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N-Terminal Pfs230 Domain Produced in Baculovirus as a Biological Active Transmission-Blocking Vaccine Candidate

N-Terminal Pfs230 Domain Produced in Baculovirus as a Biological Active Transmission-Blocking... N-Terminal Pfs230 Domain Produced in Baculovirus as a Biological Active Transmission-Blocking Vaccine Candidate Shwu-Maan Lee a , Chia-Kuei Wu a , Jordan L. Plieskatt a , Kazutoyo Miura b , John M. Hickey c and C. Richter King a a PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), Washington, DC, USA b Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA c Macromolecule and Vaccine Stabilization Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA Patricia P. Wilkins , Editor CDC ABSTRACT Transmission-blocking vaccines have the potential to accelerate malaria parasite elimination by inducing antibodies that block parasite transmission from humans to mosquitoes. Pfs230, a gametocyte surface protein involved in gamete function, has long been a promising candidate. Due to the large size (3,135 amino acids), complex domains, and repeating 6-cysteine (6-Cys) motifs with a multitude of disulfide bonds, the feasibility of expression of a full-length protein has been difficult. A priority focus, therefore, has been on the generation of single domains, including N-terminal fragments. Here we utilized a heterologous expression system, baculovirus, to produce an N-terminal domain of Pfs230 (Pfs230C1). Pfs230C1 (amino acids 443 to 731) with a polyhistidine affinity tag was expressed in Super Sf9 cells. Since the native host lacks glycosylation machinery, a single N585Q mutation was made to eliminate potential N-linked glycosylation. The expressed protein, purified by nickel affinity, ion exchange, and size exclusion chromatography to >90% purity, was present in monomeric form with an observed mass of 33,510 Da (matching oxidized form). Peptide mapping and disulfide analysis confirmed the proper formation of predicted disulfide bonds. Antibodies, generated against Pfs230C1 in mice, bound to the gametocyte in an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and demonstrated functional activity in both the standard membrane feeding assay (SMFA) and the exflagellation assay (EXA). The biochemical, biophysical, and immunological results reported herein support the continued advancement of an N-terminal Pfs230 antigen (Pfs230C1) as a component of a transmission-blocking vaccine. Our results also support the continued use of the scalable baculovirus expression system for the generation of complex Plasmodium proteins. KEYWORDS Pfs230 Plasmodium falciparum baculovirus malaria recombinant protein transmission-blocking vaccine http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Clinical and Vaccine Immunology American Society For Microbiology

N-Terminal Pfs230 Domain Produced in Baculovirus as a Biological Active Transmission-Blocking Vaccine Candidate

N-Terminal Pfs230 Domain Produced in Baculovirus as a Biological Active Transmission-Blocking Vaccine Candidate

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology , Volume 24 (10): e00140-17 – Oct 1, 2017

Abstract

N-Terminal Pfs230 Domain Produced in Baculovirus as a Biological Active Transmission-Blocking Vaccine Candidate Shwu-Maan Lee a , Chia-Kuei Wu a , Jordan L. Plieskatt a , Kazutoyo Miura b , John M. Hickey c and C. Richter King a a PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), Washington, DC, USA b Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA c Macromolecule and Vaccine Stabilization Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA Patricia P. Wilkins , Editor CDC ABSTRACT Transmission-blocking vaccines have the potential to accelerate malaria parasite elimination by inducing antibodies that block parasite transmission from humans to mosquitoes. Pfs230, a gametocyte surface protein involved in gamete function, has long been a promising candidate. Due to the large size (3,135 amino acids), complex domains, and repeating 6-cysteine (6-Cys) motifs with a multitude of disulfide bonds, the feasibility of expression of a full-length protein has been difficult. A priority focus, therefore, has been on the generation of single domains, including N-terminal fragments. Here we utilized a heterologous expression system, baculovirus, to produce an N-terminal domain of Pfs230 (Pfs230C1). Pfs230C1 (amino acids 443 to 731) with a polyhistidine affinity tag was expressed in Super Sf9 cells. Since the native host lacks glycosylation machinery, a single N585Q mutation was made to eliminate potential N-linked glycosylation. The expressed protein, purified by nickel affinity, ion exchange, and size exclusion chromatography to >90% purity, was present in monomeric form with an observed mass of 33,510 Da (matching oxidized form). Peptide mapping and disulfide analysis confirmed the proper formation of predicted disulfide bonds. Antibodies, generated against Pfs230C1 in mice, bound to the gametocyte in an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and demonstrated functional activity in both the standard membrane feeding assay (SMFA) and the exflagellation assay (EXA). The biochemical, biophysical, and immunological results reported herein support the continued advancement of an N-terminal Pfs230 antigen (Pfs230C1) as a component of a transmission-blocking vaccine. Our results also support the continued use of the scalable baculovirus expression system for the generation of complex Plasmodium proteins. KEYWORDS Pfs230 Plasmodium falciparum baculovirus malaria recombinant protein transmission-blocking vaccine

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References (31)

Publisher
American Society For Microbiology
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 by the American society for Microbiology.
ISSN
1556-6811
eISSN
1556-679X
DOI
10.1128/CVI.00140-17
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

N-Terminal Pfs230 Domain Produced in Baculovirus as a Biological Active Transmission-Blocking Vaccine Candidate Shwu-Maan Lee a , Chia-Kuei Wu a , Jordan L. Plieskatt a , Kazutoyo Miura b , John M. Hickey c and C. Richter King a a PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), Washington, DC, USA b Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA c Macromolecule and Vaccine Stabilization Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA Patricia P. Wilkins , Editor CDC ABSTRACT Transmission-blocking vaccines have the potential to accelerate malaria parasite elimination by inducing antibodies that block parasite transmission from humans to mosquitoes. Pfs230, a gametocyte surface protein involved in gamete function, has long been a promising candidate. Due to the large size (3,135 amino acids), complex domains, and repeating 6-cysteine (6-Cys) motifs with a multitude of disulfide bonds, the feasibility of expression of a full-length protein has been difficult. A priority focus, therefore, has been on the generation of single domains, including N-terminal fragments. Here we utilized a heterologous expression system, baculovirus, to produce an N-terminal domain of Pfs230 (Pfs230C1). Pfs230C1 (amino acids 443 to 731) with a polyhistidine affinity tag was expressed in Super Sf9 cells. Since the native host lacks glycosylation machinery, a single N585Q mutation was made to eliminate potential N-linked glycosylation. The expressed protein, purified by nickel affinity, ion exchange, and size exclusion chromatography to >90% purity, was present in monomeric form with an observed mass of 33,510 Da (matching oxidized form). Peptide mapping and disulfide analysis confirmed the proper formation of predicted disulfide bonds. Antibodies, generated against Pfs230C1 in mice, bound to the gametocyte in an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and demonstrated functional activity in both the standard membrane feeding assay (SMFA) and the exflagellation assay (EXA). The biochemical, biophysical, and immunological results reported herein support the continued advancement of an N-terminal Pfs230 antigen (Pfs230C1) as a component of a transmission-blocking vaccine. Our results also support the continued use of the scalable baculovirus expression system for the generation of complex Plasmodium proteins. KEYWORDS Pfs230 Plasmodium falciparum baculovirus malaria recombinant protein transmission-blocking vaccine

Journal

Clinical and Vaccine ImmunologyAmerican Society For Microbiology

Published: Oct 1, 2017

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