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Cheng K, Ma N, Liang J, Ma X, Feng Q, Liu G, Xu C, Tang M, Zhang L, Gao X, Xu J, Wang C, Zhu F, Wang X, Li X, Zhao X, Nie G. Site-Specific Modification of Virus-Like Particles for Exogenous Tumor Antigen Display and Minimizing Preexisting Immunity. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2300125. [PMID: 36879481 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202300125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The widespread preexisting immunity against virus-like particles (VLPs) seriously limits the applications of VLPs as vaccine vectors. Enabling technology for exogenous antigen display should not only ensure the assembly ability of VLPs and site-specific modification, but also consider the effect of preexisting immunity on the behavior of VLPs in vivo. Here, combining genetic code expansion technique and synthetic biology strategy, a site-specific modification method for hepatitis B core (HBc) VLPs via incorporating azido-phenylalanine into the desired positions is described. Through modification position screening, it is found that HBc VLPs incorporated with azido-phenylalanine at the main immune region can effectively assemble and rapidly conjugate with the dibenzocycolctyne-modified tumor-associated antigens, mucin-1 (MUC1). The site-specific modification of HBc VLPs not only improves the immunogenicity of MUC1 antigens but also shields the immunogenicity of HBc VLPs themselves, thereby activating a strong and persistent anti-MUC1 immune response even in the presence of preexisting anti-HBc immunity, which results in the efficient tumor elimination in a lung metastatic mouse model. Together, these results demonstrate the site-specific modification strategy enabled HBc VLPs behave as a potent antitumor vaccine and this strategy to manipulate immunogenicity of VLPs may be suitable for other VLP-based vaccine vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keman Cheng
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Nana Ma
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Jie Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Xiaotu Ma
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Qingqing Feng
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Guangna Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Chen Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Ming Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Lizhuo Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyu Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Jiaqi Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Chufan Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Fei Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Xinwei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Xiang Li
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, P. R. China
| | - Xiao Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
- IGDB-NCNST Joint Research Center, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, P. R. China
| | - Guangjun Nie
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
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Zamora-Ceballos M, Moreno N, Gil-Cantero D, Castón JR, Blanco E, Bárcena J. Immunogenicity of Multi-Target Chimeric RHDV Virus-like Particles Delivering Foreign B-Cell Epitopes. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10020229. [PMID: 35214688 PMCID: PMC8875457 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10020229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) vaccine platform is a nanoparticle composed of 180 copies of the viral capsid protein, VP60, self-assembled into virus-like particles (VLPs). RHDV VLPs are able to accept the simultaneous incorporation of target epitopes at different insertion sites. The resulting chimeric RHDV VLPs displaying immunogenic foreign antigens have been shown to induce specific protective immune responses against inserted heterologous T-cytotoxic and B-cell epitopes in the mouse and pig models. In this study, we explored whether RHDV-based engineered VLPs can be developed as efficient multivalent vaccines co-delivering different foreign B-cell antigens. We generated bivalent chimeric RHDV VLPs displaying two model B-cell epitopes at different surface-exposed insertion sites, as well as the corresponding monovalent chimeric VLPs. The immunogenic potential of the bivalent chimeric VLPs versus the monovalent constructs was assessed in the mouse model. We found that the bivalent chimeric VLPs elicited a strong and balanced antibody response towards the two target epitopes tested, although slight reductions were observed in the levels of specific serum antibody titers induced by bivalent chimeric VLPs as compared with the corresponding monovalent constructs. These results suggest that RHDV VLPs could represent a promising platform for the development of efficient multivalent vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Zamora-Ceballos
- Instituto Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA/CSIC), Valdeolmos, 28130 Madrid, Spain; (M.Z.-C.); (N.M.); (E.B.)
| | - Noelia Moreno
- Instituto Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA/CSIC), Valdeolmos, 28130 Madrid, Spain; (M.Z.-C.); (N.M.); (E.B.)
| | - David Gil-Cantero
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología/CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (D.G.-C.); (J.R.C.)
| | - José R. Castón
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología/CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (D.G.-C.); (J.R.C.)
| | - Esther Blanco
- Instituto Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA/CSIC), Valdeolmos, 28130 Madrid, Spain; (M.Z.-C.); (N.M.); (E.B.)
