Yanping Jiang

Up-regulation of MDP and tuftsin gene expression in Th1 and Th17 cells as an adjuvant for an oral Lactobacillus casei vaccine against anti-transmissible gastroenteritis virus

The role of muramyl dipeptide (MDP) and tuftsin in oral immune adjustment remains unclear, particularly in a Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) vaccine. To address this, we investigated the effects of different repetitive peptides expressed by L. casei, specifically the MDP and tuftsin fusion protein (MT) repeated 20 and 40 times (20MT and 40MT), in mice also expressing the D antigenic site of the spike (S) protein of transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) on intestinal and systemic immune responses and confirmed the immunoregulation of these peptides. Treatment of mice with a different vaccine consisting of L. casei expressing MDP and tuftsin stimulated humoral and cellular immune responses. Both 20MT and 40MT induced an increase in IgG and IgA levels against TGEV, as determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Increased IgG and IgA resulted in the activation of TGEV-neutralising antibody activity in vitro. In addition, 20MT and 40MT stimulated the differentiation of innate immune cells, including T helper cell subclasses and regulatory T (Treg) cells, which induced robust T helper type 1 and T helper type 17 (Th17) responses and reduced Treg T cell immune responses in the 20MT and 40MT groups, respectively. Notably, treatment of mice with L. casei expressing 20MT and 40MT enhanced the anti-TGEV antibody immune responses of both the humoral and mucosal immune systems. These findings suggest that L. casei expressing MDP and tuftsin possesses substantial immunopotentiating properties, as it can induce humoral and T cell-mediated immune responses upon oral administration, and it may be useful in oral vaccines against TGEV challenge.

Immunogenicity of recombinant Lactobacillus casei-expressing F4 (K88) fimbrial adhesin FaeG in conjunction with a heat-labile enterotoxin A (LTAK63) and heat-labile enterotoxin B (LTB) of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli as an oral adjuvant in mice.

The aims of this study were to develop an effective oral vaccine against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) infection and to design new and more versatile mucosal adjuvants.

Construction of upp deletion mutant strains of Lactobacillus casei and Lactococcus lactis based on counterselective system using temperature-sensitive plasmid

Integration plasmids are often used in constructing chromosomal mutations, as it enables the alternation of genes at any location by integration or replacement. Food-grade integration vectors can integrate into the host genome without introducing any selectable markers or residual bases, and the recombination often happens in non-coding region. In this study we used the temperature-sensitive pWV01 replicon to construct 2 chloramphenicol-resistant integration plasmids (pGBHC32-upp) containing the uracil phosphoribosyl transferase (upp) gene as a counterselective marker for Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) ATCC393 and Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis) MG1363. We then ligated the designed homologous arms to the pGBHC32-upp plasmids to allow their integration to the bacterial chromosome, and selected upp deletion mutants of L. casei ATCC393 and L. lactis MG1363 in the presence of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Analysis of genetic stability, growth curve, carbon utilization and scanning electronic microscopy showed that, except for 5-FU resistance, there were no significant differences between the wild type and mutant lactic acid bacteria. The integration system and the upp deletion strains could be used in the insertion or deletion of genes at any location of the chromosome of both L. casei ATCC 393 and L. lactis MG1363, and the homologous recombination would not introduce any selectable markers or residual bases. These mutant strains can be further investigated for heterologous protein expression and construction of a live mucosal vaccine carrier.

A phase trial of the oral Lactobacillus casei vaccine polarizes Th2 cell immunity against transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus infection.

Transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV) is a member of the genus Coronavirus, family Coronaviridae, order Nidovirales. TGEV is an enteropathogenic coronavirus that causes highly fatal acute diarrhoea in newborn pigs. An oral Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) vaccine against anti-transmissible gastroenteritis virus developed in our laboratory was used to study mucosal immune responses. In this L. casei vaccine, repetitive peptides expressed by L. casei (specifically the MDP and tuftsin fusion protein (MT)) were repeated 20 times and the D antigenic site of the TGEV spike (S) protein was repeated 6 times. Immunization with recombinant Lactobacillus is crucial for investigations of the effect of immunization, such as the first immunization time and dose. The first immunization is more important than the last immunization in the series. The recombinant Lactobacillus elicited specific systemic and mucosal immune responses. Recombinant L. casei had a strong potentiating effect on the cellular immunity induced by the oral L. casei vaccine. However, during TGEV infection, the systemic and local immune responses switched from Th1 to Th2-based immune responses. The systemic humoral immune response was stronger than the cellular immune response after TGEV infection. We found that the recombinant Lactobacillus stimulated IL-17 expression in both the systemic and mucosal immune responses against TGEV infection. Furthermore, the Lactobacillus vaccine stimulated an anti-TGEV infection Th17 pathway. The histopathological examination showed tremendous potential for recombinant Lactobacillus to enable rapid and effective treatment for TGEV with an intestinal tropism in piglets. The TGEV immune protection was primarily dependent on mucosal immunity.

