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Carbohydrate-Based Vaccines pp 11–26Cite as

Glycans as Vaccine Antigens and Adjuvants: Immunological Considerations

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1331))

Abstract

Carbohydrates can be found on the cell surface of nearly every cell ranging from bacteria to fungi right up to mammalian cells. Carbohydrates and their interactions with carbohydrate-binding proteins play crucial roles in multiple biological processes including immunity, homeostasis, cellular communication, cell migration, and the regulation of serum glycoprotein levels. In the last decades, the interest in exploiting the biological activity of glycans as vaccine components has considerably increased. On the one hand, carbohydrates display epitopes to generate protective antibodies against pathogen-derived cell wall structures and on the other hand, glycans have the potential to stimulate the immune system; thus they can act as potent vaccine adjuvants.

An effective vaccine consists of two major components, the vaccine antigen and an adjuvant. The vaccine antigen is an original or modified part of the pathogen that causes the disease. The immune response triggered by vaccination should induce antigen-specific plasma cells secreting protective antibodies as well as the development of memory T and B cells. Carbohydrate structures on pathogens represent an important class of antigens that can activate B cells to produce protective anti-carbohydrate antibodies in adults. A major breakthrough in vaccine development was the design of conjugate vaccines that evoke protective antibody responses against encapsulated bacteria strains such as Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, or Neisseria meningitidis in adults, but also in young children. The first part of this chapter focuses on immune responses triggered by carbohydrate-based vaccines. The second part of the chapter discusses the immunological mechanisms of carbohydrate-based adjuvants to increase the immunogenicity of vaccines.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) on Multiscale Bio-Systems. The authors would like to thank Benjamin Schumann for critical reading of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomolecular Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam, Germany

    Stephanie Zimmermann & Bernd Lepenies

  2. Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 22, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Stephanie Zimmermann & Bernd Lepenies

  3. University of Veterinary Medicine, Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, Bünteweg 17, 30559, Hannover, Germany

    Bernd Lepenies

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  1. Stephanie Zimmermann
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Correspondence to Stephanie Zimmermann or Bernd Lepenies .

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  1. Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany

    Bernd Lepenies

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Zimmermann, S., Lepenies, B. (2015). Glycans as Vaccine Antigens and Adjuvants: Immunological Considerations. In: Lepenies, B. (eds) Carbohydrate-Based Vaccines. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1331. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2874-3_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2874-3_2

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

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