Antigenic and structural diversity of the intrinsically disordered malaria vaccine candidates CSP and MSP2
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PROVIDER: PRJEB91283 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:Merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) is an intrinsically disordered, membrane-anchored antigen of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. MSP2 can elicit a protective, albeit strain-specific, antibody response in humans. Antibodies are generated to the conserved N- and C-terminal regions but many of these react poorly with the native antigen on the parasite surface. Here we demonstrate that recognition of a conserved N-terminal epitope by mAb 6D8 is incompatible with the membrane-bound conformation of that region, suggesting a mechanism by which native MSP2 escapes antibody recognition. Furthermore, crystal structures and NMR spectroscopy identify transient, strain-specific interactions between the 6D8 antibody and regions of MSP2 beyond the conserved epitope. These interactions account for the differential affinity of 6D8 for the two allelic families of MSP2, even though 6D8 binds to a fully conserved epitope. These results highlight unappreciated mechanisms that may modulate the specificity and efficacy of immune responses towards disordered antigens.
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Project description:Prototype LNP-mRNA vaccine candidates [SC_RNAseq]
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Project description:Antibodies against the malaria vaccine candidate apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA-1) can inhibit invasion of merozoites into RBC, but antigenic diversity can compromise vaccine efficacy. We hypothesize that polymorphic sites located within inhibitory epitopes function as antigenic escape residues (AER). By using an in vitro model of antigenic escape, the inhibitory contribution of 24 polymorphic sites of the 3D7 AMA-1 vaccine was determined. An AER cluster of 13 polymorphisms, located within domain 1, had the highest inhibitory contribution. Within this AER cluster, antibodies primarily targeted five polymorphic residues situated on an alpha-helical loop. A second important AER cluster was localized to domain 2. Domain 3 polymorphisms enhanced the inhibitory contribution of the domain 2 AER cluster. Importantly, the AER clusters could be split, such that chimeras containing domain 1 of FVO and domain 2 + 3 of 3D7 generated antisera that showed similarly high level inhibition of the two vaccine strains. Antibodies to this chimeric protein also inhibited unrelated strains of the parasite. Interstrain AER chimeras can be a way to incorporate inhibitory epitopes of two AMA-1 strains into a single protein. The AER clusters map in close proximity to conserved structural elements: the hydrophobic trough and the C-terminal proteolytic processing site. This finding led us to hypothesize that a conserved structural basis of antigenic escape from anti-AMA-1 exists. Genotyping high-impact AER may be useful for classifying AMA-1 strains into inhibition groups and to detect allelic effects of an AMA-1 vaccine in the field.
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Project description:In Streptococcus mutans, an oral colonizer associated with dental caries, competence for natural transformation can be triggered by both CSP and XIP pheromones. Competence induced by CSP is a late response that requires induction of the XIP encoding gene comS, but the mechanism(s) linking the two systems remains unknown. To learn how the CSP and XIP pheromone regulatory pathways are temporally linked, we mapped the global changes in gene expression at early and late phases of the CSP response and investigated the effect of deletion of comS on the S. mutans transcriptional profile. The early phase of the CSP response was characterized by an increase in gene expression at five loci associated with bacteriocin production and immunity. In the late phase, the up-regulated regions expanded to include a total of 27 loci, including comS and genes required for DNA uptake and recombination. In the absence of comS, no increase in expression of the genes up-regulated as a late response was observed in response to CSP, whereas expression of those regulated as an early response was maintained. These results indicate that the entire late response to CSP depends on the expression of comS and that the immediate transcriptional response to CSP, mediated by ComE, is restricted to just five bacteriocin-related loci
2015-09-01 | GSE70067 | GEO
Project description:This project aims to assess the transcriptomic signature in the dorsal hippocampus of 12 month-old Thy-Tau22 mice in basal conditions and treated with the vehicle CSP (n=4) or CSPTTK21 (n=3), compared to CSP-treated WT (n=4) mice.
2025-06-04 | GSE246774 | GEO
Project description:In Streptococcus mutans, an oral colonizer associated with dental caries, competence for natural transformation can be triggered by both CSP and XIP pheromones. Competence induced by CSP is a late response that requires induction of the XIP encoding gene comS, but the mechanism(s) linking the two systems remains unknown. To learn how the CSP and XIP pheromone regulatory pathways are temporally linked, we mapped the global changes in gene expression at early and late phases of the CSP response and investigated the effect of deletion of comS on the S. mutans transcriptional profile. The early phase of the CSP response was characterized by an increase in gene expression at five loci associated with bacteriocin production and immunity. In the late phase, the up-regulated regions expanded to include a total of 27 loci, including comS and genes required for DNA uptake and recombination. In the absence of comS, no increase in expression of the genes up-regulated as a late response was observed in response to CSP, whereas expression of those regulated as an early response was maintained. These results indicate that the entire late response to CSP depends on the expression of comS and that the immediate transcriptional response to CSP, mediated by ComE, is restricted to just five bacteriocin-related loci To distinguish the immediate, and presumably direct, regulatory response to CSP from later, and presumably indirect, effects of exposure to this pheromone, we have assembled a comprehensive strand-specific microarray census of mRNA in strain UA159 at both early and late times in the CSP response as well as in a comS mutant.
