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Carboni F, Cozzi R, Romagnoli G, Tuscano G, Balocchi C, Buffi G, Bodini M, Brettoni C, Giusti F, Marchi S, Brogioni G, Brogioni B, Cinelli P, Cappelli L, Nocciolini C, Senesi S, Facciotti C, Frigimelica E, Fabbrini M, Stranges D, Savino S, Maione D, Adamo R, Wizel B, Margarit I, Romano MR. Author Correction: Proof of concept for a single-dose Group B Streptococcus vaccine based on capsular polysaccharide conjugated to Qβ virus-like particles. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:19. [PMID: 38272903 PMCID: PMC10811321 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00808-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
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2
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Carboni F, Cozzi R, Romagnoli G, Tuscano G, Balocchi C, Buffi G, Bodini M, Brettoni C, Giusti F, Marchi S, Brogioni G, Brogioni B, Cinelli P, Cappelli L, Nocciolini C, Senesi S, Facciotti C, Frigimelica E, Fabbrini M, Stranges D, Savino S, Maione D, Adamo R, Wizel B, Margarit I, Romano MR. Proof of concept for a single-dose Group B Streptococcus vaccine based on capsular polysaccharide conjugated to Qβ virus-like particles. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:152. [PMID: 37803013 PMCID: PMC10558462 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00744-5] [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: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A maternal vaccine to protect neonates against Group B Streptococcus invasive infection is an unmet medical need. Such a vaccine should ideally be offered during the third trimester of pregnancy and induce strong immune responses after a single dose to maximize the time for placental transfer of protective antibodies. A key target antigen is the capsular polysaccharide, an anti-phagocytic virulence factor that elicits protective antibodies when conjugated to carrier proteins. The most prevalent polysaccharide serotypes conjugated to tetanus or diphtheria toxoids have been tested in humans as monovalent and multivalent formulations, showing excellent safety profiles and immunogenicity. However, responses were suboptimal in unprimed individuals after a single shot, the ideal schedule for vaccination during the third trimester of pregnancy. In the present study, we obtained and optimized self-assembling virus-like particles conjugated to Group B Streptococcus capsular polysaccharides. The resulting glyco-nanoparticles elicited strong immune responses in mice already after one immunization, providing pre-clinical proof of concept for a single-dose vaccine.
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3
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Carboni F, Kitowski A, Sorieul C, Veggi D, Marques MC, Oldrini D, Balducci E, Brogioni B, Del Bino L, Corrado A, Angiolini F, Dello Iacono L, Margarit I, Romano MR, Bernardes GJL, Adamo R. Retaining the structural integrity of disulfide bonds in diphtheria toxoid carrier protein is crucial for the effectiveness of glycoconjugate vaccine candidates. Chem Sci 2022; 13:2440-2449. [PMID: 35310500 PMCID: PMC8864718 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc01928g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The introduction of glycoconjugate vaccines marks an important point in the fight against various infectious diseases. The covalent conjugation of relevant polysaccharide antigens to immunogenic carrier proteins enables the induction of a long-lasting and robust IgG antibody response, which is not observed for pure polysaccharide vaccines. Although there has been remarkable progress in the development of glycoconjugate vaccines, many crucial parameters remain poorly understood. In particular, the influence of the conjugation site and strategy on the immunogenic properties of the final glycoconjugate vaccine is the focus of intense research. Here, we present a comparison of two cysteine selective conjugation strategies, elucidating the impact of both modifications on the structural integrity of the carrier protein, as well as on the immunogenic properties of the resulting glycoconjugate vaccine candidates. Our work suggests that conjugation chemistries impairing structurally relevant elements of the protein carrier, such as disulfide bonds, can have a dramatic effect on protein immunogenicity. The introduction of glycoconjugate vaccines marks an important point in the fight against various infectious diseases.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Annabel Kitowski
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | | | - Marta C. Marques
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Gonçalo J. L. Bernardes
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
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4
