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Deng Y, Tang M, Ross TM, Schmidt AG, Chakraborty AK, Lingwood D. Repeated vaccination with homologous influenza hemagglutinin broadens human antibody responses to unmatched flu viruses. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.03.27.24303943. [PMID: 38585939 PMCID: PMC10996724 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.27.24303943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
The on-going diversification of influenza virus necessicates annual vaccine updating. The vaccine antigen, the viral spike protein hemagglutinin (HA), tends to elicit strain-specific neutralizing activity, predicting that sequential immunization with the same HA strain will boost antibodies with narrow coverage. However, repeated vaccination with homologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccine eventually elicits neutralizing activity against highly unmatched variants, questioning this immunological premise. We evaluated a longitudinal influenza vaccine cohort, where each year the subjects received the same, novel H1N1 2009 pandemic vaccine strain. Repeated vaccination gradually enhanced receptor-blocking antibodies (HAI) to highly unmatched H1N1 strains within individuals with no initial memory recall against these historical viruses. An in silico model of affinity maturation in germinal centers integrated with a model of differentiation and expansion of memory cells provides insight into the mechanisms underlying these results and shows how repeated exposure to the same immunogen can broaden the antibody response against diversified targets.
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Mameri H, Gaudin JC, Lollier V, Tranquet O, Brossard C, Pietri M, Marion D, Codreanu-Morel F, Beaudouin E, Wien F, Gohon Y, Briozzo P, Denery-Papini S. Critical structural elements for the antigenicity of wheat allergen LTP1 (Tri a 14) revealed by site-directed mutagenesis. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12253. [PMID: 35851276 PMCID: PMC9293932 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15811-5] [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: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) were identified as allergens in a large variety of pollens and foods, including cereals. LTPs belong to the prolamin superfamily and display an α-helical fold, with a bundle of four α-helices held together by four disulfide bonds. Wheat LTP1 is involved in allergic reactions to food. To identify critical structural elements of antibody binding to wheat LTP1, we used site-directed mutagenesis on wheat recombinant LTP1 to target: (i) sequence conservation and/or structure flexibility or (ii) each disulfide bond. We evaluated the modifications induced by these mutations on LTP1 secondary structure by synchrotron radiation circular dichroism and on its antigenicity with patient's sera and with mouse monoclonal antibodies. Disruption of the C28-C73 disulfide bond significantly affected IgE-binding and caused protein denaturation, while removing C13-C27 bond decreased LTP1 antigenicity and slightly modified LTP1 overall folding. In addition, we showed Lys72 to be a key residue; the K72A mutation did not affect global folding but modified the local 3D structure of LTP1 and strongly reduced IgE-binding. This work revealed a cluster of residues (C13, C27, C28, C73 and K72), four of which embedded in disulfide bonds, which play a critical role in LTP1 antigenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamza Mameri
- INRAE, UR 1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages (BIA), 44316, Nantes, France. .,UMR 1208 IATE, Univ Montpellier, INRAE, L'Institut-Agro Montpellier, 34060, Montpellier, France.
| | - Jean-Charles Gaudin
- INRAE, UR 1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages (BIA), 44316, Nantes, France.,INRAE, UMR 0588 Biologie intégrée pour la valorisation de la diversité des arbres et de la forêt (BIOFORA), 45075, Orléans, France
| | - Virginie Lollier
- INRAE, UR 1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages (BIA), 44316, Nantes, France.,INRAE, UR BIA, 44316, Nantes, France.,INRAE, PROBE Research Infrastructure, BIBS Facility, 44316, Nantes, France
| | - Olivier Tranquet
- INRAE, UR 1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages (BIA), 44316, Nantes, France.,INRAE UMR 1163 Biodiversité et Biotechnologie Fongiques (BBF), 13288, Marseille, France
| | - Chantal Brossard
- INRAE, UR 1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages (BIA), 44316, Nantes, France
| | - Manon Pietri
- INRAE, UR 1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages (BIA), 44316, Nantes, France.,Institut de Cancérologie de l'Ouest, Centre René Gauducheau, 44805, Saint Herblain Cedex, France
| | - Didier Marion
- INRAE, UR 1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages (BIA), 44316, Nantes, France
| | - Fanny Codreanu-Morel
- CHU Luxembourg, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, Kanner Klinik, 1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Etienne Beaudouin
- Service d'Allergologie, Hôpital de Mercy, CHR Metz, 57000, Metz, France
| | - Frank Wien
- Synchrotron Soleil, Saint-Aubin, 91192, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Yann Gohon
- INRAE, UMR 1318 Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, 78026, Versailles, France
| | - Pierre Briozzo
- INRAE, UMR 1318 Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, 78026, Versailles, France
| | - Sandra Denery-Papini
- INRAE, UR 1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages (BIA), 44316, Nantes, France.
