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Fernández-Ruiz M, García-Ríos E, Redondo N, Rodríguez-Goncer I, Ruiz-Merlo T, Parra P, Sandonis V, López-Medrano F, San Juan R, González E, Polanco N, Andrés A, Navarro D, Aguado JM, Pérez-Romero P. Dynamics and Clinical Significance of Cytomegalovirus-Specific Neutralizing Antibodies in Kidney Transplant Recipients Treated with T-Cell-Depleting Agents. J Infect Dis 2024; 229:1812-1816. [PMID: 37740549 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
We measured cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific antibodies that neutralize epithelial cell infection (CMV-AbNEIs) in 101 CMV-seropositive kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) at baseline and posttransplant months 3 and 6. All the patients received antithymocyte globulin and 3-month valganciclovir prophylaxis. There were no significant differences in pretransplant AbNEIs titers between KTRs that developed or did not develop any-level CMV infection or the composite of high-level infection and/or disease. One-year CMV infection-free survival was comparable between KTRs with or without pretransplant CMV-AbNEIs. No differences were observed by months 3 and 6. We observed no protective role for CMV-AbNEIs among CMV-seropositive KTRs undergoing T-cell-depleting induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Fernández-Ruiz
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Estéfani García-Ríos
- National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
- Department of Science, Universidad Internacional de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Natalia Redondo
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Rodríguez-Goncer
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Tamara Ruiz-Merlo
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Parra
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Virginia Sandonis
- National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Francisco López-Medrano
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael San Juan
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Esther González
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
| | - Natalia Polanco
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
| | - Amado Andrés
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
| | - David Navarro
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Microbiology, Hospital Clínico Universitario, INCLIVA Health Research Institute, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - José María Aguado
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital "12 de Octubre" (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Pérez-Romero
- National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
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2
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Menschikowski H, Bednar C, Kübel S, Hermann M, Bauer L, Thomas M, Cordsmeier A, Ensser A. Evaluation of Bispecific T-Cell Engagers Targeting Murine Cytomegalovirus. Viruses 2024; 16:869. [PMID: 38932161 PMCID: PMC11209133 DOI: 10.3390/v16060869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus is a ubiquitous herpesvirus that, while latent in most individuals, poses a great risk to immunocompromised patients. In contrast to directly acting traditional antiviral drugs, such as ganciclovir, we aim to emulate a physiological infection control using T cells. For this, we constructed several bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) constructs targeting different viral glycoproteins of the murine cytomegalovirus and evaluated them in vitro for their efficacy. To isolate the target specific effect without viral immune evasion, we established stable reporter cell lines expressing the viral target glycoprotein B, and the glycoprotein complexes gN-gM and gH-gL, as well as nano-luciferase (nLuc). First, we evaluated binding capacities using flow cytometry and established killing assays, measuring nLuc-release upon cell lysis. All BiTE constructs proved to be functional mediators for T-cell recruitment and will allow a proof of concept for this treatment option. This might pave the way for strikingly safer immunosuppression in vulnerable patient groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Armin Ensser
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (H.M.); (S.K.); (M.H.); (A.C.)
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3
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Chiuppesi F, Wussow F. The quest for a cytomegalovirus vaccine continues. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023; 23:1330-1332. [PMID: 37660710 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(23)00361-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Chiuppesi
- Department of Hematology and HCT and Hematologic Malignancies Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
| | - Felix Wussow
- Department of Hematology and HCT and Hematologic Malignancies Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
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4
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Zehner M, Alt M, Ashurov A, Goldsmith JA, Spies R, Weiler N, Lerma J, Gieselmann L, Stöhr D, Gruell H, Schultz EP, Kreer C, Schlachter L, Janicki H, Laib Sampaio K, Stegmann C, Nemetchek MD, Dähling S, Ullrich L, Dittmer U, Witzke O, Koch M, Ryckman BJ, Lotfi R, McLellan JS, Krawczyk A, Sinzger C, Klein F. Single-cell analysis of memory B cells from top neutralizers reveals multiple sites of vulnerability within HCMV Trimer and Pentamer. Immunity 2023; 56:2602-2620.e10. [PMID: 37967532 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can cause severe diseases in fetuses, newborns, and immunocompromised individuals. Currently, no vaccines are approved, and treatment options are limited. Here, we analyzed the human B cell response of four HCMV top neutralizers from a cohort of 9,000 individuals. By single-cell analyses of memory B cells targeting the pentameric and trimeric HCMV surface complexes, we identified vulnerable sites on the shared gH/gL subunits as well as complex-specific subunits UL128/130/131A and gO. Using high-resolution cryogenic electron microscopy, we revealed the structural basis of the neutralization mechanisms of antibodies targeting various binding sites. Moreover, we identified highly potent antibodies that neutralized a broad spectrum of HCMV strains, including primary clinical isolates, that outperform known antibodies used in clinical trials. Our study provides a deep understanding of the mechanisms of HCMV neutralization and identifies promising antibody candidates to prevent and treat HCMV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Zehner
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
| | - Mira Alt
- Department of Infectious Diseases, West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Artem Ashurov
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Jory A Goldsmith
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Rebecca Spies
- Institute for Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Nina Weiler
- Institute for Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Justin Lerma
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Lutz Gieselmann
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Dagmar Stöhr
- Institute for Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Henning Gruell
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Eric P Schultz
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA; Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Christoph Kreer
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Linda Schlachter
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Hanna Janicki
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Cora Stegmann
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA; Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Michelle D Nemetchek
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA; Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Sabrina Dähling
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Leon Ullrich
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Ulf Dittmer
- Institute for Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Oliver Witzke
- Department of Infectious Diseases, West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Manuel Koch
- Institute for Dental Research and Oral Musculoskeletal Biology, Center for Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Brent J Ryckman
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA; Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Ramin Lotfi
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Jason S McLellan
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Adalbert Krawczyk
- Department of Infectious Diseases, West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; Institute for Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Sinzger
- Institute for Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Florian Klein
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University Hospital of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
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5
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Fornara C, Schultz E, Lilleri D, Baldanti F, Ryckman B, Gerna G. Fibroblast, Epithelial and Endothelial Cell-Derived Human Cytomegalovirus Strains Display Distinct Neutralizing Antibody Responses and Varying Levels of gH/gL Complexes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:4417. [PMID: 36901847 PMCID: PMC10003051 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In sequential sera from pregnant women with HCMV primary infection (PI), the serum neutralizing activity is higher against virions produced in epithelial and endothelial cells than in fibroblasts. Immunoblotting shows that the pentamer complex/trimer complex (PC/TC) ratio varies according to the producer cell culture type used for the virus preparation to be employed in the neutralizing antibody (NAb) assay, and is lower in fibroblasts and higher in epithelial, and especially endothelial cells. The blocking activity of TC- and PC-specific inhibitors varies according to the PC/TC ratio of virus preparations. The rapid reversion of the virus phenotype following its back passage to the original cell culture (fibroblasts) potentially argues in favor of a producer cell effect on virus phenotype. However, the role of genetic factors cannot be overlooked. In addition to the producer cell type, the PC/TC ratio may differ in single HCMV strains. In conclusion, the NAb activity not only varies with different HCMV strains, but is a dynamic parameter changing according to virus strain, type of target and producer cells, and number of cell culture passages. These findings may have some important implications for the development of both therapeutic antibodies and subunit vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Fornara
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Eric Schultz
- Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Daniele Lilleri
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Fausto Baldanti
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Brent Ryckman
- Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Giuseppe Gerna
- Laboratories of Genetics, Transplantology and Cardiovascular Diseases, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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6
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Nuévalos M, García-Ríos E, Mancebo FJ, Martín-Martín C, Pérez-Romero P. Novel monoclonal antibody-based therapies: implications for the treatment and prevention of HCMV disease. Trends Microbiol 2023; 31:480-497. [PMID: 36624009 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an important pathogen worldwide. Although HCMV infection is often asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, it can cause severe or even life-threatening symptoms in immunocompromised patients. Due to limitations of antiviral treatments, it is necessary to search for new therapeutic alternatives. Recent studies have highlighted the contribution of antibodies in protecting against HCMV disease, including neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibodies. Given the immunocompromised target population, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) may represent an alternative to the clinical management of HCMV infection. In this context, we provide a synthesis of recent data revising the literature supporting and arguing about the role of the humoral immunity in controlling HCMV infection. Additionally, we review the state of the art in the development of therapies based on mAbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Nuévalos
- National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
| | - Estéfani García-Ríos
- National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain; Department of Science, Universidad Internacional de Valencia-VIU, 46002 Valencia, Spain.
| | - Francisco J Mancebo
- National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
| | - Clara Martín-Martín
- National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Pérez-Romero
- National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain.
