Olive James

Application of Extrinsic Fluorescence Spectroscopy for the High Throughput Formulation Screening of Aluminum-Adjuvanted Vaccines

High throughput screening (HTS) of excipients for proteins in solution can be achieved by several analytical techniques. The screening of stabilizers for proteins adsorbed onto adjuvants, however, may be difficult due to the limited amount of techniques that can measure stability of adsorbed protein in high throughput mode. Here, we demonstrate that extrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy can be successfully applied to study the physical stability of adsorbed antigens at low concentrations in 96-well plates, using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) instrument. HTS was performed on three adjuvanted pneumococcal proteins as model antigens in the presence of a standard library of stabilizers. Aluminum hydroxide appeared to decrease the stability of all three proteins at relatively high and low pH values, showing a bell-shaped curve as the pH was increased from 5 to 9 with a maximum stability at near neutral pH. Nonspecific stabilizers such as mono- and disaccharides could increase the conformational stability of the antigens. In addition, those excipients that increased the melting temperature of adsorbed antigens could improve antigenicity and chemical stability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing an HTS technology amenable for low concentration of antigens adsorbed onto aluminum-containing adjuvants.

Effect of lipid modification on the physicochemical, structural, antigenic and immunoprotective properties of Haemophilus influenzae outer membrane protein P6

The outer membrane lipoprotein, P6 of Haemophilus influenzae was studied to determine the importance of the native palmitoyl moiety on its physicochemical and immunological properties. A recombinant P6 (rP6) molecule devoid of lipidation signal sequence was expressed in Escherichia coli and its properties were compared to those of the palmitylated protein purified from H. influenzae. The isoelectric point of rP6 was more acidic than that of the native protein and also exhibited less secondary structure than P6 as judged by circular dichroism. However, both forms of P6 induced identical P6-specific antibody titers in guinea pigs when Freunds adjuvant was used. These antisera reacted with a panel of overlapping P6 peptides in a comparable manner and in addition, rabbit antisera raised against the P6 peptides reacted equally well with P6 and rP6. Furthermore, all human convalescent sera tested exhibited similar anti-P6 and anti-rP6 antibody titers. However, rP6 was less immunogenic than P6 when administered either without adjuvant or in alum and when tested in competitive inhibition studies with anti-P6 antibodies, was a less effective inhibitor than native P6, suggesting a diminution in some of the antigenic activity of rP6. In spite of these differences, rP6 was capable of eliciting a protective antibody response against live H. influenzae type b challenge in a modified infant rat model of bacteremia. These findings demonstrate that the non-fatty acylated rP6 could possibily be substituted for native P6 in a vaccine against H. influenzae.

Comparative immunological properties of enantiomeric peptides

The immunogenicity of a peptide composed of only d-amino acids is compared with that of the corresponding l-peptide enantiomer. Following three administrations of 100 μg of individual peptide formulated with different adjuvants (Freunds complete adjuvant, QS21, or alum) to BALB/c mice, guinea pigs and rabbits, the l-peptide elicited strong l-peptide-specific IgG antibody responses in all formulations, whereas the d-peptide-induced d-peptide-specific IgG antibodies in the Freunds complete adjuvant and QS21 formulations, but was nonimmunogenic in the alum formulation. Mouse T-cell lines induced by the d-peptide formulated in Freunds complete adjuvant were found to express significant amounts of IL-2 when they were stimulated by the d-peptide. When an equal amount of both enantiomers was mixed and administered in Freunds complete adjuvant, only an l-peptide-specific IgG antibody response was observed. These results suggest that (i) d-peptide is immunogenic when strong adjuvant is provided; (ii) the immune system has preferential recognition of l-amino acid peptide; and (iii) the d-peptide can elicit d-peptide-specific T-cell responses.

Cloned helper T cell for IgE: Characterization of T cells cloned from an atopic donor with a high serum IgE

T cells cloned from nonatopic and atopic donors were examined for the ability to help IgE production in vitro. Experiments with clones from nonatopic donors were unsuccessful in spite of isolation of four clones that promoted IgM and IgG when these were mixed with B cells from nonatopic donors and pokeweed mitogen. We reasoned that T cells regulating IgE might be found with greater frequency in atopic donors with very high serum IgE. Two T cell clones from an atopic donor with a serum IgE of 3000 IU/ml were found to drive atopic B cells to produce up to 10,000 pg/ml of IgE in vitro. This promotion of IgE secretion occurred in the absence of mitogen stimulus and appeared to decrease with higher ratios of T cells:B cells. One of the clones (A-H4) also promoted the production of IgM and IgG in addition to the IgE; however, when this clone was carried in culture for several months, this activity for IgM and IgG fell markedly, whereas help for IgE decreased less. We have speculated that these two T cell clones, with unusual activation properties, may be representative of a subset of atopic T cells responsible for maintaining the circulating B cells that spontaneously secrete IgE in vitro in patients with high serum IgE.