title: A vaccine combining two Leishmania braziliensis proteins offers heterologous protection against Leishmania infantum infection.
abstract: In the present study, two Leishmania braziliensis proteins, one hypothetical and the eukaryotic initiation factor 5a (EiF5a), were cloned and used as a polyproteins vaccine for the heterologous protection of BALB/c mice against infantum infection. Animals were immunized with the antigens separately or in association, and in both cases saponin was used as an adjuvant. In the results, spleen cells from mice inoculated with the individual or polyproteins vaccine and lately challenged produced significantly higher levels of protein- and parasite-specific IFN-γ, IL-12, and GM-CSF, when both a capture ELISA and flow cytometry assays were performed. Evaluating the parasite load by a limiting dilution as well as by RT-PCR, these animals presented significant reductions in the parasite number in all evaluated organs, when compared to the control (saline and saponin) groups. The best protection was reached when the polyproteins vaccine was employed. Protection was associated with the IFN-γ production against parasite extracts, which was mediated by both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells and correlated with the antileishmanial nitrite production. In this context, this vaccine combining two L. braziliensis proteins was able to induce a heterologous protection against VL, and could be considered in future studies to be tested against other Leishmania species or in other mammalian hosts.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariana C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniela P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Lage
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vívian T
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lourena E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Letícia M R
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lage
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Maria R S
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ludolf
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thaís T O
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruno M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Roatt
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Menezes-Souza
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos A P
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: eduardoferrazcoelho@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Eduardo A F
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Coelho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007892:Leishmania braziliensis / Q000276:immunology; D018314:Leishmania infantum; D054332:Leishmaniasis Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D054332:Leishmaniasis Vaccines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
keywords: Eukaryotic initiation factor 5a; Heterologous protection; Hypothetical proteins; Th1 immune response; Vaccine; Visceral leishmaniasis