Effect of O‐acetylation on the antigenicity and glycoconjugate immunogenicity of the Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 7F capsular polysaccharide

Abstract Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterial pathogen causing diseases as severe as pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. Most commercial pneumococcal conjugate vaccines contain the 7F serotype, which is epidemiologically relevant and highly invasive. This serotype contains an O ‐acetyl group at the internal L‐rhamnose of its polysaccharide repeating unit. Herein we report on the role of the O ‐acetyl moiety of 7F polysaccharide in both antigen recognition and the induction of a protective antibody response against 7F. Fully and partially de‐ O ‐acetylated 7F polysaccharides were chemically prepared and compared with the O ‐acetylated counterpart in their antigenicity and immunogenicity of their tetanus toxoid glycoconjugates. These comparative studies showed a slight but consistent decrease in the antigenicity for the fully de‐ O ‐acetylated polysaccharide, but not for the partly de‐ O ‐acetylated variant. The glycoconjugates derived from the O ‐acetylated and the fully de‐ O ‐acetylated polysaccharides had similar sizes and polysaccharide‐to‐protein ratio, and all proved both to be immunogenic and induce opsonophagocytic responses in mice. Nevertheless, the immune response elicited by the O ‐acetylated glycoconjugate was better in both quantity and quality, proving that the O ‐acetyl group is not strictly necessary but also not irrelevant for the antigenicity and immunogenicity of the 7F serotype polysaccharide and its glycoconjugates.