Abstract
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) play important roles in the pathogenesis of pneumococcal infection, and they are considered as potential protein vaccine antigens. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of immunization with pneumococcal HSPs, including ClpP (hsp100/Clp peptidase subunit), DnaJ (hsp40) and GroEL (hsp60), to protect against pneumococcal carriage, lung colonization and sepsis in mouse models using different serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae. In a nasopharyngeal colonization model by serotype 6B or 14 and in a lung colonization model by serotype 19F, immunization with pneumococcal HSPs could elicit effective protection. Likewise, vaccination with ClpP, DnaJ or GroEL allowed significantly longer mouse survival times after lethal intranasal challenge with serotype pneumococcal 2, 3 or 4. Interestingly, combinations of these HSPs could consistently enhance the protection against nasopharynx carriage, lung colonization as well as invasive infection caused by different pneumococcal serotypes. In an in vitro killing assay, anti-sera against ClpP, DnaJ or GroEL could kill S. pneumoniae by polymorphonuclear leukocytes in a complement-dependent way, and combinations of multiple anti-sera against these HSPs could increase the killing ability compared with single anti-sera. Finally, passive immunization studies with anti-sera against pneumococcal HSPs also demonstrated that an additive effect could be achieved by using multiple anti-sera when compared with single anti-sera. Thus, inclusion of multiple pneumococcal HSPs is important for the development of protein-based pneumococcal vaccines.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.