| | - Juan Bárcena
- Instituto Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA/CSIC), Valdeolmos, 28130 Madrid, Spain; (M.Z.-C.); (N.M.); (E.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-916-202-300
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McFall-Boegeman H, Huang X. Mechanisms of cellular and humoral immunity through the lens of VLP-based vaccines. Expert Rev Vaccines 2022; 21:453-469. [PMID: 35023430 PMCID: PMC8960355 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2022.2029415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Vaccination can be effective defense against many infectious agents and the corresponding diseases. Discoveries elucidating the mechanisms of the immune system have given hopes to developing vaccines against diseases recalcitrant to current treatment/prevention strategies. One such finding is the ability of immunogenic biological nanoparticles to powerfully boost the immunogenicity of poorer antigens conjugated to them with virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccines as a key example. VLPs take advantage of the well-defined molecular structures associated with sub-unit vaccines and the immunostimulatory nature of conjugate vaccines. AREAS COVERED In this review, we will discuss how advances in understanding the immune system can inform VLP-based vaccine design and how VLP-based vaccines have uncovered underlying mechanisms in the immune system. EXPERT OPINION As our understanding of mechanisms underlying the immune system increases, that knowledge should inform our vaccine design. Testing of proof-of-concept vaccines in the lab should seek to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of immune responses. The integration of these approaches will allow for VLP-based vaccines to live up to their promise as a powerful plug-and-play platform for next generation vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hunter McFall-Boegeman
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.,Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Xuefei Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.,Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
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Aebischer A, Wernike K, König P, Franzke K, Wichgers Schreur PJ, Kortekaas J, Vitikainen M, Wiebe M, Saloheimo M, Tchelet R, Audonnet JC, Beer M. Development of a Modular Vaccine Platform for Multimeric Antigen Display Using an Orthobunyavirus Model. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9060651. [PMID: 34203630 PMCID: PMC8232151 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9060651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases represent an increasing threat to human and animal health. Therefore, safe and effective vaccines that could be available within a short time frame after an outbreak are required for adequate prevention and control. Here, we developed a robust and versatile self-assembling multimeric protein scaffold particle (MPSP) vaccine platform using lumazine synthase (LS) from Aquifex aeolicus. This scaffold allowed the presentation of peptide epitopes by genetic fusion as well as the presentation of large antigens by bacterial superglue-based conjugation to the pre-assembled particle. Using the orthobunyavirus model Schmallenberg virus (SBV) we designed MPSPs presenting major immunogens of SBV and assessed their efficacy in a mouse model as well as in cattle, a target species of SBV. All prototype vaccines conferred protection from viral challenge infection and the multivalent presentation of the selected antigens on the MPSP markedly improved their immunogenicity compared to the monomeric subunits. Even a single shot vaccination protected about 80% of mice from an otherwise lethal dose of SBV. Most importantly, the MPSPs induced a virtually sterile immunity in cattle. Altogether, LS represents a promising platform for modular and rapid vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Aebischer
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (A.A.); (K.W.); (P.K.); (K.F.)
| | - Kerstin Wernike
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (A.A.); (K.W.); (P.K.); (K.F.)
| | - Patricia König
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (A.A.); (K.W.); (P.K.); (K.F.)
| | - Kati Franzke
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (A.A.); (K.W.); (P.K.); (K.F.)
| | - Paul J. Wichgers Schreur
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, 8221 RA Lelystad, The Netherlands; (P.J.W.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Jeroen Kortekaas
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, 8221 RA Lelystad, The Netherlands; (P.J.W.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Marika Vitikainen
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., 02150 Espoo, Finland; (M.V.); (M.W.); (M.S.)
| | - Marilyn Wiebe
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., 02150 Espoo, Finland; (M.V.); (M.W.); (M.S.)
| | - Markku Saloheimo
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., 02150 Espoo, Finland; (M.V.); (M.W.); (M.S.)
| | - Ronen Tchelet
- Dyadic Netherland B.V., 6709 PA Wageningen, The Netherlands;
| | | | - Martin Beer
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (A.A.); (K.W.); (P.K.); (K.F.)
- Correspondence:
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Shahnazari M, Samadi P, Pourjafar M, Jalali A. Therapeutic vaccines for colorectal cancer: The progress and future prospect. Int Immunopharmacol 2020; 88:106944. [PMID: 33182032 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2020.106944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer vaccines are usually derived from the patient's tumor cells or the antigens found on their surface, which may help the immune system to identify and kill these malignant cells. Current focus of many researches is designing vaccines with the hope of triggering the immune system to attack cancer cells in a more effective, reliable and safe manner. Although colorectal cancer (CRC) is recognized as the third leading cause of death by cancer, but significant advances in therapy strategies have been made in recent years, including cancer vaccine. In this review, we present various vaccine platforms that have been used in the border battle against CRC, some of which have been approved for clinical use and some are in late-stage clinical trials. Until September 2020 there is approximately 1940 clinical trials of cancer vaccines on patients with different cancer types, and also many more trials are in the planning stages, which makes it the most important period of therapeutic cancer vaccines studies in the history of the immunotherapy. In cancer vaccines clinical trials, there are several considerations that must be taken into account including engineering of antigen-presenting cells, potential toxicity of antigenic areas, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of vaccines, and monitoring of the patients' immune response. Therefore, the need to overcome immunosuppression mechanisms/immune tolerance is a critical step for the success of introducing therapeutic vaccines into the widely used drugs on market. In this way, better understanding of neoantigens, tumor immune surveillance escape mechanisms and host-tumor interactions are required to develop more effective and safe cancer vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Shahnazari
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; Student Research Committee, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Pouria Samadi
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; Student Research Committee, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
| | - Mona Pourjafar
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; Student Research Committee, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Akram Jalali
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
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Dai C, Khalil ZG, Hussein WM, Yang J, Wang X, Zhao L, Capon RJ, Toth I, Stephenson RJ. Opsonic Activity of Conservative Versus Variable Regions of the Group A Streptococcus M Protein. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8020210. [PMID: 32392777 PMCID: PMC7349123 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8020210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) and GAS-associated infections are a global challenge, with no licensed GAS vaccine on the market. The GAS M protein is a critical virulence factor in the fight against GAS infection, and it has been a primary target for GAS vaccine development. Measuring functional opsonic antibodies against GAS is an important component in the clinical development path for effective vaccines. In this study, we compared the opsonic activity of two synthetic, self-adjuvanting subunit vaccines containing either the J8- or 88/30-epitope in Swiss outbred mice using intranasal administration. Following primary immunization and three boosts, sera were assessed for IgG activity using ELISA, and opsonization activity against seven randomly selected clinical isolates of GAS was measured. Vaccine constructs containing the conservative J8-epitope showed significant opsonic activity against six out of the seven GAS clinical isolates, while the vaccine containing the variable 88/30-epitope did not show any significant opsonic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuankai Dai
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.D.); (W.M.H.); (J.Y.); (X.W.); (L.Z.); (I.T.)
| | - Zeinab G. Khalil
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (Z.G.K.); (R.J.C.)
| | - Waleed M. Hussein
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.D.); (W.M.H.); (J.Y.); (X.W.); (L.Z.); (I.T.)