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3
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The vaccinologist's "dirty little secret": a better understanding of structure-function relationships of viral immunogens might advance rational HIV vaccine design. Arch Virol 2021; 166:1297-1303. [PMID: 33606111 PMCID: PMC7892722 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-021-04982-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
I will offer a conceptual analysis of different notions of structure and function of viral immunogens and of different structure-function relationships. My focus will then be on the mechanisms by which the desired immune response is induced and why strategies based on three-dimensional molecular antigen structures and their rational design are limited in their ability to induce the desired immunogenicity. I will look at the mechanisms of action of adjuvants (thus the wordplay with Janeway’s “immunologist’s dirty little secret”). Strategies involving adjuvants and other (more successful) vaccination strategies rely on taking into account activities and functions (“what is going on”), and not just the structures involved (“who is there”), in binding in a “lock and key” fashion. Functional patterns as well as other organizational and temporal patterns, I will argue, are crucial for inducing the desired immune response and immunogenicity. The 3D structural approach by itself has its benefits – and its limits, which I want to highlight by this philosophical analysis, pointing out the importance of structure-function relationships. Different functional aspects such as antigenicity, immunogenicity, and immunity need to be kept separate and cannot be reduced to three-dimensional structures of vaccines. Taking into account different notions of structure and function and their relationships might thus advance our understanding of the immune system and rational HIV vaccine design, to which end philosophy can provide useful tools.
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Amitai A, Sangesland M, Barnes RM, Rohrer D, Lonberg N, Lingwood D, Chakraborty AK. Defining and Manipulating B Cell Immunodominance Hierarchies to Elicit Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Responses against Influenza Virus. Cell Syst 2020; 11:573-588.e9. [PMID: 33031741 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2020.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The antibody repertoire possesses near-limitless diversity, enabling the adaptive immune system to accommodate essentially any antigen. However, this diversity explores the antigenic space unequally, allowing some pathogens like influenza virus to impose complex immunodominance hierarchies that distract antibody responses away from key sites of virus vulnerability. We developed a computational model of affinity maturation to map the patterns of immunodominance that evolve upon immunization with natural and engineered displays of hemagglutinin (HA), the influenza vaccine antigen. Based on this knowledge, we designed immunization protocols that subvert immune distraction and focus serum antibody responses upon a functionally conserved, but immunologically recessive, target of human broadly neutralizing antibodies. We tested in silico predictions by vaccinating transgenic mice in which antibody diversity was humanized to mirror clinically relevant humoral output. Collectively, our results demonstrate that complex patterns in antibody immunogenicity can be rationally defined and then manipulated to elicit engineered immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Amitai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Maya Sangesland
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ralston M Barnes
- Bristol-Myers Squibb, 700 Bay Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063-2478, USA
| | - Daniel Rohrer
- Bristol-Myers Squibb, 700 Bay Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063-2478, USA
| | - Nils Lonberg
- Bristol-Myers Squibb, 700 Bay Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063-2478, USA
| | - Daniel Lingwood
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Arup K Chakraborty
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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Requirements for Empirical Immunogenicity Trials, Rather than Structure-Based Design, for Developing an Effective HIV Vaccine. HIV/AIDS: IMMUNOCHEMISTRY, REDUCTIONISM AND VACCINE DESIGN 2019. [PMCID: PMC7122000 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-32459-9_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The claim that it is possible to rationally design a structure-based HIV-1 vaccine is based on misconceptions regarding the nature of protein epitopes and of immunological specificity. Attempts to use reverse vaccinology to generate an HIV-1 vaccine on the basis of the structure of viral epitopes bound to monoclonal neutralizing antibodies have failed so far because it was not possible to extrapolate from an observed antigenic structure to the immunogenic structure required in a vaccine. Vaccine immunogenicity depends on numerous extrinsic factors such as the host immunoglobulin gene repertoire, the presence of various cellular and regulatory mechanisms in the immunized host and the process of antibody affinity maturation. All these factors played a role in the appearance of the neutralizing antibody used to select the epitope to be investigated as potential vaccine immunogen, but they cannot be expected to be present in identical form in the host to be vaccinated. It is possible to rationally design and optimize an epitope to fit one particular antibody molecule or to improve the paratope binding efficacy of a monoclonal antibody intended for passive immunotherapy. What is not possible is to rationally design an HIV-1 vaccine immunogen that will elicit a protective polyclonal antibody response of predetermined efficacy. An effective vaccine immunogen can only be discovered by investigating experimentally the immunogenicity of a candidate molecule and demonstrating its ability to induce a protective immune response. It cannot be discovered by determining which epitopes of an engineered antigen molecule are recognized by a neutralizing monoclonal antibody. This means that empirical immunogenicity trials rather than structural analyses of antigens offer the best hope of discovering an HIV-1 vaccine.
