FNBPA (pValac:) Induces Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses After Oral Immunization of Mice.

The development of a new vaccine strategy against tuberculosis is urgently needed and has been greatly encouraged by the scientific community worldwide. In this work, we constructed a lactococcal DNA vaccine based on the fusion of two antigens, ESAT-6 and Ag85A, and examined its immunogenicity. The coding sequences of the and genes were fused and cloned into the eukaryotic expression pValac vector, and the functionality of the vector was confirmed .

Attenuation of intestinal inflammation in IL-10 deficient mice by a plasmid carrying Lactococcus lactis strain.

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are intestinal disorders characterized by inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and to date, no efficient treatments exist. Interleukin-10 (IL-10), one of the most important anti-inflammatory cytokines of the immune response, has been under study due to its potential for IBD therapy; however, systemic treatments lead to undesirable side effects and oral administration is limited due to its quick degradation. To avoid these bottlenecks, we previously engineered an invasive Lactococcus lactis (L.

Lactococcus lactis carrying the pValac eukaryotic expression vector coding for IL-4 reduces chemically-induced intestinal inflammation by increasing the levels of IL-10-producing regulatory cells.

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases are characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation that leads to severe destruction of the intestinal mucosa. Therefore, the understanding of their aetiology as well as the development of new medicines is an important step for the treatment of such diseases. Consequently, the development of Lactococcus lactis strains capable of delivering a eukaryotic expression vector encoding the interleukin 4 (IL-4) of Mus musculus would represent a new strategy for the elaboration of a more effective alternative therapy against Crohn's disease.

Development of a new DNA vaccine based on mycobacterial ESAT-6 antigen delivered by recombinant invasive Lactococcus lactis FnBPA+.

The use of the food-grade bacterium Lactococcus lactis as a vehicle for the oral delivery of DNA vaccine plasmids constitutes a promising strategy for vaccination. The delivery of DNA plasmids into eukaryotic cells is of critical importance for subsequent DNA expression and effectiveness of the vaccine. In this context, the use of the recombinant invasive L.

Protective effects of lactococci strains delivering either IL-10 protein or cDNA in a TNBS-induced chronic colitis model.

Background: Oral treatment with Lactococcus lactis strains secreting the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 has previously shown success as a therapy for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

Goals: Our aim was to compare the protective effects of IL-10, delivered by recombinant lactoccoci using 2 novel expression systems, in a murine colitis model mimicking the relapsing nature of IBD. The first system is based on a Stress-Inducible Controlled Expression system for the production and delivery of heterologous proteins at mucosal surfaces and the second allows the delivery to the host cells of an il-10 cDNA cassette, harbored in a eukaryotic DNA expression vector (pValac).

Lactococcus lactis carrying the pValac DNA expression vector coding for IL-10 reduces inflammation in a murine model of experimental colitis.

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are intestinal disorders characterized by inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Interleukin-10 is one of the most important anti-inflammatory cytokines involved in the intestinal immune system and because of its role in downregulating inflammatory cascades, its potential for IBD therapy is under study. We previously presented the development of an invasive strain of Lactococcus lactis (L.

Mature Epitope Density--a strategy for target selection based on immunoinformatics and exported prokaryotic proteins.

Background: Current immunological bioinformatic approaches focus on the prediction of allele-specific epitopes capable of triggering immunogenic activity. The prediction of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I epitopes is well studied, and various software solutions exist for this purpose. However, currently available tools do not account for the concentration of epitope products in the mature protein product and its relation to the reliability of target selection.

The Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in silico predicted pan-exoproteome.

Background: Pan-genomic studies aim, for instance, at defining the core, dispensable and unique genes within a species. A pan-genomics study for vaccine design tries to assess the best candidates for a vaccine against a specific pathogen. In this context, rather than studying genes predicted to be exported in a single genome, with pan-genomics it is possible to study genes present in different strains within the same species, such as virulence factors.

Importance of IL-10 modulation by probiotic microorganisms in gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) represent a heterogeneous group of microorganisms that are naturally present in many foods and possess a wide range of therapeutic properties. The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the current expanding knowledge of one of the mechanisms by which LAB and other probiotic microorganisms participate in the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal inflammatory disease through their immune-modulating properties. A special emphasis will be placed on the critical role of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and a brief overview of the uses of genetically engineered LAB that produce this important immune response mediator will also be discussed.

The phage display technique: advantages and recent patents.

Phage display technology has advanced considerably since its creation, and the number of research projects using this technique is constantly increasing, generating numerous antibody and antigen libraries. These libraries, besides expediting library screening, improving selection methods and allowing evaluation of novel applications, have great potential for the development of new vaccines, drugs and diagnosis tests. Consequently, patent registries for the protection of these sequences are essential.