• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.55 no.5
• /
• pp.505-512
• /
• 2017

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.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.57 no.5
• /
• pp.543-547
• /
• 2019

Toxoplasma gondii can infect humans worldwide, causing serious diseases in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. T. gondii rhoptry protein 13 (ROP13) is known as one of the key proteins involved in host cell invasion. In this study, we generated virus-like particles (VLPs) vaccine expressing T. gondii rhoptry ROP13 and investigated VLPs vaccine efficacy in mice. Mice immunized with ROP13 VLPs vaccine elicited significantly higher levels of T. gondii-specific IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, and IgA antibody responses following boost immunization and challenge infection, whereas antibody inductions were insignificant upon prime immunization. Differing immunization routes resulted in differing antibody induction, as intranasal immunization (IN) induced greater antibody responses than intramuscular immunization (IM) after boost and challenge infection. IN immunization induced significantly higher levels of IgG and IgA antibody responses from feces, antibody-secreting cells (ASCs), $CD4^+$ T, $CD8^+$ T cells and germinal center B cell responses in the spleen compared to IM immunization. Compared to IM immunization, IN immunization resulted in significantly reduced cyst counts in the brain as well as lesser body weight loss, which contributed to better protection. All of the mice immunized through either route survived, whereas all na?ve control mice perished. These results indicate that the ROP13 VLPs vaccine could be a potential vaccine candidate against T. gondii infection.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.47.1-47.16
• /
• 2023

Scrub typhus, a mite-borne infectious disease, is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. Despite many attempts to develop a protective strategy, an effective preventive vaccine has not been developed. The identification of appropriate Ags that cover diverse antigenic strains and provide long-lasting immunity is a fundamental challenge in the development of a scrub typhus vaccine. We investigated whether this limitation could be overcome by harnessing the nanoparticle-forming polysorbitol transporter (PST) for an O. tsutsugamushi vaccine strategy. Two target proteins, 56-kDa type-specific Ag (TSA56) and surface cell Ag A (ScaA) were used as vaccine candidates. PST formed stable nano-size complexes with TSA56 (TSA56-PST) and ScaA (ScaA-PST); neither exhibited cytotoxicity. The formation of Ag-specific IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgA in mice was enhanced by intranasal vaccination with TSA56-PST or ScaA-PST. The vaccines containing PST induced Ag-specific proliferation of CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T cells. Furthermore, the vaccines containing PST improved the mouse survival against O. tsutsugamushi infection. Collectively, the present study indicated that PST could enhance both Ag-specific humoral immunity and T cell response, which are essential to effectively confer protective immunity against O. tsutsugamushi infection. These findings suggest that PST has potential for use in an intranasal vaccination strategy.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.350-358
• /
• 2023

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral infectious disease that occurs in children under 5 years of age. Its main causes are coxsackievirus (CV) and enterovirus (EV). Since there are no efficient therapeutics for HFMD, vaccines are effective in preventing the disease. To develop broad coverage against CV and EV, the development of a bivalent vaccine form is needed. The Mongolian gerbil is an efficient and suitable animal model of EV71 C4a and CVA16 infection used to investigate vaccine efficacy following direct immunization. In this study, Mongolian gerbils were immunized with a bivalent inactivated EV71 C4a and inactivated CVA16 vaccine to test their effectiveness against viral infection. Bivalent vaccine immunization resulted in increased Ag-specific IgG antibody production; specifically, EV71 C4a-specific IgG was increased with medium and high doses and CVA16-specific IgG was increased with all doses of immunization. When gene expression of T cell-biased cytokines was analysed, Th1, Th2, and Th17 responses were found to be highly activated in the high-dose immunization group. Moreover, bivalent vaccine immunization mitigated paralytic signs and increased the survival rate following lethal viral challenges. When the viral RNA content was determined from various organs, all three doses of bivalent vaccine immunization were found to significantly decrease viral amplification. Upon histologic examination, EV71 C4a and CVA16 induced tissue damage to the heart and muscle. However, bivalent vaccine immunization alleviated this in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the bivalent inactivated EV71 C4a/CVA16 vaccine could be a safe and effective candidate HFMD vaccine.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.61 no.3
• /
• pp.251-262
• /
• 2023

Schistosomiasis causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to assess the effect of schistosomula lung antigen preparation (SLAP) and soluble egg antigen (SEA) on a murine schistosomiasis mansoni model. Ninety laboratory-bred male Swiss albino mice were divided into 6 groups. Two doses of the vaccine were given at 2-week intervals. All mice were subcutaneously infected with 80±10 Schistosoma mansoni cercariae 2 weeks after the last vaccination dose. They were sacrificed 7 weeks post-infection. Parasitological and histopathological studies were conducted to assess the effect of inoculated antigens (single or combined). The results showed that the combination of SLAP and SEA (combination group) led to a significant reduction in worm burden (65.56%), and liver and intestine egg count (59% and 60.59%, respectively). The oogram pattern revealed a reduction in immature and mature eggs (15±0.4 and 10±0.8, respectively) and an increased number of dead eggs in the combination group (P<0.001). In terms of histopathological changes, the combination group showed notably small compact fibrocellular egg granuloma and moderate fibrosis in the liver. A high percentage of destroyed ova was observed in the intestine of the combination group. This study demonstrates for the first time the prophylactic effect of combined SLAP and SEA vaccine. The vaccine induced a significant reduction in the parasitological and pathological impacts of schistosomiasis mansoni in hepatic and intestinal tissues, making it a promising vaccine candidate for controlling schistosomiasis.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.161-176
• /
• 1992