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University, Helwan 11795, Egypt
| | - Jieru Yang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.D.); (W.M.H.); (J.Y.); (X.W.); (L.Z.); (I.T.)
| | - Xiumin Wang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.D.); (W.M.H.); (J.Y.); (X.W.); (L.Z.); (I.T.)
- Gene Engineering Laboratory, Feed Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
- Key Laboratory of Feed Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Lili Zhao
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.D.); (W.M.H.); (J.Y.); (X.W.); (L.Z.); (I.T.)
| | - Robert J. Capon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (Z.G.K.); (R.J.C.)
| | - Istvan Toth
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.D.); (W.M.H.); (J.Y.); (X.W.); (L.Z.); (I.T.)
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (Z.G.K.); (R.J.C.)
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Rachel J. Stephenson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (C.D.); (W.M.H.); (J.Y.); (X.W.); (L.Z.); (I.T.)
- Correspondence:
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Andersson AMC, Buldun CM, Pattinson DJ, Draper SJ, Howarth M. SnoopLigase peptide-peptide conjugation enables modular vaccine assembly. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4625. [PMID: 30874593 PMCID: PMC6420506 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40985-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
For many infectious diseases there is still no vaccine, even though potential protective antigens have been identified. Suitable platforms and conjugation routes are urgently needed to convert the promise of such antigens into broadly protective and scalable vaccines. Here we apply a newly established peptide-peptide ligation approach, SnoopLigase, for specific and irreversible coupling of antigens onto an oligomerization platform. SnoopLigase was engineered from a Streptococcus pneumoniae adhesin and enables isopeptide bond formation between two peptide tags: DogTag and SnoopTagJr. We expressed in bacteria DogTag linked to the self-assembling coiled-coil nanoparticle IMX313. This platform was stable over months at 37 °C when lyophilized, remaining reactive even after boiling. IMX-DogTag was efficiently coupled to two blood-stage malarial proteins (from PfEMP1 or CyRPA), with SnoopTagJr fused at the N- or C-terminus. We also showed SnoopLigase-mediated coupling of a telomerase peptide relevant to cancer immunotherapy. SnoopLigase-mediated nanoassembly enhanced the antibody response to both malaria antigens in a prime-boost model. Including or depleting SnoopLigase from the conjugate had little effect on the antibody response to the malarial antigens. SnoopLigase decoration represents a promising and accessible strategy for modular plug-and-display vaccine assembly, as well as providing opportunities for robust nanoconstruction in synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Can M Buldun
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | | | - Simon J Draper
- Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Mark Howarth
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
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Donaldson B, Lateef Z, Walker GF, Young SL, Ward VK. Virus-like particle vaccines: immunology and formulation for clinical translation. Expert Rev Vaccines 2018; 17:833-849. [PMID: 30173619 PMCID: PMC7103734 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2018.1516552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines face significant challenges in their translation from laboratory models, to routine clinical administration. While some VLP vaccines thrive and are readily adopted into the vaccination schedule, others are restrained by regulatory obstacles, proprietary limitations, or finding their niche amongst the crowded vaccine market. Often the necessity to supplant an existing vaccination regimen possesses an immediate obstacle for the development of a VLP vaccine, despite any preclinical advantages identified over the competition. Novelty, adaptability and formulation compatibility may prove invaluable in helping place VLP vaccines at the forefront of vaccination technology. AREAS COVERED The purpose of this review is to outline the diversity of VLP vaccines, VLP-specific immune responses, and to explore how modern formulation and delivery techniques can enhance the clinical relevance and overall success of VLP vaccines. EXPERT COMMENTARY The role of formation science, with an emphasis on the diversity of immune responses induced by VLP, is underrepresented amongst clinical trials for VLP vaccines. Harnessing such diversity, particularly through the use of combinations of select excipients and adjuvants, will be paramount in the development of VLP vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braeden Donaldson
- a Department of Microbiology and Immunology , School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand.,b Department of Pathology , Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand
| | - Zabeen Lateef
- c Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand
| | - Greg F Walker
- d School of Pharmacy , University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand
| | - Sarah L Young
- b Department of Pathology , Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand
| | - Vernon K Ward
- a Department of Microbiology and Immunology , School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand
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Donaldson B, Al-Barwani F, Pelham SJ, Young K, Ward VK, Young SL. Multi-target chimaeric VLP as a therapeutic vaccine in a model of colorectal cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2017; 5:69. [PMID: 28806910 PMCID: PMC5556368 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-017-0270-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Colorectal cancer is responsible for almost 700,000 deaths annually worldwide. Therapeutic vaccination is a promising alternative to conventional treatment for colorectal cancer, using vaccines to induce targeted immune responses against tumour-associated antigens. In this study, we have developed chimaeric virus-like particles (VLP), a form of non-infectious non-replicative subunit vaccine consisting of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) VP60 capsid proteins containing recombinantly inserted epitopes from murine topoisomerase IIα and survivin. These vaccines were developed in mono- (T.VP60, S.VP60) and multi-target (TS.VP60) forms, aiming to elucidate the potential benefits from multi-target vaccination. Methods Chimaeric RHDV VLP were developed by recombinantly inserting immune epitopes at the N-terminus of VP60. Vaccines were tested against a murine model of colorectal cancer by establishing MC38-OVA tumours subcutaneously. Unmethylated CpG DNA oligonucleotides (CpGs) were used as a vaccine adjuvant. Statistical tests employed included the Mantel-Cox log-rank test, ANOVA and unpaired t-tests depending on the data analysed, with a post hoc Bonferroni adjustment for multiple measures. Results Chimaeric RHDV VLP were found to form a composite particle in the presence of CpGs. Overall survival was significantly improved amongst mice bearing MC38-OVA tumours following vaccination with T.VP60 (60%, 9/15), S.VP60 (60%, 9/15) or TS.VP60 (73%, 11/15). TS.VP60 significantly prolonged the vaccine-induced remission period in comparison to each mono-therapy. Conclusions Chimaeric VLP containing multiple epitopes were found to confer an advantage for therapeutic vaccination in a model of colorectal cancer based on the prolongation of remission prior to tumour escape. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40425-017-0270-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braeden Donaldson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Department of Pathology, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Farah Al-Barwani
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Department of Pathology, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Simon J Pelham
- Department of Pathology, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Katie Young
- Department of Pathology, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Vernon K Ward
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sarah L Young
- Department of Pathology, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.
