This old version of Proteopedia is provided for student assignments while the new version is undergoing repairs. Content and edits done in this old version of Proteopedia after March 1, 2026 will eventually be lost when it is retired in about June of 2026.
Apply for new accounts at the new Proteopedia. Your logins will work in both the old and new versions.
2y7s
From Proteopedia
Structure of a designed meningococcal antigen (factor H binding protein, mutant G1) inducing broad protective immunity
Structural highlights
FunctionFHBP_NEIMB A bacterial surface lipoprotein that binds host (human) complement factor H (fH, gene CFH), binding contributes to the avoidance of complement-mediated lysis by N.meningitidis. Binding of fH to the bacteria surface is independent of bacterial sialic acid moieties (PubMed:16751403). fH binding affinity is high enough that it may sequester plasma fH, depleting its circulating levels and de-regulating complement in the host (Probable). This protein induces high levels of bactericidal antibodies in mice (PubMed:12642606, PubMed:15039331, PubMed:15664958, PubMed:21753121, PubMed:23133374).[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Publication Abstract from PubMedThe sequence variability of protective antigens is a major challenge to the development of vaccines. For Neisseria meningitidis, the bacterial pathogen that causes meningitis, the amino acid sequence of the protective antigen factor H binding protein (fHBP) has more than 300 variations. These sequence differences can be classified into three distinct groups of antigenic variants that do not induce cross-protective immunity. Our goal was to generate a single antigen that would induce immunity against all known sequence variants of N. meningitidis. To achieve this, we rationally designed, expressed, and purified 54 different mutants of fHBP and tested them in mice for the induction of protective immunity. We identified and determined the crystal structure of a lead chimeric antigen that was able to induce high levels of cross-protective antibodies in mice against all variant strains tested. The new fHBP antigen had a conserved backbone that carried an engineered surface containing specificities for all three variant groups. We demonstrate that the structure-based design of multiple immunodominant antigenic surfaces on a single protein scaffold is possible and represents an effective way to create broadly protective vaccines. Rational design of a meningococcal antigen inducing broad protective immunity.,Scarselli M, Arico B, Brunelli B, Savino S, Di Marcello F, Palumbo E, Veggi D, Ciucchi L, Cartocci E, Bottomley MJ, Malito E, Lo Surdo P, Comanducci M, Giuliani MM, Cantini F, Dragonetti S, Colaprico A, Doro F, Giannetti P, Pallaoro M, Brogioni B, Tontini M, Hilleringmann M, Nardi-Dei V, Banci L, Pizza M, Rappuoli R Sci Transl Med. 2011 Jul 13;3(91):91ra62. PMID:21753121[8] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
| ||||||||||||||||||
