Recombinant toxoid vaccine development against Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC)

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K08428
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Experimental pathology
• Research Institution: University of the Ryukyus
• Principal Investigator: ARAKAWA Takeshi 琉球大学, 熱帯生物圏研究センター, 教授 (50305190)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 原國 哲也 琉球大学, 熱帯生物圏研究センター, 協力研究員 (60593598) ; 玉城 志博 琉球大学, 熱帯生物圏研究センター, 助教 (00720822)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 感染症 / ワクチン / 組換えタンパク質発現 / タンパク質リフォールディング / 腸管毒素 / 志賀毒素 / 大腸菌 / 食中毒

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we developed a new protein expression and refolding method to produce B subunit pentamer molecules derived from enterotoxins such as cholera toxin (CT), heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) and Shiga toxin (Stx). Those B subunits are to be included in recombinant vaccines to combat against enterotoxin-producing pahthogenic Escherichia coli. Our techniques are considered to be uniuqe in that pentameric B subunit proteins are highly uniform in a molecular structure, although they are often produced as high-molecular mass protein aggregates when refolded from inclustion bodies of E. coli.
These findings would be valuable to design molecular vaccines against enteropathogenic E. coli producing LT (enterotoxigenic E. coli: ETEC) or Stx (enterohemorrhagic E. coli: EHEC).

Free Research Field

感染症ワクチン開発