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7
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Davies EL, Noor M, Lim EY, Houldcroft CJ, Okecha G, Atkinson C, Reeves MB, Jackson SE, Wills MR. HCMV carriage in the elderly diminishes anti-viral functionality of the adaptive immune response resulting in virus replication at peripheral sites. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1083230. [PMID: 36591233 PMCID: PMC9797693 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1083230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and periodic reactivation is, generally, well controlled by adaptative immune responses in the healthy. In older people, overt HCMV disease is rarely seen despite the association of HCMV with increased risk of mortality; evidence from studies of unwell aged populations suggest that HCMV seropositivity is an important co-morbidity factor. HCMV genomes have been detected in urine from older donors, suggesting that the immune response prevents systemic disease but possibly immunomodulation due to lifelong viral carriage may alter its efficacy at peripheral tissue sites. Previously we have demonstrated that there were no age-related expansions of T cell responses to HCMV or increase in latent viral carriage with age and these T cells produced anti-viral cytokines and viremia was very rarely detected. To investigate the efficacy of anti-HCMV responses with increasing age, we used an in vitro Viral Dissemination Assay (VDA) using autologous dermal fibroblasts to determine the anti-viral effector capacity of total PBMC, as well as important subsets (T cells, NK cells). In parallel we assessed components of the humoral response (antibody neutralization) and combined this with qPCR detection of HCMV in blood, saliva and urine in a cohort of young and old donors. Consistent with previous studies, we again show HCMV specific cIL-10, IFNγ and TNFα T cell responses to peptides did not show an age-related defect. However, assessment of direct anti-viral cellular and antibody-mediated adaptive immune responses using the VDA shows that older donors are significantly less able to control viral dissemination in an in vitro assay compared to young donors. Corroborating this observation, we detected viral genomes in saliva samples only from older donors, these donors had a defect in cellular control of viral spread in our in vitro assay. Phenotyping of fibroblasts used in this study shows expression of a number of checkpoint inhibitor ligands which may contribute to the defects observed. The potential to therapeutically intervene in checkpoint inhibitor pathways to prevent HCMV reactivation in the unwell aged is an exciting avenue to explore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L. Davies
- Department of Medicine, Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Mahlaqua Noor
- Department of Medicine, Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Eleanor Y. Lim
- Department of Medicine, Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte J. Houldcroft
- Department of Medicine, Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Georgina Okecha
- Department of Medicine, Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Atkinson
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B. Reeves
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah E. Jackson
- Department of Medicine, Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Mark R. Wills
- Department of Medicine, Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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8
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Hu X, Wang HY, Otero CE, Jenks JA, Permar SR. Lessons from Acquired Natural Immunity and Clinical Trials to Inform Next-Generation Human Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Development. Annu Rev Virol 2022; 9:491-520. [PMID: 35704747 PMCID: PMC10154983 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-100220-010653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, the most common cause of congenital disease globally, affecting an estimated 1 million newborns annually, can result in lifelong sequelae in infants, such as sensorineural hearing loss and brain damage. HCMV infection also leads to a significant disease burden in immunocompromised individuals. Hence, an effective HCMV vaccine is urgently needed to prevent infection and HCMV-associated diseases. Unfortunately, despite more than five decades of vaccine development, no successful HCMV vaccine is available. This review summarizes what we have learned from acquired natural immunity, including innate and adaptive immunity; the successes and failures of HCMV vaccine human clinical trials; the progress in related animal models; and the analysis of protective immune responses during natural infection and vaccination settings. Finally, we propose novel vaccine strategies that will harness the knowledge of protective immunity and employ new technology and vaccine concepts to inform next-generation HCMV vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xintao Hu
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA;
| | - Hsuan-Yuan Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA;
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Claire E Otero
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA;
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer A Jenks
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sallie R Permar
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA;
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9
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Semmes EC, Miller IG, Wimberly CE, Phan CT, Jenks JA, Harnois MJ, Berendam SJ, Webster H, Hurst JH, Kurtzberg J, Fouda GG, Walsh KM, Permar SR. Maternal Fc-mediated non-neutralizing antibody responses correlate with protection against congenital human cytomegalovirus infection. J Clin Invest 2022; 132:e156827. [PMID: 35763348 PMCID: PMC9374380 DOI: 10.1172/jci156827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common congenital infection and a leading cause of stillbirth, neurodevelopmental impairment, and pediatric hearing loss worldwide. Development of a maternal vaccine or therapeutic to prevent congenital HCMV has been hindered by limited knowledge of the immune responses that protect against HCMV transmission in utero. To identify protective antibody responses, we measured HCMV-specific IgG binding and antiviral functions in paired maternal and cord blood sera from HCMV-seropositive transmitting (n = 41) and non-transmitting (n = 40) mother-infant dyads identified via a large, US-based, public cord blood bank. We found that high-avidity IgG binding to HCMV and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) were associated with reduced risk of congenital HCMV infection. We also determined that HCMV-specific IgG activation of FcγRI and FcγRII was enhanced in non-transmitting dyads and that increased ADCP responses were mediated through both FcγRI and FcγRIIA expressed on human monocytes. These findings suggest that engagement of FcγRI/FcγRIIA and Fc effector functions including ADCP may protect against congenital HCMV infection. Taken together, these data can guide future prospective studies on immune correlates against congenital HCMV transmission and inform HCMV vaccine and immunotherapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor C. Semmes
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Itzayana G. Miller
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Courtney E. Wimberly
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery and
| | - Caroline T. Phan
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer A. Jenks
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Melissa J. Harnois
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Stella J. Berendam
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Helen Webster
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jillian H. Hurst
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Joanne Kurtzberg
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Carolinas Cord Blood Bank, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Genevieve G. Fouda
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kyle M. Walsh
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery and
| | - Sallie R. Permar
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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10
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Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) long-term shedding and HCMV-specific immune response in pregnant women with primary HCMV infection. Med Microbiol Immunol 2022; 211:249-260. [PMID: 35960328 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-022-00747-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) shedding has been extensively investigated in newborns and in young children, however, much less is known about it in immunocompetent adults. Shedding of HCMV was investigated in saliva, vaginal secretions and urine of pregnant women experiencing primary infection along with the development of the HCMV-specific immune response. Thirty-three pregnant women shed HCMV DNA in peripheral biological fluids at least until one year after onset of infection, while in blood HCMV DNA was cleared earlier. Significantly higher levels of viral load were found in vaginal secretions compared to saliva and urine. All subjects examined two years after the onset of infection showed a high avidity index, with IgM persisting in 36% of women. Viral load in blood was directly correlated with levels of HCMV-specific IgM and inversely correlated with levels of IgG specific for the pentameric complex gH/gL/pUL128L; in addition, viral load in blood was inversely correlated with percentage of HCMV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ expressing IL-7R (long-term memory, LTM) while viral load in biological fluids was inversely correlated with percentage of HCMV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ effector memory RA+(TEMRA). In conclusion, viral shedding during primary infection in pregnancy persists in peripheral biological fluids for at least one year and the development of both antibodies (including those directed toward the pentameric complex) and memory T cells are associated with viral clearance.
