Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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DNA Vaccines Encoding Toxoplasma gondii Cathepsin C 1 Induce Protection against Toxoplasmosis in Mice

  • Han, Yali (Department of Parasitology, Shandong University School of Medicine) ;
  • Zhou, Aihua (Department of Pediatrics, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong University School of Medicine) ;
  • Lu, Gang (Department of Parasitology, Shandong University School of Medicine) ;
  • Zhao, Guanghui (Qilu Hospital of Shandong University) ;
  • Sha, Wenchao (Department of Parasitology, Shandong University School of Medicine) ;
  • Wang, Lin (Department of Jinan Children's Hospital) ;
  • Guo, Jingjing (Department of Parasitology, Shandong University School of Medicine) ;
  • Zhou, Jian (Department of Parasitology, Shandong University School of Medicine) ;
  • Zhou, Huaiyu (Department of Parasitology, Shandong University School of Medicine) ;
  • Cong, Hua (Department of Parasitology, Shandong University School of Medicine) ;
  • He, Shenyi (Department of Parasitology, Shandong University School of Medicine)
  • Received : 2017.03.04
  • Accepted : 2017.09.19
  • Published : 2017.10.31
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Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii cathepsin C proteases (TgCPC1, 2, and 3) are important for the growth and survival of T. gondii. In the present study, B-cell and T-cell epitopes of TgCPC1 were predicted using DNAstar and the Immune Epitope Database. A TgCPC1 DNA vaccine was constructed, and its ability to induce protective immune responses against toxoplasmosis in BALB/c mice was evaluated in the presence or absence of the adjuvant ${\alpha}-GalCer$. As results, TgCPC1 DNA vaccine with or without adjuvant ${\alpha}-GalCer$ showed higher levels of IgG and IgG2a in the serum, as well as IL-2 and $IFN-{\gamma}$ in the spleen compared to controls (PBS, pEGFP-C1, and ${\alpha}-GalCer$). Upon challenge infection with tachyzoites of T. gondii (RH), $pCPC1/{\alpha}-GalCer$ immunized mice showed the longest survival among all the groups. Mice vaccinated with DNA vaccine without adjuvant (pCPC1) showed better protective immunity compared to other controls (PBS, pEGFP-C1, and ${\alpha}-GalCer$). These results indicate that a DNA vaccine encoding TgCPC1 is a potential vaccine candidate against toxoplasmosis.

Keywords

References

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