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Van Regenmortel MHV. Development of a Preventive HIV Vaccine Requires Solving Inverse Problems Which Is Unattainable by Rational Vaccine Design. Front Immunol 2018; 8:2009. [PMID: 29387066 PMCID: PMC5776009 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.02009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypotheses and theories are essential constituents of the scientific method. Many vaccinologists are unaware that the problems they try to solve are mostly inverse problems that consist in imagining what could bring about a desired outcome. An inverse problem starts with the result and tries to guess what are the multiple causes that could have produced it. Compared to the usual direct scientific problems that start with the causes and derive or calculate the results using deductive reasoning and known mechanisms, solving an inverse problem uses a less reliable inductive approach and requires the development of a theoretical model that may have different solutions or none at all. Unsuccessful attempts to solve inverse problems in HIV vaccinology by reductionist methods, systems biology and structure-based reverse vaccinology are described. The popular strategy known as rational vaccine design is unable to solve the multiple inverse problems faced by HIV vaccine developers. The term “rational” is derived from “rational drug design” which uses the 3D structure of a biological target for designing molecules that will selectively bind to it and inhibit its biological activity. In vaccine design, however, the word “rational” simply means that the investigator is concentrating on parts of the system for which molecular information is available. The economist and Nobel laureate Herbert Simon introduced the concept of “bounded rationality” to explain why the complexity of the world economic system makes it impossible, for instance, to predict an event like the financial crash of 2007–2008. Humans always operate under unavoidable constraints such as insufficient information, a limited capacity to process huge amounts of data and a limited amount of time available to reach a decision. Such limitations always prevent us from achieving the complete understanding and optimization of a complex system that would be needed to achieve a truly rational design process. This is why the complexity of the human immune system prevents us from rationally designing an HIV vaccine by solving inverse problems.
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Van Regenmortel MHV. Structure-Based Reverse Vaccinology Failed in the Case of HIV Because it Disregarded Accepted Immunological Theory. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:E1591. [PMID: 27657055 PMCID: PMC5037856 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17091591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Revised: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Two types of reverse vaccinology (RV) should be distinguished: genome-based RV for bacterial vaccines and structure-based RV for viral vaccines. Structure-based RV consists in trying to generate a vaccine by first determining the crystallographic structure of a complex between a viral epitope and a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (nMab) and then reconstructing the epitope by reverse molecular engineering outside the context of the native viral protein. It is based on the unwarranted assumption that the epitope designed to fit the nMab will have acquired the immunogenic capacity to elicit a polyclonal antibody response with the same protective capacity as the nMab. After more than a decade of intensive research using this type of RV, this approach has failed to deliver an effective, preventive HIV-1 vaccine. The structure and dynamics of different types of HIV-1 epitopes and of paratopes are described. The rational design of an anti-HIV-1 vaccine is shown to be a misnomer since investigators who claim that they design a vaccine are actually only improving the antigenic binding capacity of one epitope with respect to only one paratope and not the immunogenic capacity of an epitope to elicit neutralizing antibodies. Because of the degeneracy of the immune system and the polyspecificity of antibodies, each epitope studied by the structure-based RV procedure is only one of the many epitopes that the particular nMab is able to recognize and there is no reason to assume that this nMab must have been elicited by this one epitope of known structure. Recent evidence is presented that the trimeric Env spikes of the virus possess such an enormous plasticity and intrinsic structural flexibility that it is it extremely difficult to determine which Env regions are the best candidate vaccine immunogens most likely to elicit protective antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc H V Van Regenmortel
- UMR 7242 Biotechnologie et Signalisation Cellulaire, Université de Strasbourg-CNRS, 300, Boulevard Sébastien Brant, CS 10413, 67412 Illkirch Cedex, France.
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8
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Identification of a linear B-cell epitope on the avian leukosis virus P27 protein using monoclonal antibodies. Arch Virol 2016; 161:2871-7. [PMID: 27438076 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-016-2971-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Avian leukosis virus (ALV) is an avian oncogenic retrovirus that can induce various clinical tumors. The capsid protein P27 is the group-specific antigen of ALV and has many viral antigen sites that are easy to detect. In this study, we produced a monoclonal antibody (mAb), 3A9, that is specific for the P27 protein. A series of partially overlapping peptides were screened to define (181)PPSAR(185) as the minimal linear epitope recognized by mAb 3A9. The identified epitope could be recognized by chicken anti-ALV and mouse anti-ALV P27 sera. The epitope was highly conserved among a number of ALV-A, ALV-B and ALV-J strains. MAb 3A9 might be a valuable tool for the development of new immunodiagnostic approaches for ALV, and the defined linear epitope might help further our understanding of the antigenic structure of the P27 protein.