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11
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Neutralizing Antibodies to Human Cytomegalovirus Recombinant Proteins Reduce Infection in an Ex Vivo Model of Developing Human Placentas. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10071074. [PMID: 35891239 PMCID: PMC9315547 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10071074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading viral cause of congenital disease and permanent birth defects worldwide. Although the development of an effective vaccine is a public health priority, no vaccines are approved. Among the major antigenic targets are glycoproteins in the virion envelope, including gB, which facilitates cellular entry, and the pentameric complex (gH/gL/pUL128-131), required for the infection of specialized cell types. In this study, sera from rabbits immunized with the recombinant pentameric complex were tested for their ability to neutralize infection of epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and primary placental cell types. Sera from rhesus macaques immunized with recombinant gB or gB plus pentameric complex were tested for HCMV neutralizing activity on both cultured cells and cell column cytotrophoblasts in first-trimester chorionic villus explants. Sera from rabbits immunized with the pentameric complex potently blocked infection by pathogenic viral strains in amniotic epithelial cells and cytotrophoblasts but were less effective in fibroblasts and trophoblast progenitor cells. Sera from rhesus macaques immunized with the pentameric complex and gB more strongly reduced infection in fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and chorionic villus explants than sera from immunization with gB alone. These results suggest that the pentameric complex and gB together elicit antibodies that could have potential as prophylactic vaccine antigens.
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12
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Pathogenesis of wild-type-like rhesus cytomegalovirus strains following oral exposure of immune-competent rhesus macaques. J Virol 2021; 96:e0165321. [PMID: 34788083 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01653-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhesus cytomegalovirus (RhCMV) infection of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) is a valuable nonhuman primate model of human CMV (HCMV) persistence and pathogenesis. In vivo studies predominantly use tissue culture-adapted variants of RhCMV that contain multiple genetic mutations compared to wild-type (WT) RhCMV. In many studies, animals have been inoculated by non-natural routes (e.g., subcutaneous, intravenous) that do not recapitulate disease progression via the normative route of mucosal exposure. Accordingly, the natural history of RhCMV would be more accurately reproduced by infecting macaques with strains of RhCMV that reflect the WT genome using natural routes of mucosal transmission. Herein, we tested two WT-like RhCMV strains, UCD52 and UCD59, and demonstrated that systemic infection and frequent, high-titer viral shedding in bodily fluids occurred following oral inoculation. RhCMV disseminated to a broad range of tissues, including the central nervous system and reproductive organs. Commonly infected tissues included the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, kidneys, bladder, and salivary glands. Histological examination revealed prominent nodular hyperplasia in spleens and variable levels of lymphoid lymphofollicular hyperplasia in lymph nodes. One of six inoculated animals had limited viral dissemination and shedding, with commensurately weak antibody responses to RhCMV antigens. These data suggest that long-term RhCMV infection parameters might be restricted by local innate factors and/or de novo host immune responses in a minority of primary infections. Together, we have established an oral RhCMV infection model that mimics natural HCMV infection. The virological and immunological parameters characterized in this study will greatly inform HCMV vaccine designs for human immunization. IMPORTANCE Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is globally ubiquitous with high seroprevalence rates in all communities. HCMV infections can occur vertically following mother-to-fetus transmission across the placenta and horizontally following shedding of virus in bodily fluids in HCMV infected hosts and subsequent exposure of susceptible individuals to virus-laden fluids. Intrauterine HCMV has long been recognized as an infectious threat to fetal growth and development. Since vertical HCMV infections occur following horizontal HCMV transmission to the pregnant mother, the nonhuman primate model of HCMV pathogenesis was used to characterize the virological and immunological parameters of infection following primary mucosal exposures to rhesus cytomegalovirus.
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13
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Vlahava VM, Murrell I, Zhuang L, Aicheler RJ, Lim E, Miners KL, Ladell K, Suárez NM, Price DA, Davison AJ, Wilkinson GW, Wills MR, Weekes MP, Wang EC, Stanton RJ. Monoclonal antibodies targeting nonstructural viral antigens can activate ADCC against human cytomegalovirus. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:139296. [PMID: 33586678 PMCID: PMC7880312 DOI: 10.1172/jci139296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous pathogen that causes severe disease following congenital infection and in immunocompromised individuals. No vaccines are licensed, and there are limited treatment options. We now show that the addition of anti-HCMV antibodies (Abs) can activate NK cells prior to the production of new virions, through Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), overcoming viral immune evasins. Quantitative proteomics defined the most abundant HCMV proteins on the cell surface, and we screened these targets to identify the viral antigens responsible for activating ADCC. Surprisingly, these were not structural glycoproteins; instead, the immune evasins US28, RL11, UL5, UL141, and UL16 each individually primed ADCC. We isolated human monoclonal Abs (mAbs) specific for UL16 or UL141 from a seropositive donor and optimized them for ADCC. Cloned Abs targeting a single antigen (UL141) were sufficient to mediate ADCC against HCMV-infected cells, even at low concentrations. Collectively, these findings validated an unbiased methodological approach to the identification of immunodominant viral antigens, providing a pathway toward an immunotherapeutic strategy against HCMV and potentially other pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia-Maria Vlahava
- Division of Infection and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Isa Murrell
- Division of Infection and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Lihui Zhuang
- Division of Infection and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | | | - Eleanor Lim
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Kelly L Miners
- Division of Infection and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Kristin Ladell
- Division of Infection and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Nicolás M Suárez
- University of Glasgow-MRC Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - David A Price
- Division of Infection and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J Davison
- University of Glasgow-MRC Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin Wg Wilkinson
- Division of Infection and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Mark R Wills
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Michael P Weekes
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Eddie Cy Wang
- Division of Infection and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Richard J Stanton
- Division of Infection and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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14
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Congenital Human Cytomegalovirus Infection: A Narrative Review of Maternal Immune Response and Diagnosis in View of the Development of a Vaccine and Prevention of Primary and Non-Primary Infections in Pregnancy. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9081749. [PMID: 34442828 PMCID: PMC8398868 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV) may affect about 1% of all newborns all over the world as a result of either a primary or recurrent human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. While about 90% of infants affected by cCMV are asymptomatic at birth, the remaining 10% are symptomatic often with neurodevelopmental impairment and sensorineural hearing loss. In view of identifying the best approach to vaccine prevention of cCMV, this review will examine the most important steps made in the study of the immune response to, and diagnosis of, HCMV infection. The maternal immune response and immune correlates of protection are being partially identified with a partial contribution given by our laboratory. The diagnosis of primary infection is often difficult to achieve in the first three months of pregnancy, which is the time primarily involved in virus transmission to the fetus in association with the most severe symptoms and sequelae. Prevention of cCMV is anticipated by prevention of primary infection in early pregnancy by means of different measures, such as (i) behavioral-educational measures, (ii) immunoglobulin administration, (iii) antiviral treatment with valaciclovir. However, the most promising approach to cCMV prevention appears to be the development of a non-living vaccine, including at least three viral antigens: gB, pentamer complex gHgLpUL128L, and pp65, which have been shown to be able to stimulate both the humoral and the cellular arms of the maternal immune response. Primary HCMV infection may be managed in pregnancy by counseling of the couples involved by a team of specialists that includes virologists, obstetricians, infectivologists and neonatologists.
