Rapid outer-surface protein C DNA tattoo vaccination protects against Borrelia afzelii infection

• Published in: Gene therapy Vol. 21; no. 12; pp. 1051 - 1057
• Main Authors: Wagemakers, A, Mason, L M K, Oei, A, de Wever, B, van der Poll, T, Bins, A D, Hovius, J W R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-12-2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13/109; 38/1; 38/77; 42/44; 631/250/2152; 631/250/255; 631/250/590; 64/60; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Antibodies, Bacterial - immunology; Antigens, Bacterial - genetics; Antigens, Bacterial - immunology; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - immunology; Bacterial Vaccines - genetics; Bacterial Vaccines - immunology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Borrelia; Borrelia afzelii; Borrelia burgdorferi; Borrelia burgdorferi Group; Borreliosis; Cell Biology; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA vaccines; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Gene Expression; Gene Therapy; Human Genetics; Humoral immunity; Immunization; Immunoglobulin G; Innovations; Lyme disease; Lyme Disease - immunology; Lyme Disease - prevention & control; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Nanotechnology; original-article; Protein C; Proteins; Rodents; Spirochetes; Tattoos; Testing; Vaccination; Vaccination - methods; Vaccines; Vaccines, DNA - genetics; Vaccines, DNA - immunology
• ISSN: 0969-7128; 1476-5462
• DOI: 10.1038/gt.2014.87

Borrelia afzelii
is the predominant
Borrelia
species causing Lyme borreliosis in Europe. Currently there is no human vaccine against Lyme borreliosis, and most research focuses on recombinant protein vaccines against
Borrelia burgdorferi
sensu stricto. DNA tattooing is a novel vaccination method that can be applied in a rapid vaccination schedule. We vaccinated C3H/HeN mice with
B. afzelii
strain PKo OspC (outer-surface protein C) using a codon-optimized DNA vaccine tattoo and compared this with recombinant protein vaccination in a 0–2–4 week vaccination schedule. We also assessed protection by DNA tattoo in a 0–3–6 day schedule. DNA tattoo and recombinant OspC vaccination induced comparable total IgG responses, with a lower IgG1/IgG2a ratio after DNA tattoo. Two weeks after syringe-challenge with 5 × 10
5
B. afzelii
spirochetes most vaccinated mice had negative
B. afzelii
tissue DNA loads and all were culture negative. Furthermore, DNA tattoo vaccination in a 0–3–6 day regimen also resulted in negative
Borrelia
loads and cultures after challenge. To conclude, DNA vaccination by tattoo was fully protective against
B.
afzelii
challenge in mice in a rapid vaccination protocol, and induces a favorable humoral immunity compared to recombinant protein vaccination. Rapid DNA tattoo is a promising vaccination strategy against spirochetes.