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10
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Singh SK, Thrane S, Janitzek CM, Nielsen MA, Theander TG, Theisen M, Salanti A, Sander AF. Improving the malaria transmission-blocking activity of a Plasmodium falciparum 48/45 based vaccine antigen by SpyTag/SpyCatcher mediated virus-like display. Vaccine 2017; 35:3726-3732. [PMID: 28578824 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.05.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is a devastating disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, resulting in almost 0.5 million deaths per year. The Pfs48/45 protein exposed on the P. falciparum sexual stages is one of the most advanced antigen candidates for a transmission-blocking (TB) vaccine in the clinical pipeline. However, it remains essential to identify an optimal vaccine formulation that can facilitate induction of a long-lasting TB anti-Pfs48/45 response. Here we report on the development and evaluation of two Pfs48/45-based virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines generated using the AP205 SpyTag/Catcher VLP system. Two different recombinant proteins (SpyCatcher-R0.6C and SpyCatcher-6C), comprising the Pfs48/45-6C region, were covalently attached to the surface of Spy-tagged Acinetobacter phage AP205 VLPs. Resulting Pfs48/45-VLP complexes appeared as non-aggregated particles of ∼30nm, each displaying an average of 216 (R0.6C) or 291 (6C) copies of the antigens. Both R0.6C and 6C VLP conjugates were strongly reactive with a monoclonal antibody (mAb45.1) targeting a conformational TB Pfs48/45 epitope, suggesting that the TB epitope is accessible for immune recognition on the particles. To select the most suitable vaccine formulation for downstream clinical studies the two VLP vaccines were tested in CD1 mice using different adjuvant formulations. The study demonstrates that VLP-display of R0.6C and 6C significantly increases antigen immunogenicity when using Montanide ISA 720 VG as extrinsic adjuvant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susheel K Singh
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark; Department for Congenital Disorders, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Susan Thrane
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Christoph M Janitzek
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Morten A Nielsen
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Thor G Theander
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Michael Theisen
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark; Department for Congenital Disorders, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Ali Salanti
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Adam F Sander
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.
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11
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Charlton Hume HK, Lua LHL. Platform technologies for modern vaccine manufacturing. Vaccine 2017; 35:4480-4485. [PMID: 28347504 PMCID: PMC7115529 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.02.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 10/29/2022]
Abstract
Improved understanding of antigenic components and their interaction with the immune system, as supported by computational tools, permits a sophisticated approach to modern vaccine design. Vaccine platforms provide an effective tool by which strategically designed peptide and protein antigens are modularized to enhance their immunogenicity. These modular vaccine platforms can overcome issues faced by traditional vaccine manufacturing and have the potential to generate safe vaccines, rapidly and at a low cost. This review introduces two promising platforms based on virus-like particle and liposome, and discusses the methodologies and challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley K Charlton Hume
- The University of Queensland, Protein Expression Facility, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Linda H L Lua
- The University of Queensland, Protein Expression Facility, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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12
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Seth A, Kong IG, Lee SH, Yang JY, Lee YS, Kim Y, Wibowo N, Middelberg AP, Lua LH, Kweon MN. Modular virus-like particles for sublingual vaccination against group A streptococcus. Vaccine 2016; 34:6472-6480. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Revised: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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13
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Tekewe A, Fan Y, Tan E, Middelberg APJ, Lua LHL. Integrated molecular and bioprocess engineering for bacterially produced immunogenic modular virus-like particle vaccine displaying 18 kDa rotavirus antigen. Biotechnol Bioeng 2016; 114:397-406. [PMID: 27497268 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2016] [Revised: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
