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Growing evidence shows that antioxidant proteins ofLeishmaniacould be used as vaccine candidates. In this study, we report the efficacy ofLeishmania donovaniiron superoxide dismutase B1 (LdFeSODB1) as a vaccine antigen in BALB/c mice in a DNA-protein prime-boost immunization regimen in the presence or absence of murine granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (mGMCSF) DNA adjuvant. The expression study confirmed that LdFeSODB1 is expressed in mammalian cells and mGMCSF fusion mediates the secretion of the recombinant protein. Heterologous immunization with LdFeSODB1 induced a strong antibody- and cell-mediated immune response in mice. Immunization triggered a mixed Th1/Th2 response as evidenced by the ratio of IgG2a to IgG1. Antigen-stimulated spleen cells from the immunized mice produced high level IFN-γ. Multiparametric flow cytometry data showed that immunization with LdFeSODB1 induced significantly higher expression of TNF-αor IL-2 by antigen-stimulated T cells. Eight weeks afterL. majorinfection, immunization with the antigen shifted the immune response to a more Th1 type than the controls as demonstrated by IgG2a/IgG1 ratio. Moreover, IFN-γproduction by antigen-stimulated spleen cells from immunized mice remained high. The footpad swelling experiment showed that immunization with LdFeSODB1 resulted in partial protection of mice from a high doseL. majorinfection.

Tuberculosis remains one of the major causes of global public health problems. There is no effective vaccine for the disease until now. Many reports show that DNA vaccines are promising to induce protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb); however, the efficiency of DNA vaccine is limited due to inadequate delivery systems. Among others, live attenuated bacterial vectors such as Salmonella enterica typhimurium ( S. typhimurium ) have significant promise as efficient mucosal delivery vehicles for DNA vaccines. In this study, we constructed recombinant attenuated S. typhimurium DNA vaccines carrying genes encoding resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf)-like proteins of M. tb on eukaryotic expression plasmid agianst latent tuberculosis and evaluated the plasmid stability and growth curve assays of the recombinant Salmonella vaccine constructs in vitro. Four Rpf gene fragments (RpfB, RpfC, RpfD, RpfE) associated with latency were amplified from genomic DNA of the H37Rv strain of M. tb, cloned into eukaryotic expression plasmid (pVR1020) and verified by sequencing. In later studies, we will demonstrate the potential use of the Salmonella -mediated DNA constructs as candidate post-exposure vaccines against tuberculosis through testing their immunogenicity and effectiveness for oral delivery in eukaryotic systems. Key words : Latent tuberculosis, resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf), DNA vaccine, recombinant Salmonella typhimurium.

We assessed the immune response against recombinant proteins of two related, albeit functionally different, peroxidoxins fromLeishmania donovani: peroxidoxin 1 (LdPxn1) and peroxidoxin 2 (LdPxn2) in BALB/c mice. We also evaluated the effect of coadministration of TLR agonists (CpG ODN and GLA-SE) on the antigen-specific immune response. Immunization with recombinant LdPxn1 alone induced a predominantly Th2 type immune response that is associated with the production of high level of IgG1 and no IgG2a isotype while rLdPxn2 resulted in a mixed Th1/Th2 response characterized by the production of antigen-specific IgG2a in addition to IgG1 isotype. Antigen-stimulated spleen cells from mice that were immunized with rLdPxn1 produced low level of IL-10 and IL-4 and no IFN-γ, whereas cells from mice immunized with rLdPxn2 secreted high level of IFN-γ, low IL-4, and no IL-10. Coadministration of CpG ODN or GLA-SE with rLdPxn1 skewed the immune response towards a Th 1 type as indicated by robust production of IgG2a isotype. Furthermore, the presence of TLR agonists together with rLdPxn1 antigen enhanced the production of IFN-γand to a lesser extent of IL-10. TLR agonists also enhanced a more polarized Th 1 type immune response against rLdPxn2.