2015-09-01 | E-GEOD-70067 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The malaria vaccine candidate merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) has shown promise in clinical trials and is in part responsible for a reduction in parasite densities. However, strain-specific reductions in parasitaemia suggested that polymorphic regions of MSP2 are immuno-dominant. One strategy to bypass the hurdle of strain-specificity is to bias the immune response towards the conserved regions. Two mouse monoclonal antibodies, 4D11 and 9H4, recognise the conserved C-terminal region of MSP2. Although they bind overlapping epitopes, 4D11 reacts more strongly with native MSP2, suggesting that its epitope is more accessible on the parasite surface. In this study, a structure-based vaccine design approach was applied to the intrinsically disordered antigen, MSP2, using a crystal structure of 4D11 Fv in complex with its minimal binding epitope. Molecular dynamics simulations and surface plasmon resonance informed the design of a series of constrained peptides that mimicked the 4D11-bound epitope structure. These peptides were conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin and used to immunise mice, with high to moderate antibody titres being generated in all groups. The specificities of antibody responses revealed that a single point mutation can focus the antibody response towards a more favourable epitope. This structure-based approach to peptide vaccine design may be useful not only for MSP2-based malaria vaccines, but also for other intrinsically disordered antigens.
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Project description:To investigate the potential effect of overexpression of Plasmodium yoelii cirumsporozoite protein on A549 cells. Control and CSP stable expression A549 cells were constructed by infected with pLenti vector and pLenti-CSP plasmids and cultured with HBSS for 24h. Total RNA from Control and CSP stable expression A549 cells was extracted using the mirVana miRNA Isolation Kit (Ambion) following the manufacturer’s protocol. RNA integrity was evaluated using the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA). The samples with RNA Integrity Number (RIN) ≥ 7 were subjected to the subsequent analysis. The libraries were constructed using TruSeq Stranded mRNA LTSample Prep Kit (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Then these libraries were sequenced on the Illumina sequencing platform (illumina novaseq6000) and 125bp/150bp paired-end reads were generated.
2022-12-31 | GSE189311 | GEO
Project description:Malaria, caused by Plasmodium parasites, remains one of the most devastating infectious diseases worldwide, despite control efforts that have lowered morbidity and mortality. The only P. falciparum vaccine candidates to show field efficacy are those targeting the asymptomatic pre-erythrocytic (PE) stages of infection. The subunit (SU) RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, the only licensed malaria vaccine to date, is only modestly effective against clinical malaria. Both RTS,S/AS01 and the SU R21 vaccine candidate target the PE sporozoite (spz) circumsporozoite (CS) protein. These candidates elicit high-titer antibodies that provide short-term protection from disease, but do not induce the liver-resident memory CD8+ T cells (Trm) that confer strong PE immunity and long-term protection. In contrast, whole-organism (WO) vaccines, employing for example radiation-attenuated spz (RAS), elicit both high antibody titers and Trm, and have achieved high levels of sterilizing protection. However, they require multiple intravenous (IV) doses, which must be administered at intervals of several weeks, complicating mass administration in the field. Moreover, the quantities of spz required present production difficulties. To reduce reliance on WO while maintaining protection via both antibodies and Trm responses, we have developed an accelerated vaccination regimen that combines two distinct agents in a prime-and-trap strategy. While the priming dose is a self-replicating RNA encoding P. yoelii CS protein, delivered via an advanced cationic nanocarrier (LION™), the trapping dose consists of WO RAS. This accelerated regime confers sterile protection in the P. yoelii mouse model of malaria. Our approach presents a clear path to late-stage preclinical and clinical testing of dose-sparing, same-day regimens that can confer sterilizing protection against malaria.
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Project description:Malaria, caused by Plasmodium parasites, remains one of the most devastating infectious diseases worldwide, despite control efforts to lower morbidity and mortality. Both advanced candidate vaccines, RTS,S and R21, are subunit (SU) vaccines that target a single Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) pre-erythrocytic (PE) sporozoite (spz) surface protein known as circumsporozoite (CS). These vaccines induce humoral immunity but fail to elicit CD8 + T-cell responses sufficient for long-term protection. In contrast, whole-organism (WO) vaccines, such as Radiation Attenuated Sporozoites (RAS), achieved sterile protection but require a series of intravenous doses administered in multiple clinic visits. Moreover, these WO vaccines must be produced in mosquitos, a burdensome process that severely limits their availability. To reduce reliance on WO while maintaining protection via both antibodies and Trm responses, we have developed an accelerated vaccination regimen that combines two distinct agents in a prime-and-trap strategy. The priming dose is a single dose of self-replicating RNA encoding the full-length P. yoelii CS protein, delivered via an advanced cationic nanocarrier (LIONTM). The trapping dose consists of one dose of WO RAS. Our vaccine induces a strong immune response when administered in an accelerated regimen, i.e., either 5-day or same-day immunization. Additionally, mice after same-day immunization showed a 2-day delay of blood patency with 90% sterile protection against a 3-week spz challenge. The same-day regimen also induced durable 70% sterile protection against a 2-month spz challenge. Our approach presents a clear path to late-stage preclinical and clinical testing of dose-sparing, same-day regimens that can confer sterilizing protection against malaria.
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