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Wang S, Yang Y, Yue X, Liu Z, Yuan F, Yang K, Zhu J, Liu W, Tian Y, Wu Q, Gao T, Li C, Song H, Zhou D, Bei W. Preparation and Evaluation of Novel Epitope-Based ETEC K88-K99 Bivalent Vaccine. Vet Sci 2025; 12:381. [PMID: 40284883 PMCID: PMC12030781 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci12040381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2025] [Revised: 04/14/2025] [Accepted: 04/16/2025] [Indexed: 04/29/2025] Open
Abstract
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is one of the primary pathogens causing diarrhea in piglets, causing significant economic losses in the swine farming industry. Due to the numerous serotypes of ETEC, traditional vaccines fail to provide sufficient cross-protection, and subunit vaccines based on epitope design have emerged as a safer and more effective approach for prevention and control. Unlike vaccine development strategies that involve the tandem arrangement of multiple antigenic epitopes, this study used the K88-FaeG protein as a backbone and incorporated the antigenic epitopes of K99-FanC to achieve a better immunogenicity. By using bioinformatics software to predict B-cell linear epitopes (score of over 0.6), B-cell epitopes from three-dimensional structures (50% amino acid score of ≥0.2), and B-cell epitope IgG antibody subtypes, as well as docking analysis with Sus scrofa aminopeptidase N (APN) receptors, six antigenic epitopes of K99-FanC were selected. Through Western blotting and competitive ELISA, we confirmed that all six recombinant proteins exhibited binding capabilities to K88- and K99-positive serum. The ELISA results showed that the serum levels of specific IgG and IgA antibodies increased after immunization, with FaeG-Ep3 and FaeG-Ep5 inducing the highest antibody titers against FanC-IgG (Log2 = 14.96) and FaeG-IgG (Log2 = 17.96), respectively. Bacterial adhesion assays revealed that only FaeG-Ep3 effectively blocked the adhesion of both K99 and K88 to IPEC-J2 cells. Immunization challenge experiments showed that, in the unimmunized group, mice infected with K88 and K99 experienced weight loss (p < 0.05) with intestinal villus shedding and intestinal wall structural damage. However, in the FaeG-Ep3-immunized group, no significant weight loss occurred after infection, and the villus protection rate (83%) was the same as that in the FaeG and FanC immunized groups. Overall, the FaeG-Ep3 recombinant protein identified in this study shows potential vaccine application value and provides new insights for developing multivalent vaccines against ETEC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangshuang Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbial Resources Discovery and Utilization, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (S.W.); (X.Y.)
- The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Yuxin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Xinru Yue
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbial Resources Discovery and Utilization, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (S.W.); (X.Y.)
- The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Zewen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Fangyan Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Keli Yang
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Jiajia Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Wei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Yongxiang Tian
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Qiong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Ting Gao
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Chang Li
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Haofei Song
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Danna Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (K.Y.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (Y.T.); (Q.W.); (T.G.); (C.L.); (H.S.)
| | - Weicheng Bei
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbial Resources Discovery and Utilization, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (S.W.); (X.Y.)
- The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
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Mu J, Lei L, Zheng Y, Li D, Li J, Fu Y, Wang G, Liu Y. Comparative study of subcutaneous, intramuscular, and oral administration of bovine pathogenic Escherichia coli bacterial ghost vaccine in mice. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1008131. [DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1008131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli is one of the most common bacterial pathogens in cattle. Prophylactic vaccines are considered promising strategies with the potential to reduce the incidence of colibacillosis. Some studies suggested that bacterial ghosts may serve as a novel approach for preventing bacterial infections. However, the roles of administration route on vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy have not been investigated. In this study, the efficacy of vaccination via different immune routes in generating humoral and cellular immune response was compared through subcutaneous (SC), intramuscular (IM), and oral (O) administration in female BALB/c mice with bacterial ghosts prepared using wild type Escherichia coli isolates CE9, while phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and inactivated vaccines containing aluminum adjuvants (Killed) were used as control. Our results showed that the plasmid pBV220-E-aa-SNA containing E. coli was efficiently cleaved at 42°C with 94.8% positive ratio as assessed by colony counts. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed bacteria retained intact surface structure while devoid of cytoplasmic component. We found that total IgG titers in killed, IM and SC groups showed significant increase on 7, 14, 21 and 28 days post-immunization. The IgA level of the IM group was higher than that of all other groups on the 28th day. Meanwhile, four experimental groups showed a significant difference in IgA levels compared with PBS control. In the IM group, an increase in the relative percentages of CD3+CD4+ T cells was accompanied by an increase in the relative percentages of splenic CD3+CD8+ T cells. In comparison with the inactivated vaccine, intramuscular CE9 ghosts immunization elicited higher levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-12. Subcutaneous and intramuscular immunizations were significantly associated with improved survival in comparison with oral route, traditional vaccine and the control. Pathologic assessment revealed that less severe tissue damage and inflammation were found in lung, kidney, and intestine of IM group compared with other groups. The results above demonstrate that immunization of Escherichia coli CE9 ghosts via intramuscular injection elicits a more robust antigen-specific immune response in mice to prevent the Escherichia coli infection.