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Pietri GP, Tontini M, Brogioni B, Oldrini D, Robakiewicz S, Henriques P, Calloni I, Abramova V, Santini L, Malić S, Miklić K, Lisnic B, Bertuzzi S, Unione L, Balducci E, de Ruyck J, Romano MR, Jimenez-Barbero J, Bouckaert J, Jonjic S, Rovis TL, Adamo R. Elucidating the Structural and Minimal Protective Epitope of the Serogroup X Meningococcal Capsular Polysaccharide. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:745360. [PMID: 34722634 PMCID: PMC8551719 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.745360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the considerable progress toward the eradication of meningococcal disease with the introduction of glycoconjugate vaccines, previously unremarkable serogroup X has emerged in recent years, recording several outbreaks throughout the African continent. Different serogroup X polysaccharide-based vaccines have been tested in preclinical trials, establishing the principles for further improvement. To elucidate the antigenic determinants of the MenX capsular polysaccharide, we generated a monoclonal antibody, and its bactericidal nature was confirmed using the rabbit serum bactericidal assay. The antibody was tested by the inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and surface plasmon resonance against a set of oligosaccharide fragments of different lengths. The epitope was shown to be contained within five to six α-(1–4) phosphodiester mannosamine repeating units. The molecular interactions between the protective monoclonal antibody and the MenX capsular polysaccharide fragment were further detailed at the atomic level by saturation transfer difference nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The NMR results were used for validation of the in silico docking analysis between the X-ray crystal structure of the antibody (Fab fragment) and the modeled hexamer oligosaccharide. The antibody recognizes the MenX fragment by binding all six repeating units of the oligosaccharide via hydrogen bonding, salt bridges, and hydrophobic interactions. In vivo studies demonstrated that conjugates containing five to six repeating units can produce high functional antibody levels. These results provide an insight into the molecular basis of MenX vaccine-induced protection and highlight the requirements for the epitope-based vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gian Pietro Pietri
- Center for Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | | | | | | | - Stefania Robakiewicz
- Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Université de Lille, Villeneuve D'Ascq, France
| | | | - Ilaria Calloni
- Chemical Glycobiology Lab CIC BioGUNE Technology Park, Derio, Spain
| | - Vera Abramova
- Center for Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | | | - Suzana Malić
- Center for Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Karmela Miklić
- Center for Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Berislav Lisnic
- Center for Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Sara Bertuzzi
- Chemical Glycobiology Lab CIC BioGUNE Technology Park, Derio, Spain
| | - Luca Unione
- Chemical Glycobiology Lab CIC BioGUNE Technology Park, Derio, Spain
| | | | - Jérôme de Ruyck
- Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Université de Lille, Villeneuve D'Ascq, France
| | | | - Jesus Jimenez-Barbero
- Chemical Glycobiology Lab CIC BioGUNE Technology Park, Derio, Spain.,Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.,Department of Organic Chemistry II, University of the Basque Country, Universidad Del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Leioa, Spain
| | - Julie Bouckaert
- Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Université de Lille, Villeneuve D'Ascq, France
| | - Stipan Jonjic
- Center for Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Tihana Lenac Rovis
- Center for Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
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5
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Campisi E, Rosini R, Romano MR, Balducci E, Pinto V, Brogioni B, De Ricco R, Fabbrini M, Spagnuolo A, Chiarot E, Berti F, Margarit I. Group B Streptococcus chimeric capsular polysaccharides as novel multivalent vaccine candidates. Glycoconj J 2021; 38:447-457. [PMID: 33956253 PMCID: PMC8100357 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-021-10000-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The capsular polysaccharide of the human pathogen Group B Streptococcus is a key virulence factor and vaccine candidate that induces protective antibodies when conjugated to carrier proteins. It consists of long polymeric chains of oligosaccharide repeating units, and each of the ten capsular serotypes described so far presents a unique chemical structure with distinct antigenic properties; therefore, broad protection against this pathogen could be achieved by a combination of ten glycoconjugates. Capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis and assembly follow a polymerase-dependent pathway that is widespread in encapsulated bacteria and is encoded by a polycistronic operon. Here we exploited the sequence similarity between the capsule operons of types V and IX to generate hybrid polysaccharides incorporating epitopes of both serotypes in a single molecule, by co-expressing their specific CpsM, O, I glycosyltransferases in a single isolate. Physicochemical and immunochemical methods confirmed that an engineered strain produced a high molecular weight chimeric polysaccharide, combining antigenic specificities of both type V and IX. By optimizing the copy number of key glycosyltransferase genes, we were able to modulate the ratio between type-specific epitopes. Finally, vaccination with chimeric glycoconjugates significantly decreased the incidence of disease in pups born from immunized mice challenged with either serotype. This study provides proof of concept for a new generation of glycoconjugate vaccines that combine the antigenic specificity of different polysaccharide variants in a single molecule, eliciting a protective immune response against multiple serotype variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmondo Campisi
