Cellular immune responses induced in vitro by Ehrlichia ruminantium secreted proteins and identification of vaccine candidate peptides

Secreted proteins are reported to induce cell-mediated immunity characterised by the production of interferon-gamma (IFN)-γ. In this study three open reading frames (ORFs) (Erum8060, Erum7760, Erum5000) encoding secreted proteins were selected from the Ehrlichia ruminantium (Welgevonden) genome sequence using bioinformatics tools to determine whether they induce a cellular immune response in vitro with mononuclear cells from needle and tick infected animals. The whole recombinant protein of the three ORFs as well as four adjacent fragments of the Erum5000 protein (Erum5000A, Erum5000B, Erum5000C, Erum5000D) were successfully expressed in a bacterial expression system which was confirmed by immunoblots using anti-His antibodies and sheep sera. These recombinant proteins were assayed with immune sheep and cattle peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), spleen and lymph node (LN) cells to determine whether they induce recall cellular immune responses in vitro. Significant proliferative responses and IFN-γ production were evident for all recombinant proteins, especially Erum5000A, in both ruminant species tested. Thus overlapping peptides spanning Erum5000A were synthesised and peptides that induce proliferation of memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and production of IFN-γ were identified. These results illustrate that a Th1 type immune response was elicited and these recombinant proteins and peptides may therefore be promising candidates for development of a heartwater vaccine.

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Eucommia ulmoides Leaf Polysaccharide in Conjugation with Ovalbumin Act as Delivery System Can Improve Immune Response

Pharmaceutics ◽

10.3390/pharmaceutics13091384 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 1384

Author(s):

Haibo Feng ◽

Jie Yang ◽

Hui Zhi ◽

Xin Hu ◽

Yan Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Delivery System ◽

Physicochemical Characteristics ◽

Cellular Immune Responses ◽

Ethylcarbodiimide Hydrochloride ◽

Ifn Γ ◽

Cellular Immune

In this investigation, to maximize the desired immunoenhancement effects of PsEUL and stimulate an efficient humoral and cellular immune response against an antigen, PsEUL and the model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) were coupled using the N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) reaction to yield a novel delivery system (PsEUL-OVA). The physicochemical characteristics and immune regulation effects of this new system were investigated. We found the yield of this EDC method to be 46.25%. In vitro, PsEUL-OVA (200 μg mL−1) could enhance macrophage proliferation and increase their phagocytic efficiency. In vivo, PsEUL-OVA could significantly increase the levels of OVA-specific antibody (IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b) titers and cytokine (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IFN-γ) levels. Additionally, it could activate T lymphocytes and facilitate the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). These findings collectively suggested that PsEUL-OVA induced humoral and cellular immune responses by promoting the phagocytic activity of macrophages and DCs. Taken together, these results revealed that PsEUL-OVA had the potential to improve immune responses and provide a promising theoretical basis for the design of a novel delivery system.

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Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses to Trypanosoma cruzi-Derived Paraflagellar Rod Proteins in Patients with Chagas' Disease

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.71.6.3165-3171.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 71 (6) ◽

pp. 3165-3171 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Vladimir Michailowsky ◽

Keith Luhrs ◽

Manoel Otávio C. Rocha ◽

David Fouts ◽

Ricardo T. Gazzinelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Chagas Disease ◽

Mononuclear Cells ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Cellular Responses ◽

