Flagellin is a Th1 polarizing factor for human CD4+ T cells and induces protection in a murine neonatal vaccination model of rotavirus infection.

Neonates have an increased susceptibility to infections, particularly those caused by intracellular pathogens, leading to high morbidity and mortality rates. This is partly because of a poor response of neonatal CD4+ T cells, leading to deficient antibody production and a low production of IFN-γ, resulting in deficient elimination of intracellular pathogens. The poor memory response of human neonates has underpinned the need for improving vaccine formulations. Molecular adjuvants that improve the response of neonatal lymphocytes, such as the ligands of toll-like receptors (TLRs), are attractive candidates. Among them, flagellin, the TLR5 ligand, is effective at very low doses; prior immunity to flagellin does not impair its adjuvant activity. Human CD4+ and CD8+ T cells express TLR5. We found that flagellin induces the expression of IFN-γ, IL-1ß and IL-12 in mononuclear cells from human neonate and adult donors. When human naïve CD4+ T cells were activated in the presence of flagellin, there was high level of expression of IFN-γ in both neonates and adults. Furthermore, flagellin induced IFN-γ production in Th1 cells obtained from adult donors; in the Th2 population, it inhibited IL-4 cytokine production. Flagellin also promoted expression of the IFN-γ receptor in naive CD4+ T cells from neonates and adults. To test the adjuvant capacity of flagellin in vivo, we used a murine neonate vaccination model for infection with rotavirus, a pathogen responsible for severe diarrhea in young infants. Using the conserved VP6 antigen, we observed an 80% protection against rotavirus infection in the presence of flagellin, but only in those mice previously primed in the neonatal period. Our data suggest that flagellin could be an attractive adjuvant for achieving a Th1 response.

Production and purification of immunologically active core protein p24 from HIV-1 fused to ricin toxin B subunit in E. coli.

BACKGROUND: Gag protein from HIV-1 is a polyprotein of 55 kDa, which, during viral maturation, is cleaved to release matrix p17, core p24 and nucleocapsid proteins. The p24 antigen contains epitopes that prime helper CD4 T-cells, which have been demonstrated to be protective and it can elicit lymphocyte proliferation. Thus, p24 is likely to be an integral part of any multicomponent HIV vaccine. The availability of an optimal adjuvant and carrier to enhance antiviral responses may accelerate the development of a vaccine candidate against HIV. The aim of this study was to investigate the adjuvant-carrier properties of the B ricin subunit (RTB) when fused to p24. RESULTS: A fusion between ricin toxin B subunit and p24 HIV (RTB/p24) was expressed in E. coli. Affinity chromatography was used for purification of p24 alone and RTB/p24 from cytosolic fractions. Biological activity of RTB/p24 was determined by ELISA and affinity chromatography using the artificial receptor glycoprotein asialofetuin. Both assays have demonstrated that RTB/p24 is able to interact with complex sugars, suggesting that the chimeric protein retains lectin activity. Also, RTB/p24 was demonstrated to be immunologically active in mice. Two weeks after intraperitoneal inoculation with RTB/p24 without an adjuvant, a strong anti-p24 immune response was detected. The levels of the antibodies were comparable to those found in mice immunized with p24 alone in the presence of Freund adjuvant. RTB/p24 inoculated intranasally in mice, also elicited significant immune responses to p24, although the response was not as strong as that obtained in mice immunized with p24 in the presence of the mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin. CONCLUSION: In this work, we report the expression in E. coli of HIV-1 p24 fused to the subunit B of ricin toxin. The high levels of antibodies obtained after intranasal and intraperitoneal immunization of mice demonstrate the adjuvant-carrier properties of RTB when conjugated to an HIV structural protein. This is the first report in which a eukaryotic toxin produced in E. coli is employed as an adjuvant to elicit immune responses to p24 HIV core antigen.