G M S G
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico e Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas CP 354, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: cpouey@gmail.com.
authors.forename: C E P
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.affiliation: Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CEP 30123-970, Belo Horizonte CP 567, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: felipemasiero@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Salvarani
authors.affiliation: Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CEP 30123-970, Belo Horizonte CP 567, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: luaramuni@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CEP 30123-970, Belo Horizonte CP 567, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: prisadana.ufmg@gmail.com.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.affiliation: Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico e Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas CP 354, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: fabricio.rochedo@ufpel.edu.br.
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Conceição
authors.affiliation: Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CEP 30123-970, Belo Horizonte CP 567, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: flobato@vet.ufmg.br.
authors.forename: F C F
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Lobato
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001905:Botulinum Toxins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001906:Botulism / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary; D003014:Clostridium botulinum / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D001905:Botulinum Toxins
keywords: Botulinum neurotoxin; Clostridium botulinum; Escherichia coli; Pichia pastoris; Recombinant toxins