Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
  • A61K39/02—Bacterial antigens
  • A61K39/095—Neisseria
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
  • A61K39/39—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies characterised by the immunostimulating additives, e.g. chemical adjuvants
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P31/00—Antiinfectives, i.e. antibiotics, antiseptics, chemotherapeutics
  • A61P31/04—Antibacterial agents
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P31/00—Antiinfectives, i.e. antibiotics, antiseptics, chemotherapeutics
  • A61P31/12—Antivirals
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P37/00—Drugs for immunological or allergic disorders
  • A61P37/02—Immunomodulators
  • A61P37/04—Immunostimulants
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P43/00—Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C07—ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C07K—PEPTIDES
  • C07K14/00—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof
  • C07K14/195—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from bacteria
  • C07K14/22—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from bacteria from Neisseriaceae (F)
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
  • A61K2039/51—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies comprising whole cells, viruses or DNA/RNA
  • A61K2039/53—DNA (RNA) vaccination
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
  • A61K2039/555—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies characterised by a specific combination antigen/adjuvant
  • A61K2039/55505—Inorganic adjuvants
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A50/00—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE in human health protection, e.g. against extreme weather
  • Y02A50/30—Against vector-borne diseases, e.g. mosquito-borne, fly-borne, tick-borne or waterborne diseases whose impact is exacerbated by climate change

Definitions

• This invention is in the field of protein expression.
• it relates to the expression of proteins from Neisseria (e.g. N.gonorrhoeae or, preferably, N.meningitidis).
• Neisseria e.g. N.gonorrhoeae or, preferably, N.meningitidis.
• References 1 and 2 disclose alternative and improved approaches for the expression of the Neisserial proteins disclosed in references 3 to 6.
• One such method is to produce 'hybrid' proteins in which two or more Neisserial proteins are expressed as a single polypeptide chain.
• This approach offers two advantages. First, a protein that may be unstable or poorly expressed on its own can be assisted by adding a suitable hybrid partner that overcomes the problem. Second, commercial manufacture is simplified as only one expression and purification need be employed in order to produce two separately-useful proteins.
• the invention provides a method for the simultaneous expression of two or more (e.g. 3, 4, 5, 6 or more) Neisserial proteins, in which said two or more proteins are joined such that they are translated as a single polypeptide chain.
• the hybrid proteins of the invention can be represented by the formula: NH 2 -A-[-X-L-] M -B-COOH wherein X is an amino acid sequence, L is an optional linker amino acid sequence, A is an optional N-terminal amino acid sequence, B is an optional C-terminal amino acid sequence, and n is an integer greater than 1.
• the value of n is between 2 and x, and the value of x is typically 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10.
• each -X- moiety is:
• a preferred subset of (a) is: orf46.1 , 230, 287, 741, 919, 936, 953, 961 and 983.
• a more preferred subset of (a) is: orf46.1 , 287, 741 and 961.
• Figure 3 shows preferred hybrid proteins.
• the hybrid protein comprises a first -X- moiety (-X a -) and a second -X- moiety (-X b -).
• the -X a - moiety has one of the following amino acid sequences:
• the -X - moiety is related to -X a - such that: (i) -X b - has sequence identity to -X a -, and/or (j) -X b - comprises a fragment of -X a -.
• Examples of this second type of hybrid protein include proteins in which two or more -X- moieties are identical, or in which they are variants of the same protein e.g. two polymorphic forms of the same protein may be expressed as -X a -X b -, and three polymorphic forms may be expressed as -X a -X b -X c - etc.
• the -X a - and -X b - moieties may be in either order from N-terminus to C-terminus.
• the -X a - moiety is preferably an orfl , orf4, orf25, orf40, orf46.1 , orf83, NMB1343, 230, 233, 287, 292, 594, 687, 736, 741, 907, 919, 936, 953, 961 or 983 amino acid sequence.
• the -X a - moiety is more preferably an orf46.1 , 230, 287, 741 , 919, 936, 953, 961 or 983 amino acid sequence.
• the -X a - moiety is most preferably an orf46.1 , 287, 741 or 961 amino acid sequence.
