TY - JOUR
T1 - Streptococcus mutans glutamate binding protein (GlnH) as antigen target for a mucosal anti-caries vaccine
AU - de Souza Pereira, Gisela
AU - Batista, Milene Tavares
AU - dos Santos, Nayara Fernanda Barros
AU - Passos, Hélic Moreira
AU - da Silva, Dalva Adelina
AU - Ferreira, Ewerton Lucena
AU - de Souza Ferreira, Luís Carlos
AU - de Cássia Café Ferreira, Rita
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was funded by the CAPES and FAPESP Brazilian foment agencies. The funds agencies had no role in the design of the study; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; or in writing of the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Background: In recent years, several studies have demonstrated that bacterial ABC transporters present relevant antigen targets for the development of vaccines against bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis. In Streptococcus mutans, the glutamate transporter operon (glnH), encoding an ABC transporter, is associated with acid tolerance and represents an important virulence-associated factor for the development of dental caries. Results: In this study, we generated a recombinant form of the S. mutans GlnH protein (rGlnH) in Bacillus subtilis. Mice immunized with this protein antigen elicited strong antigen-specific antibody responses after sublingual administration of a vaccine formulation containing a mucosal adjuvant, a non-toxic derivative of the heat-labile toxin (LTK63) originally produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains. Serum anti-rGlnH antibodies reduced adhesion of S. mutans to the oral cavity of naïve mice. Moreover, mice actively immunized with rGlnH were partially protected from oral colonization after exposure to the S. mutans NG8 strain. Conclusions: Our results indicate that S. mutans rGlnH is a potential target antigen capable of inducing specific and protective antibody responses after immunization. Overall, these observations raise the prospect of the development of mucosal anti-caries vaccines.
AB - Background: In recent years, several studies have demonstrated that bacterial ABC transporters present relevant antigen targets for the development of vaccines against bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis. In Streptococcus mutans, the glutamate transporter operon (glnH), encoding an ABC transporter, is associated with acid tolerance and represents an important virulence-associated factor for the development of dental caries. Results: In this study, we generated a recombinant form of the S. mutans GlnH protein (rGlnH) in Bacillus subtilis. Mice immunized with this protein antigen elicited strong antigen-specific antibody responses after sublingual administration of a vaccine formulation containing a mucosal adjuvant, a non-toxic derivative of the heat-labile toxin (LTK63) originally produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains. Serum anti-rGlnH antibodies reduced adhesion of S. mutans to the oral cavity of naïve mice. Moreover, mice actively immunized with rGlnH were partially protected from oral colonization after exposure to the S. mutans NG8 strain. Conclusions: Our results indicate that S. mutans rGlnH is a potential target antigen capable of inducing specific and protective antibody responses after immunization. Overall, these observations raise the prospect of the development of mucosal anti-caries vaccines.
KW - ABC transporters
KW - Anti-caries vaccines
KW - Dental caries
KW - GlnH
KW - LTK63
KW - Mucosal adjuvant
KW - Streptococcus mutans
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U2 - 10.1007/s42770-022-00823-0
DO - 10.1007/s42770-022-00823-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 36098933
AN - SCOPUS:85137868328
SN - 1517-8382
VL - 53
SP - 1941
EP - 1949
JO - Brazilian Journal of Microbiology
JF - Brazilian Journal of Microbiology
IS - 4
ER -