Open AccessDNA vaccines against chronic lung infections by Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Author(s) -
Staczek J,
Gilleland L.B,
Heyde H.C,
Gilleland H.E
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1016/s0928-8244(03)00075-0
Subject(s) - pseudomonas aeruginosa , biology , antibody , immunity , immune system , microbiology and biotechnology , humoral immunity , b cell , vector (molecular biology) , cellular immunity , virology , immunology , gene , recombinant dna , bacteria , biochemistry , genetics
Vaccines containing outer membrane protein F (OprF) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are effective in reducing lesion severity in a mouse pulmonary chronic infection model. One OprF‐based vaccine, called F/I , contains carboxy oprF sequences fused to oprI in an expression vector. When delivered three times biolistically by gene gun, the F/I vaccine induces protection that is antibody‐mediated in outbred mice. To demonstrate the role of F/I ‐induced antibody‐mediated immunity, B‐cell‐deficient [B(−)] and B‐cell‐intact [B(+)] mice were immunized with F/I , challenged with Pseudomonas , and examined for lesion severity. As expected, F/I ‐immunized B(+) mice had fewer and less severe lesions than vector‐immunized B(+) mice. However, surprisingly, F/I ‐ and vector‐immunized B(−) mice were equally protected to levels similar to F/I ‐immunized B(+) mice. Examination of immune cell populations and cytokine levels indicated a relative increase in the quantity of CD3+ T‐lymphocytes in vector‐ or F/I ‐immunized and challenged B(−) mice compared to B(+) mice. These data indicate the protective role played by cell‐mediated immunity in B(−) mice, which supports our hypothesis that cell‐mediated immunity can play an important role in protection against P. aeruginosa .