Peculiarities of the Formation of Antimeningococcus Immunity in Mice Immunized with Fragments of N. meningitidis IgA1 Protease

We studied immunogenicity of two recombinant proteins FR.9 and FR.11-3 created on the basis of fragments of the primary structure of N. meningitidis IgA1 protease with different molecular weights containing different sets of T and B epitopes. The proteins actively protect animals infected with live virulent culture of meningococci, serogroups A, B, and C. Analysis of CD4+, CD8+, and CD19+ lymphocyte populations in mouse blood showed predominant contribution of different cell populations to the formation of immune response to different proteins. Injection of FR.11-3 protein to animals did no affect the immunoregulatory index, hence, this protein can be used for creation of immunologically safe vaccine preparation.