NOVEL VACCINE TARGETS AND ASSESSMENT OF CELLULAR IMMUNITY

Authors: Wiens, Gregory - Greg

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/15/2005
Publication Date: 11/15/2005
Citation: Wiens, G.D. 2005. Novel vaccine targets and assessment of cellular immunity.Workshop on genomics of Renibacterium saloninarum. Meeting Abstract Bacterial Kidney Disease: Challenges for the 21st Century. p. 12.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Bacterial kidney disease vaccine research has been limited by lack of information about the salmonid host response and the etiological agent, Renibacterium salmoninarum. The recent completion of the R. salmoninarum ATCC 33209 genome sequence has allowed genome-scale comparisons to other pathogenic, and non-pathogenic, high G+C bacteria and the identification of novel vaccine targets. A total of 3667 open reading frames were identified by Integrated Genomics ORF-Calling software. Using the program PSORTb v2.0, ORFs were classified as putative cytoplasmic (n=1626), cytoplasmic membrane (n=625), cell wall (n=16), extracellular (n=132), or unknown localization (n=1268). These results were within the range of other Gram-positive proteome profiles. We have combined these data with additional motif searches and immunogenicity profiles to develop a list of potential vaccine candidates for further examination. Additionally, we have begun to analyze trout immune gene expression in response to R. salmoninarum ATCC 33209 infection. Using semi-quantitative and real-time PCR, mRNA expression patterns of known inflammatory cytokines and novel putative-immune genes have been determined. Robust INF-g, TNF-a, IL1-b1, IL1-b2 and CXCd gene expression was induced in the spleen and/or anterior kidney of rainbow trout in response to sub-lethal infection. These immune gene assays in combination with detailed R. salmoninarum proteome and polysaccharide analysis will provide new resources for understanding salmonid-R. salmoninarum interactions.