Multivalent recombinant protein vaccine against coccidioidomycosis

Infect Immun. 2006 Oct;74(10):5802-13. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00961-06.

Abstract

Coccidioidomycosis is a human respiratory disease that is endemic to the southwestern United States and is caused by inhalation of the spores of a desert soilborne fungus. Efforts to develop a vaccine against this disease have focused on identification of T-cell-reactive antigens derived from the parasitic cell wall which can stimulate protective immunity against Coccidioides posadasii infection in mice. We previously described a productive immunoproteomic/bioinformatic approach to the discovery of vaccine candidates which makes use of the translated genome of C. posadasii and a computer-based method of scanning deduced sequences of seroreactive proteins for epitopes that are predicted to bind to human major histocompatibility (MHC) class II-restricted molecules. In this study we identified a set of putative cell wall proteins predicted to contain multiple, promiscuous MHC II binding epitopes. Three of these were expressed by Escherichia coli, combined in a vaccine, and tested for protective efficacy in C57BL/6 mice. Approximately 90% of the mice survived beyond 90 days after intranasal challenge, and the majority cleared the pathogen. We suggest that the multicomponent vaccine stimulates a broader range of T-cell clones than the single recombinant protein vaccines and thereby may be capable of inducing protection in an immunologically heterogeneous human population.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Cell Wall / chemistry
  • Coccidioides / chemistry
  • Coccidioides / immunology*
  • Coccidioidomycosis / prevention & control*
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / immunology
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Fungal Proteins / analysis
  • Fungal Proteins / genetics
  • Fungal Proteins / therapeutic use*
  • Fungal Vaccines / therapeutic use*
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunodominant Epitopes / genetics
  • Immunodominant Epitopes / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Proteomics
  • Recombinant Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / therapeutic use*
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Vaccines, Synthetic / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Fungal Vaccines
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II
  • Immunodominant Epitopes
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Vaccines, Synthetic

Associated data

  • GENBANK/DQ176863
  • GENBANK/DQ188099