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Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, April 2008, p. 590-597, Vol. 15, No. 4
1071-412X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00476-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Immunization with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1244 Pilin Provides O-Antigen-Specific Protection

Joseph Horzempa,^1, Thomas K. Held,^2, Alan S. Cross,^2, Dana Furst,¹ Mohammed Qutyan,¹ Alice N. Neely,³ and Peter Castric^1*

Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282,¹ Department of Bacterial Diseases, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C. 20307,² Shriners Hospitals for Children, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229³

Received 3 December 2007/ Returned for modification 24 January 2008/ Accepted 1 February 2008

The O antigen is both a major structural outer membrane component and the dominant epitope of most gram-negative bacteria. Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1244 produces a type IV pilus and covalently links an O-antigen repeating unit to each pilin monomer. Here we show that immunization of mice with pure pilin from strain 1244 by use of either the mouse respiratory model or the thermal injury model resulted in protection from challenge with a pilus-null O-antigen-producing 1244 mutant. These results provide evidence that the pilin glycan stimulates a protective response that targets the O antigen, suggesting that this system could be used as the basis for the development of a variety of bioconjugate vaccines protective against gram-negative bacteria.

Published ahead of print on 13 February 2008.

Present address: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261.

Present address: HELIOS Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Robert-Rössle-Klinik, Klinik für Hämatologie, Onkologie und Tumorimmunologie, Schwanebecker Chaussee 50, 13125 Berlin, Germany.

Present address: Center for Vaccine Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201.