Andrea Spadoni

Use of an Immunoglobulin G Avidity Assay Based on Recombinant Antigens for Diagnosis of Primary Toxoplasma gondii Infection during Pregnancy

ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to develop an antibody-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) avidity assay to discriminate between acute and latent phases of Toxoplasma gondii infection by using recombinant antigens. One hundred twenty-one serum samples from women who developed IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma during pregnancy were used. The IgG avidities of antibodies directed against epitopes carried by fragments of GRA3, GRA7, MIC3, and SAG1 antigens were measured by performing parallel enzyme immunoassays. The avidity index for Toxoplasma-specific antibodies against a homogeneous mixture of recombinant GRA3, GRA7, MIC3, and SAG1 antigens correlated closely with the IgG avidity of antibodies against lysed whole-cell T. gondii antigen. The avidity assay performed with the recombinant MIC3 antigen highlighted the presence of avidity low-antibodies IgG exclusively in sera collected within 2 months after primary infection. The presence of T. gondii-specific, low-avidity IgG antibodies against recombinant MIC3 antigen can be used to determine the point of infection with T. gondii within a 2-month time frame after infection.

Chimeric Antigens of Toxoplasma gondii: Toward Standardization of Toxoplasmosis Serodiagnosis Using Recombinant Products

ABSTRACT We have evaluated the diagnostic utility of six antigenic regions of the Toxoplasma gondii MIC2, MIC3, M2AP, GRA3, GRA7, and SAG1 gene products, assembled in recombinant chimeric antigens by genetic engineering, in order to replace the soluble, whole-cell tachyzoite extract in serological assays. Serum samples from 100 adults with acquired T. gondii infection and from 30 infants born to mothers with primary toxoplasmosis contracted during pregnancy, of whom 20 were congenitally infected, were included. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies against epitopes carried by chimeric antigens were measured by performing parallel enzyme immunoassays (recombinant enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays [Rec-ELISAs]), and the results obtained by standard commercial assays with the whole-cell Toxoplasma antigen and assays with the chimeric antigens were compared. Our results demonstrate that IgG and IgM Rec-ELISAs with individual chimeric antigens have performance characteristics comparable to those of the corresponding commercial assays. Furthermore, we show that IgM-capture assays based on chimeric antigens improve the ability to diagnose congenital toxoplasmosis postnatally compared with the ability to diagnose congenital toxoplasmosis by the use of standard assays. The use of recombinant chimeric antigens is effective in distinguishing T. gondii-infected individuals from T. gondii-uninfected individuals and shows that immunoassays based on recombinant products could provide the basis for standardized commercial tests for the serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis.

Molecular dissection of the human B-cell response against Toxoplasma gondii infection by lambda display of cDNA libraries

The disorders generated by Toxoplasma gondii infection are closely associated with the competence of the host immune system and both humoral and cell mediated immunity are involved in response to parasite invasion. To identify antigens implicated in human B-cell responses, we screened a phage-display library of T. gondii cDNA fragments with sera of infected individuals. This approach identified a panel of recombinant phage clones carrying B-cell epitopes. All the peptide sequences selected by this procedure are regions of T. gondii gene products. These regions contain epitopes of the T. gondii antigens SAG1, GRA1, GRA7, GRA8 and MIC5, which are recognised by human immunoglobulins. Moreover, we report the isolation and characterisation of two additional immunodominant regions encoded by GRA3 and MIC3 genes, whose products have never been described as antigens of the human B-cell response against T. gondii infection. These results demonstrate potential of lambda-display technology for antigen discovery and for the study of the human antibody response against infectious agents.