A high global burden of rotavirus disease and the unresolved challenges with the marketed rotavirus vaccines, particularly in the developing world, have ignited efforts to develop virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines for rotavirus. While rotavirus-like particles comprising multiple viral proteins can be difficult to process, modular VLPs presenting rotavirus antigenic modules are promising alternatives in reducing process complexity and cost. In this study, integrated molecular and bioprocess engineering approaches were used to simplify the production of modular murine polyomavirus capsomeres and VLPs presenting a rotavirus 18 kDa VP8* antigen. A single construct was generated for dual expression of non-tagged murine polyomavirus capsid protein VP1 and modular VP1 inserted with VP8*, for co-expression in Escherichia coli. Co-expressed proteins assembled into pentameric capsomeres in E. coli. A selective salting-out precipitation and a polishing size exclusion chromatography step allowed the recovery of stable modular capsomeres from cell lysates at high purity, and modular capsomeres were successfully translated into modular VLPs when assembled in vitro. Immunogenicity study in mice showed that modular capsomeres and VLPs induced high levels of VP8*-specific antibodies. Our results demonstrate that a multipronged synthetic biology approach combining molecular and bioprocess engineering enabled simple and low-cost production of highly immunogenic modular capsomeres and VLPs presenting conformational VP8* antigenic modules. This strategy potentially provides a cost-effective production route for modular capsomere and VLP vaccines against rotavirus, highly suitable to manufacturing economics for the developing world. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 397-406. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alemu Tekewe
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnoloy, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yuanyuan Fan
- Protein Expression Facility, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Emilyn Tan
- Protein Expression Facility, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Anton P J Middelberg
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnoloy, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Linda H L Lua
- Protein Expression Facility, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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14
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McCluskie MJ, Evans DM, Zhang N, Benoit M, McElhiney SP, Unnithan M, DeMarco SC, Clay B, Huber C, Deora A, Thorn JM, Stead DR, Merson JR, Davis HL. The effect of preexisting anti-carrier immunity on subsequent responses to CRM197 or Qb-VLP conjugate vaccines. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2016; 38:184-96. [PMID: 27121368 DOI: 10.3109/08923973.2016.1165246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Certain antigens, such as haptens (small molecules), short peptides, and carbohydrates (e.g. bacterial polysaccharides) are non- or poorly immunogenic unless conjugated to a carrier molecule that provides a structural scaffold for antigen presentation as well as T cell help required for B-cell activation and maturation. However, the carriers themselves are immunogenic and resulting carrier-specific immune responses may impact the immunogenicity of other conjugate vaccines using the same carrier that are administered subsequently. OBJECTIVE Herein, using two different carriers (cross-reactive material 197, CRM and Qb-VLP), we examined in mice the impact that preexisting anti-carrier antibodies (Ab) had on subsequent immune responses to conjugates with either the same or a different carrier. METHOD For this purpose, we used two nicotine hapten conjugates (NIC7-CRM or NIC-Qb), two IgE peptide conjugates (Y-CRM or Y-Qb), and a pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate (Prevnar 13(®)). RESULTS Prior exposure to CRM or Qb-VLP significantly reduced subsequent responses to the conjugated antigen having the homologous carrier, with the exception of Prevnar 13® where anti-polysaccharide responses were similar to those in animals without preexisting anti-carrier Ab. CONCLUSION Collectively, the data suggest that the relative sizes of the antigen and carrier, as well as the conjugation density for a given conjugate impact the extent of anti-carrier suppression. All animals developed anti-carrier responses with repeat vaccination and the differences in Ab titer between groups with and without preexisting anti-carrier responses became less apparent; however, anti-carrier effects were more durable for Ab function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J McCluskie
- a Pfizer Vaccine Immunotherapeutics , Ottawa Laboratories , Ottawa , ON , Canada
| | - Dana M Evans
- a Pfizer Vaccine Immunotherapeutics , Ottawa Laboratories , Ottawa , ON , Canada
| | - Ningli Zhang
- a Pfizer Vaccine Immunotherapeutics , Ottawa Laboratories , Ottawa , ON , Canada
| | - Michelle Benoit
- a Pfizer Vaccine Immunotherapeutics , Ottawa Laboratories , Ottawa , ON , Canada
| | - Susan P McElhiney
- b Pfizer Vaccine Research and Early Development , Pearl River , NY , USA
| | - Manu Unnithan
- b Pfizer Vaccine Research and Early Development , Pearl River , NY , USA
| | - Suzanne C DeMarco
- c Pfizer Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences , St. Louis , MO , USA
| | - Bryan Clay
- d Pfizer Vaccine Immunotherapeutics , La Jolla , CA , USA
| | | | - Aparna Deora
- c Pfizer Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences , St. Louis , MO , USA
| | - Jennifer M Thorn
- c Pfizer Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences , St. Louis , MO , USA
| | - David R Stead
- d Pfizer Vaccine Immunotherapeutics , La Jolla , CA , USA
| | - James R Merson
- d Pfizer Vaccine Immunotherapeutics , La Jolla , CA , USA
| | - Heather L Davis
- a Pfizer Vaccine Immunotherapeutics , Ottawa Laboratories , Ottawa , ON , Canada
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15