• the degree of 'sequence identity' referred to in (b) and (i) is preferably greater than 50% (eg. 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99% or more, up to 100%). This includes mutants, homologs, orthologs, allelic variants etc. [e.g. see ref. 8].
• the 'fragment' referred to in (c) and (j) should consist of least m consecutive amino acids from an amino acid sequence from (a), (d), (e), (f), (g) or (h) and, depending on the particular sequence, m is 7 or more (eg. 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 150, 200 or more).
• the fragment comprises an epitope from an amino acid sequence from (a), (d), (e), (f), (g) or (h).
• Preferred fragments are those disclosed in references 9 and 10.
• Preferred (c) and (j) fragments are C- and/or N-terminal truncations (e.g. ⁇ l-287, ⁇ 2-287 etc.).
• Poly-glycine sequences can be represented as (Gly) g , where g>3 (e.g. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or more). If a -X- moiety includes a poly-glycine sequence in its wild-type form, it is preferred to omit this sequence in the hybrid proteins of the invention. This may be by disrupting or removing the (Gly) g - by deletion (e.g. CGGGGS ⁇ CGGGS, CGGS, CGS or CS), by substitution (e.g.
• Preferred (c) and (j) fragments omit complete protein domains. This is particularly useful for protein 961, 287, and ORF46. Once a protein has been notional divided into domains, (c) and (j) fragments can omit one or more of these domains (e.g. 287B, 287C, 287BC, ORF46 1 - 433 , ORF46 434-608 , 961c - reference 2; Figures 4 and 5 herein).
• 287 protein has been notionally split into three domains, referred to as A, B & C (see Figure 5 of reference 2).
• Domain B aligns with IgA proteases
• domain C aligns with transferrin-binding proteins
• domain A shows no strong alignment with database sequences.
• An alignment of polymorphic forms of 287 is disclosed in reference 8.
• ORF46 has been notionally split into two domains - a first domain (amino acids 1-433; ORF46.1) which is well-conserved between species and serogroups, and a second domain (amino acids 434- 608) which is not well -conserved.
• the second domain is preferably deleted, leaving ORF46.1.
• An alignment of polymorphic forms of ORF46 is disclosed in reference 8.
• a -X- moiety has a leader peptide sequence in its wild-type form, this may be included or omitted in the hybrid proteins of the invention. Where the leader peptide is omitted, this is a preferred example of an amino acid sequence within (c) and (j).
• the leader peptides will be deleted except for that of the -X- moiety located at the N-terminus of the hybrid protein i.e. the leader peptide of X
• preferred pairs of -X- moieties are: ⁇ G287 and 230; ⁇ G287 and 936; ⁇ G287 and 741 ; 961c and 287; 961c and 230; 961c and 936; 961cL and 287; 961cL and 230; 961cL and 936; ORF46.1 and 936; ORF46.1 and 230; 230 and 961; 230 and 741 ; 936 and 961 ; 936 and 741.
• preferred pairs of -X- moieties for tandem proteins are: ⁇ G741 and 741 ; ⁇ G287 and 287. More specifically, the following combinations of X
• and X 2 are preferred when n 2:
• 287 is used in full-length form, it is preferably at the C-terminal end of a hybrid protein; if it is to be used at the N-terminus, if is preferred to use a ⁇ G form of 287.
• 741 is used in full-length form, it is preferably at the C-terminal end of a hybrid protein; if it is to be used at the N-terminus, if is preferred to use a ⁇ G form of 741.
• linker amino acid sequence -L- may be present or absent.
• the hybrid may be NH 2 -X,-L,-X 2 -L 2 -COOH, NH 2 -X ⁇ -X 2 -COOH, NH 2 -X ⁇ -L X 2 - COOH, NH 2 -X ⁇ -X 2 -L 2 -COOH, etc.
• a useful linker is GSGGGG (SEQ ID 27), with the Gly-Ser dipeptide being formed from a BamHI restriction site, thus aiding cloning and manipulation, and the Gly 4 tetrapeptide being a typical poly-glycine linker.
• X n+ ⁇ is a ⁇ G protein and L n is a glycine linker, this may be equivalent to X n+ ⁇ not being a ⁇ G protein and L n being absent.
