Tc52 or its N-terminal domain DNA carried by attenuated Salmonella as a DNA delivery system, are able to confer protection against Trypanosoma cruzi infection

MATOS MARINA NADIA; CAZORLA SILVIA INES; SANCHEZ ALBERTI ANDRES; MALCHIODI EMILIO LUIS

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 1st French-Argentine Immunology Congress. LVIII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología.; 2010

Tc52 is a T. cruzi protein with glutathione transferase activity, which has immunomodulatory properties. Analyzing candidates for a vaccine against Chagas´ disease we have studied the ability of the DNAs codifying for Tc52 and its amino and carboxi-terminal domains (N-term and C-term) to confer protection against T. cruzi infeccion. As a DNA delivery system we used atenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium aro A 7207 (S). Four groups of C3H mice were immunized 4 times with: GI: S (Salmonella carrying an empty pcDNA3.1, as control group), GII: STc52 (S with pcDNA3.1-Tc52), GIII: SN-term (S with pcDNA3.1-N-term), GIV: SC-term (S with pcDNA3.1-C-term). Eighteen days after the last immunization, delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) test was performed. Two days later, mice were infected with 1000 bloodstream trypomastigotes (RA strain). Parasitemia was monitored by counting peripheral blood parasites every 2 days. Weight lose was monitored as a measure of physical health. After immunization all test groups developed a cellular immune response specific against the recombinants proteins (p