RESUMO
Leptospirosis is globally widespread neglected disease, affecting most mammalian species. Clinical signs can be confused with other diseases which make the diagnosis and treatment difficult. Chemokines and cytokines are known for their role in the inflammatory and immune response to infections. The profile determination of chemokines' expressions in the course of infection may elucidate the defense mechanisms of the host and support the search for effective treatment strategies. We investigated the mechanisms of innate immunity through the comparison of chemokines induced during infection with L. interrogans in mice with different levels of susceptibility. We used lung and spleen tissues samples of mice from C3H/HeJ, C3H/HePas and Balb/c, respectively sensitive, intermediate susceptibility and resistant to the pathogen. The inoculation of L. interrogans in C3H/HeJ mice led a comparatively smaller change in chemokines expression in both spleen and lung tissues. In samples from spleens and lungs of C3H/HePas and Balb/c the higher increases occurred on CXCL9, CXCL16, CXCL5, CCL8 and CCL5 in Balb/c. Given the same genetic background, the differences in the responses of C3H/HePas compared to C3H/HeJ mice strongly suggest the role of chemokines for the survival of parental strain. Therefore, the greatest increase in CXC chemokines appears to be efficient to induce migration of cells to the secondary lymphoid organs and affected tissues, which is important to control infection. Overall, CXC chemokines are important for the activation and attraction of T cell and may influence the course and control of the infection in resistant Balb/c mice.
Assuntos
Quimiocinas/metabolismo , Leptospira/imunologia , Leptospirose/patologia , Pulmão/fisiologia , Animais , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Proteínas de Bactérias/metabolismo , Células Cultivadas , Progressão da Doença , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica , Proteínas Hemolisinas/genética , Proteínas Hemolisinas/metabolismo , Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno , Imunidade Inata , Mediadores da Inflamação/metabolismo , Leptospirose/imunologia , Pulmão/microbiologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Camundongos Endogâmicos C3H , Proteínas dos Microfilamentos/genética , Proteínas dos Microfilamentos/metabolismo , Receptor 4 Toll-Like/metabolismoRESUMO
Despite the reduction in incidence after vaccination, pertussis disease is still considered a public health problem worldwide, mainly due to recent and potential new outbreaks. We report here the complete genome of the Bordetella pertussis Butantan strain used in the Brazilian National Immunization Program as a whole-cell pertussis antigen to compose vaccines such as DTwP (diphtheria, tetanus, and whole-cell pertussis).
RESUMO
The main goal of this work was to develop a strategy to identify B-cell epitopes on four different three finger toxins (3FTX) and one phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from Micrurus corallinus snake venom. 3FTx and PLA2 are highly abundant components in Elapidic venoms and are the major responsibles for the toxicity observed in envenomation by coral snakes. Overlapping peptides from the sequence of each toxin were prepared by SPOT method and three different anti-elapidic sera were used to map the epitopes. After immunogenicity analysis of the spot-reactive peptides by EPITOPIA, a computational method, nine sequences from the five toxins were chemically synthesized and antigenically and immunogenically characterized. All the peptides were used together as immunogens in rabbits, delivered with Freund's adjuvant for a first cycle of immunization and Montanide in the second. A good antibody response against individual synthetic peptides and M. corallinus venom was achieved. Anti-peptide IgGs were also cross-reactive against Micrurus frontalis and Micrurus lemniscatus crude venoms. In addition, anti-peptide IgGs inhibits the lethal and phospholipasic activities of M. corallinus crude venom. Our results provide a rational basis to the identification of neutralizing epitopes on coral snake toxins and show that their corresponding synthetic peptides could improve the generation of immuno-therapeutics. The use of synthetic peptide for immunization is a reasonable approach, since it enables poly-specificity, low risk of toxic effects and large scale production.
