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Mamaghani AJ, Fathollahi A, Arab-Mazar Z, kohansal K, Fathollahi M, Spotin A, Bashiri H, Bozorgomid A. Toxoplasma gondii vaccine candidates: a concise review. Ir J Med Sci 2023; 192:231-261. [PMID: 35394635 PMCID: PMC8992420 DOI: 10.1007/s11845-022-02998-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. It has been shown that the severity of symptoms depends on the functioning of the host immune system. Although T. gondii infection typically does not lead to severe disease in healthy people and after infection, it induces a stable immunity, but it can contribute to severe and even lethal Toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised individuals (AIDS, bone marrow transplant and neoplasia). The antigens that have been proposed to be used in vaccine candidate in various studies include surface antigens and secretory excretions that have been synthesized and evaluated in different studies. In some studies, secretory antigens play an important role in stimulating the host immune response. Various antigens such as SAG, GRA, ROP, ROM, and MAG have been from different strains of T. gondii have been synthesized and their protective effects have been evaluated in animal models in different vaccine platforms including recombinant antigens, nanoparticles, and DNA vaccine. Four bibliographic databases including Science Direct, PubMed Central (PMC), Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for articles published up to 2020.The current review article focuses on recent studies on the use and usefulness of recombinant antigens, nanoparticles, and DNA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirreza Javadi Mamaghani
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Anwar Fathollahi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Arab-Mazar
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kobra kohansal
- Department of Medical Parasitology, School of Medicine, Jondishapour University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Matin Fathollahi
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Adel Spotin
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Homayoon Bashiri
- Infectious Diseases Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Arezoo Bozorgomid
- Infectious Diseases Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
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Bezerra MA, Pereira LM, Baroni L, Yatsuda AP. The soluble fraction of Neospora caninum treated with PI-PLC is dominated by NcSRS29B and NcSRS29C. Exp Parasitol 2019; 204:107731. [PMID: 31374185 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2019.107731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular parasite related to cases of abortion and fertility impairment in cattle. The control of the parasite still lacks an effective protective strategy and the understanding of key mechanisms for host infection might be crucial for identification of specific targets. There are many proteins related to important mechanisms in the host cell infection cycle such as adhesion, invasion, proliferation and immune evasion. The surface proteins, especially SRS (Surface Antigen Glycoprotein - Related Sequences), have been demonstrated to have a pivotal role in the adhesion and invasion processes, making them potential anti-parasite targets. However, several predicted surface proteins were not described concerning their function and importance in the parasite life cycle. As such, a novel SRS protein, NcSRS57, was described. NcSRS57 antiserum was used to detect SRS proteins by immunofluorescence in parasites treated or not with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC). The treatment with PI-PLC also allowed the identification of NcSRS29B and NcSRS29C, which were the most abundant SRS proteins in the soluble fraction. Our data indicated that SRS proteins in N. caninum shared a high level of sequence similarity and were susceptible to PI-PLC. In addition, the description of the SRS members, regarding abundance, function and immunogenicity will be useful in guiding specific methods to control the mechanism of adhesion and invasion mediated by these surface proteins.
