Antigenic verification of post-translationally modified polypeptides unique to Mycobacterium tuberculosis for tuberculosis vaccine development.

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K07536
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 49050:Bacteriology-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Ozeki Yuriko 新潟大学, 医歯学系, 助教 (00169301)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 富山 智香子 新潟大学, 医歯学系, 准教授 (80359702)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 結核 / 結核菌抗原 / 翻訳後修飾 / ワクチン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a devastating disease. The only existing TB vaccine is BCG, but its efficacy lasts only for a decade or more, and there has been a series of cases of TB in adults. We have expressed Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen, which induces strong protective immunity, in the same species of attenuated Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The antigen has post-translational modifications and produces large amounts of cytokines essential for tuberculosis protection from peripheral blood cells of BCG-inoculated adults, and the effect was enhanced in combination with an adjuvant. These results suggest that the combination of this antigen and adjuvant is promising as a booster vaccine candidate to sustain the effect of BCG.

Free Research Field

細菌学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ヒト-ヒト感染に対する最も好ましい手段はワクチンであると考えられる。私達は結核菌が産生する抗原に着目し、BCG接種成人がどの抗原を認識しているのかに注目した。その結果から、特有の翻訳後修飾の重要性を見いだした。本研究は修飾付加抗原の機能とそれに対する宿主応答を解析する点に学術的意義があり、ブースターワクチン開発に利用出来る点に社会的意義がある。