ASCVac-1, a Multi-Peptide Chimeric Vaccine, Protects Mice Against Ascaris suum Infection

Control of human ascariasis, the most prevalent neglected tropical disease globally affecting 450 million people, mostly relies on mass drug administration of anthelmintics. However, chemotherapy alone is not efficient due to the high re-infection rate for people who live in the endemic area. The development of a vaccine that reduces the intensity of infection and maintains lower morbidity should be the primary target for infection control. Previously, our group demonstrated that immunization with crude Ascaris antigens in mice induced an IgG-mediated protective response with significant worm reduction. Here, we aimed to develop a multipeptide chimera vaccine based on conserved B-cell epitopes predicted from 17 common helminth proteomes using a bioinformatics algorithm. More than 480 B-cell epitopes were identified that are conserved in all 17 helminths. The Ascaris-specific epitopes were selected based on their reactivity to the pooled sera of mice immunized with Ascaris crude antigens or infected three times with A. suum infective eggs. The top 35 peptides with the strongest reactivity to Ascaris immune serum were selected to construct a chimeric antigen connected in sequence based on conformation. This chimera, called ASCVac-1, was produced as a soluble recombinant protein in an Escherichia coli expression system and, formulated with MPLA, was used to immunize mice. Mice immunized with ASCVac-1/MPLA showed around 50% reduced larvae production in the lungs after being challenged with A. suum infective eggs, along with significantly reduced inflammation and lung tissue/function damage. The reduced parasite count and pathology in infected lungs were associated with strong Th2 immune responses characterized by the high titers of antigen-specific IgG and its subclasses (IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG3) in the sera and significantly increased IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 levels in lung tissues. The reduced IL-33 titers and stimulated eosinophils were also observed in lung tissues and may also contribute to the ASCVac-1-induced protection. Taken together, the preclinical trial with ASCVac-1 chimera in a mouse model demonstrated its significant vaccine efficacy associated with strong IgG-based Th2 responses, without IgE induction, thus reducing the risk of an allergic response. All results suggest that the multiepitope-based ASCVac-1 chimera is a promising vaccine candidate against Ascaris sp. infections.

Soluble Expression and Purification of Q59L Mutant L-asparaginase in the Presence of Chaperones in SHuffle™ T7 strain

Background and Aims: Q59L mutant of L-asparaginase enzyme from Escherichia coli (E. coli) has been introduced with lower side effects. This version of the enzyme might have potential applications in the treatment of leukemia patients. We utilized SHuffle T7 strain of E. coli, to produce the mutant enzyme in the presence of chaperone molecules. Materials and Methods: Q59LAsp gene was cloned into pET28a expression vector, and two strains of E. coli (BL21 DE3 and SHuffle T7 strains) were used to produce recombinant protein. In parallel, PG-Tf2 plasmid was cloned into the same strains, and the effect of trigger factor chaperone and groELS chaperonines was studied. The his-tagged recombinant protein was expressed and purified using nickel affinity chromatography. The amount of recombinant protein which is produced in each condition was determined and compared. Results: The amount of soluble recombinant protein was enhanced in the presence of chaperones in both strains of E. coli. SHuffle T7 strain produced more soluble recombinant protein in the soluble state than BL21 DE3 strain. So the best condition for the production of soluble recombinant Q59L mutant protein was the use of PG-Tf2 plasmid in the SHuffle T7 strain. Conclusion: Application of the new strain SHuffle T7, with chaperones simultaneously showed better results in the production of Q59L mutant version of L-Asparaginase.

Efficient Expression of Soluble Recombinant Protein Fused with Core-Streptavidin in Bacterial Strain with T7 Expression System

The limited amount of fusion protein transported into cytosol milieu has made it challenging to obtain a sufficient amount for further applications. To avoid the laborious and expensive task, T7 promoter-driving pET-30a(+) coding for chimeric gene of thymidine phosphorylase and core streptavidin as a model system was constructed and transformed into a variety of E. coli strains with T7 expression system. Our results demonstrated that the pET-30a(+)-TP-coreSA/Lemo21(DE3) system is able to provide efficient expression of soluble TP-coreSA fusion protein for purification. Moreover, the eluted TP-coreSA fusion protein tethered on biotinylated A549 carcinoma cells could effectively eliminate these malignant cells after administrating prodrug 5′-DFUR.

