Vaccinology in the genome era
C. Daniela Rinaudo, John L. Telford, Rino Rappuoli, Kate L. Seib
C. Daniela Rinaudo, John L. Telford, Rino Rappuoli, Kate L. Seib
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Review Series

Vaccinology in the genome era

Abstract

Vaccination has played a significant role in controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases throughout the world, and yet currently licensed vaccines represent only the tip of the iceberg in terms of controlling human pathogens. However, as we discuss in this Review, the arrival of the genome era has revolutionized vaccine development and catalyzed a shift from conventional culture-based approaches to genome-based vaccinology. The availability of complete bacterial genomes has led to the development and application of high-throughput analyses that enable rapid targeted identification of novel vaccine antigens. Furthermore, structural vaccinology is emerging as a powerful tool for the rational design or modification of vaccine antigens to improve their immunogenicity and safety.

Authors

C. Daniela Rinaudo, John L. Telford, Rino Rappuoli, Kate L. Seib

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Figure 2

Schematic overview of the way in which high-throughput analyses applied to various aspects of a pathogen and its interactions with the host immune system are used to identify vaccine candidates in the genome era.

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Schematic overview of the way in which high-throughput analyses applied ...
From the point of view of the pathogen (starting at the lower left-hand corner and moving in a clockwise direction), vaccine candidates can be identified by analysis of the organism’s genome and/or pan-genome (the complete genetic content of the organism/species, which contains the complete repertoire of antigens that an organism/species is capable of expressing), transcriptome (the complete set of RNA transcripts expressed by an organism under a specified condition), proteome (the complete set of proteins expressed by an organism under a specified condition), surface proteome (the subset of proteins that are surface exposed), or structural genome (the 3D structure of the proteins of an organism, in particular the structural epitopes of immunogenic antigens). With respect to interactions between the pathogen and the host immune system, vaccine candidates can also be identified by analysis of the organism’s immunoproteome (the set of antigens that interact with the host immune system). The newer field of vaccinomics (the way in which individual host immune systems respond to a vaccine) will also aid in future vaccine development.