Assuntos
Venenos Elapídicos/química , Elapidae , Epitopos de Linfócito B/genética , Fosfolipases A2/genética , Toxinas Biológicas/genética , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Formação de Anticorpos , Brasil , Técnicas de Química Sintética , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Imunoglobulina G/metabolismo , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Testes de Neutralização , Peptídeos/genética , Peptídeos/imunologiaRESUMO
The production of recombinant proteins is an essential tool for the expansion of modern biological research and biotechnology. The expression of heterologous proteins in Escherichia coli often results in an incomplete folding process that leads to the accumulation of inclusion bodies (IB), aggregates that hold a certain degree of native-like secondary structure. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) impairs intermolecular hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, leading to dissociation of aggregates under non-denaturing conditions and is therefore a useful tool to solubilize proteins for posterior refolding. Cholera toxin (CT) is composed of a non-toxic pentamer of B subunits (CTB), a useful adjuvant in vaccines, and a toxic subunit A (CTA). We studied the process of refolding of CTB using HHP. HHP was shown to be effective for dissociation of CTB monomers from IB. Posterior incubation at atmospheric pressure of concentrated CTB (1mg/ml) is necessary for the association of the monomers. Pentameric CTB was obtained when suspensions of CTB IB were compressed at 2.4kbar for 16h in the presence of Tween 20 and incubated at 1bar for 120h. Soluble and biologically active pentameric CTB was obtained, with a yield of 213mg CTB/liter of culture. The experience gained in this study can be important to improve the refolding of proteins with quaternary structure.
Assuntos
Toxina da Cólera/química , Toxina da Cólera/metabolismo , Redobramento de Proteína , Vibrio cholerae/genética , Toxina da Cólera/genética , Dicroísmo Circular , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Pressão Hidrostática/efeitos adversos , Modelos Moleculares , Conformação Proteica , Multimerização Proteica , Estrutura Quaternária de Proteína , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Vibrio cholerae/metabolismoRESUMO
Leptospirosis is a re-emergent zoonosis, caused by pathogenic spirochetes from the genus Lepstospira. To date, there is no protein described to be involved in leptospiral hemorrhagic manifestations, although several proteases have been reported for other bacterial infections. In this study we identified 12 putative metalloproteases from the genome of Leptospira interrogans, and characterized for the first time a putative metalloprotease, here named Leptallo I, as a potential Zn(2+) dependent glycylglycine protease belonging to the M23 metalloendopeptidase family. The native protein was detected in extracts from several pathogenic Leptospira species and further shown to be secreted to the culture medium. We expressed the recombinant protein and its C-terminal fragment containing the metalloprotease domain, and both presented regular secondary structures. The sera of humans with leptospirosis were able to recognize rLeptallo I, indicating that the native protein is expressed and presented to the immune system during infection. The recombinant proteins displayed a significant, though relatively low, elastinolytic activity, and the challenge of hamsters immunized with rLeptallo I conferred 33% protection, suggesting a significant importance of this protein in the pathogenesis. The elastinolytic activity may be important for leptospires-host interaction, because elastin constitutes a significant proportion of total lung and blood vessel proteins.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Bactérias/imunologia , Proteínas de Bactérias/metabolismo , Elastina/metabolismo , Leptospira interrogans/patogenicidade , Leptospirose/prevenção & controle , Metaloproteases/metabolismo , Elastase Pancreática/metabolismo , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Anticorpos Antibacterianos/sangue , Anticorpos Antibacterianos/imunologia , Proteínas de Bactérias/química , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Cricetinae , Elastina/genética , Humanos , Leptospira interrogans/genética , Leptospira interrogans/metabolismo , Leptospirose/imunologia , Leptospirose/microbiologia , Masculino , Mesocricetus , Metaloproteases/química , Metaloproteases/genética , Metaloproteases/imunologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Elastase Pancreática/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/imunologia , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
The human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (hG-CSF) plays an important role in hematopoietic cell proliferation/differentiation and has been widely used as a therapeutic agent for treating neutropenias. Nartograstim is a commercial G-CSF that presents amino acid changes in specific positions when compared to the wild-type form, which potentially increase its activity and stability. The aim of this work was to develop an expression system in Escherichia coli that leads to the production of large amounts of a recombinant hG-CSF (rhG-CSF) biosimilar to Nartograstim. The nucleotide sequence of hg-csf was codon-optimized for expression in E. coli. As a result, high yields of the recombinant protein were obtained with adequate purity, structural integrity and biological activity. This protein has also been successfully used for the production of specific polyclonal antibodies in mice, which could be used in the control of the expression and purification in an industrial production process of this recombinant protein. These results will allow the planning of large-scale production of this mutant version of hG-CSF (Nartograstim), as a potential new biosimilar in the market.
