α-galactosylceramide-reactive NKT cells increase IgG1 class switch against a
C. difficile
polysaccharide antigen and enhance immunity against a live pathogen challenge
All clinical Clostridioides difficile strains identified to date express a surface capsule-like polysaccharide structure known as polysaccharide II (PSII). The PSII antigen is immunogenic and when conjugated to a protein carrier induces a protective antibody response in animal models. Given that CD1d-restricted Natural Killer T (NKT) cells promote antibody responses, including those against carbohydrates, we tested the hypothesis that immunization with PSII and a CD1d-binding glycolipid adjuvant could lead to enhanced protection against a live C. difficile challenge. We purified PSII from a clinical isolate of C. difficile and immunized B6 mice with PSII alone or PSII plus the CD1d-binding glycolipid α-galactosylceramide (α-GC). PSII-specific IgM and IgG titers were evident in sera from immunized mice. The inclusion of α-GC had a modest influence on isotype switch but increasing the ratio of IgG1/IgG2c. Enhanced protection against C. difficile disease was achieved by inclusion of the α-GC ligand and was associated with reduced bacterial numbers in fecal pellets. In contrast, NKT-deficient Traj18 -/- mice were not protected by the PSII/α-GC immunization modality. Absence of NKT cells similarly had a modest effect on isotype switch but ratios of IgG1/IgG2c decreased. These results indicate that α-GC-driven NKT cells move the humoral immune response against C. difficile PSII antigen towards Th2-driven IgG1 and may contribute to augmented protection. This study suggests that NKT activation represents a pathway for additional B cell help that could be used to supplement existing efforts to develop vaccines against polysaccharides derived from C. difficile and other pathogens.