Immunogenicity and protection of a recombinant human adenovirus serotype 35-based malaria vaccine against Plasmodium yoelii in mice

Infect Immun. 2006 Jan;74(1):313-20. doi: 10.1128/IAI.74.1.313-320.2006.

Abstract

Given the promise of recombinant adenovirus type 5 (rAd5) as a malaria vaccine carrier in preclinical models, we evaluated the potency of rAd35 coding for Plasmodium yoelii circumsporozoite protein (rAd35PyCS). We chose rAd35 since a survey with serum samples from African subjects demonstrated that human Ad35 has a much lower seroprevalence of 20% and a much lower geometric mean neutralizing antibody titer (GMT) of 48 compared to Ad5 (seroprevalence, 85%; GMT, 1,261) in countries with a high malaria incidence. We also demonstrated that immunization with rAd35PyCS induced a dose-dependent and potent, CS-specific CD8(+) cellular and humoral immune response and conferred significant inhibition (92 to 94%) of liver infection upon high-dose sporozoite challenge. Furthermore, we showed that in mice carrying neutralizing antibody activity against Ad5, mimicking a human situation, CS-specific T- and B-cell responses were significantly dampened after rAd5PyCS vaccination, resulting in loss of inhibition of liver infection upon sporozoite challenge. In contrast, rAd35 vaccine was as potent in naive mice as in Ad5-preimmunized mice. Finally, we showed that heterologous rAd35-rAd5 prime-boost regimens were more potent than rAd35-rAd35 because of induction of anti-Ad35 antibodies after rAd35 priming. The latter data provide a further rationale for developing rAd prime-boost regimens but indicate that priming and boosting Ad vectors must be immunologically distinct and also should be distinct from Ad5. Collectively, the data presented warrant further development of rAd35-based vaccines against human malaria.

MeSH terms

  • Adenoviruses, Human / genetics
  • Adenoviruses, Human / immunology*
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Protozoan / biosynthesis
  • Antibodies, Protozoan / blood
  • Female
  • Genetic Vectors / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunization, Secondary
  • Liver / immunology
  • Liver / parasitology
  • Liver Diseases, Parasitic / immunology
  • Malaria / immunology*
  • Malaria / prevention & control
  • Malaria Vaccines / administration & dosage
  • Malaria Vaccines / genetics
  • Malaria Vaccines / immunology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Plasmodium yoelii / genetics
  • Plasmodium yoelii / immunology*
  • Protozoan Proteins / administration & dosage
  • Protozoan Proteins / genetics
  • Protozoan Proteins / immunology
  • Vaccines, Synthetic / administration & dosage
  • Vaccines, Synthetic / genetics
  • Vaccines, Synthetic / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Protozoan
  • Malaria Vaccines
  • Protozoan Proteins
  • Vaccines, Synthetic
  • circumsporozoite protein, Protozoan