Characterization and immunological activity of different forms of recombinant secreted Hc of botulinum neurotoxin serotype B products expressed in yeast

Sci Rep. 2015 Jan 8:5:7678. doi: 10.1038/srep07678.

Abstract

The recombinant Hc proteins of botulinum neurotoxins and tetanus toxin are exclusively produced by intracellular heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris for use in subunit vaccines; the same Hc proteins produced by secreted heterologous expression are hyper-glycosylated and immunologically inert. Here, several different recombinant secreted Hc proteins of botulinum neurotoxin serotype B (BHc) were expressed in yeast and we characterized and assessed their immunological activity in detail. Recombinant low-glycosylated secreted BHc products (BSK) were also immunologically inert, similar to hyper-glycosylated BHc products (BSG), although deglycosylation restored their immunological activities. Unexpectedly, deglycosylated proBHc contained an unexpected pro-peptide of an α-factor signal and fortuitous N-linked glycosylation sites in the non-cleaved pro-peptide sequences, but not in the BHc sequences. Notably, a non-glycosylated secreted homogeneous BHc isoform (mBHc), which we successfully prepared after deleting the pro-peptide and removing its single potential glycosylation site, was immunologically active and could confer effective protective immunity, similarly to non-glycosylated rBHc. In summary, we conclude that a non-glycosylated secreted BHc isoform can be prepared in yeast by deleting the pro-peptide of the α-factor signal and mutating its single potential glycosylation site. This approach provides a rational and feasible strategy for the secretory expression of botulism or other toxin antigens.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / immunology
  • Botulinum Toxins, Type A / genetics
  • Botulinum Toxins, Type A / immunology
  • Botulinum Toxins, Type A / metabolism
  • Clostridium botulinum / metabolism
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Glycosylation
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Protein Sorting Signals / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Proteins / immunology*
  • Recombinant Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
  • Serogroup
  • Vaccines, Subunit / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Protein Sorting Signals
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Vaccines, Subunit
  • rimabotulinumtoxinB
  • Botulinum Toxins, Type A