Employing Escherichia coli-derived outer membrane vesicles as an antigen delivery platform elicits protective immunity against Acinetobacter baumannii infection

Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 16:6:37242. doi: 10.1038/srep37242.

Abstract

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) have proven to be highly immunogenic and induced an immune response against bacterial infection in human clinics and animal models. We sought to investigate whether engineered OMVs can be a feasible antigen-delivery platform for efficiently inducing specific antibody responses. In this study, Omp22 (an outer membrane protein of A. baumannii) was displayed on E. coli DH5α-derived OMVs (Omp22-OMVs) using recombinant gene technology. The morphological features of Omp22-OMVs were similar to those of wild-type OMVs (wtOMVs). Immunization with Omp22-OMVs induced high titers of Omp22-specific antibodies. In a murine sepsis model, Omp22-OMV immunization significantly protected mice from lethal challenge with a clinically isolated A. baumannii strain, which was evidenced by the increased survival rate of the mice, the reduced bacterial burdens in the lung, spleen, liver, kidney, and blood, and the suppressed serum levels of inflammatory cytokines. In vitro opsonophagocytosis assays showed that antiserum collected from Omp22-OMV-immunized mice had bactericidal activity against clinical isolates, which was partly specific antibody-dependent. These results strongly indicated that engineered OMVs could display a whole heterologous protein (~22 kDa) on the surface and effectively induce specific antibody responses, and thus OMVs have the potential to be a feasible vaccine platform.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acinetobacter Infections / immunology*
  • Acinetobacter Infections / microbiology
  • Acinetobacter baumannii / immunology*
  • Acinetobacter baumannii / physiology
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / immunology
  • Antigens / immunology*
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / immunology*
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Bacterial Vaccines / immunology
  • Base Sequence
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Escherichia coli / immunology*
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Female
  • Immunization / methods
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Sepsis / blood
  • Sepsis / immunology
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
  • Transport Vesicles / immunology*
  • Transport Vesicles / metabolism

Substances

  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • Antigens
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
  • Bacterial Vaccines