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Infection and Immunity, June 2009, p. 2356-2366, Vol. 77, No. 6
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00054-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A Fusion Protein Vaccine Containing OprF Epitope 8, OprI, and Type A and B Flagellins Promotes Enhanced Clearance of Nonmucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa{triangledown}

Eric T. Weimer,1 Haiping Lu,1 Nancy D. Kock,2 Daniel J. Wozniak,1 and Steven B. Mizel1*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157,1 Department of Pathology, Division of Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 271572

Received 15 January 2009/ Returned for modification 20 February 2009/ Accepted 26 March 2009

Although chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, there is no approved vaccine for human use against P. aeruginosa. The goal of this study was to establish whether a multivalent vaccine containing P. aeruginosa type A and B flagellins as well as the outer membrane proteins OprF and OprI would promote enhanced clearance of P. aeruginosa. Intramuscular immunization with flagellins and OprI (separate) or OprI-flagellin fusion proteins generated significant antiflagellin immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses. However, only the fusions of OprI with type A and type B flagellins generated OprI-specific IgG. Immunization with a combination of OprF epitope 8 (OprF311-341), OprI, and flagellins elicited high-affinity IgG antibodies specific to flagellins, OprI, and OprF that individually promoted extensive deposition of C3 on P. aeruginosa. Although these antibodies exhibited potent antibody-dependent complement-mediated killing of nonmucoid bacteria, they were significantly less effective with mucoid isolates. Mice immunized with the OprF311-341-OprI-flagellin fusion had a significantly lower bacterial burden three days postchallenge and cleared the infection significantly faster than control mice. In addition, mice immunized with the OprF311-341-OprI-flagellin fusion had significantly less inflammation and lung damage throughout the infection than OprF-OprI-immunized mice. Based on our results, OprF311-341-OprI-flagellin fusion proteins have substantial potential as components of a vaccine against nonmucoid P. aeruginosa, which appears to be the phenotype of the bacterium that initially colonizes CF patients.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157. Phone: (336) 716-2216. Fax: (336) 716-9928. E-mail: smizel{at}wfubmc.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 6 April 2009.

Editor: B. A. McCormick

Infection and Immunity, June 2009, p. 2356-2366, Vol. 77, No. 6
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00054-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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