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Van Regenmortel MHV. Editorial: Paradigm Changes are Required in HIV Vaccine Research. Front Immunol 2015; 6:326. [PMID: 26157442 PMCID: PMC4477177 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 06/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marc H V Van Regenmortel
- CNRS, UMR 7242 Biotechnologie et Signalisation Cellulaire, Institut de Recherche de l'Ecole de Biotechnologie de Strasbourg (IREBS), Ecole Supérieure de Biotechnologie Strasbourg (ESBS), University of Strasbourg , Illkirch , France
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10
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Van Regenmortel MHV. Why Does the Molecular Structure of Broadly Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies Isolated from Individuals Infected with HIV-1 not Inform the Rational Design of an HIV-1 Vaccine? AIMS Public Health 2015; 2:183-193. [PMID: 29546103 PMCID: PMC5690275 DOI: 10.3934/publichealth.2015.2.183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
It is commonly assumed that neutralizing Mabs that bind to the HIV-1 Env glycoprotein are more specific reagents than anti-HIV-1 polyclonal antisera and that knowledge of the structure of these Mabs facilitates the rational design of effective HIV-1 vaccine immunogens. However, after more than ten years of unsuccessful experimentation using the structure-based reverse vaccinology approach, it is now evident that it is not possible to infer from the structure of neutralizing Mabs which HIV immunogens induced their formation nor which vaccine immunogens will elicit similar Abs in an immunized host. The use of Mabs for developing an HIV-1 vaccine was counterproductive because it overlooked the fact that the apparent specificity of a Mab very much depends on the selection procedure used to obtain it and also did not take into account that an antibody is never monospecific for a single epitope but is always polyspecific for many epitopes. When the rationale of the proponents of the unsuccessful rational design strategy is analyzed, it appears that investigators who claim they are designing a vaccine immunogen are only improving the binding reactivity of a single epitope-paratope pair and are not actually designing an immunogen able to generate protective antibodies. The task of a designer consists in imagining what type of immunogen is likely to elicit a protective immune response but in the absence of knowledge regarding which features of the immune system are responsible for producing a functional neutralizing activity in antibodies, it is not feasible to intentionally optimize a potential immunogen candidate in order to obtain the desired outcome. The only available option is actually to test possible solutions by trial-and-error experiments until the preset goal is perhaps attained. Rational design and empirical approaches in HIV vaccine research should thus not be opposed as alternative options since empirical testing is an integral part of a so-called design strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc H V Van Regenmortel
- CNRS, UMR7242 - Institut de Recherche de l'Ecole de Biotechnologie de Strasbourg (IREBS), Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch 67400, France ; Tel: +27-793376766
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Bruno L, Cortese M, Rappuoli R, Merola M. Lessons from Reverse Vaccinology for viral vaccine design. Curr Opin Virol 2015; 11:89-97. [PMID: 25829256 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2015.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2014] [Revised: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Although almost 15 years have passed since the birthdate of Reverse Vaccinology (RV), there are very limited applications of this approach to viral vaccines discovery. Undeniably, RV presents a series of advantages as it can virtually identify all potential antigens coded by a genome, irrespective of their abundance, phase of expression and immunogenicity. Additionally, it can be applied to all pathogens, including those that cannot be grown in vitro. In this review we summarize the few examples of RV application to viruses, in particular the Herpesviridae, and report the advantage and limitations of this approach. Next we focus on the novel approaches and additional technologies to vaccine development including structure based approach (Structural Vaccinology [SV]), synthetic biology and some examples of their application in the development of viral vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mirko Cortese
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Heidelberg University, Germany
| | | | - Marcello Merola
- Novartis Vaccines, Siena, Italy; Department of Biology, University of Naples 'Federico II', Naples, Italy
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Grimm SK, Battles MB, Ackerman ME. Directed evolution of a yeast-displayed HIV-1 SOSIP gp140 spike protein toward improved expression and affinity for conformational antibodies. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0117227. [PMID: 25688555 PMCID: PMC4331506 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Design of an envelope-based immunogen capable of inducing a broadly neutralizing antibody response is thought to be key to the development of a protective HIV-1 vaccine. However, the broad diversity of viral variants and a limited ability to produce native envelope have hampered such design efforts. Here we describe adaptation of the yeast display system and use of a combinatorial protein engineering approach to permit directed evolution of HIV envelope variants. Because the intrinsic instability and complexity of this trimeric glycoprotein has greatly impeded the development of immunogens that properly represent the structure of native envelope, this platform addresses an essential need for methodologies with the capacity to rapidly engineer HIV spike proteins towards improved homogeneity, stability, and presentation of neutralizing epitopes. We report for the first time the display of a designed SOSIP gp140 on yeast, and the in vitro evolution of derivatives with greatly improved expression and binding to conformation-dependent antibodies. These efforts represent an initial and critical step toward the ability to rapidly engineer HIV-1 envelope immunogens via directed evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian K. Grimm
- Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Michael B. Battles
- Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Margaret E. Ackerman
- Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