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Zhang X, Yu S, Cheng D, Feng Y, Yang Y, Sun H, Ding J, Wang F. An Attenuated Escherichia coli K88ac LT(S63K)Δ STb Efficiently Provides Protection Against Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in the Mouse Model. Front Vet Sci 2021; 7:620255. [PMID: 33644141 PMCID: PMC7907446 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.620255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
To develop an attenuated vaccine candidate against K88ac enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), a novel Escherichia coli (E. coli) K88ac LT(S63K)ΔSTb with LT(S63K) mutation and ST1 deletion was generated using site mutagenesis and λ-Red homologous recombination based on wild paternal ETEC strain C83902. E. coli K88ac LT(S63K)ΔSTb showed very similar fimbriae expression and growth kinetics to the wild strain C83902, but it was significantly attenuated according to the results of a rabbit ligated ileal loop assay and mouse infection study. Oral inoculation with E. coli K88ac LT(S63K)ΔSTb stimulated the mucosa immune response and induced the secretion of IgA to K88ac in the intestines in mice. A challenge experiment revealed that the attenuated strain provided efficient protection against C83902 in the following 7 days and at the 24th day post-inoculation, suggesting that the attenuated isolate could act as an ecological protectant and vaccine in preventing K88ac ETEC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, China
| | - Shupei Yu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, China
| | - Darong Cheng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, China
| | - Yu Feng
- Department of Biologics Detection Technology, China Institute of Veterinary Drugs Control, Beijing, China
| | - Yuefei Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, China
| | - Huaichang Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, China
| | - Jiabo Ding
- Department of Biologics Detection Technology, China Institute of Veterinary Drugs Control, Beijing, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Biologics Detection Technology, China Institute of Veterinary Drugs Control, Beijing, China
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Bacterial ghosts are intact bacterial cell envelopes that are emptied of their content by gentle biological or chemical poring methods. Ghost techniques increase the safety of the killed vaccines, while maintaining their antigenicity due to mild preparation procedures. Moreover, ghost-platforms may express and/or carry several antigens or plasmid-DNA encoding for protein epitopes. AREAS COVERED In this review, the development in ghost-vaccine production over the last 30 years is classified and discussed. The different applications of ghost-vaccines, how they trigger the immune system, their advantages and limitations are displayed. The phage-mediated lysis, molecular manipulation of the lysis-genes, and the biotechnological production of ghosts are described. The trials are classified according to the pattern of lysis and to the type of bacteria. Further subdivision includes chronological ordered application of the ghost as alternative-killed vaccine, recombinant antigen platform, plasmid DNA carrier, adjuvants, and dendritic cell inducer. Particular trials for specific pathogens or from distinct research schools are gathered. EXPERT OPINION Ghosts are highly qualified to act as immune-presenting platforms that express and/or carry several recombinant and DNA vaccines, as well as, being efficient alternative-killed vaccines. The coming years will show more molecular advances to develop ghost-production and to express more antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali M Batah
- Tropical Disease Research Center, University of Science and Technology , Sana'a, Yemen
| | - Tarek A Ahmad
- Morehouse School of Medicine , Atlanta, GA, USA.,Library Sector, Bibliotheca Alexandrina , Alexandria, Egypt
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