- GSK, Siena, Italy.,The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
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6
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Carboni F, Angiolini F, Fabbrini M, Brogioni B, Corrado A, Berti F, Adamo R, Margarit I. Evaluation of Immune Responses to Group B Streptococcus Type III Oligosaccharides Containing a Minimal Protective Epitope. J Infect Dis 2020; 221:943-947. [PMID: 31641758 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiz551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent structural studies demonstrated that the epitope recognized by a monoclonal antibody representative of the protective response against the type III group B Streptococcus polysaccharide was comprised within 2 of the repeating units that constitute the full-length native structure. In the current study, we took advantage of this discovery to design a novel vaccine based on multivalent presentation of the identified minimal epitope on a carrier protein. We show that highly glycosylated short oligosaccharide conjugates elicit functional immune responses comparable to those of the full-length native polysaccharide. The obtained results pave the way to the design of well-defined glycoconjugate vaccines based on short synthetic oligosaccharides.
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Nilo A, Passalacqua I, Fabbrini M, Allan M, Usera A, Carboni F, Brogioni B, Pezzicoli A, Cobb J, Romano MR, Margarit I, Hu QY, Berti F, Adamo R. Correction to Exploring the Effect of Conjugation Site and Chemistry on the Immunogenicity of an anti-Group B Streptococcus Glycoconjugate Vaccine Based on GBS67 Pilus Protein and Type V Polysaccharide. Bioconjug Chem 2015; 26:2167. [PMID: 26355285 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.5b00480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Nilo A, Passalacqua I, Fabbrini M, Allan M, Usera A, Carboni F, Brogioni B, Pezzicoli A, Cobb J, Romano MR, Margarit I, Hu QY, Berti F, Adamo R. Exploring the Effect of Conjugation Site and Chemistry on the Immunogenicity of an anti-Group B Streptococcus Glycoconjugate Vaccine Based on GBS67 Pilus Protein and Type V Polysaccharide. Bioconjug Chem 2015; 26:1839-49. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.5b00365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Nilo
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Irene Passalacqua
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Monica Fabbrini
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Martin Allan
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 100 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Aimee Usera
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 100 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Filippo Carboni
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Barbara Brogioni
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Alfredo Pezzicoli
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Jennifer Cobb
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 100 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | | | | | - Qi-Ying Hu
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 100 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Francesco Berti
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Roberto Adamo
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
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9
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Nilo A, Morelli L, Passalacqua I, Brogioni B, Allan M, Carboni F, Pezzicoli A, Zerbini F, Maione D, Fabbrini M, Romano MR, Hu QY, Margarit I, Berti F, Adamo R. Anti-Group B Streptococcus Glycan-Conjugate Vaccines Using Pilus Protein GBS80 As Carrier and Antigen: Comparing Lysine and Tyrosine-directed Conjugation. ACS Chem Biol 2015; 10:1737-46. [PMID: 25906283 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.5b00247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Gram-positive Streptococcus agalactiae or group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of invasive infections in pregnant women, newborns, and elderly people. Vaccination of pregnant women represents the best strategy for prevention of neonatal disease, and GBS polysaccharide-based conjugate vaccines are currently under clinical testing. The potential of GBS pilus proteins selected by genome-based reverse vaccinology as protective antigens for anti-streptococcal vaccines has also been demonstrated. Dressing pilus proteins with surface glycan antigens could be an attractive approach to extend vaccine coverage. We have recently developed an efficient method for tyrosine-directed ligation of large glycans to proteins via copper-free azide-alkyne [3 + 2] cycloaddition. This method enables targeting of predetermined sites of the protein, ensuring that protein epitopes are preserved prior to glycan coupling and a higher consistency in glycoconjugate batches. Herein, we compared conjugates of the GBS type II polysaccharide (PSII) and the GBS80 pilus protein obtained by classic lysine random conjugation and by the recently developed tyrosine-directed ligation. PSII conjugated to CRM197, a carrier protein used for vaccines in the market, was used as a control. We found that the constructs made from PSII and GBS80 were able to elicit murine antibodies recognizing individually the glycan and protein epitopes on the bacterial surface. The generated antibodies were efficacious in mediating opsonophagocytic killing of strains expressing exclusively PSII or GBS80 proteins. The two glycoconjugates were also effective in protecting newborn mice against GBS infection following vaccination of the dams. Altogether, these results demonstrated that polysaccharide-conjugated GBS80 pilus protein functions as a carrier comparably to CRM197, while maintaining its properties of protective protein antigen. Glycoconjugation and reverse vaccinology can, therefore, be combined to design vaccines with broad coverage. This approach opens a path to a new generation of vaccines. Tyrosine-ligation allows creation of more homogeneous vaccines, correlation of the immune response to defined connectivity points, and fine-tuning of the conjugation site in glycan-protein conjugates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Nilo
