Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42566003›Full record

ArticleArchives of microbiology2026

Construction of a subunit vaccine based on Mycobacterium tuberculosis EsxE and evaluation of its immunogenicity and ex vivo mycobacterial growth inhibitory activity.

Runlin Wang, Xiaochun Wang, Bingxin Wang, Yun Xu, Qiangsen Zhong, Mingming Zhou, Shuying Wang, Ran Xiao, Guo Yang

Abstract read
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Article in Archives of microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Runlin WangDepartment of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.
Xiaochun WangDepartment of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China. wxcvieri@126.com.
Bingxin WangDepartment of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.
Yun XuDepartment of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.
Qiangsen ZhongDepartment of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.
Mingming ZhouDepartment of Immunology, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.
Shuying WangDepartment of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.
Ran XiaoDepartment of Immunology, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.
Guo YangDepartment of Immunology, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.

Funding

The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology YZ2023H1B003
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases and is the leading infectious disease killer globally. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is currently the only licensed vaccine for TB prevention, but it has limitations in preventing latent infection and TB reactivation. To overcome these limitations, this study selected the secreted antigen Rv3904c (EsxE) to construct the recombinant prokaryotic expression plasmid pET21b-Rv3904c, and the recombinant protein rEsxE was expressed and purified. The antigen specificity of rEsxE was further confirmed by measuring cytokine levels released from peripheral blood cells of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected individuals upon rEsxE stimulation using a chemiluminescence assay. The results showed that rEsxE stimulated M. tuberculosis-infected individuals to produce high levels of Th1-type cytokines. Mice were immunized with rEsxE formulated in MnJ adjuvant, and serum specific antibodies, cytokine levels secreted by splenocytes, and the numbers of polyfunctional T cells in the spleen were assessed. The results demonstrated that the BCG prime-rEsxE/MnJ boost strategy induced the highest levels of specific IgG antibodies, with an IgG2c/IgG1 ratio greater than 1, indicating a Th1-skewed immune bias. Upon stimulation with rEsxE or BCG-PPD, splenocytes from this group secreted significantly higher levels of Th1-type cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2) than those from the BCG alone and rEsxE/MnJ groups. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the BCG+rEsxE/MnJ group had the highest numbers of IFN-γ⁺/IL-2⁺ double-positive CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in the spleen. The in vitro mycobacterial growth inhibition assay provided additional evidence that the prime‑boost regimen augments the capacity of splenocytes to restrict mycobacterial growth. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that rEsxE is immunogenic and that the BCG prime‑rEsxE/MnJ boost strategy elicits robust Th1‑biased immune responses as well as ex vivo mycobacterial growth inhibitory function, thereby supporting the further development of this approach as a candidate tuberculosis subunit vaccine.

Indexed as

Antigens, BacterialBacterial ProteinsMycobacterium tuberculosisTuberculosisTuberculosis VaccinesAnimalsAntibodies, BacterialBCG VaccineCytokinesFemaleHumansImmunoglobulin GMiceMice, Inbred BALB CProtein Subunit VaccinesTh1 CellsAntibodies, BacterialAntigens, BacterialBacterial ProteinsBCG VaccineCytokinesImmunoglobulin GProtein Subunit VaccinesTuberculosis VaccinesVaccines, SubunitBCGMnJPrime-boostSubunit vaccineTuberculosis

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.