Intranasal, rectal and intraperitoneal immunization with protoxin Cry1Ac from Bacillus thuringiensis induces compartmentalized serum, intestinal, vaginal and pulmonary immune responses in Balb/c mice

• Published in: Microbes and infection Vol. 2; no. 8; pp. 885 - 890
• Main Authors: Moreno-Fierros, Leticia, García, Normand, Gutiérrez, Rafael, López-Revilla, Rubén, Vázquez-Padrón, Roberto I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier SAS 01.07.2000; Amsterdam Elsevier; Paris
• Subjects: Administration, Intranasal; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Bacillus thuringiensis; Bacillus thuringiensis - immunology; Bacterial Proteins - immunology; Bacterial Toxins - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Cry1Ac protoxin; Cry1Ac toxin; Endotoxins - immunology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Hemolysin Proteins; Immunity, Mucosal; Immunobiology; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Intestine, Large - immunology; Intestine, Small - immunology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Modulation of the immune response (stimulation, suppression); mucosal immune compartmentalization; mucosal immunity; Protein Precursors - immunology; Rectum; Respiratory System - immunology; Vaccination - methods; Vagina - immunology; vaginal immunity; mucosal immune compartmentalization; Cry1Ac protoxin; vaginal immunity; mucosal immunity; Immunization; Immune response; Bacillus thuringiensis; Mucosa; Lung; Rodentia; Vagina; Vaccine; Bacillaceae; Route of administration; Respiratory system; Precursor; Toxin; Vertebrata; Local immunity; Mammalia; Bacillales; Immunogenicity; Mouse; Immunological adjuvant; Female genital system; Bacteria; Humoral immunity
• ISSN: 1286-4579; 1769-714X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1286-4579(00)00398-1

Recently we discovered that the Cry1Ac protoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis administered to Balb/c mice intraperitoneally (i.p.) or intragastrically is a systemic and intestinal immunogen as potent as cholera toxin. To further characterize the mucosal immunogenicity of Cry1Ac we additionally tried the intranasal (i.n.) and rectal routes and used enzyme-linked immunoassays to determine anti-Cry1Ac antibody responses in the serum as well as in vaginal and tracheobronchial washes and in the fluids of the large and the small intestine. Immunization by the i.p., i.n. and rectal routes induced IgM, IgG and IgA antibodies in all the mucosal surfaces analyzed, but the magnitude and predominant isotype of each response depended on the route used and the mucosal site analyzed. These data extend our findings on the striking mucosal immunogencity of Cry1Ac and provide additional evidence on the compartmentalization of the mucosal immune system.