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Oledzka G, Bo L, Hiszczynska-sawicka E, Gelder FB, Kur J, Mcfarlane RG. Toxoplasma gondii : Immunological response of sheep to injections of recombinant SAG1, SAG2, GRA1 proteins coupled to the non-toxic microparticle muramyl dipeptide. Small Rumin Res 2017; 150:111-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2017.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Bezerra MA, Pereira LM, Bononi A, Biella CA, Baroni L, Pollo-Oliveira L, Yatsuda AP. Constitutive expression and characterization of a surface SRS (NcSRS67) protein of Neospora caninum with no orthologue in Toxoplasma gondii. Parasitol Int 2017; 66:173-180. [PMID: 28108401 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2017.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Revised: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Neospora caninum is a parasite of the Apicomplexa phylum responsible for abortion and losses of fertility in cattle. As part of its intracellular cycle, the first interaction of the parasite with the target cell is performed with the surface proteins known as the SRS superfamily (Surface Antigen Glycoprotein - Related Sequences). SAG related or SRS proteins have been a target of intense research due to its immunodominant pattern, exhibiting potential as diagnostic and/or vaccine candidates. The aim of this study was the cloning, expression and characterization of the gene NcSRS67 of N. caninum using a novel designed plasmid. The coding sequence of NcSRS67 (without the signal peptide and the GPI anchor) was cloned and expressed constitutively instead of the ccdB system of pCR-Blunt II-TOPO. The protein was purified in a nickel sepharose column and identified by mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The constitutive expression did not affect the final bacterial growth, with a similar OD 600nm compared to the non-transformed strains. The recombinant NcSRS67 was over expressed and the native form was detected by the anti-rNcSRS67 serum on 1D western blot as a single band of approximately 38kDa as predicted. On an in vitro assay, the inhibitory effect of the polyclonal antiserum anti-rNcSRS67 was nearly 20% on adhesion/invasion of host cells. The NcSRS67 native protein was localised on part of the surface of N. caninum tachyzoite when compared to the nucleus by confocal immunofluorescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Alexandre Bezerra
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av do café, s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Luiz Miguel Pereira
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av do café, s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Aline Bononi
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av do café, s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Carla Agostino Biella
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av do café, s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Luciana Baroni
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av do café, s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Leticia Pollo-Oliveira
- Núcleo de Apoio à Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Patrícia Yatsuda
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av do café, s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Núcleo de Apoio à Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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Sun X, Mei M, Zhang X, Han F, Jia B, Wei X, Chang Z, Lu H, Yin J, Chen Q, Jiang N. The extracellular matrix protein mindin as a novel adjuvant elicits stronger immune responses for rBAG1, rSRS4 and rSRS9 antigens of Toxoplasma gondii in BALB/c mice. BMC Infect Dis 2014; 14:429. [PMID: 25091724 PMCID: PMC4131031 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-14-429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 07/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vaccines are the most effective agents to control infections. However, recombinant vaccines often do not elicit strong immune responses. Protein antigens combined with proper adjuvants have been widely used to induce immune responses, especially the humoral immune responses, against various pathogens, including parasites. The extracellular matrix protein mindin has been recognised as an immune facilitator for initiating innate immune responses. It has therefore been expected to be a potentially potent adjuvant in the development of novel vaccines. The aim of this study was to investigate whether mindin could facilitate the induction of antigen-specific immune responses to recombinant antigens (rBAG1, rSRS4 and rSRS9) of Toxoplasma gondii in BALB/c mice. Methods In this study, we explored the adjuvant effect of the recombinant mindin in the generation of specific Th1 and Th2 responses to each of three T. gondii antigens, BAG1, SRS4 and SRS9. All mice in the experimental groups received either antigen alone or in combination with Freund’s adjuvant or with the recombinant mindin. The immune responses after immunisation were measured by ELISA and lymphoproliferative assays. The immunised mice were challenged with live T. gondii tachyzoites, and the protection efficiency was compared between the groups. Results Our results revealed that mindin as an adjuvant could facilitate the recombinant proteins to efficiently stimulate humoral and cellular responses, including antigen-specific IgG1 and IgG2a, as well as lymphocyte proliferation. Furthermore, significantly improved protection against T. gondii infection was observed in the mindin group compared with that of Freund’s adjuvant and no-adjuvant groups. Conclusions The extracellular matrix protein mindin can effectively induce antigen-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Our study provides a valuable basis for the development of an efficient, safe, non-toxic vaccine adjuvant for future use in humans and animals. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2334-14-429) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Qijun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi An Da Lu 5333, Changchun 5333, China.