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Zhang X, Xin L, Li S, Fang M, Zhang J, Xia N, Zhao Q. Lessons learned from successful human vaccines: Delineating key epitopes by dissecting the capsid proteins. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2016; 11:1277-92. [PMID: 25751641 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2015.1016675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Recombinant VLP-based vaccines have been successfully used against 3 diseases caused by viral infections: Hepatitis B, cervical cancer and hepatitis E. The VLP approach is attracting increasing attention in vaccine design and development for human and veterinary use. This review summarizes the clinically relevant epitopes on the VLP antigens in successful human vaccines. These virion-like epitopes, which can be delineated with molecular biology, cryo-electron microscopy and x-ray crystallographic methods, are the prerequisites for these efficacious vaccines to elicit functional antibodies. The critical epitopes and key factors influencing these epitopes are discussed for the HEV, HPV and HBV vaccines. A pentamer (for HPV) or a dimer (for HEV and HBV), rather than a monomer, is the basic building block harboring critical epitopes for the assembly of VLP antigen. The processing and formulation of VLP-based vaccines need to be developed to promote the formation and stabilization of these epitopes in the recombinant antigens. Delineating the critical epitopes is essential for antigen design in the early phase of vaccine development and for critical quality attribute analysis in the commercial phase of vaccine manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Zhang
- a State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases; Xiamen University ; Xiamen , Fujian , PR China
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16
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Ladd Effio C, Baumann P, Weigel C, Vormittag P, Middelberg A, Hubbuch J. High-throughput process development of an alternative platform for the production of virus-like particles in Escherichia coli. J Biotechnol 2015; 219:7-19. [PMID: 26707548 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2015.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Revised: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The production of safe vaccines against untreatable or new diseases has pushed the research in the field of virus-like particles (VLPs). Currently, a large number of commercial VLP-based human vaccines and vaccine candidates are available or under development. A promising VLP production route is the controlled in vitro assembly of virus proteins into capsids. In the study reported here, a high-throughput screening (HTS) procedure was implemented for the upstream process development of a VLP platform in bacterial cell systems. Miniaturized cultivations were carried out in 48-well format in the BioLector system (m2p-Labs, Germany) using an Escherichia coli strain with a tac promoter producing the murine polyomavirus capsid protein (VP1). The screening procedure incorporated micro-scale cultivations, HTS cell disruption by sonication and HTS-compatible analytics by capillary gel electrophoresis. Cultivation temperatures, shaking speeds, induction and medium conditions were varied to optimize the product expression in E. coli. The most efficient system was selected based on an evaluation of soluble and insoluble product concentrations as well as on the percentage of product in the total soluble protein fraction. The optimized system was scaled up to cultivation 2.5L shaker flask scale and purified using an anion exchange chromatography membrane adsorber, followed by a size exclusion chromatography polishing procedure. For proof of concept, purified VP1 capsomeres were assembled under defined buffer conditions into empty capsids and characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The presented HTS procedure allowed for a fast development of an efficient production process of VLPs in E. coli. Under optimized cultivation conditions, the VP1 product totalled up to 43% of the total soluble protein fraction, yielding 1.63 mg VP1 per mL of applied cultivation medium. The developed production process strongly promotes the murine polyoma-VLP platform, moving towards an industrially feasible technology for new chimeric vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Ladd Effio
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany.
| | - Pascal Baumann
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany.
| | - Claudia Weigel
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Philipp Vormittag
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Anton Middelberg
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jürgen Hubbuch
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany.
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17
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Synthetic biology design to display an 18 kDa rotavirus large antigen on a modular virus-like particle. Vaccine 2015; 33:5937-44. [PMID: 26387437 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2015] [Revised: 08/30/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Virus-like particles are an established class of commercial vaccine possessing excellent function and proven stability. Exciting developments made possible by modern tools of synthetic biology has stimulated emergence of modular VLPs, whereby parts of one pathogen are by design integrated into a less harmful VLP which has preferential physical and manufacturing character. This strategy allows the immunologically protective parts of a pathogen to be displayed on the most-suitable VLP. However, the field of modular VLP design is immature, and robust design principles are yet to emerge, particularly for larger antigenic structures. Here we use a combination of molecular dynamic simulation and experiment to reveal two key design principles for VLPs. First, the linkers connecting the integrated antigenic module with the VLP-forming protein must be well designed to ensure structural separation and independence. Second, the number of antigenic domains on the VLP surface must be sufficiently below the maximum such that a "steric barrier" to VLP formation cannot exist. This second principle leads to designs whereby co-expression of modular protein with unmodified VLP-forming protein can titrate down the amount of antigen on the surface of the VLP, to the point where assembly can proceed. In this work we elucidate these principles by displaying the 18.1 kDa VP8* domain from rotavirus on the murine polyomavirus VLP, and show functional presentation of the antigenic structure.