• the -B- moiety -B- is an optional C-terminal amino acid sequence.
• This will typically be short (e.g. 40 or fewer amino acids i.e. 39, 38, 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21 , 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 1 1 , 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1).
• Other suitable C-terminal amino acid sequences will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
• the invention can use amino acid sequences from any strains of N.meningitidis.
• References to a particular protein e.g. '287', or 'ORF46.1 '
• Sequence variations between strains are included within (b), (c), (i) and (j).
• Reference sequences from N.meningitidis serogroup B include:
• Reference 8 discloses polymorphic forms of proteins ORF4, ORF40, ORF46, 225, 235, 287, 519, 726, 919 and 953. Polymorphic forms of 961 are disclosed in references 1 1 & 12. Any of these polymorphic forms may be used in accordance with the present invention.
• sequence listing herein includes polymorphic forms of proteins 741 (SEQ IDs 1-22) and NMB1343 (SEQ IDs 23-24) which have been identified.
• Preferred proteins of the invention comprise -X- moieties having an amino acid sequence found in N.meningitidis serogroup B.
• preferred -X- moieties are from strains 2996, MC58, 95N477, or 394/98.
• Strain 95N477 is sometimes referred to herein as 'ET37', this being its electrophoretic type.
• Strain 394/98 is sometimes referred to herein as 'nz', as it is a New Zealand strain.
• this is preferably from strain 2996 or from strain 394/98.
• this is preferably from serogroup B strains MC58, 2996, 394/98, or 95N477, or from serogroup C strain 90/18311.
• serogroup C strain 90/18311 this is preferably from strain 2996.
• Strains are indicated as a subscript e.g. 741 M c 58 is protein 741 from strain MC58. Unless otherwise stated, proteins mentioned herein (e.g. with no subscript) are from N.meningitidis strain 2996, which can be taken as a 'reference' strain. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is not in general limited by strain. As mentioned above, general references to a protein (e.g. '287', '919' etc.) may be taken to include that protein from any strain. This will typically have sequence identity to 2996 of 90% or more (eg. 91 %, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or more).
• References 1 and 2 disclose how a protein can be notionally divided into domains and how the protein can be manipulated based on these domains.
• the present invention extends the application of this approach to protein 961 (also known as 'NadA' [1 1,12]).
• NadA has 405 amino acids. This protein has notionally been divided into the following nine domains ( Figure 4):
• This information can be used to locate the same domains in other forms of 961.
• fragments are preferred (c) and (j) fragments, but they may also be expressed in their own right i.e. not in the form of a hybrid protein of the invention.
• the invention provides a protein comprising one of these fragments, providing that the protein is not full-length 961 and is not a protein specifically disclosed in reference 1 or 2.
• This protein may be a fusion protein (e.g. a GST-fusion or a His-tag fusion).
• the invention also provides a protein having an amino acid sequence from SEQ IDs 1 to 24. It also provides proteins and nucleic acid having sequence identity to these. As described above, the degree of 'sequence identity' is preferably greater than 50% (eg. 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99% or more).
• the invention also provides nucleic acid encoding such proteins.
• nucleic acid which can hybridise to this nucleic acid, preferably under "high stringency” conditions (eg. 65°C in a O.lxSSC, 0.5% SDS solution).
• the invention also provides nucleic acid encoding proteins according to the invention.
• nucleic acid comprising sequences complementary to those described above (eg. for antisense or probing purposes).
• Nucleic acid according to the invention can, of course, be prepared in many ways (eg. by chemical synthesis, from genomic or cDNA libraries, from the organism itself etc.) and can take various forms (eg. single stranded, double stranded, vectors, probes etc.).
• nucleic acid includes DNA and RNA, and also their analogues, such as those containing modified backbones, and also peptide nucleic acids (PNA) etc.
• the invention also provides a composition comprising two or more (i.e. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7) of the following proteins:
• the mixture may include one or both of the following proteins, either in combination with two or more of (1) to (7), or in combination with only one of (1) to (7):
• proteins 287 and 741 are included in the mixture (i.e. in protein 1 , 2, 5, 6, 7 or 8), they may be in the ' ⁇ G' form. Where protein 961 is included, it is preferably in the form of '961c' in which the N-terminus leader and C-terminus membrane anchor are absent [e.g. see refs. 1 , 2 & 11].