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Marques P, O’ Donovan J, Williams E, Gutierrez J, Worrall S, McElroy M, Proctor A, Brady C, Sammin D, Bassett H, Buxton D, Maley S, Markey B, Nally J. Detection of Toxoplasma gondii antigens reactive with antibodies from serum, amniotic, and allantoic fluids from experimentally infected pregnant ewes. Vet Parasitol 2012; 185:91-100. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2011] [Revised: 10/12/2011] [Accepted: 10/19/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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Lau YL, Fong MY. Toxoplasma gondii: serological characterization and immunogenicity of recombinant surface antigen 2 (SAG2) expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris. Exp Parasitol 2008; 119:373-8. [PMID: 18457835 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2008.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2007] [Revised: 03/25/2008] [Accepted: 03/26/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The full length surface antigen 2 (SAG2) gene of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii was cloned and intracellularly expressed in the Pichia pastoris expression system. The molecular weight of the expressed recombinant SAG2 (36 kDa) was much larger than the native SAG2 (22 kDa). This discrepancy in size was due to hyperglycosylation, as deglycosylation assay reduced the size of the recombinant SAG2 to 22 kDa. Despite being hyperglycosylated, the recombinant SAG2 reacted strongly with pooled anti-Toxoplasma human serum, pooled anti-Toxoplasma mouse serum and a SAG2-specific monoclonal antibody. The glycosylated recombinant SAG2 was further evaluated in Western blot and in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using 80 human serum samples, including confirmed early acute (IgM positive, IgG negative; n=20), acute (IgM positive, IgG positive; n=20) and chronic (IgM negative, IgG positive; n=20) toxoplasmosis patients, and toxoplasmosis negative control patients (n=20). Results of the Western blot showed that the recombinant SAG2 reacted with all 60 samples of the toxoplasmosis cases but not with the Toxoplasma-negative samples. The sensitivity of in-house ELISA was 80%, 95% and 100% for early acute, acute and chronic patients' serum samples, respectively. Vaccination study showed that serum from mice immunised with the glycosylated recombinant SAG2 reacted specifically with the native SAG2 of T. gondii. The mice were significantly protected against lethal challenge with live T. gondii RH strain tachyzoites (P<0.01) and their survival time was increased compared to controls. Therefore, the present study shows that the P. pastoris-derived recombinant SAG2 was specific and suitable for use as antigen for detecting anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies. The vaccination study showed that recombinant SAG2 protein was immunoprotective in mice against lethal challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yee Ling Lau
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Fazaeli A, Ebrahimzadeh A. A new perspective on and re-assessment of SAG2 locus as the tool for genetic analysis of Toxoplasma gondii isolates. Parasitol Res 2007; 101:99-104. [PMID: 17297630 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-006-0449-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2006] [Accepted: 12/18/2006] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
SAG2 locus, the coding gene of the P22 protein, has been widely used for the molecular epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii and characterization of the parasite isolates with two separate polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) processes. To re-assess the resolution power and suitability of this genetic marker for molecular characterization of the parasite isolates, a number of 27 Toxoplasma strains from different zymodeme patterns were used in the present study. Both codon and non-codon regions of the SAG2 locus of all 27 strains were amplified and subjected to sequencing and nucleotide alignment. Nucleotide variations clustered the three major genotypes (I, II and III). Some minor genotypes, unidentifiable by SAG2-RFLP, could be identified by sequence comparison. However, there were other genotypes that could not be differentiated from the major types due to having identical sequences. This suggests that a remarkable number of field isolates representing several minor types will be miss-clustered with the major types by using the traditional SAG2-PCR-RFLP method. It was concluded that this technique seems not to be suitable for Toxoplasma population study. Thus, the utilization of more variable markers and other discriminatory methods are also recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Fazaeli
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Medical School, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Mashahir Square, Zahedan 98165, Iran.
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Howe DK, Gaji RY, Mroz-Barrett M, Gubbels MJ, Striepen B, Stamper S. Sarcocystis neurona merozoites express a family of immunogenic surface antigens that are orthologues of the Toxoplasma gondii surface antigens (SAGs) and SAG-related sequences. Infect Immun 2005; 73:1023-33. [PMID: 15664946 PMCID: PMC546929 DOI: 10.1128/iai.73.2.1023-1033.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sarcocystis neurona is a member of the Apicomplexa that causes myelitis and encephalitis in horses but normally cycles between the opossum and small mammals. Analysis of an S. neurona expressed sequence tag (EST) database revealed four paralogous proteins that exhibit clear homology to the family of surface antigens (SAGs) and SAG-related sequences of Toxoplasma gondii. The primary peptide sequences of the S. neurona proteins are consistent with the two-domain structure that has been described for the T. gondii SAGs, and each was predicted to have an amino-terminal signal peptide and a carboxyl-terminal glycolipid anchor addition site, suggesting surface localization. All four proteins were confirmed to be membrane associated and displayed on the surface of S. neurona merozoites. Due to their surface localization and homology to T. gondii surface antigens, these S. neurona proteins were designated SnSAG1, SnSAG2, SnSAG3, and SnSAG4. Consistent with their homology, the SnSAGs elicited a robust immune response in infected and immunized animals, and their conserved structure further suggests that the SnSAGs similarly serve as adhesins for attachment to host cells. Whether the S. neurona SAG family is as extensive as the T. gondii SAG family remains unresolved, but it is probable that additional SnSAGs will be revealed as more S. neurona ESTs are generated. The existence of an SnSAG family in S. neurona indicates that expression of multiple related surface antigens is not unique to the ubiquitous organism T. gondii. Instead, the SAG gene family is a common trait that presumably has an essential, conserved function(s).