The Goldilocks Approach: A Review of Employing Design of Experiments in Prokaryotic Recombinant Protein Production

The production of high yields of soluble recombinant protein is one of the main objectives of protein biotechnology. Several factors, such as expression system, vector, host, media composition and induction conditions can influence recombinant protein yield. Identifying the most important factors for optimum protein expression may involve significant investment of time and considerable cost. To address this problem, statistical models such as Design of Experiments (DoE) have been used to optimise recombinant protein production. This review examines the application of DoE in the production of recombinant proteins in prokaryotic expression systems with specific emphasis on media composition and culture conditions. The review examines the most commonly used DoE screening and optimisation designs. It provides examples of DoE applied to optimisation of media and culture conditions.

Novel intersubunit active site of arcchaeal N,N′-diacetylchitobiose deacetylase

N,N′-diacetylchitobiose deacetylase (Dac) is involved in the archaea-specific chitinolytic pathway. In order to develop a structure-based understanding of the chitinolytic pathway in hyperthermophilic Pyrococcus species, we performed crystallographic studies on Dacs from P. horikoshii (Ph-Dac) and P. furiosus (Pf-Dac). Neither Ph-Dac nor Pf-Dac was expressed in the soluble fraction of Escherichia coli harboring the expression plasmid. However, insertion of the target genes into the chromosome of E. coli yielded the soluble recombinant protein. The purified Pyrococcus Dacs were thermostable up to 950C. The crystal structures of Ph-Dac and Pf-Dac were determined at resolutions of 2.0 Å and 1.54 Å, respectively. The Pyrococcus Dac forms a hexamer comprised of two trimers. These Dacs are characterized by an intermolecular cleft, which is formed by two polypeptides in the trimeric assembly. In Ph-Dac, catalytic zinc situated at the end of the cleft is coordinated by three side chain ligands from His44, Asp47, and His155, and by a phosphate ion derived from the crystallization reservoir solution. We considered that the bound phosphate mimicked the tetrahedral oxyanion, which is an intermediate of hydrolysis of the N-acetyl group, and proposed an appropriate reaction mechanism. In the proposed mechanism, the Nε atom of His264 (from the adjacent polypeptide in the Ph-Dac sequence) is directly involved in the stabilization of the oxyanion intermediate. These factors give the archaeal Dacs unprecedented active site architecture as a zinc-dependent deacetylase.

Production and immunological characterization of a recombinant subunit of aLoa loapolyprotein antigen

SUMMARYDiagnosis of loiasis and analysis of the specific immune response are limited by a paucity of parasite material. To circumvent this problem, aLoa loaantigen has been expressed in a prokaryote vector (pTrcHis). Immunization of Balb/c mice with this soluble recombinant protein produced a strong antibody response, with antibodies recognizing 2 major bands of 38 and 20 kDa in a native crude extract ofLoa loaadult worms and microfilariae on Western blots. The target molecule was located mainly in the hypodermis and cuticle of the adult worm. Analysis of human IgG subclasses against this antigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3 but not IgG4 reactivity. IgG2 against this recombinant antigen was 100% specific for loiasis when tested against samples from European donor individuals. The same IgG2 antibodies showed 91% specificity for loiasis by comparison withWuchereria bancrofti,Onchocerca volvulus,Mansonnella perstansand other helminth infections. Furthermore, the IgG2 antibody level correlated with the density ofLoa loamicrofilariae (r=0·400;P=0·02). This recombinant 15r3 molecule and specific IgG2 assay may be useful for monitoring control programmes.