Assuntos
Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Fator Estimulador de Colônias de Granulócitos/metabolismo , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Escherichia coli/genética , Fator Estimulador de Colônias de Granulócitos/genética , Humanos , Proteínas Recombinantes/genéticaRESUMO
countries. Intimate adhesion of the bacteria to intestinal cells occurs via binding of the adhesin intimin to theTIR receptor exposed on cell surfaces. Here, Lactobacillus casei expressing a fragment of -intimin (L.casei-Intcv) was tested as mucosal vaccines in mice against intestinal colonization with the murine pathogenCitrobacter rodentium. Oral or sublingual immunization of C57BL/6 mice with L. casei-Intcv induced anti-IntcvIgA in feces but no IgG in sera. Conversely, anti-Intcv IgG was induced in the sera of mice after sublingualimmunization with purified Intcv. All vaccines were able to decrease C. rodentium recovery from feces. However,this reduction was more evident and sustained over time in mice immunized with L. casei-Intcv by thesublingual route. These mice also displayed an increase in interleukin 6 (IL-6) and gamma interferon (IFN- )secretion by spleen cells 10 days after infection. Additionally, oral or sublingual immunization of C3H/HePasmice, which are highly susceptible to C. rodentium infection, with L. casei-Intcv induced anti-Intcv antibodiesand significantly increased survival after challenge. Immunohistological analysis of colon sections revealedthat C. rodentium was located in deep fractions of the tissue from C3H/HePas mice immunized with L. casei whereas superficial staining was observed in colon sections from mice immunized with L. casei-Intcv. The results indicate that vaccines composed of L. casei expressing intimin may represent a promising approach and that the C3H/HePas infection model with C. rodentium can be used to evaluate potential vaccines against EPEC.
Assuntos
Ratos , Administração Oral , Administração Sublingual , Interferon gama , Baço/anatomia & histologia , Baço/imunologia , Citrobacter rodentium/patogenicidade , Lacticaseibacillus casei/genéticaRESUMO
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a common cause of diarrhea in children from developing countries. Intimate adhesion of the bacteria to intestinal cells occurs via binding of the adhesin intimin to the TIR receptor exposed on cell surfaces. Here, Lactobacillus casei expressing a fragment of ß-intimin (L. casei-Int(cv)) was tested as mucosal vaccines in mice against intestinal colonization with the murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. Oral or sublingual immunization of C57BL/6 mice with L. casei-Int(cv) induced anti-Int(cv) IgA in feces but no IgG in sera. Conversely, anti-Int(cv) IgG was induced in the sera of mice after sublingual immunization with purified Int(cv). All vaccines were able to decrease C. rodentium recovery from feces. However, this reduction was more evident and sustained over time in mice immunized with L. casei-Int(cv) by the sublingual route. These mice also displayed an increase in interleukin 6 (IL-6) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) secretion by spleen cells 10 days after infection. Additionally, oral or sublingual immunization of C3H/HePas mice, which are highly susceptible to C. rodentium infection, with L. casei-Int(cv) induced anti-Int(cv) antibodies and significantly increased survival after challenge. Immunohistological analysis of colon sections revealed that C. rodentium was located in deep fractions of the tissue from C3H/HePas mice immunized with L. casei whereas superficial staining was observed in colon sections from mice immunized with L. casei-Int(cv.) The results indicate that vaccines composed of L. casei expressing intimin may represent a promising approach and that the C3H/HePas infection model with C. rodentium can be used to evaluate potential vaccines against EPEC.
