Identification of glycosylation sites of S. pneumoniae capsular polysaccharide-PspA conjugates by mass spectrometry

• Grant number: 12/13015-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: November 05, 2012
• End date: December 04, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal Investigator: Giovana Cappio Barazzone
• Grantee: Giovana Cappio Barazzone
• Host Investigator: Francesco Berti
• Host Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Italy
• Associated research grant: 08/05207-4 - Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine: capsular polysaccharide - pneumococcal surface protein A, AP.TEM

Abstract

The conjugation of capsular polysaccharide to carrier proteins is the most efficient approach in the prevention of diseases caused by capsulated bacteria like, for example, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis. Our laboratory is one of the pioneers in the country in the development of conjugated vaccines and has as main goal the rise of vaccinal coverage (through the use of an active carrier protein) and the improvement on the conjugation process. The use of Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) - widely recognized for its high immunogenicity - as carrier protein in conjugates made up of capsular polysaccharides of S. pneumoniae has been employed successfully in our laboratory. Chemical yields higher than ones described in the literature have been achieved thanks to the adoption of a new conjugation synthesis developed by us. The execution of the project entitled "Identification of glycosylation sites of S. pneumoniae capsular polysaccharide-PspA conjugates by Mass Spectrometry" will be performed in collaboration with Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics (NVD), under the supervision of Dr. Franceso Berti, head of vaccine chemistry. As a result of this collaboration, which will provide us with infrastructure and know-how, we will have information useful for a better understanding of immunological and reactional differences displayed by the conjugates synthesized in our laboratory, through the studies of the influence of conjugation sites on potential epitopes and of the groups involved direct or indirectly in the Ps-Protein bond in the reaction efficiency. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BARAZZONE, GIOVANA CAPPIO; PINTO, VITTORIA; DONNARUMMA, DANILO; TANIZAKI, MARTHA MASSAKO; NORAIS, NATHALIE; BERTI, FRANCESCO. Identification of glycosylated regions in pneumococcal PspA conjugated to serotype 6B capsular polysaccharide. GLYCOCONJUGATE JOURNAL, v. 31, n. 3, p. 259-269, APR 2014. (12/13015-3, 08/05207-4)