A novel chimeric recombinant FliC-Pgp3 vaccine promotes immunoprotection against Chlamydia muridarum infection in mice

The Pgp3 subunit vaccine elicits immune protection against Chlamydia trachomatis infection, but additional adjuvants are still required to enhance its immunoprotective efficacy. Flagellin can selectively stimulate immunity and act as an adjuvant. In this research, the FliC-Pgp3 recombinant was successfully expressed and purified. Tri-immunization with the FliC-Pgp3 vaccine in Balb/C mice induced rapid and persistent germinal center B-cell response and Tfh differentiation, promoting a significantly higher IgG antibody titer compared to the Pgp3 group. FliC-Pgp3 immunization primarily induced Th1-type cellular immunity, leading to higher levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 secreted by CD4+ T cells than in Pgp3-vaccinated mice. Chlamydia muridarum challenge results showed that FliC-Pgp3-vaccinated mice exhibited more rapid clearance of Chlamydia muridarum colonization in the lower genital tract, ensuring a lower hydrosalpinx rate and cumulative score. Histological analysis showed reduced dilation and inflammatory infiltration in the oviduct and uterine horn of FliC-Pgp3-vaccinated mice compared to the PBS and Pgp3 control. Importantly, tri-immunization with FliC-Pgp3 effectively activated CD4+ T cells and dendritic cells, as confirmed by the adoptive transfer, resulting in better immune protection in recipient mice. In summary, the novel FliC-Pgp3 chimeric is hoped to be a novel vaccine with improved immunoprotection against Chlamydia muridarum.