Assuntos
Adesinas Bacterianas/imunologia , Vacinas Bacterianas/imunologia , Citrobacter rodentium/imunologia , Portadores de Fármacos , Infecções por Enterobacteriaceae/prevenção & controle , Proteínas de Escherichia coli/imunologia , Vetores Genéticos , Lacticaseibacillus casei/genética , Adesinas Bacterianas/genética , Administração Oral , Administração Sublingual , Animais , Anticorpos Antibacterianos/sangue , Vacinas Bacterianas/administração & dosagem , Citrobacter rodentium/genética , Colo/patologia , Infecções por Enterobacteriaceae/imunologia , Infecções por Enterobacteriaceae/microbiologia , Infecções por Enterobacteriaceae/mortalidade , Proteínas de Escherichia coli/genética , Fezes/microbiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Imunização/métodos , Interferon gama/metabolismo , Interleucina-6/metabolismo , Leucócitos Mononucleares/imunologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C3H , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Baço/imunologia , Análise de Sobrevida , Vacinas Sintéticas/administração & dosagem , Vacinas Sintéticas/imunologiaRESUMO
Aluminum salts have been widely used in vaccine formulations and, after their introduction more than 80 years ago, only few vaccine formulations using new adjuvants were developed in the last two decades. Recent advances in the understanding of how innate mechanisms influence the adaptive immunity opened up the possibility for the development of new adjuvants in a more rational design. The purpose of this review is to discuss the recent advances in this field regarding the attempts to determine the molecular basis and the general mechanisms underlying the development of new adjuvants, with particular emphasis on the activation of receptors of innate immune recognition. One can anticipate that the use of these novel adjuvants will also provide a window of opportunities for the development of new vaccines.
Assuntos
Animais , Humanos , Imunidade Adaptativa/imunologia , Imunidade Inata/imunologia , Receptores de Reconhecimento de Padrão/imunologia , Vacinas/imunologia , Fatores de Virulência/imunologia , Adjuvantes Imunológicos/química , Compostos de Alumínio/imunologia , Imunidade Celular/imunologia , Vacina contra Coqueluche/imunologia , Receptores Toll-Like/imunologia , Vacinas Atenuadas/imunologia , Vacinas/químicaRESUMO
Aluminum salts have been widely used in vaccine formulations and, after their introduction more than 80 years ago, only few vaccine formulations using new adjuvants were developed in the last two decades. Recent advances in the understanding of how innate mechanisms influence the adaptive immunity opened up the possibility for the development of new adjuvants in a more rational design. The purpose of this review is to discuss the recent advances in this field regarding the attempts to determine the molecular basis and the general mechanisms underlying the development of new adjuvants, with particular emphasis on the activation of receptors of innate immune recognition. One can anticipate that the use of these novel adjuvants will also provide a window of opportunities for the development of new vaccines.
Assuntos
Imunidade Adaptativa/imunologia , Imunidade Inata/imunologia , Receptores de Reconhecimento de Padrão/imunologia , Vacinas/imunologia , Fatores de Virulência/imunologia , Adjuvantes Imunológicos/química , Compostos de Alumínio/imunologia , Animais , Humanos , Imunidade Celular/imunologia , Vacina contra Coqueluche/imunologia , Receptores Toll-Like/imunologia , Vacinas/química , Vacinas Atenuadas/imunologiaRESUMO
Leptospirosis is a reemerging infectious disease and the most disseminated zoonosis worldwide. A leptospiral surface protein, LipL32, only occurs in pathogenic Leptospira, and is the most abundant protein on the bacterial surface, being described as an important factor in host immunogenic response and also in bacterial infection. We describe here an alternative and simple purification protocol for non-tagged recombinant LipL32. The recombinant LipL32(21-272) was expressed in Escherichia coli without His-tag or any other tag used to facilitate recombinant protein purification. The recombinant protein was expressed in the soluble form, and the purification was based on ion exchange (anionic and cationic) and hydrophobic interactions. The final purification yielded 3 mg soluble LipL32(21-272) per liter of the induced culture. Antiserum produced against the recombinant protein was effective to detect native LipL32 from cell extracts of several Leptospira serovars. The purified recombinant LipL32(21-272) produced by this protocol can be used for structural, biochemical and functional studies and avoids the risk of possible interactions and interferences of the tags commonly used as well as the time consuming and almost always inefficient methods to cleave these tags when a tag-free LipL32 is needed. Non-tagged LipL32 may represent an alternative antigen for biochemical studies, for serodiagnosis and for the development of a vaccine against leptospirosis.
