This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Iborra, S. Articles by Requena, J. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Iborra, S. Articles by Requena, J. M.

The Leishmania infantum Acidic Ribosomal Protein P0 Administered as a DNA Vaccine Confers Protective Immunity to Leishmania major Infection in BALB/c Mice

Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa", Universidad Autónoma de Madrid,¹ Departamento de Patología Animal II, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain²

Received 9 June 2003/ Returned for modification 26 July 2003/ Accepted 8 August 2003

In this study, we examined the immunogenic properties of the Leishmania infantum acidic ribosomal protein P0 (LiP0) in the BALB/c mouse model. The humoral and cellular responses induced by the administration of the LiP0 antigen, either as soluble recombinant LiP0 (rLiP0) or as a plasmid DNA formulation (pcDNA3-LiP0), were determined. Also, the immunological response associated with a prime-boost strategy, consisting of immunization with pcDNA3-LiP0 followed by a boost with rLiP0, was assayed. Immunization with rLiP0 induced a predominant Th2-like humoral response, but no anti-LiP0 antibodies were induced after immunization with pcDNA3-LiP0, whereas a strong humoral response consisting of a mixed immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a)-IgG1 isotype profile was induced in mice immunized with the prime-boost regime. For all three immunization protocols, rLiP0-stimulated production of gamma interferon (IFN-) in both splenocytes and lymph node cells from immunized mice was observed. However, it was only when mice were immunized with pcDNA3-LiP0 that noticeable protection against L. major infection was achieved, as determined by both lesion development and parasite burden. Immunization of mice with LiP0-DNA primes both CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, which, with the L. major challenge, were boosted to produce significant levels of IL-12-dependent, antigen-specific IFN-. Taken together, these data indicate that genetic vaccination with LiP0 induces protective immunological effector mechanisms, yet the immunological response elicited by LiP0 is not sufficient to keep the infection from progressing.

Editor: W. A. Petri, Jr.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Iborra, S., Carrion, J., Anderson, C., Alonso, C., Sacks, D., Soto, M. (2005). Vaccination with the Leishmania infantum Acidic Ribosomal P0 Protein plus CpG Oligodeoxynucleotides Induces Protection against Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in C57BL/6 Mice but Does Not Prevent Progressive Disease in BALB/c Mice. Infect. Immun. 73: 5842-5852 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Sinha, S., Kosalai, K., Arora, S., Namane, A., Sharma, P., Gaikwad, A. N., Brodin, P., Cole, S. T. (2005). Immunogenic membrane-associated proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed by proteomics. Microbiology 151: 2411-2419 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Rajeshwari, K., Patel, K., Nambeesan, S., Mehta, M., Sehgal, A., Chakraborty, T., Sharma, S. (2004). The P Domain of the P0 Protein of Plasmodium falciparum Protects against Challenge with Malaria Parasites. Infect. Immun. 72: 5515-5521 [Abstract] [Full Text]