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Laura Morelli
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Irene Passalacqua
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Barbara Brogioni
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Martin Allan
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 100 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Filippo Carboni
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Alfredo Pezzicoli
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Francesca Zerbini
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Domenico Maione
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Monica Fabbrini
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | | | - Qi-Ying Hu
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 100 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | | | - Francesco Berti
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Roberto Adamo
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
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10
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Nilo A, Allan M, Brogioni B, Proietti D, Cattaneo V, Crotti S, Sokup S, Zhai H, Margarit I, Berti F, Hu QY, Adamo R. Tyrosine-directed conjugation of large glycans to proteins via copper-free click chemistry. Bioconjug Chem 2014; 25:2105-11. [PMID: 25415860 DOI: 10.1021/bc500438h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
We have demonstrated that the insertion of alkyne-containing bifunctional linkers into the tyrosine residues of the carrier protein, followed by the copper mediated azide-alkyne [3 + 2] cycloaddition of carbohydrates, is a robust approach for the preparation of glycoconjugates with defined glycans, carrier, and connectivity. Conjugation of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) capsular polysaccharides to streptococcal pilus protein could extend the vaccine coverage to a variety of strains. Application of our protocol to these large charged polysaccharides occurred at low yields. Herein we developed a tyrosine-directed conjugation approach based on the copper-free click chemistry of sugars modified with cyclooctynes, which enables efficient condensation of synthetic carbohydrates. Most importantly, this strategy was demonstrated to be more effective than the corresponding copper catalyzed reaction for the insertion of GBS onto the tyrosine residues of GBS pilus proteins, previously selected as vaccine antigens through the so-called reverse vaccinology. Integrity of protein epitopes in the modified proteins was ascertained by competitive ELISA, and conjugation of polysaccharide to protein was confirmed by SDS page electrophoresis and immunoblot assays. The amount of conjugated polysaccharide was estimated by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography coupled with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). The described technology is particularly suitable for proteins used with the dual role of vaccine antigen and carrier for the carbohydrate haptens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Nilo
- Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics , Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
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11
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Berti F, Campisi E, Toniolo C, Morelli L, Crotti S, Rosini R, Romano MR, Pinto V, Brogioni B, Torricelli G, Janulczyk R, Grandi G, Margarit I. Structure of the type IX group B Streptococcus capsular polysaccharide and its evolutionary relationship with types V and VII. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:23437-48. [PMID: 24990951 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.567974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The Group B Streptococcus capsular polysaccharide type IX was isolated and purified, and the structure of its repeating unit was determined. Type IX capsule → 4)[NeupNAc-α-(2 → 3)-Galp-β-(1 → 4)-GlcpNAc-β-(1 → 6)]-β-GlcpNAc-(1 → 4)-β-Galp-(1 → 4)-β-Glcp-(1 → appears most similar to types VII and V, although it contains two GlcpNAc residues. Genetic analysis identified differences in cpsM, cpsO, and cpsI gene sequences as responsible for the differentiation between the three capsular polysaccharide types, leading us to hypothesize that type V emerged from a recombination event in a type IX background.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Guido Grandi
- From Novartis Vaccines Research, 53100 Siena, Italy
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12
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Abstract
This review gives an overview of significant applications of flow SPR to investigate the specific interactions of bacterial polysaccharide antigens.
