Unusual Self-Assembly of the Recombinant Chlamydia trachomatis Major Outer Membrane Protein-Based Fusion Antigen CTH522 Into Protein Nanoparticles.

Sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis infects more than 100 million people annually, and untreated chlamydia infections can cause severe complications. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a chlamydia vaccine. The Ctrachomatis major outer membrane protein (MOMP) is highly immunogenic but is a challenging vaccine candidate by being an integral membrane protein, and the immunogenicity depends on a correctly folded structure. We investigated the biophysical properties of the recombinant MOMP-based fusion antigen CTH522, which is tested in early human clinical trials. It consists of a truncated and cysteine-free version of MOMP fused to 4 variable domains from serovars D-G. In the native state, CTH522 did not exist as a monomer but showed an unusual self-assembly into nanoparticles with a negative zeta potential. In contrast to the ß-barrel structure of MOMP, native CTH522 contained no well-defined secondary structural elements, and no thermal transitions were measurable. Chemical unfolding resulted in monomers that upon removal of the denaturant self-assembled into higher order structures, comparable to the structure of the native protein. The conformation of CTH522 in nanoparticles is thus not entirely random and contains structural elements stabilized via denaturant-disruptable hydrophobic interactions. In conclusion, CTH522 has an unusual quaternary structure of supramolecular self-assemblies.

The cationic liposomal adjuvants CAF01 and CAF09 formulated with the major outer membrane protein elicit robust protection in mice against a Chlamydia muridarum respiratory challenge.

Two cationic liposomal adjuvants CAF01 and CAF09 were formulated with the native or the recombinant Chlamydia muridarum major outer membrane protein (nMOMP and rMOMP). BALB/c mice were immunized with the four vaccine formulations using the subcutaneous followed by the intranasal (i.n.) routes. As positive controls mice were inoculated i.n. with live C. muridarum and negative controls received i.n. minimal essential medium (MEM). Four weeks after the last immunization mice were challenged i.n. with 104 inclusion forming units (IFU) of C. muridarum. Following the challenge the mice were weighed daily. At 10days post-challenge the mice were euthanized, their lungs weighed and the number of C. muridarum IFU determined. Serum collected the day before the challenge showed that all four groups of mice immunized with CAF01, or CAF09 and MOMP had significant C. muridarum-specific antibody titers. As determined by a T-cell lymphoproliferative assay, these four groups of mice also mounted robust cell mediated immune responses with high production of IFN-γ and IL17 and low levels of IL-4. Following the challenge the four groups of mice lost significantly less body weight than the MEM-immunized group. Lungs of mice vaccinated with CAF01, or CAF09, and nMOMP were significantly lighter than those from mice immunized using rMOMP. The number of IFU recovered from the lungs of mice vaccinated with CAF01, or CAF09, and nMOMP was similar to the number of IFU recovered from mice immunized with live EB. Mice that received rMOMP had significantly higher numbers of IFU than other groups. In conclusion, CAF01 and CAF09 elicited very robust protective humoral and cellular immune responses and were equally effective at adjuntavizing the C. muridarum MOMP. Mice vaccinated with nMOMP were significantly better protected than those immunized with rMOMP, indicative of the importance of the structural conformation of this antigen in protection.

Genital tract lesions in sexually mature Göttingen minipigs during the initial stages of experimental vaginal infection with Chlamydia trachomatis serovar D.

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in humans worldwide, causing chronic lesions in the reproductive tract. Due to its often asymptomatic course, there is limited knowledge about the initial changes in the genital tract following infection. This study employs a novel sexually mature minipig model to investigate the initial histopathological changes following vaginal infection with Chlamydia trachomatis serovar D. RESULTS: A vaginal inoculation resulted in an infection primarily affecting the lower genital tract. The histopathological changes were characterized by a subepithelial inflammation consisting of neutrophils and mononuclear cells, followed by an increase in the number of plasma cells within the sub-epithelial stroma of the vagina. Detection of Chlamydia was associated with expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and interleukin-8 by superficial epithelial cells. The infection was self-limiting, with a duration of 7 days. CONCLUSION: Neutrophils, plasma cells and IL-8 have been linked with Chlamydia genital infection of unknown duration in human patients. In this study, we observe a similar pattern of local immune response/inflammation following experimental inoculation suggesting this porcine model shows promise as a model for translational chlamydia research.

A Multi-Component Prime-Boost Vaccination Regimen with a Consensus MOMP Antigen Enhances Chlamydia trachomatis Clearance.

BACKGROUND: A vaccine for Chlamydia trachomatis is of urgent medical need. We explored bioinformatic approaches to generate an immunogen against C. trachomatis that would induce cross-serovar T-cell responses as (i) CD4(+) T cells have been shown in animal models and human studies to be important in chlamydial protection and (ii) antibody responses may be restrictive and serovar specific. METHODS: A consensus antigen based on over 1,500 major outer membrane protein (MOMP) sequences provided high epitope coverage against the most prevalent C. trachomatis strains in silico. Having designed the T-cell immunogen, we assessed it for immunogenicity in prime-boost regimens. This consensus MOMP transgene was delivered using plasmid DNA, Human Adenovirus 5 (HuAd5) or modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vectors with or without MF59(®) adjuvanted recombinant MOMP protein. RESULTS: Different regimens induced distinct immune profiles. The DNA-HuAd5-MVA-Protein vaccine regimen induced a cellular response with a Th1-biased serum antibody response, alongside high serum and vaginal MOMP-specific antibodies. This regimen significantly enhanced clearance against intravaginal C. trachomatis serovar D infection in both BALB/c and B6C3F1 mouse strains. This enhanced clearance was shown to be CD4(+) T-cell dependent. Future studies will need to confirm the specificity and precise mechanisms of protection. CONCLUSION: A C. trachomatis vaccine needs to induce a robust cellular response with broad cross-serovar coverage and a heterologous prime-boost regimen may be an approach to achieve this.

