Efficient production of immunologically active Shigella invasion plasmid antigens IpaB and IpaH using a cell-free expression system

Abstract Shigella spp. invade the colonic epithelium and cause bacillary dysentery in humans. Individuals living in areas that lack access to clean water and sanitation are the most affected. Even though infection can be treated with antibiotics, Shigella antimicrobial drug resistance complicates clinical management. Despite decades of effort, there are no licensed vaccines to prevent shigellosis. The highly conserved invasion plasmid antigens (Ipa), which are components of the Shigella type III secretion system, participate in bacterial epithelial cell invasion and have been pursued as vaccine targets. However, expression and purification of these proteins in conventional cell-based systems have been challenging due to solubility issues and extremely low recovery yields. These difficulties have impeded manufacturing and clinical advancement. In this study, we describe a new method to express Ipa proteins using the Xpress+TM cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) platform. Both IpaB and the C-terminal domain of IpaH1.4 (IpaH-CTD) were efficiently produced with this technology at yields > 200 mg/L. Furthermore, the expression was linearly scaled in a bioreactor under controlled conditions, and proteins were successfully purified using multimode column chromatography to > 95% purity as determined by SDS-PAGE. Biophysical characterization of the cell-free synthetized IpaB and IpaH-CTD using SEC-MALS analysis showed well-defined oligomeric states of the proteins in solution. Functional analysis revealed similar immunoreactivity as compared to antigens purified from E. coli. These results demonstrate the efficiency of CFPS for Shigella protein production; the practicality and scalability of this method will facilitate production of antigens for Shigella vaccine development and immunological analysis. Key points • First report of Shigella IpaB and IpaH produced at high purity and yield using CFPS • CFPS-IpaB and IpaH perform similarly to E. coli–produced proteins in immunoassays • CFPS-IpaB and IpaH react with Shigella-specific human antibodies and are immunogenic in mice. Graphical abstract