Probiotic Lactobacillus casei expressing porcine antimicrobial peptide PR39 elevates antibacterial activity in the gastrointestinal tract.

PR39, a 4.7 kDa proline-rich antimicrobial peptide, acts as a cationic host defense peptide. In addition to killing bacteria, PR39 mediates inflammatory reactions, including cell proliferation, migration, wound healing, and angiogenesis. Here, we examined the antibacterial effects of this peptide. The synthetic gene fragment PR39 was inserted into the secretory expression vector plasmid pPG:612 of Lactobacillus casei, yielding the recombinant strain pPG:612-PR39/L. casei 393. In vitro antibacterial tests showed that expression of the PR39 peptide in recombinant L. casei resulted in antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Salmonella but had only minor antibacterial effects in Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, BALB/c mice fed the recombinant pPG:612-PR39/L. casei 393 grew better and had increased peripheral blood lymphocyte percentages, white blood cell numbers, and spleen indices than mice in the control group. Scanning electron microscopy showed that jejunum and duodenum villus height, crypt depth, and the ratio of villus height/crypt depth in the intestinal villi also increased. Moreover, mice fed the recombinant strain showed significantly lower mortality rates than the control group mice when challenged with the enterotoxigenic E. coli K88+. Thus, this recombinant expression system had the beneficial characteristics of both L. casei and PR39, supporting its potential as an animal feed additive.

Virulence and serological studies of recombinant infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in rainbow trout

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus is a highly contagious disease of juvenile salmonid species. From the IHNV HLJ-09 isolated in China, two recombinant viruses were generated by reverse genetics using the RNA polymerase II transcription system. The recombinant viruses were confirmed by RT-PCR, indirect immunofluorescence assay and electron microscopy. They were referred to as rIHNV HLJ-09 and rIHNV-EGFP. rIHNV HLJ-09 and rIHNV-EGFP could stably replicate in EPC cell lines and had the same cellular tropism as wtIHNV HLJ-09. But the titer of rIHNV-EGFP was significantly lower than rIHNV HLJ-09 and wtIHNV HLJ-09. rIHNV-EGFP strain could express EGFP stably at least in 20 passages, and the fluorescence could be observed clearly. To assess the virulence and pathogenicity of the recombinant viruses in vivo, juvenile rainbow trout were challenged by intraperitoneal injection with 20μl of rIHNV HLJ-09, rIHNV-EGFP or wtIHNV HLJ-09 (1×10(6)pfuml(-1)). Fish challenged with rIHNV HLJ-09 and wtIHNV HLJ-09 exhibited clinical signs typical of IHN disease and both produced 90% cumulative percent mortality, whlie rIHNV-EGFP produced only 5%. Pathological sectioning results showed that the tissues (liver, kidney, heart muscle, back muscle) of the fish infected with rIHNV HLJ-09 exhibited pathological changes, with the exception of cerebral neurons and the cheek. However, no lesions of liver, kidney, heart, muscle, brain in rainbow trout of rIHNV-EGFP or the control group were observed. Indirect ELISA results showed that a high level of serum antibody was detected in the experimental fish challenged with rIHNV HLJ-09, just as the same as wtIHNV HLJ-09, while a lower titer was detecred in the fish infected with rIHNV-EGFP. This indicated that the recombinant viruses could induce humoral immune response in the experimental fish. The recombinant viruses had unique genetic tags and could be used for genetic engineering, laying new ground for further investigation of IHNV pathopoiesis molecular mechanism, host tropism and the development of novel vaccines against IHN.

Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of bovine parvovirus.

