DNA Vaccination with the Major Outer-Membrane Protein Gene Induces Acquired Immunity to Chlamydia trachomatis (Mouse Pneumonitis) Infection

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 176; no. 4; pp. 1035 - 1040
• Main Authors: Zhang, Dong-ji, Yang, Xi, Berry, Jody, Shen, Caixia, McClarty, Grant, Brunham, Robert C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.10.1997; University of Chicago Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Bacterial - analysis; Antibodies, Bacterial - immunology; Antigens; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - immunology; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon-Nitrogen Ligases - genetics; Carbon-Nitrogen Ligases - immunology; Chlamydia Infections - genetics; Chlamydia Infections - immunology; Chlamydia Infections - prevention & control; Chlamydia trachomatis; Chlamydia trachomatis - genetics; Chlamydia trachomatis - immunology; Cloning, Molecular; DNA; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hypersensitivity, Delayed - immunology; Immunity; Immunization; Infections; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbiology; Plasmids; Pneumonia; Pneumonia, Bacterial - genetics; Pneumonia, Bacterial - immunology; Pneumonia, Bacterial - prevention & control; Recombination, Genetic; Vaccination; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Vaccines, DNA - administration & dosage; Vaccines, DNA - genetics; Vaccines, DNA - immunology; Animal model; Pneumonia; Membrane protein; Chlamydiaceae; Vaccination; Rodentia; Chlamydia trachomatis; External membrane; Infection; Prevention; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Bacteriosis; Chlamydiales; Bacteria; Chlamydiosis
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/516545

The efficacy of DNA vaccination for prevention of Chlamydia trachomatis infection was studied using the murine model of pneumonia induced by the mouse pneumonitis (MoPn) isolate of C. trachomatis. Intramuscular DNA immunization with two chlamydial genes, one that encodes the major outer-membrane protein (MOMP) and one that encodes a cytoplasmic enzyme (cytosine triphosphate [CTP] synthetase) were tested. The MOMP DNA vaccine but not the CTP synthetase DNA vaccine generated significant delayed-type hypersensitivity and serum antibodies to MoPn elementary bodies and reduced the peak growth of MoPn by >100-fold following lung challenge infection. MOMP DNA immunization suggests a new approach to vaccine development for prevention of human chlamydial infection.