View article

The variable efficacy of Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccination against tuberculosis has prompted efforts to improve the vaccine. In this study, we used autophagy to enhance vaccine efficacy against tuberculosis in a mouse model. We examined the effect of autophagy on the processing of the immunodominant mycobacterial antigen Ag85B by antigen presenting cells (APCs), macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs). We found that rapamycin-induced autophagy enhanced Ag85B presentation by APCs infected with wild-type Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, H37Rv-derived ΔfbpA attenuated candidate vaccine or BCG. Furthermore, rapamycin enhanced localization of mycobacteria with autophagosomes and lysosomes. Rapamycin-enhanced antigen presentation was attenuated when autophagy was suppressed by 3-methyladenine or by small interfering RNA against beclin-1. Notably, mice immunized with …