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Ramos-Vega A, Monreal-Escalante E, Rosales-Mendoza S, Bañuelos-Hernández B, Dumonteil E, Angulo C. Trypanosoma cruzi Tc24 Antigen Expressed and Orally Delivered by Schizochytrium sp. Microalga is Immunogenic in Mice. Mol Biotechnol 2023:10.1007/s12033-023-00763-6. [PMID: 37344711 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-023-00763-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Chagas disease-caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi-is a neglected tropical disease for which available drugs are not fully effective in the chronic stage and a vaccine is not available yet. Microalgae represent a promising platform for the production and oral delivery of low-cost vaccines. Herein, we report a vaccine prototype against T. cruzi produced in a microalgae platform, based on the candidate antigen Tc24 with a C terminus fusion with the Co1 peptide (Tc24:Co1 vaccine prototype). After modeling the tertiary structure, in silico studies suggested that the chimeric protein is antigenic, not allergenic, and molecular docking indicated binding with Toll-like receptors 2 and 4. Thus, Tc24:Co1 was expressed in the marine microalga Schizochytrium sp., and Western blot confirmed the expression at 48 h after induction, with a yield of 632 µg/L of algal culture (300 μg/g of lyophilized algal cells) as measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Upon oral administration of whole-cell Schizochytrium sp. expressing Tc24:Co1 (7.5 µg or 15 µg of Tc24:Co1 doses) in mice, specific serum IgG and intestinal mucosa IgA responses were detected in addition to an increase in serum Th1/Th2 cytokines. In conclusion, Schizochytrium sp.-expressing Tc24:Co1 is a promising oral vaccine prototype to be evaluated in an animal model of Trypanosoma cruzi infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abel Ramos-Vega
- Immunology & Vaccinology Group, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C., La Paz, BCS, Mexico
| | - Elizabeth Monreal-Escalante
- Immunology & Vaccinology Group, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C., La Paz, BCS, Mexico.
- CONACYT-Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C. (CIBNOR), Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, CP. 23096, La Paz, BCS, Mexico.
| | - Sergio Rosales-Mendoza
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos Recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, UASLP, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, UASLP, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
| | | | - Eric Dumonteil
- School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Carlos Angulo
- Immunology & Vaccinology Group, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C., La Paz, BCS, Mexico.
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Silva BB, Santos ENFN, Araújo LS, Bezerra AS, Marques LÉC, Tramontina Florean EOP, van Tilburg MF, Guedes MIF. Plant Expression of Hydrophobin Fused K39 Antigen for Visceral Leishmaniasis Immunodiagnosis. Front Plant Sci 2021; 12:674015. [PMID: 34135929 PMCID: PMC8201991 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.674015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis is a Neglected Tropical Disease of high mortality caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum. Its transmission cycle is complex, and it has in the domestic dog its main reservoir. The diagnostic tests currently used rely on prokaryotic systems' proteins, but their low sensitivity increases the disease's burden. The plant transient expression of recombinant proteins allows the production of complex antigens. However, this system has limited competitiveness against the bacterial production of purified antigens. Thus, we have shown that the L. infantum K39 antigen's fusion to a hydrophobin allows its production for diagnostic tests without the need for intensive purification. The sera of naturally infected dogs specifically detect the semi-purified rK39-HFBI protein. The test validation against a panel of 158 clinical samples demonstrates the platform's viability, resulting in sensitivity and specificity of 90.7 and 97.5%, respectively. Thus, the use of semi-purified antigens fused to hydrophobins can become the standard platform for large-scale antigens production to expand diagnostic tests for other human and veterinary diseases worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno B. Silva
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Health Sciences Center, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
- Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Eduarda N. F. N. Santos
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Health Sciences Center, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
- Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Lucelina S. Araújo
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Health Sciences Center, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Arnaldo S. Bezerra
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Health Sciences Center, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
- Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Lívia É. C. Marques
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Health Sciences Center, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | | | - Maurício F. van Tilburg
- Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
- Department of Animal Sciences, Federal Rural University of the Semiarid, Mossoró, Brazil
| | - Maria Izabel F. Guedes
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Health Sciences Center, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
- Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
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