Immunospecific responses to bacterial elongation factor Tu during Burkholderia infection and immunization

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 5; no. 12; p. e14361
• Main Authors: Nieves, Wildaliz, Heang, Julie, Asakrah, Saja, Höner zu Bentrup, Kerstin, Roy, Chad J, Morici, Lisa A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 17.12.2010; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Anaplasma; Animal models; Animals; Antigens; Antigens, Bacterial - chemistry; Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Bordetella; Bordetella pertussis; Brucella; Brucella abortus; Burkholderia Infections - metabolism; Burkholderia Infections - microbiology; Burkholderia pseudomallei; Burkholderia pseudomallei - metabolism; Cell Biology; Chlamydia; Chlamydia pneumoniae; Cloning, Molecular; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional - methods; Elongation; Elongation factor EF-Tu; Etiology; Female; Health aspects; Identification; Immune response (cell-mediated); Immune System; Immunization; Immunogenicity; Immunology; Immunology/Immunity to Infections; Infection; Infections; Infectious Diseases/Bacterial Infections; Lungs; Medical research; Medicine; Melioidosis; Melioidosis - microbiology; Membrane vesicles; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbiology/Immunity to Infections; Mortality; Mucosal immunity; Mycobacterium; Peptide Elongation Factor Tu - metabolism; Prokaryotes; Proteins; Proteomics - methods; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization - methods; Stem Cells - metabolism; Vaccines; Whooping cough; Louisiana; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014361

Burkholderia pseudomallei is the etiological agent of melioidosis, a disease endemic in parts of Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Currently there is no licensed vaccine against infection with this biological threat agent. In this study, we employed an immunoproteomic approach and identified bacterial Elongation factor-Tu (EF-Tu) as a potential vaccine antigen. EF-Tu is membrane-associated, secreted in outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), and immunogenic during Burkholderia infection in the murine model of melioidosis. Active immunization with EF-Tu induced antigen-specific antibody and cell-mediated immune responses in mice. Mucosal immunization with EF-Tu also reduced lung bacterial loads in mice challenged with aerosolized B. thailandensis. Our data support the utility of EF-Tu as a novel vaccine immunogen against bacterial infection.