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Yu HT, Tian D, Wang JY, Guo CX, Li Y, Wang X, Li D, Zhang FM, Zhuang M, Ling H. An HIV-1 envelope immunogen with W427S mutation in CD4 binding site induced more T follicular helper memory cells and reduced non-specific antibody responses. PLoS One 2014; 9:e115047. [PMID: 25546013 PMCID: PMC4278894 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 11/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The CD4 binding site (CD4BS) of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) contains epitopes for broadly neutralizing antibody (nAb) and is the target for the vaccine development. However, the CD4BS core including residues 425-430 overlaps the B cell superantigen site and may be related to B cell exhaustion in HIV-1 infection. Furthermore, production of nAb and high-affinity plasma cells needs germinal center reaction and the help of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells. We believe that strengthening the ability of Env CD4BS in inducing Tfh response and decreasing the effects of the superantigen are the strategies for eliciting nAb and development of HIV-1 vaccine. We constructed a gp120 mutant W427S of an HIV-1 primary R5 strain and examined its ability in the elicitation of Ab and the production of Tfh by immunization of BALB/c mice. We found that the trimeric wild-type gp120 can induce more non-specific antibody-secreting plasma cells, higher serum IgG secretion, and more Tfh cells by splenocyte. The modified W427S gp120 elicits higher levels of specific binding antibodies as well as nAbs though it produces less Tfh cells. Furthermore, higher Tfh cell frequency does not correlate to the specific binding Abs or nAbs indicating that the wild-type gp120 induced some non-specific Tfh that did not contribute to the production of specific Abs. This gp120 mutant led to more memory Tfh production, especially, the effector memory Tfh cells. Taken together, W427S gp120 could induce higher level of specific binding and neutralizing Ab production that may be associated with the reduction of non-specific Tfh but strengthening of the memory Tfh.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Tong Yu
- Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Dan Tian
- Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Jia-Ye Wang
- Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Heilongjiang Provincial Key Lab for Infection and Immunity, Key Lab of Etiology of Heilongjiang Province Education Bureau, Harbin, China
| | - Cai-Xia Guo
- Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Heilongjiang Provincial Key Lab for Infection and Immunity, Key Lab of Etiology of Heilongjiang Province Education Bureau, Harbin, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Di Li
- Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Heilongjiang Provincial Key Lab for Infection and Immunity, Key Lab of Etiology of Heilongjiang Province Education Bureau, Harbin, China
| | - Feng-Min Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Heilongjiang Provincial Key Lab for Infection and Immunity, Key Lab of Etiology of Heilongjiang Province Education Bureau, Harbin, China
| | - Min Zhuang
- Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Heilongjiang Provincial Key Lab for Infection and Immunity, Key Lab of Etiology of Heilongjiang Province Education Bureau, Harbin, China
- * E-mail: (MZ); (HL)
| | - Hong Ling
- Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Heilongjiang Provincial Key Lab for Infection and Immunity, Key Lab of Etiology of Heilongjiang Province Education Bureau, Harbin, China
- Department of Parasitology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- * E-mail: (MZ); (HL)
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14
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Van Regenmortel MHV. An Outdated Notion of Antibody Specificity is One of the Major Detrimental Assumptions of the Structure-Based Reverse Vaccinology Paradigm, Which Prevented It from Helping to Develop an Effective HIV-1 Vaccine. Front Immunol 2014; 5:593. [PMID: 25477882 PMCID: PMC4235417 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The importance of paradigms for guiding scientific research is explained with reference to the seminal work of Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn. A prevalent paradigm, followed for more than a decade in HIV-1 vaccine research, which gave rise to the strategy known as structure-based reverse vaccinology is described in detail. Several reasons why this paradigm did not allow the development of an effective HIV-1 vaccine are analyzed. A major reason is the belief shared by many vaccinologists that antibodies possess a narrow specificity for a single epitope and are not polyspecific for a diverse group of potential epitopes. When this belief is abandoned, it becomes obvious that the one particular epitope structure observed during the crystallographic analysis of a neutralizing antibody–antigen complex does not necessarily reveal, which immunogenic structure should be used to elicit the same type of neutralizing antibody. In the physical sciences, scientific explanations are usually presented as logical deductions derived from a relevant law of nature together with certain initial conditions. In immunology, causal explanations in terms of a single cause acting according to a law of nature are not possible because numerous factors always play a role in bringing about an effect. The implications of this state of affairs for the rational design of HIV vaccines are outlined. An alternative approach to obtain useful scientific understanding consists in intervening empirically in the immune system and it is suggested that manipulating the system experimentally is needed to learn to control it and achieve protective immunity by vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc H V Van Regenmortel
- CNRS, Biotechnologie des Interactions Moleculaires, IREBS, School of Biotechnology, ESBS, University of Strasbourg , Illkirch , France