Assuntos
Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/isolamento & purificação , Leptospira/metabolismo , Lipoproteínas/isolamento & purificação , Animais , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/genética , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/metabolismo , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Feminino , Expressão Gênica/genética , Vetores Genéticos/genética , Leptospira/química , Lipoproteínas/genética , Lipoproteínas/metabolismo , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB CRESUMO
Leptospirosis is a reemerging infectious disease and the most disseminated zoonosis worldwide. A leptospiral surface protein, LipL32, only occurs in pathogenic Leptospira, and is the most abundant protein on the bacterial surface, being described as an important factor in host immunogenic response and also in bacterial infection. We describe here an alternative and simple purification protocol for non-tagged recombinant LipL32. The recombinant LipL32(21-272) was expressed in Escherichia coli without His-tag or any other tag used to facilitate recombinant protein purification. The recombinant protein was expressed in the soluble form, and the purification was based on ion exchange (anionic and cationic) and hydrophobic interactions. The final purification yielded 3 mg soluble LipL32(21-272) per liter of the induced culture. Antiserum produced against the recombinant protein was effective to detect native LipL32 from cell extracts of several Leptospira serovars. The purified recombinant LipL32(21-272) produced by this protocol can be used for structural, biochemical and functional studies and avoids the risk of possible interactions and interferences of the tags commonly used as well as the time consuming and almost always inefficient methods to cleave these tags when a tag-free LipL32 is needed. Non-tagged LipL32 may represent an alternative antigen for biochemical studies, for serodiagnosis and for the development of a vaccine against leptospirosis.
Assuntos
Animais , Feminino , Camundongos , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/isolamento & purificação , Leptospira/metabolismo , Lipoproteínas/isolamento & purificação , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/genética , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/metabolismo , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Expressão Gênica/genética , Vetores Genéticos/genética , Leptospira/química , Lipoproteínas/genética , Lipoproteínas/metabolismo , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB CRESUMO
Leptospirosis is an important epidemic zoonosis worldwide. Currently, there are more than 250 Leptospira pathogenic serovars known that can potentially infect humans. Conventional classification of leptospires with the serovar as the basic taxon, based on serological recognition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) composition does not correlate well with species determination, based on general genomic features. Here, we investigate the selective amplification of polymorphic regions from the LPS biosynthesis loci (rfb) as a potential tool for serovar typing of Leptospira interrogans species. Eight pairs of primers were designed to target six ORFs from the rfb operon with varying levels of sequence polymorphism. They were tested both separately and multiplexed. Half of these primer pairs produced serovar-specific amplicons, allowing the identification of some specific serovars and also groups of serovars. It was shown that the serovar classification of Leptospira can be accessed by selective amplification of rfb operons in some cases, which may permit a parallel between the serological and the genomic classifications of Leptospira. As a conclusion, the selective amplification of rfb generated promising and already useful results, but it appears necessary to characterize a larger variety of Leptospira genomes or rfb operons to fully develop this method.