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18
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Ravin NV, Blokhina EA, Kuprianov VV, Stepanova LA, Shaldjan AA, Kovaleva AA, Tsybalova LM, Skryabin KG. Development of a candidate influenza vaccine based on virus-like particles displaying influenza M2e peptide into the immunodominant loop region of hepatitis B core antigen: Insertion of multiple copies of M2e increases immunogenicity and protective efficiency. Vaccine 2015; 33:3392-7. [PMID: 25937448 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.04.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/18/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The extracellular domain of the transmembrane protein M2 (M2e) of influenza A virus is a promising target for the development of "universal" vaccines against influenza. M2e is a poor immunogen by itself; however, when M2e is linked to an appropriate carrier, such as hepatitis B virus core (HBc) particles, it becomes highly immunogenic. Insertions of target peptides into the surface-exposed major immunodominant loop region (MIR) of the HBc antigen are especially immunogenic, but such insertions often affect the protein folding and formation of recombinant virus-like particles. To facilitate an appropriate conformation of the M2e insert, we introduced flexible linkers at the junction points between the insert and flanking HBc sequences. This approach allowed the construction of recombinant HBc particles carrying 1, 2 and 4 copies of M2e in the MIR region. These particles were produced in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The immune response and protective activity of hybrid HBc particles in mice correlated with the number of inserted M2e peptides: the highest immunogenicity and complete protection of mice against the lethal challenge by influenza virus was observed with particles carrying four copies of M2e. The possibility of the simultaneous presentation of M2e peptides from several important influenza strains on a single HBc particle could also facilitate the development of a broad-specificity vaccine efficient not only against influenza A strains of human origin but also for newly emerging strains of animal origin, such as the avian influenza.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai V Ravin
- Centre 'Bioengineering', Russian Academy of Sciences, 117312 Prosp. 60-letya Oktyabrya 7-1, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Elena A Blokhina
- Centre 'Bioengineering', Russian Academy of Sciences, 117312 Prosp. 60-letya Oktyabrya 7-1, Moscow, Russia
| | - Victor V Kuprianov
- Centre 'Bioengineering', Russian Academy of Sciences, 117312 Prosp. 60-letya Oktyabrya 7-1, Moscow, Russia
| | - Liudmila A Stepanova
- Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Federation Ministry of Health, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Aram A Shaldjan
- Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Federation Ministry of Health, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Anna A Kovaleva
- Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Federation Ministry of Health, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Liudmila M Tsybalova
- Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Federation Ministry of Health, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Konstantin G Skryabin
- Centre 'Bioengineering', Russian Academy of Sciences, 117312 Prosp. 60-letya Oktyabrya 7-1, Moscow, Russia
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19
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Beaumont E, Roingeard P. Chimeric hepatitis B virus (HBV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) subviral envelope particles induce efficient anti-HCV antibody production in animals pre-immunized with HBV vaccine. Vaccine 2015; 33:973-6. [PMID: 25596457 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Revised: 01/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The development of an effective, affordable prophylactic vaccine against hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a medical priority. The recently described chimeric HBV-HCV subviral envelope particles could potentially be used for this purpose, as they could be produced by industrial procedures adapted from those established for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine. We show here, in an animal model, that pre-existing immunity acquired through HBV vaccination does not influence the immunogenicity of the HCV E2 protein presented by these chimeric particles. Thus, these chimeric HBV-HCV subviral envelope particles could potentially be used as a booster in individuals previously vaccinated against HBV, to induce protective immunity to HCV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Beaumont
- INSERM U966, Université François Rabelais and CHRU de Tours, 10 bld Tonnelle, Tours, France
| | - Philippe Roingeard
- INSERM U966, Université François Rabelais and CHRU de Tours, 10 bld Tonnelle, Tours, France.
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20
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Machida K, Imataka H. Production methods for viral particles. Biotechnol Lett 2014; 37:753-60. [DOI: 10.1007/s10529-014-1741-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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21
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Energetic changes caused by antigenic module insertion in a virus-like particle revealed by experiment and molecular dynamics simulations. PLoS One 2014; 9:e107313. [PMID: 25215874 PMCID: PMC4162605 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The success of recombinant virus-like particles (VLPs) for human papillomavirus and hepatitis B demonstrates the potential of VLPs as safe and efficacious vaccines. With new modular designs emerging, the effects of antigen module insertion on the self-assembly and structural integrity of VLPs should be clarified so as to better enabling improved design. Previous work has revealed insights into the molecular energetics of a VLP subunit, capsomere, comparing energetics within various solution conditions known to drive or inhibit self-assembly. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations coupled with the molecular mechanics-Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) method were performed to examine the molecular interactions and energetics in a modular capsomere of a murine polyomavirus (MPV) VLP designed to protect against influenza. Insertion of an influenza antigenic module is found to lower the binding energy within the capsomere, and a more active state is observed in Assembly Buffer as compared with that in Stabilization Buffer, which has been experimentally validated through measurements using differential scanning calorimetry. Further in-depth analysis based on free-energy decomposition indicates that destabilized binding can be attributed to electrostatic interaction induced by the chosen antigen module. These results provide molecular insights into the conformational stability of capsomeres and their abilities to be exploited for antigen presentation, and are expected to be beneficial for the biomolecular engineering of VLP vaccines.
