Dominant antibody responses to Fucα1-3GalNAc and Fucα1-2Fucα1-3GlcNAc containing carbohydrate epitopes in Pan troglodytes vaccinated and infected with Schistosoma mansoni

Abstract

The development of the humoral anti-glycan immune response of chimpanzees, either or not vaccinated with radiation-attenuated Schistosoma mansoni cercariae, was followed during 1 year after infection with S. mansoni. During the acute phase of infection both the vaccinated and the control chimpanzees produce high levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against carbohydrate structures that are characteristic for schistosomes carrying the Fucα1-3GalNAc and Fucα1-2Fucα1-3GlcNAc motifs, but not to the more widespread occurring structures GalNAcβ1-4GlcNAc, GalNAcβ1-4(Fucα1-3)GlcNAc, and Galβ1-4(Fucα1-3)GlcNAc (Lewis x). In addition, high levels of IgM antibodies were found against the trimeric Lewis x epitope. Apparently, the schistosome-characteristic carbohydrate structures are dominant epitopes in the anti-glycan humoral immune response of the chimpanzees. All chimpanzees showed an increase in the level of antibodies against most of the carbohydrate structures tested directly after vaccination, peaking at challenge time and during the acute phase of infection. With the exception of anti-F-LDN antibody responses, the anti-carbohydrate antibody responses upon schistosome infection of the vaccinated animals were muted in comparison to the control animals. Index Descriptors and Abbreviations: Anti-carbohydrate antibodies, glycoconjugates, humoral immune response, infection, Schistosoma mansoni, synthetic glycan epitopes, trematode, vaccination, irradiated cercariae. Circulating cathodic antigen (CCA), Fucα1-3GalNAc(Fucα1-3) 0/1GlcNAcαGal (F-LDN(-F) 0/1), goat anti-human IgG (GaHuIgG), goat anti-human IgM (GaHuIgM), Hepes-buffered saline (HBS), immunoglobulin (Ig), keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH), GalNAcβ1-4GlcNAc (LDN), GalNAcβ1-4(Fucα1-3)GlcNAc (LDN-F), GalNAcβ1-4(Fucα1-2Fucα1-3)GlcNAc (LDN-DF), Galβ1-4(Fucα1-3)GlcNAc (Lewis x), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), response units (RUs), surface plasmon resonance (SPR).