Background To date, no universally effective and safe vaccine has been developed for general human use. Leishmania donovani Peroxidoxin-1 (LdPxn-1) is a member of the antioxidant family of proteins and is predominantly expressed in the amastigote stage of the parasite. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of LdPxn-1 in BALB/c mice in heterologous DNA-Protein immunization regimen in the presence of fusion murine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (mGMCSF) DNA adjuvant. Methodology and Principal Findings A fusion DNA of LdPxn1 and mGMCSF was cloned into a modified pcDNA vector. To confirm the expression in mammalian system, Chinese hamster ovary cells were transfected with the plasmid vector containing LdPxn1 gene. BALB/c mice were immunized twice with pcDNA-mGMCSF-LdPxn-1 or pcDNA-LdPxn1 DNA and boosted once with recombinant LdPxn-1 protein. Three weeks after the last immunization, mice were infected with Leishmania major promastigotes. The result showed that immunization with pcDNA-mGMCSF-LdPxn1 elicited a mixed Th-1/Th-2 immune response with significantly higher production of IFN-γ than controls. Intracellular cytokine staining of antigen-stimulated spleen cells showed that immunization with this antigen elicited significantly higher proportion of CD4+ T cells that express IFN-γ, TNF-α, or IL-2. The antigen also induced significantly higher proportion of multipotent CD4+ cells that simultaneously express the three Th-1 cytokines. Moreover, a significant reduction in the footpad swelling was seen in mice immunized with pcDNA-mGMCSF-LdPxn1 antigen. Expression study in CHO cells demonstrated that pcDNA-mGMCSF-LdPxn-1 was expressed in mammalian system. Conclusion The result demonstrates that immunization of BALB/c mice with a plasmid expressing LdPxn1 in the presence of mGMCSF adjuvant elicits a strong specific immune response with high level induction of multipotent CD4+ cells that mediate protection of the mice from Leishmania major infection. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing the vaccine potential of Leishmania peroxidoxin -1., Author Summary Leishmaniasis, a disease caused by protozoan parasites under the genus Leishmania, claims the lives of thousands of people annually. It mainly affects people in poor communities in Africa, Asia and South America. Although several drugs are available for the treatment of leishmaniasis, their efficacy is limited by the emergence of drug resistant parasite strains and by the inherent side-effects of some drugs. In light of these challenges, developing effective vaccine is considered as a crucial step in the control and ultimate elimination of the disease. In this study, we have evaluated the potential of the antioxidant Leishmania Peroxidoxin-1 as a candidate vaccine for leishmaniasis. The efficacy of the candidate vaccine was assessed in DNA-Protein immunization strategy in mice. We also investigated the adjuvant role of GMCSF DNA fused with the vaccine antigen in a pcDNA plasmid vector. The result showed that Leishmania Peroxidoxin-1 together with fusion GMCSF adjuvant in a pcDNA plasmid induces a partially protective immune response in mice. Further analysis of the immune response demonstrated that the antigen-adjuvant combination elicits CD4+ T cells that express IFN-γ, TNF-α, or IL-2. The antigen also induced a high frequency of CD4+ T cells that simultaneously express all the three cytokines. The study on samples taken from leishmaniasis patients showed that the recombinant Leishmania Peroxidoxin-1 protein is recognized by and elicit immune response in humans, a crucial requirement in the development of a vaccine.

2,b Significant levels of IgG3 and IgG4 and high levels of IgG1 leishmania-specific antibody differentiated the immune states in 10 patients with visceral leishmaniasis from those of vir- tually all 20 drug-cured and 18 subclinically infected subjects, whereas the level of IgG2 antibody was nondiscriminating. The most extreme "subclinically infected" outlier subse- quently developed disease. Overall, the immune states in subclinically infected and drug-cured persons were mutually indistinguishable but were readily distinguished from those of patients. These findings may have implications for the immunologic mechanism underlying drug cure in visceral leishmaniasis.

