Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) signal sequence enhances immunogenicity of MVA-based vaccine against tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious health problem worldwide, and the only available vaccine, bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), has shown highly variable efficacy in adults against TB. New vaccines are urgently needed, and the modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA)-based vaccine has emerged as one of the most promising candidates based on many preclinical and early clinical studies over the past few years. However, the maximum tolerable dose and strength of induced immune responses have limited the protective effect of MVA-based prophylactic vaccines. To improve the immunogenicity of MVA-based vaccines, we introduced the tPA signal sequence in order to increase the antigen expression and secretion. Two recombinant MVA vectors expressing the Ag85B-TB10.4 fusion protein with or without tPA signal sequence were constructed and verified. Following the homologous prime-boost administration regimen in mice, levels of antigen-specific antibodies and cytokines (e.g., IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-5, IL-6) and the percent of activated T cells were found to be significantly increased by the tPA signal sequence. However, the mean IgG2a/IgG1 ratios in the two recombinant MVA immunization groups were similar. Our present study demonstrated that the tPA signal sequence could enhance the immunogenicity of an MVA-based vaccine against TB without changing the balance of Th1 and Th2 immune responses. Thus, the tPA signal sequence may be applied to MVA-vector based vaccines for providing a better immune effect.

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of heterologous prime-boost regimens with mycobacterial vaccines and recombinant adenovirus- and poxvirus-vectored vaccines against murine tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate regimens using bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) or recombinant BCG (rBCG) overexpressing Ag85B for priming, followed by boosting with a modified vaccinia virus Ankara strain (MVA) and/or adenovirus vector (AD) expressing an Ag85B-ESAT6 fusion protein. METHODS: Cellular and humoral immune responses were determined after subcutaneous vaccination, which was employed to trigger systemic immunity against intravenous infection in a mouse model of tuberculosis (TB). Bacterial loads and lung histology were evaluated. RESULTS: The relative IgG2a and IgG1 antibody levels indicated that the viral-vectored vaccines generated a T-helper type 1 (Th1)-biased response after two doses of viral boost vaccinations. Boosting BCG-primed mice with viral vaccines induced a Th1 immune response that included both CD4 and CD8 T-cells generating antigen-specific interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and CD8 T cytotoxic activity. Only mice vaccinated with two different viral boosters after BCG priming exhibited a significant reduction in bacterial burden in the lung after challenge. Histology examinations confirmed the attenuation of lung damage and more compact granulomas. After mycobacteria priming, boosting with AD85B-E6 followed by MVA85B-E6 afforded better protection than the reverse order of administration of the viral vectors. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the potential of multiple heterologous viral booster vaccines, although the exact correlates of protection and optimal regimens should be further investigated for the rational design of future vaccine strategies.

Attempted immunotherapy for Mycobacterium tuberculosis with viral and protein vaccines based on Ag85B-ESAT6 in a mouse model.

The increasing threat of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) and co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has worsened the international public health crisis and challenged conventional chemotherapy. Therapeutic vaccines, which possess the capacity to stimulate the immune system and affect the disease progression, deserve reconsideration to aid chemotherapy. Vaccines based on Ag85B-ESAT6 fusion protein were tested as potential immunotherapeutic vaccines against ongoing intravenous infection in a mouse model. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by enumeration of bacilli in infected tissues and by histological examination of the lungs. Ag85B-ESAT6 with the adjuvant dimethyl dioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA) - monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) did not reduce bacterial load, however induced a sharp weight loss and worsened pathology. Recombinant virus-based vaccines failed to protect mice against tuberculosis either. More efforts should be taken to search for protective candidates and elucidate the mechanism for immunotherapy.

Immune responses induced by heterologous boosting of recombinant bacillus Calmette-Guerin with Ag85B-ESAT6 fusion protein in levamisole-based adjuvant.

In the present study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a levamisole-based adjuvant (ADL) to enhance the ability of the Ag85B-ESAT6 fusion protein to boost immune responses after primary vaccination with recombinant bacillus Calmette-Guerin (rBCG) in Balb/c mice. The results were compared with that of the control adjuvant formulation of dimethyl dioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA) and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), which has previously been shown to induce T-helper type 1 (Th1)-biased responses. Enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay with Ag85B and ESAT6 derived peptides corresponding to CD4+ and CD8+ T cell restricted epitopes and cell surface immunostaining indicated that Ag85B-ESAT6/ADL predominantly triggered activation of CD4+ T cells. Functional CD8+ T cells with interferon (IFN)-γ production or cytotoxicity were undetectable all vaccinated mice. The ADL adjuvant modified T-helper (Th) subtypes by up-regulating multiple signature cytokines. Furthermore, profiles of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) subtypes indicated ADL enhanced the secretion of Th1-associated IgG2a antibodies and decreased the yield of Th2-associated IgG1 subtype. These observations suggest that the ADL adjuvant formulated with a protein booster may induce Th1-biased cellular and humoral immune responses to primary vaccination with a live attenuated bacterial TB vaccine.