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Envelope variants circulating as initial neutralization breadth developed in two HIV-infected subjects stimulate multiclade neutralizing antibodies in rabbits. J Virol 2014; 88:12949-67. [PMID: 25210191 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01812-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Identifying characteristics of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope that are effective in generating broad, protective antibodies remains a hurdle to HIV vaccine design. Emerging evidence of the development of broad and potent neutralizing antibodies in HIV-infected subjects suggests that founder and subsequent progeny viruses may express unique antigenic motifs that contribute to this developmental pathway. We hypothesize that over the course of natural infection, B cells are programmed to develop broad antibodies by exposure to select populations of emerging envelope quasispecies variants. To test this hypothesis, we identified two unrelated subjects whose antibodies demonstrated increasing neutralization breadth against a panel of HIV-1 isolates over time. Full-length functional env genes were cloned longitudinally from these subjects from months after infection through 2.6 to 5.8 years of infection. Motifs associated with the development of breadth in published, cross-sectional studies were found in both subjects. We compared the immunogenicity of envelope vaccines derived from time points obtained during and after broadening of neutralization activity within these subjects. Rabbits were coimmunized four times with selected multiple gp160 DNAs and gp140-trimeric envelope proteins. The affinity of the polyclonal response increased as a function of boosting. The most rapid and persistent neutralization of multiclade tier 1 viruses was elicited by envelopes that were circulating in plasma at time points prior to the development of 50% neutralization breadth in both human subjects. The breadth elicited in rabbits was not improved by exposure to later envelope variants. These data have implications for vaccine development in describing a target time point to identify optimal envelope immunogens. IMPORTANCE Vaccine protection against viral infections correlates with the presence of neutralizing antibodies; thus, vaccine components capable of generating potent neutralization are likely to be critical constituents in an effective HIV vaccine. However, vaccines tested thus far have elicited only weak antibody responses and very modest, waning protection. We hypothesized that B cells develop broad antibodies by exposure to the evolving viral envelope population and tested this concept using multiple envelopes from two subjects who developed neutralization breadth within a few years of infection. We compared different combinations of envelopes from each subject to identify the most effective immunogens and regimens. In each subject, use of HIV envelopes circulating during the early development and maturation of breadth generated more-potent antibodies that were modestly cross neutralizing. These data suggest a new approach to identifying envelope immunogens that may be more effective in generating protective antibodies in humans.
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Schussek S, Trieu A, Doolan DL. Genome- and proteome-wide screening strategies for antigen discovery and immunogen design. Biotechnol Adv 2014; 32:403-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2013.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2013] [Revised: 11/04/2013] [Accepted: 12/16/2013] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Thomas S, Luxon BA. Vaccines based on structure-based design provide protection against infectious diseases. Expert Rev Vaccines 2014; 12:1301-11. [DOI: 10.1586/14760584.2013.840092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Sattentau QJ. Envelope Glycoprotein Trimers as HIV-1 Vaccine Immunogens. Vaccines (Basel) 2013; 1:497-512. [PMID: 26344344 PMCID: PMC4494206 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines1040497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Revised: 10/11/2013] [Accepted: 10/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein spike is the target of neutralizing antibody attack, and hence represents the only relevant viral antigen for antibody-based vaccine design. Various approaches have been attempted to recapitulate Env in membrane-anchored and soluble forms, and these will be discussed here in the context of recent successes and challenges still to be overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin J Sattentau
- The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, The University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13RE, UK.
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19
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Schiffner T, Sattentau QJ, Dorrell L. Development of prophylactic vaccines against HIV-1. Retrovirology 2013; 10:72. [PMID: 23866844 PMCID: PMC3722125 DOI: 10.1186/1742-4690-10-72] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The focus of most current HIV-1 vaccine development is on antibody-based approaches. This is because certain antibody responses correlated with protection from HIV-1 acquisition in the RV144 phase III trial, and because a series of potent and broad spectrum neutralizing antibodies have been isolated from infected individuals. Taken together, these two findings suggest ways forward to develop a neutralizing antibody-based vaccine. However, understanding of the correlates of protection from disease in HIV-1 and other infections strongly suggests that we should not ignore CTL-based research. Here we review recent progress in the field and highlight the challenges implicit in HIV-1 vaccine design and some potential solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torben Schiffner
- The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, The University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
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20
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Waechter A, Eschricht M, Denner J. Neutralization of porcine endogenous retrovirus by antibodies against the membrane-proximal external region of the transmembrane envelope protein. J Gen Virol 2013; 94:643-651. [DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.047399-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunization of different species including goats, rats, hamsters and guinea pigs with the recombinant ectodomain of the transmembrane envelope (TM) protein p15E of porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) has been shown to result in the production of virus-neutralizing antibodies. The sera recognize two groups of epitopes, one located in the fusion peptide-proximal region (FPPR) and the second in the membrane-proximal external region (MPER) of p15E. Most interestingly, the epitopes in the MPER are similar to epitopes in the TM protein gp41 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) recognized by mAbs 2F5 and 4E10, which broadly neutralize HIV-1. To study which epitope and which antibody population are involved in the process of neutralization of PERV, this study generated a new antiserum in a goat using an elongated ectodomain of p15E. The immune serum neutralized PERV at a higher titre and recognized broader epitopes in the FPPR and MPER of p15E. For the first time, antibody subpopulations were isolated from this serum using affinity chromatography with immobilized proteins and peptides corresponding to the FPPR and MPER of p15E. Only the affinity-purified antibodies specifically binding the MPER neutralized PERV, indicating that, as in the case of HIV-1, the MPER is an important target of neutralizing activity.
