Engineered vaginal lactobacillus strain for mucosal delivery of the human immunodeficiency virus inhibitor cyanovirin-N.
Article Details
- CitationCopy to clipboard
Liu X, Lagenaur LA, Simpson DA, Essenmacher KP, Frazier-Parker CL, Liu Y, Tsai D, Rao SS, Hamer DH, Parks TP, Lee PP, Xu Q
Engineered vaginal lactobacillus strain for mucosal delivery of the human immunodeficiency virus inhibitor cyanovirin-N.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2006 Oct;50(10):3250-9.
- PubMed ID
- 17005802 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
Women are at significant risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, with the cervicovaginal mucosa serving as a major portal for virus entry. Female-initiated preventatives, including topical microbicides, are urgently needed to help curtail the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Here we report on the development of a novel, live microbicide that employs a natural vaginal strain of Lactobacillus jensenii engineered to deliver the potent HIV inhibitor cyanovirin-N (CV-N). To facilitate efficient expression of CV-N by this bacterium, the L. jensenii 1153 genome was sequenced, allowing identification of native regulatory elements and sites for the chromosomal integration of heterologous genes. A CV-N expression cassette was optimized and shown to produce high levels of structurally intact CV-N when expressed in L. jensenii. Lactobacillus-derived CV-N was capable of inhibiting CCR5-tropic HIV(BaL) infectivity in vitro with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 0.3 nM. The CV-N expression cassette was stably integrated as a single copy into the bacterial chromosome and resolved from extraneous plasmid DNA without adversely affecting the bacterial phenotype. This bacterial strain was capable of colonizing the vagina and producing full-length CV-N when administered intravaginally to mice during estrus phase. The CV-N-producing Lactobacillus was genetically stable when propagated in vitro and in vivo. This work represents a major step towards the development of an inexpensive yet durable protein-based microbicide to block the heterosexual transmission of HIV in women.