Bordetella pertussis cDNA and Antigen

Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for causing whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory disease that can be fatal, especially in infants. To cause disease, the bacteria produce various virulence factors, which allow them to adhere to and colonize the respiratory tract, evade the host immune system, and cause tissue damage. Some of the key virulence factors of Bordetella pertussis are discussed below:

Filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA): FHA is a large protein that forms long, filamentous structures on the surface of the bacterium. It helps the bacteria adhere to the ciliated cells in the respiratory tract, allowing them to colonize the host and evade the host immune system.

Fimbrial protein fimX (Pilin): FimX is a type IV pilin that mediates the attachment of the bacteria to host cells. It also plays a role in biofilm formation, which helps the bacteria to survive and persist in the respiratory tract.

Porin protein OmpQ: OmpQ is a porin protein that allows the diffusion of small molecules across the bacterial outer membrane. It also helps the bacteria to resist host defenses, such as complement-mediated killing.

Protein fhaE: FhaE is a protein that interacts with FHA and is involved in the colonization of the respiratory tract by Bordetella pertussis.

Serotype 2 and 3 fimbrial subunits: Serotype 2 and 3 fimbriae are hair-like structures on the surface of the bacterium that help it to adhere to host cells. They are important for the initial stages of colonization in the respiratory tract.

Tracheal colonization factor: Tcf is a protein that helps the bacteria to colonize the trachea and bronchi, the sites of the initial infection.

Vag8: Vag8 is a protein that is important for the survival of Bordetella pertussis inside host cells. It is also involved in the production of toxins that cause tissue damage.

Understanding the virulence factors of Bordetella pertussis is essential for developing effective treatments and vaccines for whooping cough. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease, and the pertussis vaccine is routinely given to infants and children as part of the standard vaccination schedule.

The use of recombinant proteins/cDNA in academic research and therapeutic applications has skyrocketed. However, in heterologous expression systems, successful recombinant protein expression is dependent on a variety of factors, including codon preference, RNA secondary structure, and GC content. When compared to pre-optimization, more and more experimental results demonstrated that the expression level was dramatically increased, ranging from two to hundred times depending on the gene. Bioclone has created a proprietary technology platform that has resulted in the creation of over 6,000 artificially synthesized codon-optimized cDNA clones (cloned in E. coli expression Vector), which are ready for production of the recombinant proteins.

The cDNA (complementary DNA) and recombinant antigens of Bordetella pertussis have various applications in the fields of molecular biology and infectious disease, including:

Gene expression analysis: The cDNA can be used as a template to synthesize complementary RNA (cRNA) which can then be used for microarray or RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis to study gene expression patterns in the bacterium under different conditions.

Antimicrobial resistance studies: The cDNA can be used to study the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Bordetella pertussis, including the identification of genes involved in resistance and the evaluation of the expression of these genes.

Vaccine development: The recombinant antigens of Bordetella pertussis can be used to develop subunit vaccines against the bacterium. These antigens can stimulate the immune system to mount a response against the pathogen.

Diagnostics: The cDNA can be used to develop real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) assays for the rapid and sensitive detection of Bordetella pertussis in clinical specimens, such as nasopharyngeal swabs and tracheal aspirates.

Serological assays: The recombinant antigens of Bordetella pertussis can be used to develop serological assays, such as ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), to detect the presence of antibodies against the bacterium in human serum. These assays can be used for the diagnosis of Bordetella pertussis infections.