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel K Howe
- Department of Veterinary Science, 108 Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0099, USA.
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Martin V, Supanitsky A, Echeverria PC, Litwin S, Tanos T, De Roodt AR, Guarnera EA, Angel SO. Recombinant GRA4 or ROP2 protein combined with alum or the gra4 gene provides partial protection in chronic murine models of toxoplasmosis. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 2005; 11:704-10. [PMID: 15242945 PMCID: PMC440599 DOI: 10.1128/cdli.11.4.704-710.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The efficacy of vaccination with Toxoplasma gondii recombinant GRA4 (rGRA4) and ROP2 (rRPO2) proteins and a mix of both combined with alum were evaluated in C57BL/6 and C3H mice. In C57BL/6 mice, rGRA4 and rGRA4-rROP2 immunizations generated similar levels of immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) and IgG2a isotypes against GRA4, whereas immunizations with rROP2 and the mix induced a predominant IgG1 production against ROP2. All groups of C3H vaccinated mice exhibited higher levels of IgG1 than IgG2a. rGRA4-stimulated splenocytes from vaccinated mice produced primarily gamma interferon while those stimulated with rROP2 produced interleukin-4. Challenge of rGRA4- or rGRA4-rROP2-vaccinated mice from both strains with ME49 cysts resulted in fewer brain cysts than the controls, whereas vaccination with rROP2 alone only conferred protection to C3H mice. Immunization with a plasmid carrying the entire open reading frame of GRA4 showed a protective level similar to that of rGRA4 combined with alum. These results suggest that GRA4 can be a good candidate for a multiantigen anti-T. gondii vaccine based on the use of alum as an adjuvant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Martin
- Departamento de Parasitología, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas, ANLIS Dr. Carlos G. Malbran, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Njagi ON, Entzeroth R, Nyaga PN, Musoke AJ. Monoclonal antibodies identify two neutralization-sensitive epitopes in Besnoitia besnoiti endocytes. Parasitol Res 2004; 94:247-53. [PMID: 15349773 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-004-1210-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2004] [Accepted: 08/04/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Four monoclonal antibodies were produced against endozoite membrane and cytoplasmic antigens of B. besnoiti. In immunofluorescence antibody tests, three of the clones, designated 2M3C5, 2M1G8 and 2M9G3 recognized antigens restricted to the anterior pole of the endozoites. The fourth clone, 2M9C4, recognized a membrane-associated component in a "beaded" pattern, cytoplasmic granules and extracellular background. The staining characteristics differed from the solid diffuse staining of polyclonal serum. On Western blots of detergent-soluble extracts fractionated under non-reducing conditions in 10% SDS-PAGE gels, mAbs 2M3C5, 2M1G8 and 2M9G3 recognized a common antigen at >200 kDa. Recognition with mAb 2M3C5 was consistently different in intensity and extent. Monoclonal antibody 2M9C4 recognized a single antigen at 75 kDa. The antibodies significantly reduced infectivity of Besnoitia endozoites into cultured cells, demonstrating the potential role of the antigens in the invasion process and raising the possibility of development of a vaccine and diagnostic tests for the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- O N Njagi
- Central Veterinary Research Laboratories, P.O. Kabete, 00625 Kangemi, Nairobi, Kenya.
