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Updated: Jan 2, 2026
Production of E. coli-expressed Self-Assembling Protein Nanoparticles for Vaccines Requiring Trimeric Epitope Presentation
Published on: August 21, 2019
[DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF A MULTIEPITOPIC PROTEIN AS A CANDIDATE FOR A CARRION DISEASE VACCINE]
Carlos Patricio Padilla Rojas1, Priscila Nayu Lope Pari1, Lorena Santos Solis1
1Laboratorio de Referencia Nacional de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular, Centro Nacional de Salud Publica, Instituto Nacional de Salud. Lima, Perú.
Objectives.:
To design and assess a multiepitopic protein as a candidate for a vaccine against Carrion disease.
Materials And Methods.:
Using bioinformatics tools, epitopes of external membrane proteins were selected and a multiepitopic protein was designed. The multiepitopic protein gene was subcloned into the expression plasmid pET28b and transformed into E. coli BL21 pLys. The multiepitopic protein was expressed using isopropyl-β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside and purified using resin. This purified protein was used to immunize BALB/c mice obtaining polyclonal antibodies. In vitro invasion assays were conducted using a strain of Bartonella bacilliformis (B. bacilliformis) in human red blood cells.
Results.:
The multiepitopic protein M1 presents preserved epitopes between isolates of B. bacilliformis with are non-toxic, and not homologous to human and surface proteins. Immunized mice presented IgG antibody levels capable of reducing in vitro the rate of invasion of B. bacilliformis into human red blood cells.
Conclusions.:
Multiepitopic protein M1 may serve as a candidate for a Carrion disease vaccine; however, more studies are needed to characterize the use of this antigen as a vaccine.