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15
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A conditionally replication-defective cytomegalovirus vaccine elicits potent and diverse functional monoclonal antibodies in a phase I clinical trial. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:79. [PMID: 34078915 PMCID: PMC8172929 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00342-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A conditionally replication-defective human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) vaccine, V160, was shown to be safe and immunogenic in a two-part, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase I clinical trial (NCT01986010). However, the specificities and functional properties of V160-elicited antibodies remain undefined. Here, we characterized 272 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from single memory B cells of six V160-vaccinated subjects. The mAbs bind to diverse HCMV antigens, including multiple components of the pentamer, gB, and tegument proteins. The most-potent neutralizing antibodies target the pentamer-UL subunits. The binding sites of the antibodies overlap with those of antibodies responding to natural HCMV infection. The majority of the neutralizing antibodies target the gHgL subunit. The non-neutralizing antibodies predominantly target the gB and pp65 proteins. Sequence analysis indicated that V160 induced a class of gHgL antibodies expressing the HV1-18/KV1-5 germline genes in multiple subjects. This study provides valuable insights into primary targets for anti-HCMV antibodies induced by V160 vaccination.
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16
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Boppana SB, Britt WJ. Recent Approaches and Strategies in the Generation of Anti-human Cytomegalovirus Vaccines. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2244:403-463. [PMID: 33555597 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1111-1_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus is the largest human herpesvirus and shares many core features of other herpesviruses such as tightly regulated gene expression during genome replication and latency as well as the establishment of lifelong persistence following infection. In contrast to stereotypic clinical syndromes associated with alpha-herpesvirus infections, almost all primary HCMV infections are asymptomatic and acquired early in life in most populations in the world. Although asymptomatic in most individuals, HCMV is a major cause of disease in hosts with deficits in adaptive and innate immunity such as infants who are infected in utero and allograft recipients following transplantation. Congenital HCMV is a commonly acquired infection in the developing fetus that can result in a number of neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Similarly, HCMV is a major cause of disease in allograft recipients in the immediate and late posttransplant period and is thought to be a major contributor to chronic allograft rejection. Even though HCMV induces robust innate and adaptive immune responses, it also encodes a vast array of immune evasion functions that are thought aid in its persistence. Immune correlates of protective immunity that prevent or modify intrauterine HCMV infection remain incompletely defined but are thought to consist primarily of adaptive responses in the pregnant mother, thus making congenital HCMV a potentially vaccine modifiable disease. Similarly, HCMV infection in allograft recipients is often more severe in recipients without preexisting adaptive immunity to HCMV. Thus, there has been a considerable effort to modify HCMV specific immunity in transplant recipient either through active immunization or passive transfer of adaptive effector functions. Although efforts to develop an efficacious vaccine and/or passive immunotherapy to limit HCMV disease have been underway for nearly six decades, most have met with limited success at best. In contrast to previous efforts, current HCMV vaccine development has relied on observations of unique properties of HCMV in hopes of reproducing immune responses that at a minimum will be similar to that following natural infection. However, more recent findings have suggested that immunity following naturally acquired HCMV infection may have limited protective activity and almost certainly, is not sterilizing. Such observations suggest that either the induction of natural immunity must be specifically tailored to generate protective activity or alternatively, that providing targeted passive immunity to susceptible populations could be prove to be more efficacious.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suresh B Boppana
- Departments of Pediatrics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.,Departments of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - William J Britt
- Departments of Pediatrics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. .,Departments of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. .,Departments of Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
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17
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Singh T, Otero CE, Li K, Valencia SM, Nelson AN, Permar SR. Vaccines for Perinatal and Congenital Infections-How Close Are We? Front Pediatr 2020; 8:569. [PMID: 33384972 PMCID: PMC7769834 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2020.00569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Congenital and perinatal infections are transmitted from mother to infant during pregnancy across the placenta or during delivery. These infections not only cause pregnancy complications and still birth, but also result in an array of pediatric morbidities caused by physical deformities, neurodevelopmental delays, and impaired vision, mobility and hearing. Due to the burden of these conditions, congenital and perinatal infections may result in lifelong disability and profoundly impact an individual's ability to live to their fullest capacity. While there are vaccines to prevent congenital and perinatal rubella, varicella, and hepatitis B infections, many more are currently in development at various stages of progress. The spectrum of our efforts to understand and address these infections includes observational studies of natural history of disease, epidemiological evaluation of risk factors, immunogen design, preclinical research of protective immunity in animal models, and evaluation of promising candidates in vaccine trials. In this review we summarize this progress in vaccine development research for Cytomegalovirus, Group B Streptococcus, Herpes simplex virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Toxoplasma, Syphilis, and Zika virus congenital and perinatal infections. We then synthesize this evidence to examine how close we are to developing a vaccine for these infections, and highlight areas where research is still needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tulika Singh
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Claire E. Otero
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Katherine Li
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Sarah M. Valencia
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Ashley N. Nelson
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Sallie R. Permar
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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18
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Limaye AP, Green ML, Edmison BC, Stevens-Ayers T, Chatterton-Kirchmeier S, Geballe AP, Singh N, Boeckh M. Prospective Assessment of Cytomegalovirus Immunity in High-Risk Donor-Seropositive/Recipient-Seronegative Liver Transplant Recipients Receiving Either Preemptive Therapy or Antiviral Prophylaxis. J Infect Dis 2020; 220:752-760. [PMID: 31112280 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiz181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The differential impact of preemptive therapy (PET) and antiviral prophylaxis (AP) on development of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific neutralizing antibody (nAb) and T-cell responses have not previously been directly compared in high-risk donor-seropositive/recipient-seronegative (D+R-) organ transplant recipients. We prospectively assessed T-cell and nAb responses 3 months after transplantation in cohorts of high-risk D+R- liver transplant recipients who received either PET (n = 15) or AP (n = 25) and a control group of CMV-seropositive transplant recipients (R+) (AP; n = 24). CMV phosphoprotein 65 (pp65)- and immediate early protein 1-specific multifunctional T-cell responses were determined by means of intracellular cytokine staining and nAbs against BADrUL131-Y4 CMV in adult retinal pigment epithelial cell line-19 human epithelial cells; nAbs were detected in 8 of 12 (67%) in the PET group, none of 17 in the AP group, and 20 of 22 (91%) in the R+ group. Multifunctional CD8 and CD4 T-cell responses to pp65 were generally similar between PET and R+ groups, and lower for the AP group; multifunctional CD4 responses were similar across all groups. Among D+R- liver transplant recipients, PET was associated with the development of greater nAb and multifunctional CD8 T-cell responses compared with AP, providing a potential mechanism to explain the relative protection against late-onset disease with PET. Future studies are needed to define specific immune parameters predictive of late-onset CMV disease with AP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajit P Limaye
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Margaret L Green
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.,Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle
| | | | - Terry Stevens-Ayers
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle.,Program in Infectious Diseases, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Sam Chatterton-Kirchmeier
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle.,Program in Infectious Diseases, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Adam P Geballe
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.,Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle.,Program in Infectious Diseases, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Nina Singh
- Program in Infectious Diseases, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael Boeckh
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.,Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle.,Program in Infectious Diseases, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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19
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Sandonís V, García-Ríos E, McConnell MJ, Pérez-Romero P. Role of Neutralizing Antibodies in CMV Infection: Implications for New Therapeutic Approaches. Trends Microbiol 2020; 28:900-912. [PMID: 32448762 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection elicits a potent immune response that includes the stimulation of antibodies with neutralizing activity. Recent studies have focused on elucidating the role of neutralizing antibodies in protecting against CMV infection and disease and characterizing viral antigens against which neutralizing antibodies are directed. Here, we provide a synthesis of recent data regarding the role of neutralizing antibodies in protection against CMV infection/disease. We consider the role of humoral immunity in the context of the global CMV-specific immune response, and the implications that recent findings have for vaccine and antibody-based therapy design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Sandonís
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario '12 de Octubre', Instituto de Investigación Hospital '12 de Octubre' (i+12), Madrid, Spain
| | - Estéfani García-Ríos
- National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Michael J McConnell
- National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Pérez-Romero
- National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
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20
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Human Cytomegalovirus Congenital (cCMV) Infection Following Primary and Nonprimary Maternal Infection: Perspectives of Prevention through Vaccine Development. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8020194. [PMID: 32340180 PMCID: PMC7349293 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8020194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) might occur as a result of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) primary (PI) or nonprimary infection (NPI) in pregnant women. Immune correlates of protection against cCMV have been partly identified only for PI. Following either PI or NPI, HCMV strains undergo latency. From a diagnostic standpoint, while the serological criteria for the diagnosis of PI are well-established, those for the diagnosis of NPI are still incomplete. Thus far, a recombinant gB subunit vaccine has provided the best results in terms of partial protection. This partial efficacy was hypothetically attributed to the post-fusion instead of the pre-fusion conformation of the gB present in the vaccine. Future efforts should be addressed to verify whether a new recombinant gB pre-fusion vaccine would provide better results in terms of prevention of both PI and NPI. It is still a matter of debate whether human hyperimmune globulin are able to protect from HCMV vertical transmission. In conclusion, the development of an HCMV vaccine that would prevent a significant portion of PI would be a major step forward in the development of a vaccine for both PI and NPI.