Intramuscular Immunisation with Chlamydial Proteins Induces Chlamydia trachomatis Specific Ocular Antibodies.

BACKGROUND: Ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis can cause trachoma, which is the leading cause of blindness due to infection worldwide. Despite the large-scale implementation of trachoma control programmes in the majority of countries where trachoma is endemic, there remains a need for a vaccine. Since C. trachomatis infects the conjunctival epithelium and stimulates an immune response in the associated lymphoid tissue, vaccine regimens that enhance local antibody responses could be advantageous. In experimental infections of non-human primates (NHPs), antibody specificity to C. trachomatis antigens was found to change over the course of ocular infection. The appearance of major outer membrane protein (MOMP) specific antibodies correlated with a reduction in ocular chlamydial burden, while subsequent generation of antibodies specific for PmpD and Pgp3 correlated with C. trachomatis eradication. METHODS: We used a range of heterologous prime-boost vaccinations with DNA, Adenovirus, modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) and protein vaccines based on the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) as an antigen, and investigated the effect of vaccine route, antigen and regimen on the induction of anti-chlamydial antibodies detectable in the ocular lavage fluid of mice. RESULTS: Three intramuscular vaccinations with recombinant protein adjuvanted with MF59 induced significantly greater levels of anti-MOMP ocular antibodies than the other regimens tested. Intranasal delivery of vaccines induced less IgG antibody in the eye than intramuscular delivery. The inclusion of the antigens PmpD and Pgp3, singly or in combination, induced ocular antigen-specific IgG antibodies, although the anti-PmpD antibody response was consistently lower and attenuated by combination with other antigens. CONCLUSIONS: If translatable to NHPs and/or humans, this investigation of the murine C. trachomatis specific ocular antibody response following vaccination provides a potential mouse model for the rapid and high throughput evaluation of future trachoma vaccines.

Decoration of outer membrane vesicles with multiple antigens by using an autotransporter approach.

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are spherical nanoparticles that naturally shed from Gram-negative bacteria. They are rich in immunostimulatory proteins and lipopolysaccharide but do not replicate, which increases their safety profile and renders them attractive vaccine vectors. By packaging foreign polypeptides in OMVs, specific immune responses can be raised toward heterologous antigens in the context of an intrinsic adjuvant. Antigens exposed at the vesicle surface have been suggested to elicit protection superior to that from antigens concealed inside OMVs, but hitherto robust methods for targeting heterologous proteins to the OMV surface have been lacking. We have exploited our previously developed hemoglobin protease (Hbp) autotransporter platform for display of heterologous polypeptides at the OMV surface. One, two, or three of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens ESAT6, Ag85B, and Rv2660c were targeted to the surface of Escherichia coli OMVs upon fusion to Hbp. Furthermore, a hypervesiculating ΔtolR ΔtolA derivative of attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium SL3261 was generated, enabling efficient release and purification of OMVs decorated with multiple heterologous antigens, exemplified by the M. tuberculosis antigens and epitopes from Chlamydia trachomatis major outer membrane protein (MOMP). Also, we showed that delivery of Salmonella OMVs displaying Ag85B to antigen-presenting cells in vitro results in processing and presentation of an epitope that is functionally recognized by Ag85B-specific T cell hybridomas. In conclusion, the Hbp platform mediates efficient display of (multiple) heterologous antigens, individually or combined within one molecule, at the surface of OMVs. Detection of antigen-specific immune responses upon vesicle-mediated delivery demonstrated the potential of our system for vaccine development.

Liposome delivery of Chlamydia muridarum major outer membrane protein primes a Th1 response that protects against genital chlamydial infection in a mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Immunity to chlamydia is thought to rely on interferon (IFN)-gamma-secreting T helper cells type 1 (Th1) with an additional effect of secreted antibodies. A need for Th1-polarizing adjuvants in experimental chlamydia vaccines has been demonstrated, and antigen conformation has also been reported as being important for raising protective immunity. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice vaccinated with native refolded Chlamydia muridarum major outer membrane protein (MOMP) adjuvanted with either Th1-promoting cationic adjuvant formulation 1 (CAF01) or T helper cells type 2-promoting aluminum hydroxide (alum) received a genital inoculation of 1.5 x 10(5) inclusion-forming units of C. muridarum. The role played by CD4(+) T cells in MOMP/CAF01-raised immunity was investigated by depleting CD4(+) T cells in vaccinated mice, and antigen conformation dependence was evaluated by vaccination with recombinant MOMP. RESULTS: Mice vaccinated with MOMP/alum displayed a strong anti-MOMP humoral response with high IgG1 titers, low levels of IFN-gamma and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and only a slight reduction in chlamydial load. Mice vaccinated with MOMP/CAF01 displayed high titers of IgG2b, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha and a profoundly reduced vaginal chlamydial load, compared with control mice. The protection was CD4(+) T cell dependent and was not dependent on MOMP conformation. CONCLUSION: CAF01 adjuvant facilitates a protective anti-MOMP CD4(+) T cell response independent of MOMP conformation.