Tomatine Adjuvantation of Protective Immunity to a Major Pre-erythrocytic Vaccine Candidate of Malaria is Mediated via CD8+ T Cell Release of IFN-γ. (11th March 2010)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Heal, Karen G.; Taylor-Robinson, Andrew W.
• Other Names: Satoskar Abhay R. Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: Journal of biomedicine and biotechnology. Volume 2010(2010)
• Publication Date: 2010-03-11
• Subjects: Medicine -- Periodicals; Biology -- Periodicals; Biotechnology -- Periodicals; Medicine; Biology; Biotechnology; Médecine; Biologie; Biotechnologie; Biology; Biotechnology; Medicine; Biotechnology; Biomedicine; Electronic journals; Periodical; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 610
• DOI: 10.1155/2010/834326
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1110-7243

Abstract

Abstract : The glycoalkaloid tomatine, derived from the wild tomato, can act as a powerful adjuvant to elicit an antigen-specific cell-mediated immune response to the circumsporozoite (CS) protein, a major pre-erythrocytic stage malaria vaccine candidate antigen. Using a defined MHC-class-I-restricted CS epitope in a Plasmodium berghei rodent model, antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity and IFN-γ secretion ex vivo were both significantly enhanced compared to responses detected from similarly stimulated splenocytes from naive and tomatine-saline-immunized mice. Further, through lymphocyte depletion it is demonstrated that antigen-specific IFN-γ is produced exclusively by the CD 8 + T cell subset. We conclude that the processing of the P. berghei CS peptide as an exogenous antigen and its presentation via MHC class I molecules to CD 8 + T cells leads to an immune response that is an in vitro correlate of protection against pre-erythrocytic malaria. Further characterization of tomatine as an adjuvant in malaria vaccine development is indicated.