• a preferred mixture comprises the following three proteins: (1) 961c, preferably 961c 2996 (e.g. SEQ ID 31 herein);
• the mixtures may also comprise N.meningitidis outer membrane vesicles.
• heterologous host Whilst expression of the proteins of the invention may take place in Neisseria, the present invention preferably utilises a heterologous host.
• the heterologous host may be prokaryotic (e.g. a bacterium) or eukaryotic. It is preferably E.coli, but other suitable hosts include Bacillus subtilis, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhi, Salmonenna typhimurium, Neisseria lactamica, Neisseria cinerea, Mycobacteria (e.g. M. tuberculosis), yeast etc.
• the invention provides (a) nucleic acid encoding the proteins described above (b) vectors comprising these nucleic acid sequences (c) host cells containing said vectors (d) compositions comprising the proteins or nucleic acids of the invention, which may be suitable as immunogenic compositions (e.g. vaccines) or as diagnostic reagents (e) these compositions for use as medicaments (e.g.
• compositions for treating or preventing infection due to Neisserial bacteria
• diagnostic reagent for detecting the presence of Neisserial bacteria or of antibodies raised against Neisseria bacteria
• a reagent which can raise antibodies against Neisseria bacteria for raising antibodies against Neisseria bacteria
• Implementing the invention will typically involve the basic steps of: obtaining a first nucleic acid encoding a first protein; obtaining a second nucleic acid encoding a second protein; and ligating the first and second nucleic acids.
• the resulting nucleic acid may be inserted into an expression vector, or may already be part of an expression vector.
• compositions of the invention are preferably immunogenic composition, and are more preferably vaccine compositions.
• the pH of the composition is preferably between 6 and 7.
• the pH may be maintained by the use of a buffer.
• the composition may be sterile.
• Vaccines according to the invention may either be prophylactic (i.e. to prevent infection) or therapeutic (i.e. to treat infection), but will typically be prophylactic.
• the invention also provides a composition of the invention for use as a medicament.
• the medicament is preferably able to raise an immune response in a mammal (i.e. it is an immunogenic composition) and is more preferably a vaccine.
• the invention also provides the use of a composition of the invention in the manufacture of a medicament for raising an immune response in a mammal.
• the medicament is preferably a vaccine.
• the invention also provides a method for raising an immune response in a mammal comprising the step of administering an effective amount of a composition of the invention.
• the immune response is preferably protective.
• the method may raise a booster response.
• the mammal is preferably a human.
• the human is preferably a child (e.g. a toddler or infant); where the vaccine is for prophylactic use, the human is preferably an adult.
• a vaccine intended for children may also be administered to adults e.g. to assess safety, dosage, immunogenicity, etc.
• These uses and methods are preferably for the prevention and/or treatment of a disease caused by a Neisseria (e.g. meningitis, septicaemia, gonorrhoea etc.).
• a Neisseria e.g. meningitis, septicaemia, gonorrhoea etc.
• the prevention and/or treatment of bacterial meningitis is preferred.
• composition of the invention will typically, in addition to the components mentioned above, comprise one or more 'pharmaceutically acceptable carriers', which include any carrier that does not itself induce the production of antibodies harmful to the individual receiving the composition.
• Suitable carriers are typically large, slowly metabolised macromolecules such as proteins, polysaccharides, polylactic acids, polyglycolic acids, polymeric amino acids, amino acid copolymers, trehalose (WOOO/56365) and lipid aggregates (such as oil droplets or liposomes).
• lipid aggregates such as oil droplets or liposomes.
• the vaccines may also contain diluents, such as water, saline, glycerol, etc. Additionally, auxiliary substances, such as wetting or emulsifying agents, pH buffering substances, and the like, may be present.
• auxiliary substances such as wetting or emulsifying agents, pH buffering substances, and the like, may be present.
• Immunogenic compositions used as vaccines comprise an immunologically effective amount of antigen, as well as any other of the above-mentioned components, as needed.