Coccidiosis is caused by Eimeria infecting primarily the intestine of the susceptible host, thereby seriously impairing the growth and feed utilization of livestock and poultry. The genus Eimeria contains a number of obligate intracellular protozoan parasites with a complicated life-cycle involving both asexual and sexual stages of development. The desire to develop a vaccine against Eimeria has Promoted active research to elucidate the mechanisms of protective immunity and identification of candidate vaccine antigens. Protozoa are unique in their modes of transmission and nature of disease manifestations, the significance of which should be considered in the development of a control strategy. An intricate and complex interplay of different cell populations and cytokines is involved not only in the pathogenesis of coccidiosis but also in the development of protective immunity Thus, comprehensive understanding of the events leading to protection following Eimeria infection will be crucial for the development of an effective vaccine.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.767-771
• /
• 2005

Expression in yeast may prove more amenable to generating large amounts of viral antigens for a vaccine candidate. We, therefore, cloned the gene encoding the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) structural proteins (C-El-E2, c740) fused in-frame with, and immediately 3' to, the chicken-lysozyme signal peptide (C-SIG) gene and under the control of the yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene promoter. In yeast, the HCV structural proteins were expressed in two different forms: a processed and a nonprocessed aggregated form. Biophysical characterization by sucrose linear gradient centrifugation revealed that both forms were present in the same fractions with a buoyant density of 1.127-1.176 g/$cm^3$. These findings suggest that the efficient synthesis of HCV structural proteins in yeast may be an important tool to study virus assembly and may lead to the development of an HCV vaccine.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.177-183
• /
• 2006

To demonstrate the effect of formulation conditions and evaluations of structural integrity from ovalbumin containing poly lactide glycolide copolymer (PLGA) microspheres for Vaccine delivery, OVA microspheres were prepared by a W/O/W multiple emulsion solvent extraction technique. Dichloromethan (DCM) and Ethyl acetate (EA) were applied as an organic phase and poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) as a secondary emulsion stabilizer. Microspheres were characterized for particle size, morphology (optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)). Protein denaturation was evaluated by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), SDS-PAGE and isoelectric focusing (IEF). Residual organic solvent was estimated by gas chromatography (GC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Optical photomicrograph and SEM revealed that micro spheres were typically spherical but various morphologies were observed. Mean particle size $(d_{vs})$ of microspheres were in the range of $3{\sim}50{\mu}m$. Also, The protein stability was not affected by the fonnulation process and residual organic solvent was beyond the detection below 0.1ppm. These results demonstrated that micro spheres might be a good candidate for the parenteral vaccine delivery system.

• Journal of fish pathology
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2024

Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) poses a significant threat to numerous cyprinid fish species, particularly the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), often resulting in substantial mortalities. This study explores the potential use of a chimeric recombinant snakehead rhabdovirus carrying the SVCV G gene (rSHRV-Gsvcv) as a live vaccine against SVCV infection. Through virulence testing in zebrafish at different temperatures (15 ℃ and 20 ℃), no mortality was observed in groups infected with either rSHRV-wild or chimeric rSHRV-Gsvcv at both temperatures, whereas 100% mortality occurred in fish infected with wild-type SVCV. Subsequently, as no mortality was observed by rSHRV-Gsvcv, three independent experiments were conducted to determine the possible usage of chimeric rSHRV-Gsvcv as a vaccine candidate against SVCV infection. Fish were immunized with either rSHRV-Gsvcv or rSHRV-wild, and their survival rates against the SVCV challenge were compared with a control group injected with buffer alone at four weeks post-immunization. The results showed that chimeric rSHRV-Gsvcv induced significantly higher fish survival rates compared to rSHRV-wild and the control groups. These findings suggest that genetically engineered chimeric rSHRV-Gsvcv holds the potential for a prophylactic measure to protect fish against SVCV infection.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.875-882
• /
• 1997

To produce the recombinant fibronectin-binding protein(FnBP) for development of subunit vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus. The fnbp gene was amplified from the chromosomal DNA of S aureus KNU 196 strain using the polymerase chain reaction, and cloned into pGEX-4T-2. Then, the recombinant FnBP fused with glutathione-S-transferase was produced in E coli, purified by affinity chromatography, and identified its antigenicity and immunogenicity by Western blot. The recombinant FnBP produced in this study is considered to have the same property of native FnBP purified from S aureus, and is expected to be useful as a candidate for S aureus subunit vaccine.