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23
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Shukla S, Wen AM, Commandeur U, Steinmetz NF. Presentation of HER2 epitopes using a filamentous plant virus-based vaccination platform. J Mater Chem B 2014; 2:6249-6258. [DOI: 10.1039/c4tb00749b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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24
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Wibowo N, Hughes FK, Fairmaid EJ, Lua LHL, Brown LE, Middelberg APJ. Protective efficacy of a bacterially produced modular capsomere presenting M2e from influenza: extending the potential of broadly cross-protecting epitopes. Vaccine 2014; 32:3651-5. [PMID: 24795225 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.04.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2013] [Revised: 02/23/2014] [Accepted: 04/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Influenza A viruses drift and shift, emerging as antigenically distinct strains that lead to epidemics and pandemics of varying severity. Even epitopes associated with broad cross-protection against different strains, such as the ectodomain of matrix protein 2 (M2e), mutate unpredictably. Vaccine protective efficacy is only ensured when the emerging virus lies within the vaccine's cross-protective domain, which is poorly defined in most situations. When virus emerges outside this domain it is essential to rapidly re-engineer the vaccine and hence re-center the cross-protective domain on the new virus. This approach of vaccine re-engineering in response to virus change is the cornerstone of the current influenza control system, based on annual prediction and/or pandemic reaction. This system could become more responsive, and perhaps preventative, if its speed could be improved. Here, we demonstrate vaccine efficacy of a rapidly manufacturable modular capsomere presenting the broadly cross-protecting M2e epitope from influenza. M2e inserted into a viral capsomere at the DNA level was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein (Wibowo et al., 2013). Immunization of mice with this modular capsomere adjuvanted with conventional aluminum hydroxide induced high (more than 10(5) endpoint titer) levels of M2e-specific antibodies that reduced disease severity and viral load in the lungs of challenged mice. The combination of rapid manufacturability of modular capsomere presented in this study, and the established cross-protective efficacy of M2e, allow rapid matching of vaccine to the circulating virus and hence rapid re-centering of the vaccine's cross-protective domain onto the virus. This approach synergizes the discussed benefits of broadly cross-protecting epitopes with rapid scale-up vaccine manufacture using microbial cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nani Wibowo
- The University of Queensland, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Centre for Biomolecular Engineering, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Fiona K Hughes
- The University of Queensland, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Centre for Biomolecular Engineering, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Emily J Fairmaid
- The University of Melbourne, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Linda H L Lua
- The University of Queensland, Protein Expression Facility, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Lorena E Brown
- The University of Melbourne, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Anton P J Middelberg
- The University of Queensland, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Centre for Biomolecular Engineering, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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25
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Improved fusion tag cleavage strategies in the downstream processing of self-assembling virus-like particle vaccines. FOOD AND BIOPRODUCTS PROCESSING 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fbp.2013.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Chuan YP, Wibowo N, Connors NK, Wu Y, Hughes FK, Batzloff MR, Lua LH, Middelberg AP. Microbially synthesized modular virus-like particles and capsomeres displaying group A streptococcus hypervariable antigenic determinants. Biotechnol Bioeng 2013; 111:1062-70. [DOI: 10.1002/bit.25172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2013] [Revised: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yap P. Chuan
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Centre for Biomolecular Engineering; University of Queensland; St. Lucia QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Nani Wibowo
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Centre for Biomolecular Engineering; University of Queensland; St. Lucia QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Natalie K. Connors
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Centre for Biomolecular Engineering; University of Queensland; St. Lucia QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Yang Wu
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Centre for Biomolecular Engineering; University of Queensland; St. Lucia QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Fiona K. Hughes
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Centre for Biomolecular Engineering; University of Queensland; St. Lucia QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Michael R. Batzloff
- Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University; Gold Coast QLD Australia
| | - Linda H.L. Lua
- Protein Expression Facility; University of Queensland; St. Lucia QLD Australia
| | - Anton P.J. Middelberg
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Centre for Biomolecular Engineering; University of Queensland; St. Lucia QLD 4072 Australia
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Lua LHL, Connors NK, Sainsbury F, Chuan YP, Wibowo N, Middelberg APJ. Bioengineering virus-like particles as vaccines. Biotechnol Bioeng 2013; 111:425-40. [PMID: 24347238 DOI: 10.1002/bit.25159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 243] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Revised: 10/23/2013] [Accepted: 11/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Virus-like particle (VLP) technology seeks to harness the optimally tuned immunostimulatory properties of natural viruses while omitting the infectious trait. VLPs that assemble from a single protein have been shown to be safe and highly efficacious in humans, and highly profitable. VLPs emerging from basic research possess varying levels of complexity and comprise single or multiple proteins, with or without a lipid membrane. Complex VLP assembly is traditionally orchestrated within cells using black-box approaches, which are appropriate when knowledge and control over assembly are limited. Recovery challenges including those of adherent and intracellular contaminants must then be addressed. Recent commercial VLPs variously incorporate steps that include VLP in vitro assembly to address these problems robustly, but at the expense of process complexity. Increasing research activity and translation opportunity necessitate bioengineering advances and new bioprocessing modalities for efficient and cost-effective production of VLPs. Emerging approaches are necessarily multi-scale and multi-disciplinary, encompassing diverse fields from computational design of molecules to new macro-scale purification materials. In this review, we highlight historical and emerging VLP vaccine approaches. We overview approaches that seek to specifically engineer a desirable immune response through modular VLP design, and those that seek to improve bioprocess efficiency through inhibition of intracellular assembly to allow optimal use of existing purification technologies prior to cell-free VLP assembly. Greater understanding of VLP assembly and increased interdisciplinary activity will see enormous progress in VLP technology over the coming decade, driven by clear translational opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda H L Lua
- Protein Expression Facility, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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Teunissen EA, de Raad M, Mastrobattista E. Production and biomedical applications of virus-like particles derived from polyomaviruses. J Control Release 2013; 172:305-321. [PMID: 23999392 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2013.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2013] [Revised: 08/18/2013] [Accepted: 08/20/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs), aggregates of capsid proteins devoid of viral genetic material, show great promise in the fields of vaccine development and gene therapy. These particles spontaneously self-assemble after heterologous expression of viral structural proteins. This review will focus on the use of virus-like particles derived from polyomavirus capsid proteins. Since their first recombinant production 27 years ago these particles have been investigated for a myriad of biomedical applications. These virus-like particles are safe, easy to produce, can be loaded with a broad range of diverse cargoes and can be tailored for specific delivery or epitope presentation. We will highlight the structural characteristics of polyomavirus-derived VLPs and give an overview of their applications in diagnostics, vaccine development and gene delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik A Teunissen
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Markus de Raad
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Enrico Mastrobattista
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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