• 'immunologically effective amount' it is meant that the administration of that amount to an individual, either in a single dose or as part of a series, is effective for treatment or prevention. This amount varies depending upon the health and physical condition of the individual to be treated, age, the taxonomic group of individual to be treated (e.g. non-human primate, primate, etc.), the capacity of the individual's immune system to synthesise antibodies, the degree of protection desired, the formulation of the vaccine, the treating doctor's assessment of the medical situation, and other relevant factors.
• Dosage treatment may be a single dose schedule or a multiple dose schedule (e.g. including booster doses).
• the vaccine may be administered in conjunction with other immunoregulatory agents.
• the vaccine may be administered in conjunction with other immunoregulatory agents.
• the composition may include other adjuvants in addition to (or in place of) the aluminium salt.
• Preferred adjuvants to enhance effectiveness of the composition include, but are not limited to: (1 ) oil-in-water emulsion formulations (with or without other specific immunostimulating agents such as muramyl peptides (see below) or bacterial cell wall components), such as for example (a) MF59TM (WO90/14837; Chapter 10 in ref.
• RibiTM adjuvant system Ribi Immunochem, Hamilton, MT
• MPL monophosphorylipid A
• TDM trehalose dimycolate
• CWS cell wall skeleton
• saponin adjuvants such as QS21 or StimulonTM
• cytokines such as interleukins (e.g. IL-1 , IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-12 (WO99/44636), etc.), interferons (e.g. gamma interferon), macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), etc.; (5) monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) or 3-O-deacylated MPL (3dMPL) e.g.
• MPL monophosphoryl lipid A
• 3dMPL 3-O-deacylated MPL
• EP-A-0689454 combinations of 3dMPL with, for example, QS21 and/or oil-in- water emulsions e.g. EP-A-0835318, EP-A-0735898, EP-A-0761231 ; (7) oligonucleotides comprising CpG motifs [Krieg Vaccine 2000, 19, 618-622; Krieg Curr opin Mol Ther 2001 3:15-24; Roman et al., Nat. Med., 1997, 3, 849-854; Weiner et al, PNAS USA, 1997, 94, 10833-10837; Davis et al., J.
• WO01/21207 or a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether or ester surfactant in combination with at least one additional non- ionic surfactant such as an octoxynol (e.g. WO01/21 152); (10) an immunostimulatory oligonucleotide (e.g. a CpG oligonucleotide) and a saponin e.g. WO00/62800; (11 ) an immunostimulant and a particle of metal salt e.g. WO00/23105; (12) a saponin and an oil-in-water emulsion e.g. WO99/1 1241; (13) a saponin (e.g. QS21) + 3dMPL + IL-12 (optionally + a sterol) e.g. WO98/57659; (14) other substances that act as immunostimulating agents to enhance the efficacy of the composition.
• Muramyl peptides include N-acetyl-muramyl-L-threonyl-D-isoglutamine (thr-MDP), N-acetyl- normuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine (nor-MDP), N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl-L-alanine- 2-( 1 '-2'-dipalmitoyl-s «-glycero-3-hydroxyphosphoryloxy)-ethylarnine MTP-PE), etc.
• thr-MDP N-acetyl-muramyl-L-threonyl-D-isoglutamine
• nor-MDP N-acetyl- normuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine
• composition of the invention include:
• OMV outer-membrane vesicle
• a saccharide antigen from N.meningitidis serogroup A, C, W135 and/or Y such as the oligosaccharide disclosed in ref. 18 from serogroup C [see also ref. 19] or the oligosaccharides of ref. 20.
• - a saccharide antigen from Streptococcus pneumoniae [e.g. refs. 21 , 22, 23].
• - a protein antigen from Helicobacter pylori such as CagA [e.g. 24], VacA [e.g. 24], NAP [e.g. 25], HopX [e.g. 26], HopY [e.g. 26] and/or urease.
• an antigen from hepatitis A virus such as inactivated virus [e.g. 27, 28].
• an antigen from hepatitis B virus such as the surface and/or core antigens [e.g. 28, 29].
• an antigen from hepatitis C virus [e.g. 30].