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Garcia JL, Gennari SM, Navarro IT, Machado RZ, Sinhorini IL. Toxoplasma gondii: isolation of tachyzoites rhoptries and incorporation into Iscom. Exp Parasitol 2004; 108:40-6. [PMID: 15491547 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2004.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2003] [Revised: 05/11/2004] [Accepted: 07/01/2004] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Rhoptries have been isolated from Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites by subcellular fractionation in isopynic density sucrose gradient. Five bands were observed, and transmission electron microscopy of these indicated that rhoptries were in band 3. This band had a density of 1.17 g/cm(3). Fraction 1 had membrane structures of the parasite. Fraction 2 contained membranes and mitochondria. Fraction 4 had mostly conoid structure and fraction 5 showed ghosts. The electrophoretic and Western blotting analysis of the fractions indicated the presence of a number of proteins. Iscoms were constructed from band 3, which contained the rhoptry structures. Iscom showed a only protein incorporated of 55 kDa. Isolation of the parasite organelles has got in this work is necessary to identification, characterization, and function elucidation of the organelle proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Luis Garcia
- Microbiology and Immunology Laboratory, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual do Centro Oeste-Unicentro, R. Simeão Camargo Varela de Sá, 03, Bairro Cascavel, 85040-080 Guarapuava, PR, Brazil.
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Di Cristina M, Del Porto P, Buffolano W, Beghetto E, Spadoni A, Guglietta S, Piccolella E, Felici F, Gargano N. The Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoite antigens BAG1 and MAG1 induce early humoral and cell-mediated immune responses upon human infection. Microbes Infect 2004; 6:164-71. [PMID: 14998514 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2003.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2003] [Accepted: 11/05/2003] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Infection of humans by Toxoplasma gondii leads to an acute systemic phase, in which tachyzoites disseminate throughout the body, followed by a chronic phase characterized by the presence of tissue cysts, containing bradyzoites, in brain, heart and skeletal muscles. This work focused on studying the antigenic regions of bradyzoite-specific proteins involved in human B- and T-cell responses. To this aim, we constructed a phage-display library of DNA fragments derived from the bradyzoite-specific genes BAG1, MAG1, SAG2D, SAG4, BSR4, LDH2, ENO1 and p-ATPase. Challenge of the bradyzoite library with sera of infected individuals led to the identification of antigenic regions within BAG1 and MAG1 gene products. Analysis of the humoral and lymphoproliferative responses to recombinant antigens demonstrated that the BAG1 fragment induced T-cell proliferation in 34% of T. gondii-exposed individuals, while 50% of them had specific IgG. In the same subjects, the MAG1 fragment was recognized by T cells from 17% of the exposed donors and by antibodies from 73% of them. A detailed analysis of the antibody response against BAG1 and MAG1 antigen fragments demonstrated that the immune response against bradyzoites occurs early after infection in humans. Finally, we provide evidence that the T-cell response against BAG1 is associated with the production of interferon-gamma, suggesting that bradyzoite antigens should be considered in the design of potential vaccines in humans.
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Yang CD, Chang GN, Chao D. Protective immunity against Toxoplasma gondii in mice induced by the SAG2 internal image of anti-idiotype antibody. Parasitol Res 2003; 91:452-7. [PMID: 14564510 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-003-1006-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2003] [Accepted: 09/08/2003] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
A monoclonal antibody TGCM5 (isotype G, subclass 1, kappa light chain) against SAG2, a major surface antigen of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites, was produced in quantity and its Fab-containing idiotype (Id) was injected into rabbits for production of rabbit anti-Id sera. The rabbit anti-Id IgG (aId-IgG) with a SAG2 internal image was obtained by purification with a protein A column. Significant lymphocyte proliferation induced by tachyzoite lysate antigen was observed in BALB/c mice that received two injections of aId-IgG, but not in non-immunized control mice. Large amounts of gamma interferon were detected in supernatants of splenocyte cultures prepared from mice immunized with aId-IgG. Of the mice immunized with aId-IgG, 75-87.5% survived at least 28 days after a lethal challenge of 1 x 10(3) live tachyzoites, which killed all non-immunized control mice within 10 days. The results showed that the SAG2 internal image presented by aId-IgG indeed elicited a protection against the infection of T. gondii in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chung-Dar Yang