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21
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Modeling Human Cytomegalovirus-Induced Microcephaly in Human iPSC-Derived Brain Organoids. CELL REPORTS MEDICINE 2020; 1:100002. [PMID: 33205055 PMCID: PMC7659592 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2020.100002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Although congenital infection by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is well recognized as a leading cause of neurodevelopmental defects, HCMV neuropathogenesis remains poorly understood. A major challenge for investigating HCMV-induced abnormal brain development is the strict CMV species specificity, which prevents the use of animal models to directly study brain defects caused by HCMV. We show that infection of human-induced pluripotent-stem-cell-derived brain organoids by a “clinical-like” HCMV strain results in reduced brain organoid growth, impaired formation of cortical layers, and abnormal calcium signaling and neural network activity. Moreover, we show that the impeded brain organoid development caused by HCMV can be prevented by neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) that recognize the HCMV pentamer complex. These results demonstrate in a three-dimensional cellular biosystem that HCMV can impair the development and function of the human brain and provide insights into the potential capacity of NAbs to mitigate brain defects resulted from HCMV infection. Human iPSC-derived brain organoids to model HCMV-induced brain malformation “Clinical-like” HCMV strain impairs human brain organoid growth and structure HCMV-infected brain organoids exhibit abnormal calcium signaling and neural network HCMV-induced brain organoid abnormality can be prevented by neutralizing antibodies
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22
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Paradowska E, Jabłońska A, Studzińska M, Kasztelewicz B, Wiśniewska-Ligier M, Dzierżanowska-Fangrat K, Woźniakowska-Gęsicka T, Czech-Kowalska J. Distribution of the CMV glycoprotein gH/gL/gO and gH/gL/pUL128/pUL130/pUL131A complex variants and associated clinical manifestations in infants infected congenitally or postnatally. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16352. [PMID: 31705022 PMCID: PMC6841705 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52906-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a major cause of morbidity in fetuses following intrauterine infection. The glycoprotein (g) envelope trimeric gH/gL/gO and pentameric gH/gL/pUL128/pUL130/pUL131A complexes are required for CMV entry into fibroblasts and endothelial/epithelial cells, respectively, and both are targets for neutralizing antibodies. The role of sequence variability among viral strains in the outcome of congenital CMV infection is controversial. Variation in the CMV UL75 gene encoding glycoprotein H (gH), the UL115 (gL), the UL74 (gO), and the UL128 locus (UL128L) encoding three structural proteins (pUL128, pUL130, and pUL131A) was determined in 82 newborns with congenital CMV infection and 113 infants with postnatal or unproven congenital CMV infection. Genotyping was performed by sequencing analysis of PCR-amplified fragments and the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method, and the viral load was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The obtained results demonstrated that (1) different CMV variants and mixed CMV infections can be detected in newborns infected congenitally; (2) the gH1 genotype, UL130 variant 6, and UL131A variant 1 were associated with some signs/symptoms within cohort of pediatric patients, mainly consisting of infants with symptomatic CMV infection. The results revealed that pUL130, pUL131A, and gH polymorphisms seemed to be associated with the outcome of CMV infection in infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edyta Paradowska
- Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz, Poland.
| | - Agnieszka Jabłońska
- Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz, Poland
| | - Mirosława Studzińska
- Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz, Poland
| | - Beata Kasztelewicz
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Wiśniewska-Ligier
- Department of Pediatrics, Immunology, and Nephrology, Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital Research Institute, Lodz, Poland
- 3rd Department of Pediatrics, Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital Research Institute, Lodz, Poland
| | | | | | - Justyna Czech-Kowalska
- Department of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
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Production Strategies for Pentamer-Positive Subviral Dense Bodies as a Safe Human Cytomegalovirus Vaccine. Vaccines (Basel) 2019; 7:vaccines7030104. [PMID: 31480520 PMCID: PMC6789746 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines7030104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Infections with the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) are associated with severe clinical manifestations in children following prenatal transmission and after viral reactivation in immunosuppressed individuals. The development of an HCMV vaccine has long been requested but there is still no licensed product available. Subviral dense bodies (DB) are immunogenic in pre-clinical models and are thus a promising HCMV vaccine candidate. Recently, we established a virus based on the laboratory strain Towne that synthesizes large numbers of DB containing the pentameric protein complex gH/gL/UL128-131 (Towne-UL130repΔGFP). The work presented here focuses on providing strategies for the production of a safe vaccine based on that strain. A GMP-compliant protocol for DB production was established. Furthermore, the DB producer strain Towne-UL130rep was attenuated by deleting the UL25 open reading frame. Additional genetic modifications aim to abrogate its capacity to replicate in vivo by conditionally expressing pUL51 using the Shield-1/FKBP destabilization system. We further show that the terminase inhibitor letermovir can be used to reduce infectious virus contamination of a DB vaccine by more than two orders of magnitude. Taken together, strategies are provided here that allow for the production of a safe and immunogenic DB vaccine for clinical testing.
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Dense Bodies of a gH/gL/UL128/UL130/UL131 Pentamer-Repaired Towne Strain of Human Cytomegalovirus Induce an Enhanced Neutralizing Antibody Response. J Virol 2019; 93:JVI.00931-19. [PMID: 31189713 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00931-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of a vaccine against human cytomegalovirus infection (HCMV) is a high-priority medical goal. The viral pentameric protein complex consisting of glycoprotein H (gH)/gL/UL128-131A (PC) is considered to be an important vaccine component. Its relevance to the induction of a protective antibody response is, however, still a matter of debate. We addressed this issue by using subviral dense bodies (DBs) of HCMV. DBs are exceptionally immunogenic. Laboratory HCMV strain DBs harbor important neutralizing antibody targets, like the glycoproteins B, H, L, M, and N, but they are devoid of the PC. To be able to directly compare the impact of the PC on the levels of neutralizing antibody (NT-abs) responses, a PC-positive variant of the HCMV laboratory strain Towne was established by bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) mutagenesis (Towne-UL130rep). This strain synthesized PC-positive DBs upon infection of fibroblasts. These DBs were used in side-by-side immunizations with PC-negative Towne DBs. Mouse and rabbit sera were tested to address the impact of the PC on DB immunogenicity. The neutralizing antibody response to PC-positive DBs was superior to that of PC-negative DBs, as tested on fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and endothelial cells and for both animal species used. The experiments revealed the potential of the PC to enhance the antibody response against HCMV. Of particular interest was the finding that PC-positive DBs induced an antibody response that blocked the infection of fibroblasts by a PC-positive viral strain more efficiently than sera following immunizations with PC-negative particles.IMPORTANCE Infections with the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) may cause severe and even life-threatening disease manifestations in newborns and immunosuppressed individuals. Several strategies for the development of a vaccine against this virus are currently pursued. A critical question in this respect refers to the antigenic composition of a successful vaccine. Using a subviral particle vaccine candidate, we show here that one protein complex of HCMV, termed the pentameric complex (PC), enhances the neutralizing antibody response against viral infection of different cell types. We further show for the first time that this not only relates to the infection of epithelial or endothelial cells; the presence of the PC in the particles also enhanced the neutralizing antibody response against the infection of fibroblasts by HCMV. Together, these findings argue in favor of including the PC in strategies for HCMV vaccine development.