• an antigen from Bordetella pertussis such as pertussis holotoxin (PT) and filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA) from B. pertussis, optionally also in combination with pertactin and/or agglutinogens 2 and 3 [e.g. refs. 31 & 32].
• - a diphtheria antigen such as a diphtheria toxoid [e.g. chapter 3 of ref. 33] e.g. the CRM] 97 mutant [e.g. 34].
• - a tetanus antigen such as a tetanus toxoid [e.g. chapter 4 of ref. 33].
• - a saccharide antigen from Haemophilus influenzae B [e.g. 19].
• - an antigen from N.gonorrhoeae [e.g. 3, 4, 5].
• Chlamydia pneumoniae an antigen from Chlamydia pneumoniae [e.g. 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41].
• Chlamydia trachomatis an antigen from Chlamydia trachomatis [e.g. 42].
• - an antigen from Porphyromonas gingivalis [e.g. 43].
• - polio antigen(s) [e.g. 44, 45] such as IPV or OPV.
• rabies antigen(s) e.g. 46
• lyophilised inactivated virus e.g.41, RabAvertTM
• influenza antigen(s) e.g. chapter 19 of ref. 33
• haemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase surface proteins such as the haemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase surface proteins.
• an antigen from Moraxella catarrhalis e.g. 48].
• Streptococcus pyogenes group A streptococcus [e.g. 50, 51 , 52].
• composition may comprise one or more of these further antigens.
• a saccharide or carbohydrate antigen is used, it is preferably conjugated to a carrier protein in order to enhance immunogenicity [e.g. refs. 54 to 63].
• Preferred carrier proteins are bacterial toxins or toxoids, such as diphtheria or tetanus toxoids.
• 9 diphtheria toxoid is particularly preferred.
• Other suitable carrier proteins include the N.meningitidis outer membrane protein [e.g. ref. 64], synthetic peptides [e.g. 65, 66], heat shock proteins [e.g. 67], pertussis proteins [e.g. 68, 69], protein D from H.influenzae [e.g. 70], toxin A or B from C.
• a mixture comprises capsular saccharides from both serogroups A and C
• the ratio (w/w) of MenA saccharide:MenC saccharide is greater than 1 (e.g. 2: 1 , 3: 1, 4: 1 , 5: 1, 10: 1 or higher).
• Saccharides from different serogroups of N.meningitidis may be conjugated to the same or different carrier proteins.
• Toxic protein antigens may be detoxified where necessary (e.g. detoxification of pertussis toxin by chemical and/or genetic means [32]).
• diphtheria antigen is included in the composition it is preferred also to include tetanus antigen and pertussis antigens. Similarly, where a tetanus antigen is included it is preferred also to include diphtheria and pertussis antigens. Similarly, where a pertussis antigen is included it is preferred also to include diphtheria and tetanus antigens.
• Antigens are preferably mixed with (and more preferably adsorbed to) an aluminium salt (e.g. phosphate, hydroxide, hydroxyphosphate, oxyhydroxide, orthophosphate, sulphate).
• the salt may take any suitable form (e.g. gel, crystalline, amorphous etc.).
• Antigens in the composition will typically be present at a concentration of at least l ⁇ g/ml each. In general, the concentration of any given antigen will be sufficient to elicit an immune response against that antigen.
• nucleic acid encoding the antigen may be used [e.g. refs. 72 to 80]. Protein components of the compositions of the invention may thus be replaced by nucleic acid (preferably DNA e.g. in the form of a plasmid) that encodes the protein.
• composition comprising X may consist exclusively of X or may include something additional e.g. X + Y.
• Figure 1 shows an alignment of twenty-three sequences for protein 741. These are SEQ IDs 1 to 22 plus the sequence from MC58.
• Figure 2 shows an alignment of the NMB1343 sequence from gonococcus (top; SEQ ID 25) and meningococcus (bottom; SEQ ID 26).
• FIG. 3 shows hybrid and tandem proteins of the invention.
• Figure 4 shows 9 domains within 961 2996
• Figure 5 shows how these have been manipulated.
• FCA Freund's complete adjuvant
• 3mg/ml alum used to immunise mice.
