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P64k Meningococcal Protein as Immunological Carrier for Weak Immunogens
Author(s) -
Marcos González,
Fernando Alvarez,
Caballero,
Lisel Viña,
Guillén,
S. Ravi P. Silva
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3083.2000.00788.x
Subject(s) - toxoid , peptide , bovine serum albumin , conjugate , antibody , antigen , recombinant dna , immune system , humoral immunity , escherichia coli , conjugate vaccine , microbiology and biotechnology , polysaccharide , chemistry , biology , immunogenicity , biochemistry , immunology , immunization , mathematical analysis , mathematics , gene
Previously, the P64k meningococcal protein, an antigen of 64 kDa expressed in Escherichia coli , has been extensively characterized. We have successfully conjugated several synthetic peptides and meningococcal group C polysaccharide to P64k. In three out of four model peptides, the murine humoral immune response against the homologous peptide, evaluated after three doses of conjugate, was higher in the animals immunized with the coupled peptide than in those that received free peptide. The fourth and largest was immunogenic by itself. Similarly, the antigroup C polysaccharide levels reached by conjugated polysaccharide were significantly higher than those produced against unconjugated polysaccharide. As a carrier for one of the peptides, P64k was compared with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and tetanus toxoid (TT), being able to induce slightly higher or similar antipeptide antibody levels than these well‐establish protein carriers. Our results suggest that recombinant P64k protein could be a readily available immunological carrier, as efficient as other commonly used large carrier molecules.