High-Throughput IgG Epitope Mapping of Tetanus Neurotoxin: Implications for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Design

• Published in: Toxins 2023-03, Vol.15 (4), p.239
• Main Authors: De-Simone, Salvatore G, Napoleão-Pêgo, Paloma, Lechuga, Guilherme C, Carvalho, João P R S, Gomes, Larissa R, Cardozo, Sergian V, Morel, Carlos M, Provance, Jr, David W, Silva, Flavio R da
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Amino acid sequence; Amino acids; Antibodies; Antigenic determinants; Antigens; B-cell linear epitopes; Bacterial toxins; Bacterial vaccines; Care and treatment; Cellulose; Child; Combinatorial analysis; Deactivation; Developing countries; Diphtheria; Enzymatic activity; Epitope Mapping; Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; Exotoxins; Health aspects; Humans; Immune response; Immune response (humoral); Immune system; Immunoassay; Immunoassays; Immunoglobulin G; immunological diagnostic; Immunotherapy; LDCs; Lymphocytes B; Neural coding; Neurotoxins; Pediatrics; peptide ELISA; Peptides; Pharmaceutical research; Tetanus; Tetanus - prevention & control; tetanus neurotoxin; Toxins; Vaccination; Vaccines
• ISSN: 2072-6651; 2072-6651
• DOI: 10.3390/toxins15040239

Tetanus is an acute, fatal disease caused by exotoxins released from during infections. A protective humoral immune response can be induced by vaccinations with pediatric and booster combinatorial vaccines that contain inactivated tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) as a major antigen. Although some epitopes in TeNT have been described using various approaches, a comprehensive list of its antigenic determinants that are involved with immunity has not been elucidated. To this end, a high-resolution analysis of the linear B-cell epitopes in TeNT was performed using antibodies generated in vaccinated children. Two hundred sixty-four peptides that cover the entire coding sequence of the TeNT protein were prepared in situ on a cellulose membrane through SPOT synthesis and probed with sera from children vaccinated (ChVS) with a triple DTP-vaccine to map continuous B-cell epitopes, which were further characterized and validated using immunoassays. Forty-four IgG epitopes were identified. Four (TT-215-218) were chemically synthesized as multiple antigen peptides (MAPs) and used in peptide ELISAs to screen post-pandemic DTP vaccinations. The assay displayed a high performance with high sensitivity (99.99%) and specificity (100%). The complete map of linear IgG epitopes induced by vaccination with inactivated TeNT highlights three key epitopes involved in the efficacy of the vaccine. Antibodies against epitope TT-8/G can block enzymatic activity, and those against epitopes TT-41/G and TT-43/G can interfere with TeNT binding to neuronal cell receptors. We further show that four of the epitopes identified can be employed in peptide ELISAs to assess vaccine coverage. Overall, the data suggest a set of select epitopes to engineer new, directed vaccines.