SIU

BIOTECHNOLOGY - MICR 421


Ch. 11. Vaccines

Subunit vaccines

Attenuated vaccines

Vector vaccines

DNA vaccines


Immunity

1. Innate Immunity (Skin barrier, acid pH of skin and stomach, lysozyme in tears, inflammation, phagocytosis, etc.)

2. Acquired Immunity

Specificity --Antibody-antigen interactions

Diversity --107 - 108 different antibodies

Memory --Enhanced response to antigen after the initial exposure

Recognition --Able to distinguish self from nonself

 

The Immune Response i.e. Acquired

1. Humoral

Secretion of antibodies by activated B-cells

2. Cell-mediated

Cytotoxic T-cells (TC) kill infected and cancerous cells


Vaccines

Ex.

-Diphtheria
-Measles
-Mumps
-Smallpox
-Polio
-Tetanus
-Whooping cough

Needed:

New vaccines

-Malaria. 1-2 million deaths/year

-Diarrheal diseases. 4-5 million deaths/year

-AIDS. ~40 million infected with HIV worldwide (12/04)

-Cancer

Existing vaccine improvements

-Greater and longer lasting protection

-Production methods

Table 11.1


Traditional Vaccines --Most of the currently used and past vaccines

1. Killed pathogen

2. Live attenuated pathogen

1.) Not all pathogens can be cultured

2.) Growth of viruses requires cell culture

-Slow

-Expensive

-Low yields

3.) Need for safety precautions during production

4.) Potential for spread of disease by vaccine

-Incomplete killing of pathogen or

-Reversion of attenuated strains to pathogenicity

5.) Inability to obtain vaccines for some diseases

Ex. AIDS


Molecular Approaches for Creating Vaccines

1. Live-attenuated vaccine

-Delete virulence genes from pathogen

2. Subunit vaccine

-Express cloned antigen genes, purify gene product and use as vaccine

3. Vector vaccine

-Clone and express genes for antigens of pathogen in a nonpathogenic strain or vector

Eliminates need to create an attenuated strain of the pathogen

4. DNA vaccine

-Use a recombinant plasmid vector containing a gene for an antigen

Gene is expressed by patient's cells that take up the DNA


Live-Attenuated Vaccines

See Fig. 11.13

Ex. Cholera: caused by Vibrio cholerae

Secretes toxic protein in small intestine

A nonpathogenic strain was created by deleting part of ctxA that coded for the A1 peptide of the toxin

Steps

1. Tetr gene was inserted into the chromosomal site of the V. cholera ctxA gene that encodes the A1

This disrupted the gene, making the strain nonpathogenic (and resistant to tetracycline)

However, if the Tetr gene is excised, the strain would revert to a virulent strain

Also, probably not a good idea to use antibiotic resistant organisms for vaccines

So,

2. DNA encoding A1 was cloned using a plasmid vector

3. Most of the cloned DNA was deleted using restriction enzymes

4. The plasmid was transfered to the tetracycline resistant V. cholerae strain by conjugation

5. Homologous recombination exchanged the 5' and 3' ends of the A1 peptide DNA for the Tetr gene on the chromosome

6. Tet sensitive V. cholerae was isolated and used as a live-attenuated vaccine that could not revert to virulence


Subunit Vaccines

Vaccines derived from a component such as an antigenic protein of a pathogen rather than whole organism.

Ex. Purified outer membrane protein of an animal virus

Fig. 11.1

Pluses and minuses

(+) May have lower side effects, not as many types of antigens
(-) Costly to purify
(-) Lower antigenicity, may not provide protection against pathogen

Antibodies elicited against a pure antigen may not recognize it when present on the pathogen


Recombinant Subunit Vaccines

Ex. Hepatitis B virus (HBV)vaccine

~100,000 new cases/year in the U.S.

More contagious than HIV

Can't be grown in cell culture for vaccine production

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was developed into a subunit vaccine

-Forms 22 nm particles (protein aggregates) in infected individuals

-Highly immunogenic

Cloned antigen gene not expressed at high levels in bacterial host

However, expression in yeast resulted in formation of antigenic particles

-Marketed by Merck as Recombivax

World's first genetically engineered vaccine


Vector Vaccines

Insert genes that encode a virus antigen into a harmless virus (the vector) that can infect humans

E.x. HBV core antigen/vaccinia virus vector

Vaccinia virus causes cowpox

Infects cows and humans producing only mild symptoms

Previously used as safe vaccine for smallpox (now eradicated)

(See Fig. 11.16)

1. Antigen gene placed on a transfer vector, flanked by vaccinia virus DNA, and under the control of a vaccinia virus promoter

o Flanking DNA is from the thymidine kinase (TK) gene

2. Transfect vector into cultured animal cells infected with vaccinia virus

3. Antigen gene is inserted into vaccinia virus' TK gene by homologous recombination

o Recombination inactivates viral TK gene

4. Recombinant virus is selected for in cells that survive exposure to bromodeoxyuridine (nucleotide analog)

o Nonrecombinant virus has an intact TK gene and the enzyme phosphorylates bromodeoxyuridine which is incorporated into the cell's DNA, causing mutation and breaks in chromosomes that kill the cell

5. Vaccinate with recombinant vaccinia virus to elicit immune response that prevents infection upon exposure to the pathogen

 

Advantages

Resembles the natural infection process of the viral pathogen

Immune system recognizes pathogen quickly

Replication of viral vector amplifies amount of antigen after vaccination

 

Disadvantage

Vector may cause serious infection in immunosuppressed individuals

Ex. AIDS patients


DNA Vaccines (Genetic Immunization)

1. Clone gene for an antigen of a pathogen

Use E. coli plasmid vector with an animal virus promoter

2. Coat gold particles with plasmid DNA and inject into subject under high pressure (biolistics)

3. Expression of the antigen gene elicits formation of protective antibodies

 

-Avoids time and expense of antigen production and purification

-Not yet approved for use in humans

 

Survival of mice vaccinated with influenza A DNA

See Fig. 11.8


Development of a DNA Vaccine for Malaria

Caused by Plasmodium falciparum

-An intracellular parasite

-An effective vaccine would elicit formation of specific cytotoxic T cells

Would kill infected cells before a major infection could be established

-Volunteers were vaccinated with plasmid DNA containing the gene encoding P. falciparium circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP)

-Cytotoxic T cells were produced

-Additional genes for other parasite antigens may be added to the plasmid to enhance the immune response

 

This approach is also being tested using genes that encode HIV antigens to produce an AIDS vaccine


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Last updated: November 8, 2005 /jdh

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