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽

Cellular Immune Responses ◽

Ifn Γ ◽

Cellular Immune

ABSTRACT Sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients displaying different clinical symptoms as well as from normal uninfected individuals (NI) were used to evaluate the humoral and cellular responses of Chagas' disease patients to Trypanosoma cruzi-derived paraflagellar rod proteins (PFR). Our results show that sera from both asymptomatic Chagas' disease patients (ACP) and cardiac Chagas' disease patients (CCP) have higher levels of antibodies to PFR than sera from NI. Immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) and IgG3 were the main Ig isotypes that recognized PFR. We also tested three recombinant forms of PFR, named rPAR-1, rPAR-2, and rPAR-3, by Western blot analysis. Sera from seven out of eight patients with Chagas' disease recognized one of the three rPAR forms. Sera from 75, 50, and 37.5% of Chagas' disease patients tested recognized rPAR-3, rPAR-2, and rPAR-1, respectively. PFR induced proliferation of 100 and 70% of PBMC from ACP and CCP, respectively. Further, stimulation of cells from Chagas' disease patients with PFR enhanced the frequencies of both small and large CD4+ CD25+ and CD4+ CD69+ lymphocytes, as well as that of small CD8+ CD25+ lymphocytes. Finally, we evaluated the ability of PFR to elicit the production of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) by PBMC from patients with Chagas' disease. Fifty percent of the PBMC from ACP as well as CCP produced IFN-γ upon stimulation with PFR. PFR enhanced the percentages of IFN-γ-producing cells in both CD3+ and CD3− populations. Within the T-cell population, large CD4+ T lymphocytes were the main source of IFN-γ.

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Molecular and Immunological Significance of Chimpanzee Major Histocompatibility Complex Haplotypes for Hepatitis C Virus Immune Response and Vaccination Studies

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.76.12.6093-6103.2002 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 76 (12) ◽

pp. 6093-6103 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Eishiro Mizukoshi ◽

Michelina Nascimbeni ◽

Joshua B. Blaustein ◽

Kathleen Mihalik ◽

Charles M. Rice ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

T Cells ◽

Major Histocompatibility Complex ◽

Hepatitis C ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Cellular Immune Responses ◽

Functional Homology ◽

Histocompatibility Complex ◽

Ifn Γ ◽

Cellular Immune

ABSTRACT The chimpanzee is a critical animal model for studying cellular immune responses to infectious pathogens such as hepatitis B and C viruses, human immunodeficiency virus, and malaria. Several candidate vaccines and immunotherapies for these infections aim at the induction or enhancement of cellular immune responses against viral epitopes presented by common human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alleles. To identify and characterize chimpanzee MHC class I molecules that are functionally related to human alleles, we sequenced 18 different Pan troglodytes (Patr) alleles of 14 chimpanzees, 2 of them previously unknown and 3 with only partially reported sequences. Comparative analysis of Patr binding pockets and binding assays with biotinylated peptides demonstrated a molecular homology between the binding grooves of individual Patr alleles and the common human alleles HLA-A1, -A2, -A3, and -B7. Using cytotoxic T cells isolated from the blood of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected chimpanzees, we then mapped the Patr restriction of these HCV peptides and demonstrated functional homology between the Patr-HLA orthologues in cytotoxicity and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) release assays. Based on these results, 21 HCV epitopes were selected to characterize the chimpanzees' cellular immune response to HCV. In each case, IFN-γ-producing T cells were detectable in the blood after but not prior to HCV infection and were specifically targeted against those HCV peptides predicted by Patr-HLA homology. This study demonstrates a close functional homology between individual Patr and HLA alleles and shows that HCV infection generates HCV peptides that are recognized by both chimpanzees and humans with Patr and HLA orthologues. These results are relevant for the design and evaluation of vaccines in chimpanzees that can now be selected according to the most frequent human MHC haplotypes.

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Increased Immune Response Elicited by DNA Vaccination with a Synthetic gp120 Sequence with Optimized Codon Usage

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.72.2.1497-1503.1998 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 72 (2) ◽

pp. 1497-1503 ◽

Cited By ~ 239

Author(s):

Stefanie André ◽

Brian Seed ◽

Josef Eberle ◽

Winfried Schraut ◽

Andreas Bültmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Codon Usage ◽

Dna Vaccination ◽

Wild Type ◽

Cellular Immune Responses ◽

Gp120 Sequence ◽

Parasitic Pathogens ◽

Cellular Immune

ABSTRACT DNA vaccination elicits humoral and cellular immune responses and has been shown to confer protection against several viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens. Here we report that optimized codon usage of an injected DNA sequence considerably increases both humoral and cellular immune responses. We recently generated a synthetic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp120 sequence in which most wild-type codons were replaced with codons from highly expressed human genes (syngp120). In vitro expression of syngp120 is considerably increased in comparison to that of the respective wild-type sequence. In BALB/c mice, DNA immunization with syngp120 resulted in significantly increased antibody titers and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte reactivity, suggesting a direct correlation between expression levels and the immune response. Moreover, syngp120 is characterized byrev-independent expression and a low risk of recombination with viral sequences. Thus, synthetic genes with optimized codon usage represent a novel strategy to increase the efficacy and safety of DNA vaccination.

