Chimeras of Brucella lumazine synthase and beta subunit of AB₅ toxins

摘要

Chimeric polypeptides useful as immunogens for inducing protective immune responses and neutralizing antibodies against Shiga toxin (Stx) in mammals. More specifically, chimeric polypeptides having a monomer of the homopentameric B subunit of the Shiga 2 toxin fused to the N-terminus of a monomer of Brucella lumazine synthase, and to oligomeric protein complexes formed from said chimeric polypeptides. Polynucleotides and vectors encoding said chimeric polypeptides, transgenic cells having said polynucleotides and vectors, pharmaceutical compositions, such as a vaccine, having said chimeric polypeptides and chimeric polynucleotides, antibodies which bind to the chimeric polypeptides, a method for obtaining antibodies which bind specifically to the subunit B of the Shiga 2 toxin and methods of lowering the bacterial load of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli in mammals, which can be used for prevention of inter alia, hemolytic-ureic syndrome (HUS), are also provided.