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

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, October 2001, p. 6240-6247, Vol. 69, No. 10
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.10.6240-6247.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Immunization with the Chlamydia trachomatis Mouse Pneumonitis Major Outer Membrane Protein Can Elicit a Protective Immune Response against a Genital Challenge

Sukumar Pal, Ida Theodor, Ellena M. Peterson, and Luis M. de la Maza*

Department of Pathology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-4800

Received 29 March 2001/Returned for modification 7 June 2001/Accepted 19 July 2001

Infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic abdominal pain are frequent complications of genital infections with Chlamydia trachomatis. In an attempt to produce a vaccine to protect against this pathogen we purified and refolded the C. trachomatis mouse pneumonitis (MoPn) major outer membrane protein (MOMP). This preparation, mixed with Freund's adjuvant using vortexing or sonication, was used to immunize BALB/c mice that were subsequently challenged in the upper genital tract. Vaginal cultures were taken on a weekly basis, and mice were mated 6 weeks after the challenge. Gels of the vortexed MOMP showed a predominant band with a molecular size of 62 kDa and weaker bands at 42 and 132 kDa, while the sonicated MOMP had a single band with a molecular size of 42 kDa. Following immunization with these two preparations, strong humoral and cell-mediated immune responses were detected in the mice inoculated with the vortexed MOMP. On the other hand, mice immunized with the sonicated MOMP had a strong humoral immune response but a relatively weak cell-mediated immune response, as determined by a T-cell lymphoproliferative assay and level of cytokine production by splenocytes. Vaginal cultures showed that the mice immunized with the vortexed MOMP were significantly protected, as determined by a decrease in the number of animals with positive cultures, the length of time the mice shed viable organisms, and the number of inclusion-forming units recovered per mouse. Animals immunized with the sonicated MOMP, on the other hand, showed a weaker level of protection based on the same three parameters. After mating, the number of fertile animals and number of embryos per mouse were significantly higher for the mice immunized with vortexed MOMP, but not for the mice immunized with sonicated MOMP, compared to those of the control groups. In conclusion, immunization with a purified and refolded preparation of the C. trachomatis MoPn MOMP confers a significant level of protection in mice against a genital challenge.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Pathology, Medical Sciences I, Room D440, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-4800. Phone: (949) 824-7450. Fax: (949) 824-2160. E-mail: lmdelama{at}uci.edu.

Infection and Immunity, October 2001, p. 6240-6247, Vol. 69, No. 10
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.10.6240-6247.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Land, J.A., Van Bergen, J.E.A.M., Morre, S.A., Postma, M.J. (2009). Epidemiology of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in women and the cost-effectiveness of screening. Hum Reprod Update 0: dmp035v1-dmp035 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Meoni, E., Faenzi, E., Frigimelica, E., Zedda, L., Skibinski, D., Giovinazzi, S., Bonci, A., Petracca, R., Bartolini, E., Galli, G., Agnusdei, M., Nardelli, F., Buricchi, F., Norais, N., Ferlenghi, I., Donati, M., Cevenini, R., Finco, O., Grandi, G., Grifantini, R. (2009). CT043, a Protective Antigen That Induces a CD4+ Th1 Response during Chlamydia trachomatis Infection in Mice and Humans. Infect. Immun. 77: 4168-4176 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pal, S., Bravo, J., Peterson, E. M., de la Maza, L. M. (2008). Protection of Wild-Type and Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Mice against an Intranasal Challenge by Passive Immunization with Monoclonal Antibodies to the Chlamydia trachomatis Mouse Pneumonitis Major Outer Membrane Protein. Infect. Immun. 76: 5581-5587 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sun, G., Pal, S., Sarcon, A. K., Kim, S., Sugawara, E., Nikaido, H., Cocco, M. J., Peterson, E. M., de la Maza, L. M. (2007). Structural and Functional Analyses of the Major Outer Membrane Protein of Chlamydia trachomatis. J. Bacteriol. 189: 6222-6235 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pal, S., Peterson, E. M., de la Maza, L. M. (2005). Vaccination with the Chlamydia trachomatis Major Outer Membrane Protein Can Elicit an Immune Response as Protective as That Resulting from Inoculation with Live Bacteria. Infect. Immun. 73: 8153-8160 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dong, F., Zhong, Y., Arulanandam, B., Zhong, G. (2005). Production of a Proteolytically Active Protein, Chlamydial Protease/Proteasome-Like Activity Factor, by Five Different Chlamydia Species. Infect. Immun. 73: 1868-1872 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pichavant, M., Delneste, Y., Jeannin, P., Fourneau, C., Brichet, A., Tonnel, A.-B., Gosset, P. (2003). Outer Membrane Protein A from Klebsiella pneumoniae Activates Bronchial Epithelial Cells: Implication in Neutrophil Recruitment. J. Immunol. 171: 6697-6705 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pal, S., Davis, H. L., Peterson, E. M., de la Maza, L. M. (2002). Immunization with the Chlamydia trachomatis Mouse Pneumonitis Major Outer Membrane Protein by Use of CpG Oligodeoxynucleotides as an Adjuvant Induces a Protective Immune Response against an Intranasal Chlamydial Challenge. Infect. Immun. 70: 4812-4817 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Morrison, R. P., Caldwell, H. D. (2002). Immunity to Murine Chlamydial Genital Infection. Infect. Immun. 70: 2741-2751 [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»