Rational design of a meningococcal antigen inducing broad protective immunity

Sci Transl Med. 2011 Jul 13;3(91):91ra62. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3002234.

Abstract

The sequence variability of protective antigens is a major challenge to the development of vaccines. For Neisseria meningitidis, the bacterial pathogen that causes meningitis, the amino acid sequence of the protective antigen factor H binding protein (fHBP) has more than 300 variations. These sequence differences can be classified into three distinct groups of antigenic variants that do not induce cross-protective immunity. Our goal was to generate a single antigen that would induce immunity against all known sequence variants of N. meningitidis. To achieve this, we rationally designed, expressed, and purified 54 different mutants of fHBP and tested them in mice for the induction of protective immunity. We identified and determined the crystal structure of a lead chimeric antigen that was able to induce high levels of cross-protective antibodies in mice against all variant strains tested. The new fHBP antigen had a conserved backbone that carried an engineered surface containing specificities for all three variant groups. We demonstrate that the structure-based design of multiple immunodominant antigenic surfaces on a single protein scaffold is possible and represents an effective way to create broadly protective vaccines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Antigens, Bacterial / chemistry
  • Antigens, Bacterial / immunology*
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / immunology
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Drug Design*
  • Humans
  • Immunity / drug effects
  • Immunity / immunology*
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Mice
  • Models, Molecular
  • Mutant Proteins / chemistry
  • Mutant Proteins / immunology
  • Mutation / genetics
  • Neisseria meningitidis / drug effects
  • Neisseria meningitidis / immunology*
  • Protein Engineering
  • Protein Structure, Secondary

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Mutant Proteins
  • factor H-binding protein, Neisseria meningitidis

Associated data

  • PDB/PDB2Y7S