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Preparation, characterization, and immunogenicity of meningococcal immunotype L2 and L3,7,9 phosphoethanolamine group-containing oligosaccharide-protein conjugates

A method was developed for the well-defined coupling of phosphoethanolamine group (PEA)- and carboxylic acid group-containing polysaccharides and oligosaccharides to proteins without the need for extensive modification of the carbohydrate antigens. The carboxylic acid group of the terminal 2-keto-3-deoxyoctulosonic acid moiety was utilized to introduce a thiol function in meningococcal immunotype L2 and L3,7,9 lipopolysaccharide-derived oligosaccharides. The thiol group-containing oligosaccharides were subsequently coupled to bromoacetylated proteins. Immunotype L2 and L3,7,9 PEA group-containing oligosaccharide-tetanus toxoid conjugates were prepared, and their immunogenicities were studied in rabbits. Both the immunotype L2 and immunotype L3,7,9 conjugates evoked high immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titers after the first booster injection. These conjugates also displayed an ability to induce long-lasting IgG antibody levels which could be detected until 9 months after one booster injection at week 3. The adjuvant Quil A enhanced the immune response to all the conjugates to a minor extent, which is in contrast with reported adjuvant effects of Quil A on these types of antigens in mice. A conjugate prepared from the dephosphorylated L3,7,9 oligosaccharides evoked a significantly lower IgG response than a similar PEA-containing conjugate, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibition studies indicated a different epitope specificity. Furthermore, antisera elicited with the complete bacteria contained antibodies directed against PEA-containing epitopes, which stresses the importance of the presence of unmodified PEA groups in meningococcal lipopolysaccharide-derived oligosaccharide-protein conjugates. The procedure developed offers an elegant solution for the specific coupling of meningococcal PEA-containing oligosaccharides to proteins and may therefore be a very useful tool in the development of a vaccine against group B meningococci.