- Department of Biological Science, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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Robben J, Hertveldt K, Bosmans E, Volckaert G. Selection and identification of dense granule antigen GRA3 by Toxoplasma gondii whole genome phage display. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:17544-7. [PMID: 11825896 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110275200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous, unicellular, eukaryotic parasite with a complex intracellular life cycle capable of invading and chronically infecting a wide variety of vertebrate host species, including man. Although normally opportunistic in healthy adults, it is a lethal pathogen in immunocompromised humans, particularly in AIDS patients. We present the application of a genomic phage display as a tool for the direct identification of antigens with potential value in diagnosis and/or as subunit vaccine components. Using a polycosmid cloning strategy, we constructed a large phagemid display library (>10(9) independent clones) of mixed short genomic restriction fragments (< or = 500 bp) of T. gondii genomic DNA (80 Mbp genome size) fused to gene III of the filamentous phage M13. Biopanning of the library with monoclonal Toxoplasma antibodies resulted in the isolation and identification of an epitope of GRA3, an antigen located in the dense granules of T. gondii tachyzoites. The reactivity of the phage displaying the GRA3 epitope with the monoclonal antibody was confirmed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These results demonstrate the accessibility of midsized eukaryotic genomes to display technology and the feasibility to screen these whole genome display libraries with antibodies for isolating novel antigenic determinants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Robben
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 21, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
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Abstract
Protozoa are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality in domestic and companion animals. Preventing infection may involve deliberate exposure to virulent or attenuated parasites so that immunity to natural infection is established early in life. This is the basis for vaccines against theilerosis and avian coccidiosis. Vaccination may not be effective or practical with diseases, such as cryptosporidiosis, that primarily afflict the immune-compromised or individuals with an incompletely developed immune system. Strategies for combating these diseases often rely on passive immunotherapy using serum or colostrums containing antibodies to parasite surface proteins. Subunit vaccines offer an attractive alternative to virulent or attenuated parasites for several reasons. These include the use of bacteria or lower eukaryotes to produce recombinant proteins in batch culture, the relative stability of recombinant proteins compared to live parasites, and the flexibility to incorporate only those antigens that elicit "protective" immune responses. Although subunit vaccines offer many theoretical advantages, our lack of understanding of immune mechanisms to primary and secondary infection and the capacity of many protozoa to evade host immunity remain obstacles to developing effective vaccines. This review examines the progress made on developing recombinant proteins of Eimeria, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, Neospora, Trypanosoma, Babesia, and Theileria and attempts to use these antigens for vaccinating animals against the associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Jenkins
- Immunology and Disease Resistance Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Beltsville, MA 20705, USA.
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Son ES, Ahn HJ, Kim JH, Kim DY, Nam HW. Determination of antigenic domain in GST fused major surface protein (Nc-p43) of Neospora caninum. Korean J Parasitol 2001; 39:241-6. [PMID: 11590914 PMCID: PMC2721073 DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2001.39.3.241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The antigenic domain of the major surface protein (Nc-p43) of Neospora caninum was examined by polymerase chain reaction of its gene fragments and recombinant expression as GST fusion proteins. The fragments of Nc-p43 were as follow: a total open reading frame (OFR), T; OFR without signal sequence and C-terminal hydrophobic sequence, S; N-terminal 2/3 parts of S, A; C-terminal 2/3 parts, P; N-terminal 1/3 part, X; middle 1/3 part, Y; and C-terminal 1/3 part, Z, respectively. The DNA fragments were cloned into pGEX-4T vector. Recombinant plasmids transformed into Escherichia coli of BL21 pLysS (DE3) strain were induced to express GST or GST fused fragments of Nc-p43 such as 69 kDa protein for T, 66 kDa for S, 52 kDa for A, 53 kDa for P, and 40 kDa proteins for X, Y, and Z, respectively in SDS-PAGE. The Nc-p43 fragments of T, S, and P reacted with a bovine serum of neosporosis while those of A, X, Y, and Z together with GST did not in the western blot. These findings suggest that the antigenic domain of Nc-p43 of N. caninum may be localized in the C-terminal 2/3 parts. Together with A19 clone in SAG1 of Toxoplasma gondii (Nam et al., 1996), the P fragment of Nc-p43 could be used as efficient antigens to diagnose and differentiate those infections with both species.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Son
- Department of Parasitology, Catholic Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Catholic University of Korea
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Abstract
