The present invention discloses a procedure to produce a monomeric and functional form of Bordetella sp, especially B. pertussis, CyaA toxin that can be stably maintained in this functional monodisperse state, even in the absence of any chaotropic agent.

The present invention is directed generally to eukaryotic host cells comprising artificial endosymbionts and methods of introducing artificial endosymbionts into eukaryotic host cells. The invention provides artificial endosymbionts that introduce a phenotype to host cells that is maintained in daughter cells. The invention additionally provides eukaryotic host cells containing magnetotactic bacteria.

The invention relates to a novel use of a Bordetella adenylcyclase toxin in the manufacturing of vectors for targeting in vivo a molecule of interest, specifically to CD11b expressing cells. The invention also relates to an immunogenic composition that primes immune responses, to pharmaceutical compositions and to a new vector for molecule delivery to CD11b expressing cells.

The invention relates to a chimeric protein comprising or consisting of, from N-terminal to C-terminal, (a) a N-terminal part of a Bordetella CyaA protein (b) a heterologous polypeptide, and (c) a C-terminal part of a Bordetella CyaA protein. The invention also relates to a polynucleotide encoding a deleted version of a Bordetella CyaA, as well as a polynucleotide encoding this chimeric protein. A composition comprising at least one chimeric protein(s) of the invention and the prophylactic and/or therapeutic uses of said composition are also part of the invention.

The invention relates to a kit of parts, suitable for use in a therapy of cancer, wherein said kit comprises: (i) a recombinant protein comprising one or several polypeptides bearing one or several epitopes of one or several tumor-associated antigens, said polypeptides being inserted in the same or different permissive sites of an adenylate cyclase (CyaA) protein or of a fragment thereof, wherein said CyaA fragment retains the property of said adenylate cyclase protein to target Antigen Presenting Cells or a mixture of such recombinant proteins wherein at least one of said epitopes, or tumor associated antigens, or insertion sites of CyaA protein, or fragment of said CyaA protein is different between the various recombinant proteins in the mixture; and said kit of parts further comprises at least one of the following compounds; (ii) an agent, suitable for modulating a regulatory immune response in a patient ad optionally; (iii) an adjuvant component suitable for activating the innate immune response in a patient.

The present disclosure relates to a genetically modified host cell having increased production of one or more vitamin B compounds, wherein the host cell is genetically modified by mutating one or more native polynucleotide constructs for reducing formation of a CRP-cAMP complex in the host cell and/or introducing one or more genetic alterations increasing the degradation and/or non-CRP binding of cAMP in the host cell; whereby the production of the vitamin B compound in the genetically modified host cell is increased compared to a parent host cell.

The invention is directed to a method for the production of a pertussis vaccine and, in particular, a detoxified pertussis vaccine comprising detoxified pertussis toxin (PT), detoxified pertussis lipopolysaccharide (P-LPS), and detoxified pertussis adenylate cyclase toxin (P-ACT). The invention is also directed to the manufacture of a vaccine or the invention and methods for the administration of a detoxified vaccine to patients.

The present invention is directed generally to eukaryotic host cells comprising artificial endosymbionts and methods of introducing artificial endosymbionts into eukaryotic host cells. The invention provides artificial endosymbionts that introduce a phenotype to host cells that is maintained in daughter cells. The invention additionally provides eukaryotic host cells containing magnetotactic bacteria.

The present invention relates to a method to detect the interaction between a target ligand and a moiety of interest using an adenylate cyclase enzyme (AC) and calmodulin (CaM) as interacting partners, said method comprising:

i) expressing in a suitable host cell:
(a) a low number of molecules of a first chimeric polypeptide containing AC, and
(b) a low number of molecules of a second chimeric polypeptide containing CaM,
wherein said AC in said first chimeric polypeptide and/or said CaM in said second chimeric polypeptide has decreased affinity for its interacting partner,
wherein said AC in said first chimeric polypeptide is fused to a moiety of interest and said CaM in said second chimeric polypeptide is fused to a target ligand, or conversely,
and wherein, when said moiety of interest and said target ligand interact, said AC is activated, and
ii) detecting the activation of said AC.

The present inventors herein show that only one AC/CaM complex per cell is sufficient to confer a selectable trait to the host cell. Unexpectedly, even less than one AC/CaM complex per cell can be sufficient to confer a selectable trait to the host cell. This surprising result confers a very high sensitivity, that is helpful for screening high affinity interactions, such as antigen-antibody interactions. Moreover, the low expression of the chimeric proteins that is achieved in the present invention allows to characterize toxic moieties, what was not possible before.

The invention relates to mutant CyaA/E570Q+K860 polypeptides suitable for use as proteinaceous vectors for delivering one or more molecules of interest into a cell, in particular into a cell expressing the CD11b receptor. The invention further relates to polypeptide derivatives suitable for eliciting an immune response in a host. The invention is more particularly directed to polypeptides derived from an adenylate cyclase protein (CyaA) either under the form of a toxin or of a toxoid, which are mutant polypeptides. The mutant polypeptides are capable of retaining the binding activity of native CyaA to a target cell and preferably of also retaining the translocating activity of native CyaA through its N-terminal domain into target cells and furthermore have a pore-forming activity which is reduced or suppressed as compared to that of the native CyaA toxin.