Immunogenicity of in vitro folded outer membrane protein PorA of Neisseria meningitidis

• Published in: FEMS immunology and medical microbiology Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 227 - 233
• Main Authors: Jansen, Carmen, Kuipers, Betsy, van der Biezen, Jenny, de Cock, Hans, van der Ley, Peter, Tommassen, Jan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2000; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Bacterial - biosynthesis; Antigens; Bacterial Vaccines - immunology; Bactericidal activity; Bactericidal antibody; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Bactericidal Activity; Endotoxins; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Immunization; Immunogenicity; Immunoglobulin G; Inclusion bodies; Lipooligosaccharides; LPS; Membrane proteins; Meningitis, Meningococcal - prevention & control; Meningococcal vaccine; Meningococcal Vaccines; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Neisseria meningitidis; Neisseria meningitidis - immunology; Neisseria meningitidis - metabolism; Oligopeptides - chemical synthesis; Oligopeptides - chemistry; Oligopeptides - immunology; PorA porin; Porins - administration & dosage; Porins - chemistry; Porins - immunology; Protein Folding; QuilA; Quillaja Saponins; Saponins - immunology; Serum bactericidal activity; Vaccines; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Bactericidal antibody; PorA porin; QuilA; LPS; Meningococcal vaccine; Membrane protein; Porin; Refolding; Neisseriaceae; Rodentia; Neisseria meningitidis; Vaccine; External membrane; Structure function relationship; Property formulation relationship; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Immunogenicity; Mouse; Immunological adjuvant; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Recombinant protein
• ISSN: 0928-8244; 1574-695X; 2049-632X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-695X.2000.tb01434.x

Abstract In vitro folded and the denatured form of PorA P1.6 from Neisseria meningitidis strain M990 were used for immunization studies in mice. Previously, the antigen was isolated from cytoplasmic inclusion bodies, folded and purified. Its immunogenicity without adjuvant appeared to be low. The addition of the adjuvant QuilA, but not of galE lipooligosaccharide, considerably enhanced the immunogenicity. Moreover, when immunized with folded PorA P1.6 plus QuilA, a clear switch towards the IgG2a subclass of antibodies and concomitantly, the appearance of serum bactericidal activity, which is believed to be important for protective immunity, was observed. Hence, a tool for preparing vaccines against serogroup B meningococci devoid of endotoxin is available.