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Abstract
Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and HCMV infection of the immunosuppressed patients cause significant morbidity and mortality, and vaccine development against HCMV is a major public health priority. Efforts to develop HCMV vaccines have been ongoing for 50 y, though no HCMV vaccine has been licensed; encouraging and promising results have obtained from both preclinical and clinical trials. HCMV infection induces a wide range of humoral and T cell-mediated immune responses, and both branches of immunity are correlated with protection. In recent years, there have been novel approaches toward the development of HCMV vaccines and demonstrated that vaccine candidates could potentially provide superior protection over natural immunity acquired following HCMV infection. Further, rationally designed HCMV protein antigens that express native conformational epitopes could elicit optimal immune response. HCMV vaccine candidates, using a multi-antigen approach, to maximize the elicited protective immunity will most likely be successful in development of HCMV vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinle Cui
- Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Clifford M Snapper
- Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
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The Third International Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Cytomegalovirus in Solid-organ Transplantation. Transplantation 2019; 102:900-931. [PMID: 29596116 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000002191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 706] [Impact Index Per Article: 141.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Despite recent advances, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections remain one of the most common complications affecting solid organ transplant recipients, conveying higher risks of complications, graft loss, morbidity, and mortality. Research in the field and development of prior consensus guidelines supported by The Transplantation Society has allowed a more standardized approach to CMV management. An international multidisciplinary panel of experts was convened to expand and revise evidence and expert opinion-based consensus guidelines on CMV management including prevention, treatment, diagnostics, immunology, drug resistance, and pediatric issues. Highlights include advances in molecular and immunologic diagnostics, improved understanding of diagnostic thresholds, optimized methods of prevention, advances in the use of novel antiviral therapies and certain immunosuppressive agents, and more savvy approaches to treatment resistant/refractory disease. The following report summarizes the updated recommendations.
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Navarro D, Fernández-Ruiz M, Aguado JM, Sandonís V, Pérez-Romero P. Going beyond serology for stratifying the risk of CMV infection in transplant recipients. Rev Med Virol 2018; 29:e2017. [PMID: 30358016 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge of donor and recipient (D/R) cytomegalovirus (CMV) serostatus is critical for risk stratification of CMV infection and disease in transplant recipients, particularly in the solid organ transplantation (SOT) setting. Despite its broad availability and the success of it use, the risk stratification based on the D/R serostatus is not free of limitations since there are a nondepreciable number of patients that are not accurately categorized by this approach. In fact, up to 20% of seropositive SOT recipients, classically considered at intermediate risk, develop episodes of CMV infection and disease after transplantation. Here, we provide an overview of additional donor and recipient factors that may have utility in identifying patients at risk for post-transplant CMV infection. Specifically, we summarize our current understanding regarding the potential use of use CMV-specific T-cell-mediated immunity, neutralizing antibodies and host genetics that may influence the risk of CMV infection and disease. We provide an overview of the benefits and limitations associated with using these immunological factors in risk stratification and propose specific variables that could be analyzed at the pretransplant evaluation to improve the identification of patients with increased individual susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Navarro
- Microbiology Service, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Fundación INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain
| | - Mario Fernández-Ruiz
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Hospital,"12 de Octubre" (i+12), School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - José María Aguado
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Hospital,"12 de Octubre" (i+12), School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Virginia Sandonís
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario "12 de Octubre", Instituto de Investigación Hospital,"12 de Octubre" (i+12), School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Pérez-Romero
- National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
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Diamond DJ, LaRosa C, Chiuppesi F, Contreras H, Dadwal S, Wussow F, Bautista S, Nakamura R, Zaia JA. A fifty-year odyssey: prospects for a cytomegalovirus vaccine in transplant and congenital infection. Expert Rev Vaccines 2018; 17:889-911. [PMID: 30246580 PMCID: PMC6343505 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2018.1526085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION It has been almost fifty years since the Towne strain was used by Plotkin and collaborators as the first vaccine candidate for cytomegalovirus (CMV). While that approach showed partial efficacy, there have been a multitude of challenges to improve on the promise of a CMV vaccine. Efforts have been dichotomized into a therapeutic vaccine for patients with CMV-infected allografts, either stem cells or solid organ, and a prophylactic vaccine for congenital infection. AREAS COVERED This review will evaluate research prospects for a therapeutic vaccine for transplant recipients that recognizes CMV utilizing primarily T cell responses. Similarly, we will provide an extensive discussion on attempts to develop a vaccine to prevent the manifestations of congenital infection, based on eliciting a humoral anti-CMV protective response. The review will also describe newer developments that have upended the efforts toward such a vaccine through the discovery of a second pathway of CMV infection that utilizes an alternative receptor for entry using a series of antigens that have been determined to be important for prevention of infection. EXPERT COMMENTARY There is a concerted effort to unify separate therapeutic and prophylactic vaccine strategies into a single delivery agent that would be effective for both transplant-related and congenital infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don J. Diamond
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research
Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA
| | - Corinna LaRosa
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research
Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA
| | - Flavia Chiuppesi
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research
Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA
| | - Heidi Contreras
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research
Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA
| | - Sanjeet Dadwal
- Department of Medical Specialties, City of Hope National
Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Felix Wussow
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research
Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA
| | - Supriya Bautista
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research
Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA
| | - Ryotaro Nakamura
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoetic Cell
Transplantation, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - John A. Zaia
- Center for Gene Therapy, Hematological Malignancy and Stem
Cell Transplantation Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
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Nelson CS, Herold BC, Permar SR. A new era in cytomegalovirus vaccinology: considerations for rational design of next-generation vaccines to prevent congenital cytomegalovirus infection. NPJ Vaccines 2018; 3:38. [PMID: 30275984 PMCID: PMC6148244 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-018-0074-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a member of the beta-herpesvirus family, is the most common cause of congenital infection worldwide as well as an important cause of morbidity in transplant recipients and immunosuppressed individuals. An estimated 1 in 150 infants are infected with HCMV at birth, which can result in lifelong, debilitating neurologic sequelae including microcephaly, sensorineural hearing loss, and cognitive impairment. Natural maternal immunity to HCMV decreases the frequency of reinfection and reduces risk of congenital transmission but does not completely protect against neonatal disease. Thus, a vaccine to reduce the incidence and severity of infant infection is a public health priority. A variety of candidate HCMV vaccine approaches have been tried previously, including live-attenuated viruses, glycoprotein subunit formulations, viral vectors, and single/bivalent DNA plasmids, but all have failed to reach target endpoints in clinical trials. Nevertheless, there is a great deal to be learned from the successes and failures of the HCMV vaccine field (both congenital and transplant-associated), as well as from vaccine development efforts for other herpesvirus pathogens including herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, varicella zoster virus, and Epstein-Barr virus. Here, we review those successes and failures, evaluating recent cutting-edge discoveries that have shaped the HCMV vaccine field and identifying topics of critical importance for future investigation. These considerations will inform rational design and evaluation of next-generation vaccines to prevent HCMV-associated congenital infection and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody S. Nelson
- Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC USA
| | - Betsy C. Herold
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY USA
| | - Sallie R. Permar
- Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC USA
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Multiantigenic Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara Vaccine Vectors To Elicit Potent Humoral and Cellular Immune Reponses against Human Cytomegalovirus in Mice. J Virol 2018; 92:JVI.01012-18. [PMID: 30045984 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01012-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
As human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a common cause of disease in newborns and transplant recipients, developing an HCMV vaccine is considered a major public health priority. Yet an HCMV vaccine candidate remains elusive. Although the precise HCMV immune correlates of protection are unclear, both humoral and cellular immune responses have been implicated in protection against HCMV infection and disease. Here we describe a vaccine approach based on the well-characterized modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vector to stimulate robust HCMV humoral and cellular immune responses by an antigen combination composed of the envelope pentamer complex (PC), glycoprotein B (gB), and phosphoprotein 65 (pp65). We show that in mice, multiantigenic MVA vaccine vectors simultaneously expressing all five PC subunits, gB, and pp65 elicit potent complement-independent and complement-dependent HCMV neutralizing antibodies as well as mouse and human MHC-restricted, polyfunctional T cell responses by the individual antigens. In addition, we demonstrate that the PC/gB antigen combination of these multiantigenic MVA vectors can enhance the stimulation of humoral immune responses that mediate in vitro neutralization of different HCMV strains and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. These results support the use of MVA to develop a multiantigenic vaccine candidate for controlling HCMV infection and disease in different target populations, such as pregnant women and transplant recipients.IMPORTANCE The development of a human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) vaccine to prevent congenital disease and transplantation-related complications is an unmet medical need. While many HCMV vaccine candidates have been developed, partial success in preventing or controlling HCMV infection in women of childbearing age and transplant recipients has been observed with an approach based on envelope glycoprotein B (gB). We introduce a novel vaccine strategy based on the clinically deployable modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vaccine vector to elicit potent humoral and cellular immune responses by multiple immunodominant HCMV antigens, including gB, phosphoprotein 65, and all five subunits of the pentamer complex. These findings could contribute to development of a multiantigenic vaccine strategy that may afford more protection against HCMV infection and disease than a vaccine approach employing solely gB.
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Abstract
The development of a cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine has become a top priority due to its potential cost-effectiveness and associated public health benefits. However, there are a number of challenges facing vaccine development including the following: (1) CMV has many mechanisms for evading immune responses , and natural immunity is not perfect, (2) the immune correlates for protection are unclear, (3) a narrow range of CMV hosts limits the value of animal models, and (4) the placenta is a specialized organ formed transiently and its immunological status changes with time. In spite of these limitations, several types of CMV vaccine candidate, including live-attenuated, DISC , subunit, DNA, vectored, and peptide vaccines, have been developed or are currently under development. The recognition of the pentameric complex as the major neutralization target and identification of various strategies to block viral immune response evasion mechanisms have opened new avenues to CMV vaccine development. Here, we discuss the immune correlates for protection, the characteristics of the various vaccine candidates and their clinical trials, and the relevant animal models.
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Targeting Human-Cytomegalovirus-Infected Cells by Redirecting T Cells Using an Anti-CD3/Anti-Glycoprotein B Bispecific Antibody. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2017; 62:AAC.01719-17. [PMID: 29038280 PMCID: PMC5740302 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01719-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The host immune response to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is effective against HCMV reactivation from latency, though not sufficient to clear the virus. T cells are primarily responsible for the control of viral reactivation. When the host immune system is compromised, as in transplant recipients with immunosuppression, HCMV reactivation and progressive infection can cause serious morbidity and mortality. Adoptive T cell therapy is effective for the control of HCMV infection in transplant recipients. However, it is a highly personalized therapeutic regimen and is difficult to implement in routine clinical practice. In this study, we explored a bispecific-antibody strategy to direct non-HCMV-specific T cells to recognize and exert effector functions against HCMV-infected cells. Using a knobs-into-holes strategy, we constructed a bispecific antibody in which one arm is specific for CD3 and can trigger T cell activation, while the other arm, specific for HCMV glycoprotein B (gB), recognizes and marks HCMV-infected cells based on the expression of viral gB on their surfaces. We showed that this bispecific antibody was able to redirect T cells with specificity for HCMV-infected cells in vitro In the presence of HCMV infection, the engineered antibody was able to activate T cells with no HCMV specificity for cytokine production, proliferation, and the expression of phenotype markers unique to T cell activation. These results suggested the potential of engineered bispecific antibodies, such as the construct described here, as prophylactic or therapeutic agents against HCMV reactivation and infection.
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Wussow F, Chiuppesi F, Contreras H, Diamond DJ. Neutralization of Human Cytomegalovirus Entry into Fibroblasts and Epithelial Cells. Vaccines (Basel) 2017; 5:E39. [PMID: 29088098 PMCID: PMC5748606 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines5040039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a leading cause of permanent birth defects, highlighting the need to develop an HCMV vaccine candidate. However, HCMV vaccine development is complicated by the varying capacity of neutralizing antibodies (NAb) to interfere in vitro with the HCMV entry routes mediating infection of fibroblast (FB) and epithelial cells (EC). While HCMV infection of FB and EC requires glycoprotein complexes composed of gB and gH/gL/gO, EC infection depends additionally on the envelope pentamer complex (PC) composed of gH, gL, UL128, UL130 and UL131A. Unlike NAb to gB or gH epitopes that can interfere with both FB and EC infection, NAb targeting predominantly conformational epitopes of the UL128/130/131A subunits are unable to prevent FB entry, though they are highly potent in blocking EC infection. Despite the selective requirement of the PC for EC entry, the PC is exceptionally immunogenic as vaccine antigen to stimulate both EC- and FB-specific NAb responses due to its capacity to elicit NAb that target epitopes of the UL128/130/131A subunits and gH. These findings suggest that the PC could be sufficient in a subunit vaccine formulation to induce robust FB- and EC-specific NAb responses. In this short review, we discuss NAb responses induced through natural infection and vaccination that interfere in vitro with HCMV infection of FB and EC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Wussow
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
| | - Flavia Chiuppesi
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
| | - Heidi Contreras
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
| | - Don J Diamond
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
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Binding and neutralizing anti-cytomegalovirus activities in immune globulin products. Biologicals 2017; 50:35-41. [PMID: 29029807 DOI: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2017.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital infection as well as infection of immunocompromised individuals by cytomegalovirus (CMV) can be associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and long-term adverse health outcomes. Assessment of anti-viral activity using appropriate assays is essential for ensuring safe and efficacious use of therapeutic CMV immune globulin (IG) products. In this study, we used commercial ELISA kits to compare anti-CMV antibody binding activity and avidity for lots of CMV-specific and normal IG products available in the US market. Additionally, neutralizing activity of IG products was measured against CMV strains (AD169wt131 or TB40E-GFP) in MRC-5 human fibroblasts and ARPE-19 human epithelial cells. Our data revealed that, regardless of the method, anti-CMV activity was higher in CMV IG lots we tested compared with normal IG lots; CMV binding activity was at least 4-fold higher, and neutralizing activity at least 2- and 3-fold higher for epithelial and fibroblast cells, respectively, in CMV IG lots compared with normal IG lots. Furthermore, anti-CMV activity values from all three methods (ELISA, neutralization in MRC-5 cells, and neutralization in ARPE-19 cells) were highly correlated, whereas avidity, although higher in CMV IG lots, did not correlate well with either binding or neutralizing activities.
