Exploring the Role of GMMA Components in the Immunogenicity of a 4-Valent Vaccine against <i>Shigella</i>

oleh: Francesca Mancini, Renzo Alfini, Valentina Caradonna, Valentina Monaci, Martina Carducci, Gianmarco Gasperini, Diego Piccioli, Massimiliano Biagini, Carlo Giannelli, Omar Rossi, Mariagrazia Pizza, Francesca Micoli

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-02-01

Deskripsi

Shigellosis is the leading cause of diarrheal disease, especially in children of low- and middle-income countries, and is often associated with anti-microbial resistance. Currently, there are no licensed vaccines widely available against <i>Shigella</i>, but several candidates based on the O-antigen (OAg) portion of lipopolysaccharides are in development. We have proposed Generalized Modules for Membrane Antigens (GMMA) as an innovative delivery system for OAg, and a quadrivalent vaccine candidate containing GMMA from <i>S. sonnei</i> and three prevalent <i>S. flexneri</i> serotypes (1b, 2a and 3a) is moving to a phase II clinical trial, with the aim to elicit broad protection against <i>Shigella</i>. GMMA are able to induce anti-OAg-specific functional IgG responses in animal models and healthy adults. We have previously demonstrated that antibodies against protein antigens are also generated upon immunization with <i>S. sonnei</i> GMMA. In this work, we show that a quadrivalent <i>Shigella</i> GMMA-based vaccine is able to promote a humoral response against OAg and proteins of all GMMA types contained in the investigational vaccine. Proteins contained in GMMA provide T cell help as GMMA elicit a stronger anti-OAg IgG response in wild type than in T cell-deficient mice. Additionally, we observed that only the trigger of Toll-like Receptor (TLR) 4 and not of TLR2 contributed to GMMA immunogenicity. In conclusion, when tested in mice, GMMA of a quadrivalent <i>Shigella</i> vaccine candidate combine both adjuvant and carrier activities which allow an increase in the low immunogenic properties of carbohydrate antigens.