Multi-antigen immunization using IgG binding domain ZZ as carrier

This article describes a method in which multiple vaccine candidates can be tested in parallel for their immunogenicity. Antigens derived from the genome sequence of Neisseria meningitidis group B strain MC58 were cloned and expressed as recombinant proteins fused to the IgG-binding domain ZZ or to a His-tag. Immunization of mice with a mixture of 22 ZZ-fusion antigens applied with the adjuvant QuilA, induced an enhanced immune response as compared to the same antigen mixture without QuilA or a mixture containing the corresponding His-tagged antigens with QuilA. The enhanced immune response of the ZZ-fusion antigens/QuilA preparation was apparent from 1) the higher number of antigens in the mixture that elicited an antibody response and 2) the much lower antigen dose needed to get this response. Our approach using ZZ-fusion antigens/QuilA mixtures may serve as a high throughput discovery tool for new vaccine candidates.