RESUMO
Translation engineering and bioinformatics have accelerated the rate at which gene sequences can be improved to generate multi-epitope proteins. Strong antigenic proteins for tuberculosis diagnosis include individual ESAT6 and CFP10 proteins or derived peptides. Obtention of heterologous multi-component antigens in E. coli without forming inclusion bodies remain a biotechnological challenge. The gene sequence for ESAT6-CFP10 fusion antigen was optimized by codon bias adjust for high-level expression as a soluble protein. The obtained fusion protein of 23.7 kDa was observed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis after Ni-affinity chromatography and the yield of expressed soluble protein reached a concentration of approximately 67 mg/L in shake flask culture after IPTG induction. Antigenicity was evaluated at 4 µg/mL in whole blood cultures from bovines, and protein stimuli were assessed using a specific in vitro IFN-γ release assay. The hybrid protein was able to stimulate T-cell specific responses of bovine TB suspects. The results indicate that improved E. coli codon usage is a good and cost-effective strategy to potentialize large scale production of multi-epitope proteins with sustained antigenic properties for diagnostic purposes.
Assuntos
Antígenos de Bactérias/genética , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Mycobacterium bovis/imunologia , Fragmentos de Peptídeos/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/administração & dosagem , Vacinas contra a Tuberculose/administração & dosagem , Tuberculose Bovina/prevenção & controle , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Antígenos de Bactérias/imunologia , Proteínas de Bactérias/imunologia , Bovinos , Clonagem Molecular , Códon , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Expressão Gênica , Vetores Genéticos/química , Vetores Genéticos/metabolismo , Histidina/genética , Histidina/metabolismo , Imunogenicidade da Vacina , Interferon gama/biossíntese , Mycobacterium bovis/química , Mycobacterium bovis/genética , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/química , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genética , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/imunologia , Oligopeptídeos/genética , Oligopeptídeos/metabolismo , Fragmentos de Peptídeos/imunologia , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/química , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/imunologia , Alinhamento de Sequência , Vacinas contra a Tuberculose/genética , Vacinas contra a Tuberculose/imunologia , Tuberculose Bovina/imunologia , Tuberculose Bovina/microbiologia , Vacinação/métodosRESUMO
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is usually diagnosed in vivo and ex vivo on the basis of delayed hypersensitivity reactions with a complex pool of antigens named bovine tuberculin (PPDB). The IFN-γ release assay (IGRA) for bTB is a blood-based assay that improves detection of infected cattle at early stages that escape skin testing. Improvements to IFN-γ testing with specific proteins have been performed to increase sensitivity. DosR regulon-related antigens are well known mycobacterial proteins expressed during the non-replicative phases of infection, this has been useful to improve the diagnosis of subclinical forms of TB in suspected individuals. Transcripts of DosR genes mb2054c, mb2057c, and mb2660c have been identified by our group in lymph nodes of IFN-γ test negative cattle. This led us to hypothesize that DosR-related proteins may potentiate the IFN-γ response to PPDB in animals with a false negative IFN-γ test, making evident subclinical infection. Three hundred animals were evaluated by means of IGRA and post-mortem microbiological analysis of tissue samples to validate M. bovis infection. We found that 176 out of 300 animals showed an overall increased OD in complemented IGRA with two purified protein cocktails in comparison to PPDB alone, and were scrutinized for a subclinical infection; thirty percent when PPDB was supplemented with a cocktail of four DosR antigens, and 70% when PPDB was supplemented with a cocktail of six antigens (four DosR and two RD1 antigens). Forty five animals showed a substantial IFN-γ overproduction but remained negative, and 40 animals changed the result to a positive test. Only 18 out of 176 IFN-γ high producing animals were also positive to M. bovis isolation. Fifty seven animals with no visible lesions at slaughter and with a negative IGRA test result contained M. bovis DNA in tissue samples. In conclusion, Mb1762c, Mb2054c, Mb2057c, and Mb2660c have the potential to increase sensitivity of the IFN-γ in vitro test for bTB diagnosis when supplemented to PPDB.
Assuntos
Infecções Assintomáticas , Testes de Liberação de Interferon-gama/métodos , Testes de Liberação de Interferon-gama/veterinária , Mycobacterium bovis/imunologia , Tuberculina/imunologia , Tuberculose Bovina/diagnóstico , Tuberculose Bovina/imunologia , Animais , Antígenos de Bactérias/genética , Antígenos de Bactérias/imunologia , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Proteínas de Bactérias/imunologia , Bovinos , DNA Bacteriano , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Interferon gama/sangue , Interferon gama/metabolismo , Linfonodos/imunologia , México , Mycobacterium bovis/genética , Mycobacterium bovis/isolamento & purificação , Proteínas Recombinantes , Regulon , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Tuberculose Bovina/microbiologiaRESUMO
Several studies have demonstrated that the serum of patients with cancer contains antibodies that react with a group of autoantigens denominated tumor-associated antigens (TAA). TAA can be detected prior to clinical diagnosis; thus, they would be ideal biomarkers for early detection of cancer, using only a few microliters of a patient's serum. In the current study, we used an immune proteomic approach, combining two-dimensional (2D) electrophoresis, Western blot, and matrix-associated laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) methods to identify TAA in the sera of patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Sera were obtained from 36 newly diagnosed patients with stage II breast cancer and those from 36 healthy volunteers were evaluated for the presence of the TAA. Alpha 2HS-glycoprotein (AHSG) antibodies were detected in 33 of 36 patients with breast cancer (91.7%) and in only 3 of 36 healthy patients (controls, 8.3%). Sensitivity of detection of autoantibodies against AHSG in patients with breast cancer was 91.7%. AHSG was detected in cancer tissue by immunohistochemistry. Our results strongly suggest that the presence of serum autoantibodies against AHSG protein may be useful as serum biomarkers for early-stage breast cancer screening and minimally invasive diagnosis in Mexican populations. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In the present study, 2D immunoblot analysis was used to make a screening in samples of sera from patients with a diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer, in order to identify some autoantibodies that react against TAA. Proteins identified in the present study, particularly alpha 2HS-glycoprotein (AHSG), might be useful as potential biomarkers for breast cancer in early stages for Mexican populations.