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13
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Fiebig T, Berti F, Freiberger F, Pinto V, Claus H, Romano MR, Proietti D, Brogioni B, Stummeyer K, Berger M, Vogel U, Costantino P, Gerardy-Schahn R. Functional expression of the capsule polymerase of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup X: a new perspective for vaccine development. Glycobiology 2013; 24:150-8. [PMID: 24259400 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwt102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis and sepsis. A key feature in pathogenicity is the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) that prevents complement activation and thus supports bacterial survival in the host. Twelve serogroups characterized by immunologically and structurally different CPSs have been identified. Meningococcal CPSs elicit bactericidal antibodies and consequently are used for the development of vaccines. Vaccination against the epidemiologically most relevant serogroups was initially carried out with purified CPS and later followed by conjugate vaccines which consist of CPS covalently linked to a carrier protein. Of increasing importance in the African meningitis belt is NmX for which no vaccine is currently available. Here, we describe the molecular cloning, recombinant expression and purification of the capsule polymerase (CP) of NmX called CsxA. The protein expressed with N- and/or C-terminal epitope tags was soluble and could be purified to near homogeneity. With short oligosaccharide primers derived from the NmX capsular polysaccharide (CPSX), recombinant CsxA produced long polymer chains in vitro that in immunoblots were detected with NmX-specific antibodies. Moreover, the chemical identity of in vitro produced NmX polysaccharides was confirmed by NMR. Besides the demonstration that the previously identified gene csxA encodes the NmX CP CsxA, the data presented in this study pave the way for the use of the recombinant CP as a safe and economic way to generate the CPSX in vaccine developmental programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Fiebig
- Institute for Cellular Chemistry, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg Str. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany
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14
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Adamo R, Romano MR, Berti F, Leuzzi R, Tontini M, Danieli E, Cappelletti E, Cakici OS, Swennen E, Pinto V, Brogioni B, Proietti D, Galeotti CL, Lay L, Monteiro MA, Scarselli M, Costantino P. Phosphorylation of the synthetic hexasaccharide repeating unit is essential for the induction of antibodies to Clostridium difficile PSII cell wall polysaccharide. ACS Chem Biol 2012; 7:1420-8. [PMID: 22620974 DOI: 10.1021/cb300221f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is emerging worldwide as a major cause of nosocomial infections. The negatively charged PSII polysaccharide has been found in different strains of C. difficile and, thereby, represents an important target molecule for a possible carbohydrate-based vaccine. In order to identify a synthetic fragment that after conjugation to a protein carrier could be able to induce anti-PSII antibodies, we exploited a combination of chemical synthesis with immunochemistry, confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, and solid state NMR. We demonstrate that the phosphate group is crucial in synthetic glycans to mimic the native PSII polysaccharide; both native PSII and a phosphorylated synthetic hexasaccharide repeating unit conjugated to CRM(197) elicit comparable immunogenic responses in mice. This finding can aid design and selection of carbohydrate antigens to be explored as vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Adamo
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Maria R. Romano
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Francesco Berti
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Rosanna Leuzzi
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Marta Tontini
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Elisa Danieli
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Emilia Cappelletti
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Osman S. Cakici
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Erwin Swennen
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Vittoria Pinto
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Barbara Brogioni
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Daniela Proietti
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Cesira L. Galeotti
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Luigi Lay
- Department
of Organic and Industrial
Chemistry, University of Milan, Via G.
