Glaxosmithkline Biologicals Sa

Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Srl

Jeannette Adu-Bobie

Guido Grandi

Mariagrazia Pizza

Nathalie Norais

Germano Ferrari

Knockout of the meningococcal mltA homolog gives bacteria that spontaneously release vesicles that are rich in immunogenic outer membrane proteins and that can elicit cross-protective antibody responses with higher bactericidal titres than OMVs prepared by normal production processes. Thus the invention provides a bacterium having a knockout mutation of its mltA gene. The invention also provides a bacterium, wherein the bacterium: (i) has a cell wall that includes peptidoglycan; and (ii) does not express a protein having the lytic transglycosylase activity MltA protein. The invention also provides compositions comprising vesicles that, during culture of bacteria of the invention, are released into the culture medium.

Immunogenic bacterial vesicles with outer membrane proteins

Knockout of the meningococcal mltA homolog gives bacteria that spontaneously release vesicles that are rich in immunogenic outer membrane proteins and that can elicit cross-protective antibody responses with higher bactericidal titers than OMVs prepared by normal production processes. Thus the invention provides a bacterium having a knockout mutation of its mltA gene. The invention also provides a bacterium, wherein the bacterium: (i) has a cell wall that includes peptidoglycan; and (ii) does not express a protein having the lytic transglycosylase activity MltA protein. The invention also provides compositions comprising vesicles that, during culture of bacteria of the invention, are released into the culture medium.

Knockout of the meningococcal mltA homolog gives bacteria that spontaneously release vesicles that are rich in immunogenic outer membrane proteins and that can elicit cross-protective antibody responses with higher bactericidal titres than OMVs prepared by normal production processes. Thus the invention provides a bacterium having a knockout mutation of its mltA gene. The invention also provides a bacterium, wherein the bacterium: (i) has a cell wall that includes peptidoglycan; and (ii) does not express a protein having the lytic transglycosylase activity of MltA protein. The invention also provides compositions comprising vesicles that, during culture of bacteria of the invention, are released into the culture medium.

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Siena, Italy

Jeannette Adu-Bobie