Assuntos
Humanos , Leptospira interrogans/classificação , Reação em Cadeia da PolimeraseRESUMO
Bioactive compounds of great interest are found in the saliva of hematophagous organisms. While exploring a cDNA library derived from the salivary glands of the tick Amblyomma cajennense, a transcript that codes for a protein with unique structure (containing an N-terminal Kunitz-type domain and a C-terminus with no homology to any annotated sequences) was found. The recombinant mature form of this protein ( approximately 13.5kDa) was produced in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), and it was able to inhibit Factor Xa (FXa) and extend global blood clotting times in vitro and ex vivo. Static and dynamic predictions of its tertiary structure indicate regions that may be related to its FXa inhibitor function.
Assuntos
Inibidores do Fator Xa , Fator Xa/química , Ixodidae/química , Inibidores de Serina Proteinase/química , Animais , Clonagem Molecular , DNA Complementar/genética , Fator Xa/metabolismo , Humanos , Ixodidae/genética , Ixodidae/metabolismo , Estrutura Terciária de Proteína/fisiologia , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Inibidores de Serina Proteinase/genética , Inibidores de Serina Proteinase/metabolismo , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
Deficiency of the lysosomal glucocerebrosidase (GCR) enzyme results in Gaucher's disease, the most common inherited storage disorder. Treatment consists of enzyme replacement therapy by the administration of recombinant GCR produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The production of anti-GCR antibodies has already been described with placenta-derived human GCR that requires successive chromatographic procedures. Here, we report a practical and efficient method to obtain anti-GCR polyclonal antibodies against recombinant GCR produced in Escherichia coli and further purified by a single step through nickel affinity chromatography. The purified GCR was used to immunize BALB/c mice and the induction of anti-GCR antibodies was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The specificity of the antiserum was also evaluated by western blot analysis against recombinant GCR produced by COS-7 cells or against endogenous GCR of human cell lines. GCR was strongly recognized by the produced antibodies, either as cell-associated or as secreted forms. The detected molecular masses of 59-66 kDa are in accordance to the expected size for glycosylated GCR. The GCR produced in E. coli would facilitate the production of polyclonal (shown here) and monoclonal antibodies and their use in the characterization of new biosimilar recombinant GCRs coming in the near future.
Assuntos
Camundongos , Doença de Gaucher/terapia , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/imunologia , Glucosilceramidase/imunologia , Proteínas Recombinantes/análise , Proteínas Recombinantes/biossíntese , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Formação de Anticorpos/imunologia , Soros ImunesRESUMO
Bioactive compounds of great interest are found in the saliva of hematophagous organisms. While exploring a cDNA library derived from the salivary glands of the tick Amblyomma cajennense, a transcript that codes for a protein with unique structure (containing an N-terminal Kunitz-type domain and a C-terminus with no homology to any annotated sequences) was found. The recombinant mature form of this protein (¡13.5 kDa) was produced in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), and it was able to inhibit Factor Xa (FXa) and extend global blood clotting times in vitro and ex vivo. Static and dynamic predictions of its tertiary structure indicate regions that may be related to its FXa inhibitor function.
Assuntos
Animais , Anticoagulantes , Fator Xa , Saliva/fisiologia , SalivaRESUMO
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global distribution, which affects both animals and humans. Pathogenic leptospires, the bacteria that cause this disease, require iron for their growth, and these spirochetes probably use their hemolysins, such as the sphingomyelinases, as a way to obtain this important nutrient from host red blood cells during infection. We expressed and purified the leptospiral sphingomyelinases Sph1, Sph2, Sph4, and SphH in a heterologous system. However, the recombinant proteins were not able to lyse sheep erythrocytes, despite having regular secondary structures. Transcripts for all sphingomyelinases tested were detected by RT-PCR analyses, but only Sph2 and SphH native proteins could be detected in Western blot assays using Leptospira whole extracts as well as in renal tubules of infected hamsters. Moreover, antibodies present in the serum of a human patient with laboratory-confirmed leptospirosis recognized Sph2, indicating that this sphingomyelinase is expressed and exposed to the immune system during infection in humans. However, in an animal challenge model, none of the sphingomyelinases tested conferred protection against leptospirosis.