Venezian 21, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Mario A. Monteiro
- Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON,
Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Maria Scarselli
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Paolo Costantino
- Research Center, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Via Fiorentina 1,
53100 Siena, Italy
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Scarselli M, Aricò B, Brunelli B, Savino S, Di Marcello F, Palumbo E, Veggi D, Ciucchi L, Cartocci E, Bottomley MJ, Malito E, Lo Surdo P, Comanducci M, Giuliani MM, Cantini F, Dragonetti S, Colaprico A, Doro F, Giannetti P, Pallaoro M, Brogioni B, Tontini M, Hilleringmann M, Nardi-Dei V, Banci L, Pizza M, Rappuoli R. Rational design of a meningococcal antigen inducing broad protective immunity. Sci Transl Med 2011; 3:91ra62. [PMID: 21753121 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3002234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The sequence variability of protective antigens is a major challenge to the development of vaccines. For Neisseria meningitidis, the bacterial pathogen that causes meningitis, the amino acid sequence of the protective antigen factor H binding protein (fHBP) has more than 300 variations. These sequence differences can be classified into three distinct groups of antigenic variants that do not induce cross-protective immunity. Our goal was to generate a single antigen that would induce immunity against all known sequence variants of N. meningitidis. To achieve this, we rationally designed, expressed, and purified 54 different mutants of fHBP and tested them in mice for the induction of protective immunity. We identified and determined the crystal structure of a lead chimeric antigen that was able to induce high levels of cross-protective antibodies in mice against all variant strains tested. The new fHBP antigen had a conserved backbone that carried an engineered surface containing specificities for all three variant groups. We demonstrate that the structure-based design of multiple immunodominant antigenic surfaces on a single protein scaffold is possible and represents an effective way to create broadly protective vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Scarselli
- Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics S.r.l., Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
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16
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Pogni R, Brogioni B, Baratto MC, Sinicropi A, Giardina P, Pezzella C, Sannia G, Basosi R. Evidence for a radical mechanism in biocatalytic degradation of synthetic dyes by fungal laccases mediated by violuric acid. BIOCATAL BIOTRANSFOR 2009. [DOI: 10.1080/10242420701422757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 10/22/2022]
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17
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Brogioni B, Biglino D, Sinicropi A, Reijerse EJ, Giardina P, Sannia G, Lubitz W, Basosi R, Pogni R. Characterization of radical intermediates in laccase-mediator systems. A multifrequency EPR, ENDOR and DFT/PCM investigation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2008; 10:7284-92. [PMID: 19060974 DOI: 10.1039/b812096j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Suitable low molecular-weight compounds, called mediators, can be used in combination with the phenol-oxidase enzyme laccase to indirectly oxidize large organic substrates, such as environmental pollutants, which are not laccase natural substrates. The oxidation of two different synthetic redox mediators, violuric acid (VIO) and 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) has been studied under catalysis of two laccases from white-rot fungi (Trametes versicolor and Pleurotus ostreatus). VIO was selected as a prototype of the -NOH type of mediators and compared to ABTS, a well-known two-step redox system. To characterize the radical intermediates formed from both mediators after the enzymatic oxidation, a multifrequency EPR approach has been adopted. The radical species have been investigated employing 9.4 GHz (X-band), 34 GHz (Q-band) and 244 GHz (high field) EPR and pulse electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) techniques. Theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT/PCM) have been performed to support and further interpret the experimental EPR and ENDOR data. This integrated approach allowed us to obtain a complete characterization of both radicals and to elucidate the type of the radical state (neutral or cationic).
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Brogioni
- Department of Chemistry, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro, 53100, Siena, Italy
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