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Ohtaki A, Kieber-Emmons T, Murali R. Structure-Based Peptide Mimicry of Tumor-Associated Antigens. Monoclon Antib Immunodiagn Immunother 2013; 32:1-5. [DOI: 10.1089/mab.2012.0076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Akashi Ohtaki
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, California
| | - Thomas Kieber-Emmons
- Department of Pathology and Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - Ramachandran Murali
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, California
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Narayan KM, Agrawal N, Du SX, Muranaka JE, Bauer K, Leaman DP, Phung P, Limoli K, Chen H, Boenig RI, Wrin T, Zwick MB, Whalen RG. Prime-boost immunization of rabbits with HIV-1 gp120 elicits potent neutralization activity against a primary viral isolate. PLoS One 2013; 8:e52732. [PMID: 23326351 PMCID: PMC3541383 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2012] [Accepted: 11/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of a vaccine for HIV-1 requires a detailed understanding of the neutralizing antibody responses that can be experimentally elicited to difficult-to-neutralize primary isolates. Rabbits were immunized with the gp120 subunit of HIV-1 JR-CSF envelope (Env) using a DNA-prime protein-boost regimen. We analyzed five sera that showed potent autologous neutralizing activity (IC50s at ∼10(3) to 10(4) serum dilution) against pseudoviruses containing Env from the primary isolate JR-CSF but not from the related isolate JR-FL. Pseudoviruses were created by exchanging each variable and constant domain of JR-CSF gp120 with that of JR-FL or with mutations in putative N-glycosylation sites. The sera contained different neutralizing activities dependent on C3 and V5, C3 and V4, or V4 regions located on the glycan-rich outer domain of gp120. All sera showed enhanced neutralizing activity toward an Env variant that lacked a glycosylation site in V4. The JR-CSF gp120 epitopes recognized by the sera are generally distinct from those of several well characterized mAbs (targeting conserved sites on Env) or other type-specific responses (targeting V1, V2, or V3 variable regions). The activity of one serum requires specific glycans that are also important for 2G12 neutralization and this serum blocked the binding of 2G12 to gp120. Our findings show that different fine specificities can achieve potent neutralization of HIV-1, yet this strong activity does not result in improved breadth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M. Narayan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Maxygen, Inc., Redwood City, California, United States of America
- Altravax, Inc., Sunnyvale, California, United States of America
| | - Nitish Agrawal
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Sean X. Du
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Maxygen, Inc., Redwood City, California, United States of America
- Altravax, Inc., Sunnyvale, California, United States of America
| | - Janelle E. Muranaka
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Maxygen, Inc., Redwood City, California, United States of America
- Altravax, Inc., Sunnyvale, California, United States of America
| | - Katherine Bauer
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Daniel P. Leaman
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Pham Phung
- Monogram Biosciences, Inc., San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Kay Limoli
- Monogram Biosciences, Inc., San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Helen Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Maxygen, Inc., Redwood City, California, United States of America
| | - Rebecca I. Boenig
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Maxygen, Inc., Redwood City, California, United States of America
- Altravax, Inc., Sunnyvale, California, United States of America
| | - Terri Wrin
- Monogram Biosciences, Inc., San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Michael B. Zwick
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Robert G. Whalen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Maxygen, Inc., Redwood City, California, United States of America
- Altravax, Inc., Sunnyvale, California, United States of America
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Demberg T, Robert-Guroff M. Controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic: current status and global challenges. Front Immunol 2012; 3:250. [PMID: 22912636 PMCID: PMC3418522 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2012] [Accepted: 07/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This review provides an overview of the current status of the global HIV pandemic and strategies to bring it under control. It updates numerous preventive approaches including behavioral interventions, male circumcision (MC), pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PREP and PEP), vaccines, and microbicides. The manuscript summarizes current anti-retroviral treatment options, their impact in the western world, and difficulties faced by emerging and resource-limited nations in providing and maintaining appropriate treatment regimens. Current clinical and pre-clinical approaches toward a cure for HIV are described, including new drug compounds that target viral reservoirs and gene therapy approaches aimed at altering susceptibility to HIV infection. Recent progress in vaccine development is summarized, including novel approaches and new discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten Demberg
- Vaccine Branch, Section on Immune Biology of Retroviral Infection, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD, USA
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Van Regenmortel MHV. Basic research in HIV vaccinology is hampered by reductionist thinking. Front Immunol 2012; 3:194. [PMID: 22787464 PMCID: PMC3391733 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2012] [Accepted: 06/21/2012] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
