title: A Multiple Antigenic Peptide Mimicking Peptidoglycan Induced T Cell Responses to Protect Mice from Systemic Infection with Staphylococcus aureus.
abstract: Due to the enormous capacity of Staphylococcus aureus to acquire antibiotic resistance, it becomes imperative to develop vaccines for decreasing the risk of its life-threatening infections. Peptidoglycan (PGN) is a conserved and major component of S. aureus cell wall. However, it has not been used as a vaccine candidate since it is a thymus-independent antigen. In this study, we synthesized a multiple antigenic peptide, named MAP27, which comprised four copies of a peptide that mimics the epitope of PGN. After immunization with MAP27 five times and boosting with heat-inactivated bacterium one time, anti-MAP27 serum bound directly to S. aureus or PGN. Immunization with MAP27 decreased the bacterial burden in organs of BALB/c mice and significantly prolonged their survival time after S. aureus lethal-challenge. The percentage of IFN-γ(+)CD3(+) T cells and IL-17(+)CD4(+) T cells in spleen, as well as the levels of IFN-γ, IL-17A/F and CCL3 in spleen and lung, significantly increased in the MAP27-immunized mice after infection. Moreover, in vitro incubation of heat-inactivated S. aureus with splenocytes isolated from MAP27-immunized mice stimulated the production of IFN-γ and IL-17A/F. Our findings demonstrated that MAP27, as a thymus-dependent antigen, is efficient at eliciting T cell-mediated responses to protect mice from S. aureus infection. This study sheds light on a possible strategy to design vaccines against S. aureus.
authors: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors: Xiang-Yu
authors: XY
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors: Zhao-Xia
authors: ZX
authors: Huang
authors: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors: Yi-Guo
authors: YG
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors: Xiao
authors: X
authors: Lu
authors: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors: Ping
authors: P
authors: Zhu
authors: Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Division of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors: Kun
authors: K
authors: Wen
authors: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China; Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Division of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors: Ning
authors: N
authors: Fu
authors: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors: Bei-Yi
authors: BY
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000276:immunology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D020381:Interleukin-17; C000607806:MAP27 peptide; D010455:Peptides; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D007371:Interferon-gamma