Kinetoplastid glycosomes contain a variety of metabolic activities, such as glycolysis, β-oxidation of fatty acids, lipid biosynthesis, and purine salvage. One advantage of sequestering metabolic activities is the avoidance of cellular oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species produced as a by-product of metabolism. Little is known about how glycosomes themselves withstand these toxic metabolites. We previously isolated an iron superoxide dismutase fromLeishmania chagasithat is expressed at low levels in the early logarithmic promastigote stage and increases toward the stationary promastigote and amastigote stages. We have since identified a second highly homologousLcfesodbgene that is expressed at high levels in the early logarithmic promastigote stage and decreases toward the stationary promastigote and amastigote stages. Localization studies using green fluorescent protein fusions have revealed that LcFeSODB1 and LcFeSODB2 are localized within the glycosomes by the last three amino acids of their carboxyl termini. To better understand the specific role that FeSODB plays in parasite growth and survival, a single-allele knockout of theLcfesodb1gene was generated. The parasites with these genes exhibited a significant reduction in growth when endogenous superoxide levels were increased with paraquat in culture. Furthermore, the FeSODB1-deficient parasites exhibited a significant reduction in survival within human macrophages. Our results suggest that LcFeSODB plays an important role in parasite growth and survival by protecting glycosomes from superoxide toxicity.

A cDNA corresponding to superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1.) was isolated from a Leishmania donovani chagasi (L. d. chagasi) promastigote cDNA library, using PCR with a set of primers derived from conserved amino acids of manganese SODs (MnSODs) and iron SODs (FeSODs). Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences with previously reported SOD amino acid sequences revealed that the L. d. chagasi 585-bp open reading frame had considerable homology with FeSODs and MnSODs. The highest homology was shared with prokaryotic FeSODs. The coding region of L. d. chagasi SOD cDNA has been expressed in fusion with glutathione-S-transferase, using an Escherichia coli mutant, QC779, lacking both MnSOD and FeSOD genes (sodA and sodB). Staining of native polyacrylamide gels for SOD activity of Leishmania crude lysate and the recombinant SOD revealed that both had SOD activity that was inactivated by 5 mM hydrogen peroxide but not by 2 mM potassium cyanide, which is indicative of FeSOD. The recombinant enzyme also protected E. coli mutant QC779 from paraquat toxicity. This indicated that the glutathione-S-transferase peptide does not interfere with the in vivo and in vitro activities of the recombinant SOD. Cross-species hybridization showed that FeSOD is highly conserved in the Leishmania genus. Interestingly, the hybridization pattern of the FeSOD gene(s) coincided with other classification schemes that divide Leishmania species into complexes. The cloning of FeSOD cDNA may contribute to the understanding of the role of SODs in Leishmania pathogenesis.

Two isoforms of metallothionein (MT) have been isolated from rainbow trout livers following CdCl2 injections. These MTs have been identified by standard procedures and appear to be similar to mammalian MTs. Total RNA from such induced livers was shown to contain high levels of MT-mRNA activity when translated in cell free systems. This activity was demonstrated to be in the 8 to 10S region of a sucrose gradient. The RNA fractions also showed homology to a mouse MT-I cDNA probe. The exposure of rainbow trout hepatoma (RTH) cells to various concentrations of CdCl2 and ZnCl2 induced the expression of MT and MT-mRNA. Exposure of Chinook salmon embryonic (CHSE) cells to these metals, however, did not result in MT synthesis, suggesting that the MT genes have not become committed to transcription. Instead, an unknown low molecular weight (MW = 14 kDa) protein was induced. This metal-inducible protein (MIP) was capable of binding 109Cd and was stable to heating, while the binding of the metal to this protein was not. These characteristics have been reported for a protein induced in rainbow trout liver following environmental exposure to cadmium. We suggest that both MT and MIP may function in detoxification of heavy metals. Images FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4. FIGURE 5. FIGURE 7.

Normal and osteoarthritic (OA) human articular cartilage chondrocytes, released enzymatically in the presence of 0.5% fetal calf serum, display constitutive expression of early response activating protein (AP-1) genes; c-fos, c-jun and jun-B. Among the late AP-1 responsive genes, total matallothionein (MT) and stromelysin mRNAs were expressed at high levels in both normal and OA chondrocytes, while collagenase and hMT-IIA mRNA levels were elevated only in OA individuals. Despite the common AP-1 sequences present in their promoter regions, the three late genes were differentially expressed.