Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B protein antigens (MenB protein antigens)

Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B protein antigens are a specific set of surface-exposed proteins utilized as the primary targets for vaccines against invasive meningococcal disease caused by serogroup B (Pizza et al., 2000). Unlike other Neisseria meningitidis serogroups, the capsular polysaccharide of serogroup B is chemically identical to human neural cell adhesion molecules, making it poorly immunogenic and a risk for autoimmunity; thus, vaccine development shifted toward protein-based targets (Bambini & Rappuoli, 2009). The primary antigens identified through reverse vaccinology include Factor H binding protein (fHbp), Neisserial adhesin A (NadA), and Neisserial Heparin-Binding Antigen (NHBA), often supplemented with Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMV) containing Porin A (PorA) (Giuliani et al., 2006). These proteins are essential for the pathogen's virulence: fHbp recruits host factor H to evade complement-mediated killing, NadA facilitates adhesion to and invasion of host epithelial cells, and NHBA binds heparin to enhance bacterial survival (Borrow et al., 2017). Therapeutic intervention via vaccines like Bexsero and Trumenba induces the production of bactericidal antibodies that recognize these antigens, triggering the classical complement pathway to lyse the bacteria (FDA, 2015). Because of the high genetic diversity among serogroup B strains, these antigens are selected for their relative conservation and ability to provide broad cross-protection across various clinical isolates.

Other names

MenB antigensFactor H binding proteinNeisserial adhesin ANeisserial Heparin-Binding AntigenPorin AfHbpNadANHBAPorA

Induction of serum bactericidal antibodies that facilitate complement-mediated killing of the bacteria.