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Priming of Human Papillomavirus Type 11-Specific Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses in College-Aged Women with a Virus-Like Particle Vaccine

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.76.15.7832-7842.2002 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 76 (15) ◽

pp. 7832-7842 ◽

Cited By ~ 67

Author(s):

Rebecca T. Emeny ◽

Cosette M. Wheeler ◽

Kathrin U. Jansen ◽

William C. Hunt ◽

Tong-Ming Fu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Papillomavirus ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Antibody Titer ◽

Mononuclear Cells ◽

Geometric Mean ◽

Interleukin 2 ◽

Cellular Immune Responses ◽

Virus Like Particle ◽

Ifn Γ ◽

Cellular Immune

ABSTRACT In this study, we evaluated the potency of a human papillomavirus (HPV) virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccine at generating HPV type 11 (HPV-11)-specific cellular and humoral immune responses in seronegative women. The vaccine was administered by intramuscular immunizations at months 0, 2, and 6. A fourth immunization was administered to approximately half of the women at month 12. All vaccine recipients had positive HPV-11 VLP-specific lymphoproliferative responses at month 3 following the second immunization (geometric mean lymphoproliferative stimulation index [SI] = 28.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 16.9 to 48.0) and HPV-11 VLP-specific antibody titers following the first immunization at month 1 (geometric mean antibody titer = 53.9 milli-Merck units/ml, 95% CI, 34.8 to 83.7). In contrast, lymphoproliferative and antibody titer responses were never detected in the participants who received placebo. Relatively homogeneous lymphoproliferative responses were observed in all vaccinated women. The mean lymphoproliferative SI of the vaccinated group over the first 12 months of the study was 7.6-fold greater than that of the placebo group following the initial immunization. The cellular immune responses generated by VLP immunization were both Th1 and Th2, since peripheral blood mononuclear cells from vaccinees, but not placebo recipients, secreted interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-5, and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) in response to in vitro stimulation with HPV-11 VLP. The proliferation-based SI was moderately correlated with IFN-γ production and significantly correlated with IL-2 production after the third immunization (P = 0.078 and 0.002, respectively). The robust lymphoproliferative responses were specific for HPV-11, since SIs generated against bovine papillomavirus and HPV-16 VLPs were not generally observed and when detected were similar pre- and postimmunization.

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Characterization of Human Cellular Immune Responses to Novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antigens Encoded by Genomic Regions Absent in Mycobacterium bovis BCG

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00199-08 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 76 (9) ◽

pp. 4190-4198 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

R. Al-Attiyah ◽

A. S. Mustafa

Keyword(s):

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Mycobacterium Bovis ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Mononuclear Cells ◽

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽

Necrosis Factor Alpha ◽

Cellular Immune Responses ◽

Ifn Γ ◽

Cellular Immune

ABSTRACT Comparative genomics has identified several regions of differences (RDs) between the infectious Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the vaccine strains of Mycobacterium bovis BCG. We aimed to evaluate the cellular immune responses induced by antigens encoded by genes predicted in 11 RDs. Synthetic peptides covering the sequences of RD1, RD4 to RD7, RD9 to RD13, and RD15 were tested for antigen-induced proliferation and secretion of Th1 cytokine, gamma interferon (IFN-γ), by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from culture-proven pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients and M. bovis BCG-vaccinated healthy subjects. Among the peptide pools, RD1 induced the best responses in both donor groups and in both assays. In addition, testing of TB patients' PBMC for secretion of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], interleukin 6 [IL-6], IL-8, and IL-1β), Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2, and TNF-β), and Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10) showed differential effects of RD peptides in the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-10, with high IFN-γ/IL-10 ratios (32 to 5.0) in response to RD1, RD5, RD7, RD9, and RD10 and low IFN-γ/IL-10 ratios (<1.0) in response to RD12, RD13, and RD15. Peptide-mixing experiments with PBMC from healthy subjects showed that secretion of large quantities of IL-10 in response to RD12 and RD13 correlated with inhibition of Th1 responses induced by RD1 peptides. In conclusion, our results suggest that M. tuberculosis RDs can be divided into two major groups—one group that activates PBMC to preferentially secrete IFN-γ and another group that activates preferential secretion of IL-10—and that these two groups of RDs may have roles in protection against and pathogenesis of TB, respectively.

