In vitro and in vivo activities of recombinant anthrax protective antigen co-expressed with thioredoxin in Escherichia coli

Because of the central role it plays in the formation of lethal toxin and edema toxin, protective antigen (PA) is the principal target for the development of vaccines against anthrax. In the present study, we explored and compared the in vitro and in vivo activities of recombinant anthrax protective antigen (rPA) and receptor binding domain of protective antigen (PA4). As a result, the fully soluble rPA and PA4 proteins were successfully expressed in Escherichia coli by co-expression with thioredoxin (Trx), and the rPA was active in forming cytotoxic lethal toxins, indicating that the rPA protein retains a functionally biological activity. Furthermore, immunization with rPA protein induced stronger PA-specific immune responses in mice than PA4 protein. The protection elicited by immunization with PA4 suggests the presence of common neutralizing epitopes between rPA and PA4, but the immunization with rPA protein induced stronger neutralizing antibodies and protective levels against challenge with the B. anthracis strain A16R than the PA4 protein. The sera neutralizing antibodies titers correlated well with anti-PA group ELISA antibodies titers and the in vivo protective potency. Based on the results of cell cytotoxicity assays and the observed immune responses and protective potency, we concluded that the soluble rPA protein retains the in vitro and in vivo functionally biological activity and can be developed into a highly effective human subunit vaccine candidate against anthrax.