Assuntos
Animais , Esfingomielinas , Leptospira , Leptospirose/microbiologia , Perfilação da Expressão GênicaRESUMO
Previous studies have demonstrated that the pharmacological activities displayed by Bothrops jararaca venom undergo a significant ontogenetic shift. Variation in the venom proteome is a well-documented phenomenon; however, variation in the venom peptidome is poorly understood. We report a comparative proteomic and peptidomic analysis of venoms from newborn and adult specimens of B. jararaca and correlate it with the evaluation of important venom features. We demonstrate that newborn and adult venoms have similar hemorrhagic activities, while the adult venom has a slightly higher lethal activity in mice; however, the newborn venom is extremely more potent to kill chicks. The coagulant activity of newborn venom upon human plasma is 10 times higher than that of adult venom. These differences were clearly reflected in their different profiles of SDS-PAGE, gelatin zimography, immunostaining using specific antibodies, glycosylation pattern, and concanavalin A-binding proteins. Furthermore, we report for the first time the analysis of the peptide fraction of newborn and adult venoms by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and LC-MS/MS, which revealed different contents of peptides, while the bradykinin potentiating peptides (BPPs) showed rather similar profiles and were detected in the venoms showing their canonical sequences and also novel sequences corresponding to BPPs processed from their precursor protein at sites so far not described. As a result of these studies, we demonstrated that the ontogenetic shift in diet, from ectothermic prey in early life to endothermic prey in adulthood, and in animal size are associated with changes in the venom proteome in B. jararaca species.
Assuntos
Animais , Bothrops/classificação , Glicosilação , Mecanismos Moleculares de Ação Farmacológica , ProteomaRESUMO
The differences between the immune response elicited during a self-limiting and a life-threatening lung infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae was analyzed in a mouse model of intranasal challenge using two different pneumococcal strains. M10, a serotype 11A strain, induced an early response within the first 12 h after the challenge, which was characterized by the early local secretion of TNF-á and IL-6, followed by a sharp and rapid neutrophil influx. Bacterial loads in the lungs already started to fall at 12 h after the challenge and no pneumococci could be recovered after 36 h, at the time point when the animals started to show improvement in disease symptoms. ATCC6303, a serotype 3 strain, on the other hand, showed only a late increase in local TNF-á and IL-6 levels, when bacterial growth already seems to be out of control. Although cell influx was also observed, neutrophil rise was not as marked as with M10 (type 11A). Pneumococcal loads increased constantly and bacteria started to be recovered from the blood at 30 h after the challenge. After this time point, animals showed worsening of symptoms and became lethargic. The resolution of the acute infection could be thus correlated with the early induction of proinflammatory cytokines, which could be due to the presence of a thinner polysaccharide capsule in M10 (type 11A), rendering bacterial components capable of activating the innate immune response more accessible.
Assuntos
Animais , Ratos , Streptococcus pneumoniae/imunologia , Administração Intranasal , AutoimunidadeRESUMO
Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) and PspC are virulence factors that are involved in the adhesion of Streptococcus pneumoniae to epithelial cells and/or evasion from the immune system. Here, the immune responses induced by mucosal vaccines composed of both antigens as recombinant proteins or delivered by Lactobacillus casei were evaluated. None of the PspC vaccines protected mice against an invasive challenge with pneumococcal strain ATCC 6303. On the other hand, protection was observed for immunization with vaccines composed of PspA from clade 5 (PspA5 or L. casei expressing PspA5) through the intranasal route. The protective response was distinguished by a Th1 profile with high levels of immunoglobulin G2a production, efficient complement deposition, release of proinflammatory cytokines, and infiltration of neutrophils. Intra- nasal immunization with PspA5 elicited the highest level of protection, characterized by increased levels of secretion of interleukin-17 and gamma interferon by lung and spleen cells, respectively, and low levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha in the respiratory tract.