Taenia solium cysticercosis is a major
parasitic disease that affects the human health and the economy in underdeveloped countries. Porcine
cysticercosis, an obligatory stage in the parasite life cycle, is a suitable target for vaccination. While several recombinant and
synthetic antigens proved to be effective as
vaccines, the cost and logistic difficulties have prevented their massive use. Taking this into account, a novel strategy for developing a multi-
epitope low-cost
vaccine is herein explored. The S3Pvac
vaccine components (KETc1, KETc12, KETc7, and GK1 [KETc7]) and the protective HP6/TSOL18
antigen were expressed in a Helios2A
polyprotein system, based on the 'ribosomal skip' mechanism mediated by the 2A sequence (LLNFDLLKLAGDVESNPG-P) derived from the Foot-and-mouth disease virus, which induces self-cleavage events at a translational level. This
protein arrangement was expressed in transgenic tobacco cells. The inserted sequence and its transcript were detected in several Helios2A lines, with some lines showing
recombinant protein accumulation levels up to 1.3 µg/g of fresh weight in leaf tissues. The plant-derived Helios2A
vaccine was recognized by
antibodies in the cerebral spinal fluid from
neurocysticercosis patients and elicited specific
antibodies in BALB/c immunized mice. These evidences point to the Helios2A
polyprotein as a promising system for expressing multiple
antigens of interest for vaccination and diagnosis in one single construction.