AUTHOR=Sabur Abdus , Bhowmick Sudipta , Chhajer Rudra , Ejazi Sarfaraz Ahmad , Didwania Nicky , Asad Mohammad , Bhattacharyya Anirban , Sinha Utsa , Ali Nahid TITLE=Liposomal Elongation Factor-1α Triggers Effector CD4 and CD8 T Cells for Induction of Long-Lasting Protective Immunity against Visceral Leishmaniasis JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=9 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00018 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2018.00018 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=
Despite advances, identification and formulation of safe and effective vaccine for long-lasting protection against leishmaniasis is still inadequate. In this study, we have identified a novel antigen, leishmanial elongation factor-1α (EF1-α), as an immunodominant component of solubilized leishmanial membrane antigens that reacts with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) sera and induces cellular proliferative and cytokine response in PBMCs of cured VL subjects. Leishmanial EF1-α is a 50 kDa antigen that plays a crucial role in pathogen survival by regulating oxidative burst in the host phagocytes. Previously, immunodominant truncated forms of EF1-α from different species of