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Maternal and Foetal Cellular Immune Responses in Dams Infected With High- and Low- Virulence Isolates of Neospora caninum at Mid-Gestation

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fcimb.2021.684670 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Marta García-Sánchez ◽

Laura Jiménez-Pelayo ◽

Patricia Vázquez ◽

Pilar Horcajo ◽

Javier Regidor-Cerrillo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Cd8 T Cells ◽

Mononuclear Cells ◽

Neospora Caninum ◽

Response Dynamics ◽

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽

Cellular Immune Responses ◽

Ifn Γ ◽

Cellular Immune

Bovine neosporosis is currently considered one of the main causes of abortion in cattle worldwide and the outcome of the infection is, in part, determined by Neospora caninum isolate virulence. However, the dam and foetal immune responses associated with this factor are largely unknown. We used a model of bovine infection at day 110 of gestation to study the early infection dynamics (10- and 20-days post-infection, dpi) after experimental challenge with high- and low-virulence isolates of N. caninum (Nc-Spain7 and Nc-Spain1H, respectively). In the present work, dam peripheral cellular immune responses were monitored twice a week from -1 to 20 dpi. At different time points, IFN-γ and IL-4 production was investigated in stimulated dam blood and the percentage of monocytes, NK cells, B cells and T cells (CD4+, CD8+ and γδ) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were determined by flow cytometry. In addition, maternal iliofemoral lymph nodes and foetal spleen and thymus were collected at 10 and 20 dpi for the study of the same cell subpopulations. Peripheral immune response dynamics were similar after the infection with both isolates, with a significant increase in the percentage of CD4+ T cells at 6 and 9 dpi in PBMC, coincident with the higher levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 release. However, the levels of IFN-γ were significantly higher and an increase in CD8+ T cells at 9, 13 and 20 dpi was observed in the dams infected with Nc-Spain7. Nc-Spain1H infection induced higher IL4 levels in stimulated blood and a higher CD4+/CD8+ ratio in PBMC. The analysis of the maternal iliofemoral lymph node showed a significant enhancement in the percentage of NK, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells for the animals infected with the highly virulent isolate and euthanized at 20 dpi. Regarding the foetal responses, the most remarkable result was an increase in the percentage of monocytes at 20 dpi in the spleen of foetuses from both infected groups, which suggests that foetuses were able to respond to N. caninum infection at mid gestation. This work provides insights into how isolate virulence affects the maternal and foetal immune responses generated against N. caninum, which may influence the course of infection.

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A Pathogen Mimetic Molecule Induces Highly Amplified Synergistic Immune Activation to Vaccination via Activation of Multiple Signaling Pathways

10.26434/chemrxiv.13105316.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

naorem nihesh ◽

Saikat Manna ◽

Bradley Studnitzer ◽

Jingjing Shen ◽

Aaron Esser-Kahn

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Nlrp3 Inflammasome ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Cellular Immune Responses ◽

Cellular Immune ◽

Multiple Signaling ◽

Stimulation Pattern

We developed a small-molecule trimeric PRR agonist-based adjuvant inspired by the stimulation pattern of a pathogen. This molecule generated by covalently linking TLR2/6 agonist, NOD2 agonist, and NLRP3 inflammasome activator, stimulates multiple subfamilies of PRRs in a spatially defined manner resulting in an amplified innate immune response in vitro. Moreover, it elicits both stronger humoral and cellular immune responses in vivo.

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