• FCA Freund's complete adjuvant
• Titres using protein #3 were as follows:
• Hybrid proteins - Xj 961c or 961 cL
• 8 hybrid proteins with either 961c or 961 cL i.e. 961c + leader peptide
• FCA Freund's complete adjuvant
• FCA Freund's complete adjuvant
• 3mg/ml alum used to immunise mice.
• FCA Freund's complete adjuvant
• Titres using protein #2 were as follows:
• mice were immunised with of three proteins adjuvanted with aluminium hydroxide, either single or in a triple combination: (1) 287 NZ -953; (2) 936-741 ; and (3) 961c. The mixture was able to induce high bactericidal titres against various strains:
• Hybrid proteins of the invention can be represented by formula NH -[-X-L-] generous-COOH. Where all n instances of -X- are the same basic protein (either identical, or the same protein from different strains or species), the protein is referred to as a 'tandem' protein.
• Proteins #1 to #5 have all been expressed in soluble form in E.coli. Expression levels were between 0.24 and 0.50 mg protein per litre of culture. The tandem proteins were purified and mixed with aluminium phosphate as an adjuvant. Tandem proteins #2, #4 and #5 adsorbed readily to aluminium phosphate; adsorption was less complete for tandem proteins #1 and #3.
• NMB1343 protein was found in 24/42 and was absent in 18/42 strains (Table 1).
• the NMB1343 gene was sequenced for 10 of the NMB1343 + strains (Table 1, column 3).
• the nucleic acid sequence (and thus amino acid sequence SEQ ID 23; GenBank AAF41718) was identical in all 10 strains.
• NMB1343 was also detected in two strains of N.gonorrhoeae (F62 and SN4).
• the amino acid sequence from gonococcus is SEQ ID 24.
• An alignment with the meningococcal sequence is:
• Ng 1 INNL EIS
• Nm 1 JF YRGISCQQDEQNNGQLKPKGNKAEVAIRYDGKFKYDGKA r 45
• Ng 51 [GPSVKNAVYAHQIETgLYDGCYISTTTDKEIAKKFATSSGIENGYIYVL 100 Nm 46 1GPSVKNAVYAHQIETGLYDGCYISTTTDKEIAKKFATSSGIENGYIYVL 95
• 961 is not present in the N.meningitidis serogroup A genome sequence [81], even though the surrounding regions are conserved (>90%) between serogroups A and B.
• References 11 and 12 disclose polymorphic forms of 961. The gene was found to be present in 91% of serogroup B strains belonging to hypervirulent lineages ET-5, ET-37 and cluster A4, but was absent in all strains of lineage 3 tested. Most of the serogroup C strains tested were positive even if not belonging to hypervirulent lineages. The same was true for the serogroup B strains with serotype 2a and 2b. For serogroup A, one strain belonging to subgroup III was positive whereas the other two strains belonging to subgroup IV- 1 were negative. 961 was absent in N.gonorrhoeae and in commensal species N.lactamica and N.cinerea.
• Figures 4 and 5 show domains in protein 961.
• deletion mutants in the C-terminal region of 961 were constructed (961cL- ⁇ aro, 961cL ⁇ cc, 961aL, 961aL- ⁇ l , 961aL- ⁇ 2, 961aL- ⁇ 3) on the basis of structural features (deletions of aromatic residues in the cases of 961c ⁇ aro mutant, and of coiled-coil regions for the others). These were analysed for expression and secretion into the periplasm and the supernatant of the culture. In all of these deletion mutants, the protein is produced in large amount, is present in periplasmic fraction, and is released in the supernatant of the culture.
• IBs Inclusion bodies
• the inclusion body pellet may be used, or stored frozen at -20°C.
• Hybrid proteins were expressed in E.coli as follows:
• solubilised protein was diluted in 400 ml refolding buffer (0.5M Tris HC1,1M L- arginine,2 mM EDTA pH 8.2) and incubated for 1 h at 15°C, resulting in a protein concentration of 5 ⁇ g/ml. Subsequently another 2 ml of the solubilised protein was added and incubated for an additional hour at the same temperature resulting in a final protein concentration of l O ⁇ g/ml.