The iscom is a uniform stable complex consisting of cholesterol, phospholipid, adjuvant-active saponin, and antigen. The iscom matrix is a particulate complex with identical composition, shape, and morphology, but lacking the incorporated antigen. The assembly of the complex is based on hydrophobic interactions, but antigens that are not hydrophobic can be conjugated with a hydrophobic tail or hidden hydrophobic regions can be exposed, e.g., by acid treatment, to facilitate the incorporation into iscoms. The functional aspects of iscoms are described emphasizing immunomodulation in mouse models. Iscoms prominently enhance the antigen targeting, uptake, and activity of antigen presenting cells including dendritic and B cells and macrophages resulting in the production of proinflammatory cytokines, above all interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and IL-12. The expression of costimulatory molecules major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II, B7.1 and B7.2, is also enhanced. The latter partly explains why the iscom is an efficient adjuvant for elderly mice. Iscoms enhance the Th1 type of response with increased production of IL-2 and interferon gamma. However, with some antigens and particularly in monkeys immunized with HIV iscoms, the production of IL-4 was enhanced. IL-4, IL-2, and interferon gamma (IFNgamma) together with the beta chemokines MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta correlated with protection against challenge infection with a chimeric virus (simian immunodeficiency virus-human immunodeficiency virus). Iscoms were also shown to induce a potent immune response in the newborn and to be an efficient delivery system for mucosal administration. Technical information is given about formulation of iscoms and about handling of antigens to optimize their incorporation into iscoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Morein
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Mun HS, Aosai F, Yano A. Role of Toxoplasma gondii HSP70 and Toxoplasma gondii HSP30/bag1 in antibody formation and prophylactic immunity in mice experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Microbiol Immunol 1999; 43:471-9. [PMID: 10449253 DOI: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1999.tb02430.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Production of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii)-derived stress proteins, T. gondii HSP70 (T.g.HSP70) and T.g.HSP30/bagl, in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice perorally infected with cysts of the avirulent Fukaya strain of T. gondii was analyzed. Production of anti-T.g.HSP70 IgG antibodies was transient, whereas production of anti-T.g.HSP30/bag1 IgG antibodies persisted after infection in both C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. C57BL/6 mice, a susceptible strain, predominantly produced IgG antibodies specific for T.g.HSP70, whereas BALB/c mice, a resistant strain, predominantly produced IgG antibodies specific for T.g.HSP30/bag1, after T. gondii infection. Immunization with rT.g.HSP30/bag1 enhanced, whereas immunization with rT.g.HSP70 reduced host protective immunity against T. gondii infection with a cyst-forming avirulent strain, Fukaya, and a virulent strain, RH.
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Affiliation(s)
- H S Mun
- Department of Parasitology, Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan
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Howe DK, Crawford AC, Lindsay D, Sibley LD. The p29 and p35 immunodominant antigens of Neospora caninum tachyzoites are homologous to the family of surface antigens of Toxoplasma gondii. Infect Immun 1998; 66:5322-8. [PMID: 9784539 PMCID: PMC108665 DOI: 10.1128/iai.66.11.5322-5328.1998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan parasite that is closely related to Toxoplasma gondii and has been found to be associated with neurological disorders in dogs and congenital infections and abortions in cattle. We have identified two surface proteins of 29 and 35 kDa (designated Ncp29 and Ncp35, respectively) from N. caninum tachyzoites that are the predominant antigens recognized by antisera from Neospora-infected animals. Monoclonal antibodies against Ncp29 and Ncp35 were used to analyze several independent and diverse N. caninum isolates; both antigens were recognized in all isolates, suggesting that they are well conserved. Localization studies and surface labeling with biotin demonstrated that Ncp29 and Ncp35 are membrane associated and displayed on the surface of the parasite. After treatment with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, parasite lysates were analyzed with antibodies against the cross-reacting determinant of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchors. Approximately six glycolipid-anchored surface proteins were identified, with the two most prominent corresponding to Ncp29 and Ncp35. Sequence comparisons of Ncp29 and Ncp35 with GenBank indicated that they are most similar to the T. gondii surface antigen 1 (SAG1) and surface antigen 1-related sequence 2 (SRS2), respectively. Consequently, Ncp29 has been designated NcSAG1 and Ncp35 has been designated NcSRS2. Both NcSAG1 and NcSRS2 contain a tandemly duplicated motif and 12 absolutely conserved cysteines which are also found in all of the SAG and SRS proteins of T. gondii. Maintenance of these motifs and the 12 cysteine residues suggests that these surface antigens share a similar secondary and tertiary structure that is presumably important for a conserved function that these antigens serve during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- D K Howe
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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