Identification of a human immunodominant B-cell epitope within the GRA1 antigen of Toxoplasma gondii by phage display of cDNA libraries

Excreted secreted antigens of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii play a key role in stimulating the host immune system during acute and chronic infection. With the aim of identifying the immunodominant epitopes of T. gondii antigens involved in the human B-cell response against the parasite, we employed a novel immunological approach. A library of cDNA fragments from T. gondii tachyzoites was displayed as fusion proteins to the amino-terminus of lambda bacteriophage capsid protein D. The lambda D-tachyzoite library was then affinity-selected by using a panel of sera of pregnant women, all infected with the parasite. Some of the clones identified through this procedure matched the sequence of the dense granule GRA1 protein (p24), allowing us to identify its antigenic regions. In particular, the analysis of human antibody response against the recombinant GRA1 antigen fragments revealed the existence of an immunodominant epitope (epi-24 peptide).

Use of Recombinant Antigens for Early Postnatal Diagnosis of Congenital Toxoplasmosis

ABSTRACT The main objective of this work was to improve the early serologic diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in children at risk of congenital infection by using recombinant antigens. Serum samples from 104 infants born to mothers with primary Toxoplasma gondii infection acquired during pregnancy, of which 35 were congenitally infected and 22 had clinical silent toxoplasmosis at birth, were included. Immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG, and IgG subtype antibodies against epitopes carried by fragments of T. gondii MIC2, MIC3, MIC4, M2AP, AMA1, and SAG1 gene products were measured by performing parallel enzyme immunoassays (Rec-ELISAs). Recombinant antigens preferentially reacted with IgG antibodies from infected infants compared to uninfected subjects (P < 0.0001), indicating that sera from infected children recognized a more diverse repertoire of antigens than sera transferred over the placenta from the mothers. Using two serial samples collected within 3 months of life, it was possible to demonstrate a neosynthesis of specific anti-MIC2 and anti-SAG1 immunoglobulin G, mainly of the IgG2 subtype, in 13 out of 20 infants with congenital toxoplasmosis. IgM antibodies in 97% of infected infants reacted with at least one of the recombinant antigens, confirming the diagnosis of congenital infection as soon as 2 months after birth (P < 0.0001). The use of recombinant antigens is effective in distinguishing T. gondii-infected from uninfected infants and shows that assays based on recombinant antigens improve the diagnosis of newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis.

Molecular dissection of the human B cell response against cytomegalovirus infection by lambda display

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a ubiquitous herpesvirus, is the main cause of congenital abnormalities and mental retardation in newborns and is also responsible for severe life-threatening complications in immunocompromised individuals, including AIDS patients and transplant recipients. The disorders generated by cytomegalovirus are closely associated with the competence of the host immune system and both humoral and cell-mediated mechanisms are involved in the response to viral infection. To identify viral proteins recognized by host antibody responses, a cytomegalovirus genome library was created and displayed on lambda bacteriophage. The challenge of such a library with sera from individuals with congenital or acquired infection allowed the identification of a wide panel of recombinant bacteriophages carrying cytomegalovirus B cell epitopes. Epitope-containing fragments within the families of tegument proteins (pUL25, pUL32), structural proteins (pUL48, pUL56) and glycoproteins (pUL55) were identified. Moreover, library screening permitted isolation of phage clones carrying an antigenic region of an uncharacterized HCMV protein encoded by the UL71 open reading frame (ORF), highlighting the potential of lambda display technology in antigen and epitope discovery.

A novel approach for identification of tumor-associated antigens expressed on the surface of tumor cells

To improve tumor targeting in a subset of patients, where tumor cells do not express the well‐known tumor antigens widely used in immunotherapy, we have developed a novel biotechnological tool. It is useful for tumors of various origins for the identification of tumor‐associated proteins, which are differentially expressed in tumor cells with respect to normal tissue, and exposed on the cell surface. For this purpose, a combination of techniques, such as “suppression subtractive hybridization” and “transmembrane trapping,” was employed. In applying this novel approach to breast cancer, we identified a large panel of cDNA fragments encoding for the well‐known tumor‐associated surface antigens, such as erb‐B2, erbB3 and the urokinase receptor and, more importantly, for several clones overexpressed in breast cancer, whose cDNA fragments match the sequences of hypothetical transmembrane proteins with unknown function. The latter may represent novel tumor‐specific targets.