Chaperonin GroEL a Brucella immunodominant antigen identified using Nanobody and MALDI-TOF-MS technologies.

The deployment of today's antibodies that are able to distinguish Brucella from the closely similar pathogens, such as Yersinia, is still considered a great challenge since both pathogens share identical LPS (lipopolysaccharide) O-ring epitopes. In addition, because of the great impact of Brucella on health and economy in many countries including Syria, much effort is going to the development of next generation vaccines, mainly on the identification of new immunogenic proteins of this pathogen. In this context, Brucella-specific nanobodies (Nbs), camel genetic engineered heavy-chain antibody fragments, could be of great value. Previously, a large Nb library was constructed from a camel immunized with heat-killed Brucella. Phage display panning of this 'immune' library with Brucella total lysate resulted in a remarkable fast enrichment for a Nb referred to as NbBruc02. In the present work, we investigated the main characteristics of this Nb that can efficiently distinguish under well-defined conditions the Brucella from other bacteria including Yersinia. NbBruc02 showed a strong and specific interaction with its antigen within the crude lysate as tested by a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor and it was also able to pull down its cognate antigen from such lysate by immuno-capturing. Using matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), NbBruc02 specific antigen was identified as chaperonin GroEL, also known as heat shock protein of 60 kDa (HSP-60), which represents a Brucella immunodominant antigen responsible of maintaining proteins folding during stress conditions. Interestingly, the antigen recognition by NbBruc02 was found to be affected by the state of GroEL folding. Thus, the Nb technology applied in the field of infectious diseases, e.g. brucellosis, yields two outcomes: (1) it generates specific binders that can be used for diagnosis, and perhaps treatment, and (2) it identifies the immunogenic candidate antigens for developing vaccines.

Evaluation of a nanobody phage display library constructed from a Brucella-immunised camel.

Brucella are invasive gram-negative bacteria that multiply and survive within eukaryotic cells causing brucellosis. Syrian (and Middle East) health and economy sectors are still affected by this disease causing a serious national problem that needs to be solved. Here, a strategy was developed to introduce a new generation of binders, known as Nanobodies (Nbs) in our combat against Brucella. These Nbs, recombinant single-domain variable fragments derived from camelid heavy-chain antibodies are very stable and highly soluble, making them a useful tool in numerous biotechnological and medical applications. In this work and without having access to purified antigens (Ags), a camel was immunised successfully with heat-killed Brucella melitensis strain Riv1 as demonstrated by the high titer of Ag-specific heavy-chain antibodies in the serum. Lymphocytes of the immunised camel were isolated and their Nb genes were cloned in a relatively large library of 10(8) individual transformants, of which 81% contained an insert with the proper size of a Nb gene. Phage display expression of the Nbs from this library and pannings on the Brucella lysate resulted in a clear enrichment of three distinct Nb-displaying phages (phage-Nbs), referred to as NbBruc01, 02 and 03, with specificity for Brucella. Producing these binders in a pure, soluble form, as well as identifying their specific targets, which are likely to be immunodominant Ags in Brucella, is expected to open wide perspectives for following the vaccination, diagnosis and treatment of brucellosis.

Induction of immune response in BALB/c mice with a DNA vaccine encoding bacterioferritin or P39 of Brucella spp.

In this study, we evaluated the ability of DNA vaccines encoding the bacterioferritin (BFR) or P39 proteins of Brucella spp. to induce cellular and humoral immune responses and to protect BALB/c mice against a challenge with B. abortus 544. We constructed eukaryotic expression vectors called pCIBFR and pCIP39, encoding BFR or P39 antigens, respectively, and we verified that these proteins were produced after transfection of COS-7 cells. PCIBFR or pCIP39 was injected intramuscularly three times, at 3-week intervals. pCIP39 induced higher antibody responses than did the DNA vector encoding BFR. Both vectors elicited a T-cell-proliferative response and also induced a strong gamma interferon production upon restimulation with either the specific antigens or Brucella extract. In this report, we also demonstrate that animals immunized with these plasmids elicited a strong and long-lived memory immune response which persisted at least 3 months after the third vaccination. Furthermore, pCIBFR and pCIP39 induced a typical T-helper 1-dominated immune response in mice, as determined by cytokine or immunoglobulin G isotype analysis. The pCIP39 delivered by intramuscular injection (but not the pCIBFR or control vectors) induced a moderate protection in BALB/c mice challenged with B. abortus 544 compared to that observed in positive control mice vaccinated with S19.

Protection of BALB/c mice against Brucella abortus 544 challenge by vaccination with bacterioferritin or P39 recombinant proteins with CpG oligodeoxynucleotides as adjuvant.

The P39 and the bacterioferrin (BFR) antigens of Brucella melitensis 16M were previously identified as T dominant antigens able to induce both delayed-type hypersensivity in sensitized guinea pigs and in vitro gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from infected cattle. Here, we analyzed the potential for these antigens to function as a subunitary vaccine against Brucella abortus infection in BALB/c mice, and we characterized the humoral and cellular immune responses induced. Mice were injected with each of the recombinant proteins alone or adjuvanted with either CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODN) or non-CpG ODN. Mice immunized with the recombinant antigens with CpG ODN were the only group demonstrating both significant IFN-gamma production and T-cell proliferation in response to either Brucella extract or to the respective antigen. The same conclusion holds true for the antibody response, which was only demonstrated in mice immunized with recombinant antigens mixed with CpG ODN. The antibody titers (both immunoglobulin G1 [IgG1] and IgG2a) induced by P39 immunization were higher than the titers induced by BFR (only IgG2a). Using a B. abortus 544 challenge, the level of protection was analyzed and compared to the protection conferred by one immunization with the vaccine strain B19. Immunization with P39 and CpG ODN gave a level of protection comparable to the one conferred by B19 at 4 weeks postchallenge, and the mice were still significantly protected at 8 weeks postchallenge, although to a lesser extent than the B19-vaccinated group. Intriguingly, no protection was detected after BFR vaccination. All other groups did not demonstrate any protection.