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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Leishmania spp Epitopes in Humans Naturally Resistant to the Disease: Working Toward a Synthetic Vaccine
Contributor:
Flórez, Magda Melissa;
Rodríguez, Rocío;
Cabrera, José Antonio;
Robledo, Sara M.;
Delgado, Gabriela
Published:
Frontiers Media SA, 2021
Published in:
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 11 (2021)
Language:
Not determined
DOI:
10.3389/fcimb.2021.631019
ISSN:
2235-2988
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
Vaccines are one of the most effective strategies to fight infectious diseases. Reverse vaccinology strategies provide tools to performin silicoscreening and a rational selection of potential candidates on a large scale before reachingin vitroandin vivoevaluations.Leishmaniainfection in humans produces clinical symptoms in some individuals, while another part of the population is naturally resistant (asymptomatic course) to the disease, and therefore their immune response controls parasite replication. By the identification of epitopes directly in humans, especially in those resistant to the disease, the probabilities of designing an effective vaccine are higher. The aim of this work was the identification ofLeishmaniaepitopes in resistant humans. To achieve that, 11 peptide sequences (fromLeishmaniaantigenic proteins) were selected using epitope prediction tools, and then, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from human volunteers who were previously divided into four clinical groups: susceptible, resistant, exposed and not exposed to the parasite. The induction of inflammatory cytokines and lymphoproliferation was assessed using monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) as antigen-presenting cells (APCs). The response was evaluated after exposing volunteers’ cells to each peptide. As a result, we learned that STI41 and STI46 peptides induced IL-8 and IL-12 in moDCs and lymphoproliferation and low levels of IL-10 in lymphocytes differentially in resistant volunteers, similar behavior to that observed in those individuals toL. panamensislysate antigens. We conclude that,in silicoanalysis allowed for the identification of naturalLeishmaniaepitopes in humans, and also STI41 and STI46 peptides could be epitopes that lead to a cellular immune response directed at parasite control.