# NEW APPROACHES TO PERTUSSIS VACCINE

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA · 1987 · $121,947

## Abstract

The long term goal of this research is to gain sufficient understanding of
the immunogenicity and pathogenicity of Bordetella pertussis so that a
safe, effective vaccine can be prepared.  The goals of this proposal are to
1) isolate and characterize additional desirable antibodies for use as
reagents.  These antibodies will be monoclonal or highly specific for the
adenylate cyclase, agglutinogens 1, 3, 4, and 6, and two outer membrane
proteins, OMP36 and OMP22; 2) to use the new antibodies and existing
antibodies to evaluate the antigen content of new acellular pertussis
vaccine which is being prepared by the Department of Public Health, State
of Michigan, under contract from the United States; and 3) to continue
investigations into the nature of the antigens exposed on the surface of B.
pertussis.

In investigating surface antigens, we plan to study the phenomenon of the
release of membrane vesicles, blebs, by B. pertussis during growth in
broth.  The blebs appear to be small packets of toxins and adhesins, and
may be related to virulence.  Since the blebs differ from the outermembrane
in content of lipopolysaccharide and of several proteins, blebs may
represent special domains on the outer membrane where virulence antigens
are clustered together.  Another possibility is that the adenylate cyclase
is enzymatically active only when incorporated into a membrane, and that
blebs may be a delivery system for the cyclase.

Other surface antigens to be investigated include heat-modifiable proteins
and peptidoglycan-associated proteins.  We will also investigate the change
in surface proteins which occurs in response to added nicotinic acid.  This
reversable shift, termed modulation, leads to loss of many surface proteins
associated with virulence.  We will also determine the change, if any, in
surface antigens, of mutants altered in their virulence properties.

This research is designed to take advantage of monoclonal antibodies, as
well as sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and
surface iodination of cells as techniques of probing the cell surface of B.
pertussis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3127381
- **Project number:** 5R01AI017682-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** SZPJL5ZRCLF4
- **Principal Investigator:** CHARLOTTE D. PARKER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $121,947
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1980-08-01 → 1988-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3127381

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3127381, NEW APPROACHES TO PERTUSSIS VACCINE (5R01AI017682-07). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3127381. Licensed CC0.

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