• refolding buffer 0.5M Tris HC1,1M L- arginine,2 mM EDTA pH 8.2
• the material was ultrafiltered using a 300 ml Amicon ultrafiltration cell (8400), applying a 3 bar pressure on an Amicon membrane with a 30 kDa cut-off (YM30) resulting in 150 ml final volume.
• the ultrafiltered material was dialysed using a regenerated cellulose tubular membrane with a 12-14 kDa cutoff (Cellusep - Step bio) for 24h against 10 L of 0.1M Tris HC1 pH 8,2 buffer.
• a second dialysis of 24h against 10 L of 300mM NaCl, 50 mM sodium phosphate pH 8,0 buffer was performed.
• the dialysed material was centrifuged at 22000 rpm for 45 minutes at 4°C in a Beckman centrifuge rotor JA25.5.
• solubilised protein was diluted in 400 ml of the refolding buffer (0.5M Tris HC1,0.7 M L- arginine,2 mM EDTA pH 7.2) and incubated for 1 h at 15°C, resulting in a protein concentration of 50 ⁇ g/ml. Subsequently another 2 ml of the solubilised protein was added and incubated for an additional hour at the same temperature resulting in a final protein concentration of lOO ⁇ g/ml.
• the refolding buffer 0.5M Tris HC1,0.7 M L- arginine,2 mM EDTA pH 7.2
• the material was ultrafiltered using a 300 ml Amicon ultrafiltration cell (8400), applying a 3 bar pressure on an Amicon membrane with a 30 kDa cut-off (YM30) resulting in 120 ml final volume.
• the ultrafiltered material was dialysed using a regenerated cellulose tubular membrane with a 12-14 kDa cutoff (Cellusep - Step bio) for 24h against 10 L of 0.1M Tris HC1 pH 8,2 buffer.
• a second dialysis of 24h against 10 L of 300mM NaCl, 50 mM sodium phosphate pH 8,0 buffer was performed.
• bactericidal assay titres were as follows:
• IB proteins were resuspended in 4 ml of 6M guanidine HC1, 1 mM EDTA pH 8.5 buffer, to a final protein concentration of 10 mg/ml.
• 2 ml of the solubilised protein was diluted in 400 ml of the refolding buffer (0.5M Tris HC1,0.7 M L-arginine,2 mM EDTA pH 7.2) and incubated for 1 hours at 15°C, resulting in a protein concentration of 50 ⁇ g/ml. Subsequently another 2 ml of the solubilised protein was added and incubated for an additional hour at the same temperature resulting in a final protein concentration of lOO ⁇ g/ml.
• the material was ultrafiltered using a 300ml Amicon ultrafiltration cell (8400), applying a 3 bar pressure on an Amicon membrane with a 30kDa cut-off (YM30) resulting in 120 ml final volume.
• the ultrafiltered material was dialysed using a regenerated cellulose tubular membrane with a 12-14 kDa cutoff (Cellusep - Step bio) for 12h against 10 L of 50mM sodium phosphate, 2mM EDTA, pH 7,2 buffer. A second dialysis of 24h against 10 L of the same buffer was performed.
• the dialysed material was centrifuged at 22000 rpm for 45 minutes at 4°C in a Beckman centrifuge rotor JA25.5.
• the supernatant isolated after centrifugation was used for cationic exchange chromatography.
• the purification was done on a AKTA explorer chromatography system (Amersham-Pharmacia Biotech) using a 5 ml HiTrap SP sepharose HP column (Amersham- Pharmacia Biotech). The flow rate applied was of 1.5 ml per minute.
• the column was washed with 35 ml of 50mM sodium phosphate buffer pH 7.2.
• a linear gradient (0-1 M NaCl) was performed using a 50mM sodium phosphate buffer pH 7.2.
• the protein eluted in two peaks at 92 mM and 380mM NaCl.
• the fractions constituting each peak were pooled and respectively named pool 1 and pool 2.
• bactericidal assay titres when adjuvanted with aluminium hydroxide were improved from ⁇ 4 to 1024.
• the titre using aluminium phosphate adjuvant with the refolded protein was 2048.
• ELISA titres were as follows:

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