This review describes the structure-based reverse vaccinology approach aimed at developing vaccine immunogens capable of inducing antibodies that broadly neutralize HIV-1. Some basic principles of protein immunochemistry are reviewed and the implications of the extensive polyspecificity of antibodies for vaccine development are underlined. Although it is natural for investigators to want to know the cause of an effective immunological intervention, the classic notion of causality is shown to have little explanatory value for a system as complex as the immune system, where any observed effect always results from many interactions between a large number of components. Causal explanations are reductive because a single factor is singled out for attention and given undue explanatory weight on its own. Other examples of the negative impact of reductionist thinking on HIV vaccine development are discussed. These include (1) the failure to distinguish between the chemical nature of antigenicity and the biological nature of immunogenicity, (2) the belief that when an HIV-1 epitope is reconstructed by rational design to better fit a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (nMab), this will produce an immunogen able to elicit Abs with the same neutralizing capacity as the Ab used as template for designing the antigen, and (3) the belief that protection against infection can be analyzed at the level of individual molecular interactions although it has meaning only at the level of an entire organism. The numerous unsuccessful strategies that have been used to design HIV-1 vaccine immunogens are described and it is suggested that the convergence of so many negative experimental results justifies the conclusion that reverse vaccinology is unlikely to lead to the development of a preventive HIV-1 vaccine. Immune correlates of protection in vaccines have not yet been identified because this will become feasible only retrospectively once an effective vaccine exists. The finding that extensive antibody affinity maturation is needed to obtain mature anti-HIV-1 Abs endowed with a broad neutralizing capacity explains why antigens designed to fit matured Mabs are not effective vaccine immunogens since these are administered to naive recipients who possess only B-cell receptors corresponding to the germline version of the matured Abs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc H. V. Van Regenmortel
- Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study, Wallenberg Research Center at Stellenbosch University,Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Kong L, Sattentau QJ. Antigenicity and Immunogenicity in HIV-1 Antibody-Based Vaccine Design. JOURNAL OF AIDS & CLINICAL RESEARCH 2012; S8:3. [PMID: 23227445 PMCID: PMC3515071 DOI: 10.4172/2155-6113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Neutralizing antibodies can protect from infection by immunodeficiency viruses. However, the induction by active vaccination of antibodies that can potently neutralize a broad range of circulating virus strains is a goal not yet achieved, despite more than 2 decades of research. Here we review progress made in the field, from early empirical studies to today's rational structure-based vaccine antigen design. We discuss the existence of broadly neutralizing antibodies, their implications for epitope discovery and recent progress made in antigen design. Finally, we consider the relationship between antigenicity and immunogenicity for B cell recognition and antibody production, a major hurdle for rational vaccine design to overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leopold Kong
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
- The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Quentin J Sattentau
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
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26
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BiotecVisions 2012, January. Biotechnol J 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201100482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Van Regenmortel MHV. Requirements for empirical immunogenicity trials, rather than structure-based design, for developing an effective HIV vaccine. Arch Virol 2011; 157:1-20. [PMID: 22012269 PMCID: PMC7087187 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-011-1145-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2011] [Accepted: 10/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The claim that it is possible to rationally design a structure-based HIV-1 vaccine is based on misconceptions regarding the nature of protein epitopes and of immunological specificity. Attempts to use reverse vaccinology to generate an HIV-1 vaccine on the basis of the structure of viral epitopes bound to monoclonal neutralizing antibodies have failed so far because it was not possible to extrapolate from an observed antigenic structure to the immunogenic structure required in a vaccine. Vaccine immunogenicity depends on numerous extrinsic factors such as the host immunoglobulin gene repertoire, the presence of various cellular and regulatory mechanisms in the immunized host and the process of antibody affinity maturation. All these factors played a role in the appearance of the neutralizing antibody used to select the epitope to be investigated as potential vaccine immunogen, but they cannot be expected to be present in identical form in the host to be vaccinated. It is possible to rationally design and optimize an epitope to fit one particular antibody molecule or to improve the paratope binding efficacy of a monoclonal antibody intended for passive immunotherapy. What is not possible is to rationally design an HIV-1 vaccine immunogen that will elicit a protective polyclonal antibody response of predetermined efficacy. An effective vaccine immunogen can only be discovered by investigating experimentally the immunogenicity of a candidate molecule and demonstrating its ability to induce a protective immune response. It cannot be discovered by determining which epitopes of an engineered antigen molecule are recognized by a neutralizing monoclonal antibody. This means that empirical immunogenicity trials rather than structural analyses of antigens offer the best hope of discovering an HIV-1 vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc H V Van Regenmortel
- Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study, Wallenberg Research Center at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa.
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Langedijk JP, Zekveld MJ, Ruiter M, Corti D, Back JW. Helical peptide arrays for lead identification and interaction site mapping. Anal Biochem 2011; 417:149-55. [PMID: 21708118 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2011.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2011] [Revised: 05/31/2011] [Accepted: 06/01/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Van Regenmortel MHV. Two meanings of reverse vaccinology and the empirical nature of vaccine science. Vaccine 2011; 29:7875. [PMID: 21888936 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.08.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2011] [Revised: 08/09/2011] [Accepted: 08/12/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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