Language
English
Publication Date
2-1-2024
Journal
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
DOI
10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129295
PMID
38211914
Abstract
Lyme disease, caused by Lyme Borrelia spirochetes, is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States. Despite its global significance, with an estimated 14.5 % seroprevalence, there is currently no licensed vaccine. Previously, we demonstrated that CspZ-YA protein conferred protection against Lyme Borrelia infection, making it a promising vaccine candidate. However, such a protein was tagged with hexahistidine, and thus not preferred for vaccine development; furthermore, the formulation to stabilize the protein was understudied. In this work, we developed a two-step purification process for tag-free E. coli-expressed recombinant CspZ-YA. We further utilized various bioassays to analyze the protein and determine the suitable buffer system for long-term storage and formulation as a vaccine immunogen. The results indicated that a buffer with a pH between 6.5 and 8.5 stabilized CspZ-YA by reducing its surface hydrophobicity and colloidal interactions. Additionally, low pH values induced a change in local spatial conformation and resulted in a decrease in α-helix content. Lastly, an optimal salinity of 22-400 mM at pH 7.5 was found to be important for its stability. Collectively, this study provides a fundamental biochemical and biophysical understanding and insights into the ideal stabilizing conditions to produce CspZ-YA recombinant protein for use in vaccine formulation and development.
Keywords
Humans, Lyme Disease Vaccines, Borrelia burgdorferi, Escherichia coli, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Lyme Disease, Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins, Buffer screening, E. coli, Lyme borreliae, Protein formulation, Recombinant protein vaccine
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Chen, Yi-Lin; Lee, Jungsoon; Liu, Zhuyun; et al., "Biophysical and Biochemical Characterization of a Recombinant Lyme Disease Vaccine Antigen, CspZ-YA" (2024). Faculty and Staff Publications. 5868.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/5868