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for detection of bovine parvovirus (BPV) DNA. Four primers were designed to recognize six distinct regions on the target DNA based on a highly conserved sequence in the VP2 region of the BPV genome. The optimized LAMP reaction conditions were 8 mM Mg²⁺, 1.2 mM betaine, and an incubation at 63°C for 45 min. After amplification the products were detected either by observing a ladder pattern following gel electrophoresis, observation of turbidity, or a color change with the addition of SYBR Green I to the reaction tube. The detection limit of the LAMP assay was 9 copies of BPV-DNA and was 100 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. A ladder pattern of bands after gel electrophoresis was observed for only BPV isolates and showed that the BPV LAMP assay was highly specific without any cross-reactivity with other related viruses. The LAMP assay was evaluated further using 59 field samples and the results were comparable to conventional PCR. The LAMP assay is a simple, rapid and economic detection method; it can provide a useful technique suitable for detection of BPV infection in both field conditions and laboratory settings.

Immunogenicity of eGFP-Marked Recombinant Lactobacillus casei against Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus

Porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) are the causative agents of highly fatal acute diarrhea in pigs, resulting in enormous losses in the pig industry worldwide. To develop an effective bivalent oral vaccine against TGEV and PEDV infection, the D antigenic site of the TGEV spike (S) protein and the major antigen site (core neutralizing epitope—COE) of the PEDV S protein were used as immunogens, and the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene was used as a reporter to construct genetically engineered Lactobacillus casei rLpPGF-T7g10-eGFP-6D-COE. The expression of proteins of interest by the recombinant L. casei was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and a Western blot assay, and the immunogenicity of rLpPGF-T7g10-eGFP-6D-COE in orally immunized mice was evaluated. The results showed that levels of anti-PEDV and anti-TGEV serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and mucosal secreted immunoglobulin A (sIgA) antibodies obtained from the mice immunized with rLpPGF-T7g10-eGFP-6D-COE, as well as the proliferation levels of lymphocytes, were significantly higher than those in mice orally administered phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or rLpPG-T7g10. Moreover, the serum IgG antibodies showed neutralizing effects against PEDV and TGEV. Our data suggest that the antibiotic resistance-free genetically engineered L. casei bivalent oral vaccine provides a safe and promising strategy for vaccine development against PEDV and TGEV.

TMPRSS2 and MSPL Facilitate Trypsin-Independent Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Replication in Vero Cells

Type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSPs) facilitate the spread and replication of viruses such as influenza and human coronaviruses, although it remains unclear whether TTSPs play a role in the progression of animal coronavirus infections, such as that by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). In this study, TTSPs including TMPRSS2, HAT, DESC1, and MSPL were tested for their ability to facilitate PEDV replication in Vero cells. Our results showed that TMPRSS2 and MSPL played significant roles in the stages of cell–cell fusion and virus–cell fusion, whereas HAT and DESC1 exhibited weaker effects. This activation may be involved in the interaction between TTSPs and the PEDV S protein, as the S protein extensively co-localized with TMPRSS2 and MSPL and could be cleaved by co-expression with TMPRSS2 or MSPL. Moreover, the use of Vero cells expressing TMPRSS2 and MSPL facilitated PEDV replication in the absence of exogenous trypsin. In sum, we identified two host proteases, TMPRSS2 and MSPL, which may provide insights and a novel method for enhancing viral titers, expanding virus production, and improving the adaptability of PEDV isolates in vitro.

Oral Immunization against PEDV with Recombinant Lactobacillus casei Expressing Dendritic Cell-Targeting Peptide Fusing COE Protein of PEDV in Piglets

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a highly contagious disease in newborn piglets. In our previous study, a genetically engineered Lactobacillus casei oral vaccine (pPG-COE-DCpep/L393) expressing a dendritic cell (DC)-targeting peptide fused with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) COE antigen was developed. This vaccine induced significant levels of anti-PEDV specific IgG and IgA antibody responses in mice, indicating a potential strategy against PEDV infection. In this study, pPG-COE-DCpep/L393 was used for oral vaccination of newborn piglets against PEDV. We then assessed the immune responses and protection efficacy of pPG-COE-DCpep/L393. An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the recombinant Lactobacillus vaccine elicits a specific systemic and mucosal immune response. The T-helper cells mediated by pPG-COE-DCpep/L393 and PEDV infection display a Th1 phenotype. The histopathological results showed that pPG-COE-DCpep/L393 promotes lymphocyte proliferation and effectively protects piglets against PEDV infection. The transforming growth factor-β level indicated that the recombinant Lactobacillus vaccine plays a role in anti-inflammatory responses in mesenteric lymph nodes during PEDV infection. These results show that pPG-COE-DCpep/L393 is a potential vaccine against PEDV infection.