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Chiuppesi F, Wussow F, Scharf L, Contreras H, Gao H, Meng Z, Nguyen J, Barry PA, Bjorkman PJ, Diamond DJ. Comparison of homologous and heterologous prime-boost vaccine approaches using Modified Vaccinia Ankara and soluble protein to induce neutralizing antibodies by the human cytomegalovirus pentamer complex in mice. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183377. [PMID: 28813507 PMCID: PMC5558987 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Since neutralizing antibodies (NAb) targeting the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) pentamer complex (PC) potently block HCMV host cell entry, anti-PC NAb induction is thought to be important for a vaccine formulation to prevent HCMV infection. By developing a vaccine strategy based on soluble PC protein and using a previously generated Modified Vaccinia Ankara vector co-expressing all five PC subunits (MVA-PC), we compared HCMV NAb induction by homologous immunization using prime-boost vaccine regimen employing only PC protein or MVA-PC and heterologous immunization using prime-boost combinations of PC protein and MVA-PC. Utilizing a recently isolated anti-PC NAb, we produced highly pure soluble PC protein that displayed conformational and linear neutralizing epitopes, interfered with HCMV entry, and was recognized by antibodies induced by HCMV during natural infection. Mice vaccinated by different immunization routes with the purified PC protein in combination with a clinically approved adjuvant formulation elicited high-titer and durable HCMV NAb. While MVA-PC and soluble PC protein either alone or in combination elicited robust HCMV NAb, significantly different potencies of these vaccine approaches were observed in dependence on immunization schedule. Using only two immunizations, vaccination with MVA-PC alone or prime-boost combinations of MVA-PC and PC protein was significantly more effective in stimulating HCMV NAb than immunization with PC protein alone. In contrast, with three immunizations, NAb induced by soluble PC protein either alone or combined with two boosts of MVA-PC increased to levels that exceeded NAb titer stimulated by MVA-PC alone. These results provide insights into the potency of soluble protein and MVA to elicit NAb by the HCMV PC via homologous and heterologous prime-boost immunization, which may contribute to develop clinically deployable vaccine strategies to prevent HCMV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Chiuppesi
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States of America
| | - Felix Wussow
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States of America
| | - Louise Scharf
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States of America
| | - Heidi Contreras
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States of America
| | - Han Gao
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States of America
| | - Zhuo Meng
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States of America
| | - Jenny Nguyen
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States of America
| | - Peter A. Barry
- Center for Comparative Medicine, California National Primate Research Center, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Pamela J. Bjorkman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States of America
| | - Don J. Diamond
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Gerna G, Revello MG, Baldanti F, Percivalle E, Lilleri D. The pentameric complex of human Cytomegalovirus: cell tropism, virus dissemination, immune response and vaccine development. J Gen Virol 2017; 98:2215-2234. [PMID: 28809151 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Between the 1980s and 1990s, three assays were developed for diagnosis of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections: leuko (L)-antigenemia, l-viremia and l-DNAemia, detecting viral protein pp65, infectious virus and viral DNA, respectively, in circulating leukocytes Repeated initial attempts to reproduce the three assays in vitro using laboratory-adapted strains and infected cell cultures were consistently unsuccessful. Results were totally reversed when wild-type HCMV strains were used to infect either fibroblasts or endothelial cells. Careful analysis and sequencing of plaque-purified viruses from recent clinical isolates drew attention to the ULb' region of the HCMV genome. Using bacterial artificial chromosome technology, it was shown by both gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments that UL131-128 genes are indispensable for virus growth in endothelial cells and virus transfer to leukocytes. In addition, a number of clinical isolates passaged in human fibroblasts had lost both properties (leuko-tropism and endothelial cell-tropism) when displaying a mutation in the UL131-128 locus (referred to as UL128L). In the following years, it was shown that pUL128L was complexed with gH and gL to form the pentameric complex (PC), which is required to infect endothelial, epithelial and myeloid cells. The immune response to PC was studied extensively, particularly its humoral component, showing that the great majority of the neutralizing antibody response is directed to PC. Although anti-HCMV antibodies may act with other mechanisms than mere neutralizing activity, these findings definitely favour their protective activity, thus paving the way to the development of a potentially protective HCMV vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Gerna
- Experimental Research Laboratories, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Fausto Baldanti
- Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.,Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elena Percivalle
- Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Daniele Lilleri
- Experimental Research Laboratories, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
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Suárez NM, Lau B, Kemble GM, Lee R, Mocarski ES, Wilkinson GWG, Adler SP, McVoy MA, Davison AJ. Genomic analysis of chimeric human cytomegalovirus vaccine candidates derived from strains Towne and Toledo. Virus Genes 2017; 53:650-655. [PMID: 28391502 PMCID: PMC5527331 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-017-1452-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an important opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised patients and a major cause of congenital birth defects when acquired in utero. In the 1990s, four chimeric viruses were constructed by replacing genome segments of the high passage Towne strain with segments of the low passage Toledo strain, with the goal of obtaining live attenuated vaccine candidates that remained safe but were more immunogenic than the overly attenuated Towne vaccine. The chimeras were found to be safe when administered to HCMV-seronegative human volunteers, but to differ significantly in their ability to induce seroconversion. This suggests that chimera-specific genetic differences impacted the ability to replicate or persist in vivo and the consequent ability to induce an antibody response. To identify specific genomic breakpoints between Towne and Toledo sequences and establish whether spontaneous mutations or rearrangements had occurred during construction of the chimeras, complete genome sequences were determined. No major deletions or rearrangements were observed, although a number of unanticipated mutations were identified. However, no clear association emerged between the genetic content of the chimeras and the reported levels of vaccine-induced HCMV-specific humoral or cellular immune responses, suggesting that multiple genetic determinants are likely to impact immunogenicity. In addition to revealing the genome organization of the four vaccine candidates, this study provided an opportunity to probe the genetics of HCMV attenuation in humans. The results may be valuable in the future design of safe live or replication-defective vaccines that optimize immunogenicity and efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás M Suárez
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Betty Lau
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Ronzo Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Edward S Mocarski
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Gavin W G Wilkinson
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Stuart P Adler
- CMV Research Foundation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Michael A McVoy
- Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
| | - Andrew J Davison
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
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Vietzen H, Görzer I, Honsig C, Jaksch P, Puchhammer-Stöckl E. Association between antibody functions and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication after lung transplantation in HCMV-seropositive patients. J Heart Lung Transplant 2017; 37:S1053-2498(17)31901-0. [PMID: 28750933 DOI: 10.1016/j.healun.2017.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Vietzen
- Center for Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Irene Görzer
- Center for Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claudia Honsig
- Division of Clinical Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Jaksch
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Nelson CS, Cruz DV, Tran D, Bialas KM, Stamper L, Wu H, Gilbert M, Blair R, Alvarez X, Itell H, Chen M, Deshpande A, Chiuppesi F, Wussow F, Diamond DJ, Vandergrift N, Walter MR, Barry PA, Cohen-Wolkowiez M, Koelle K, Kaur A, Permar SR. Preexisting antibodies can protect against congenital cytomegalovirus infection in monkeys. JCI Insight 2017; 2:94002. [PMID: 28679960 PMCID: PMC5499366 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.94002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common congenital infection and a known cause of microcephaly, sensorineural hearing loss, and cognitive impairment among newborns worldwide. Natural maternal HCMV immunity reduces the incidence of congenital infection, but does not prevent the disease altogether. We employed a nonhuman primate model of congenital CMV infection to investigate the ability of preexisting antibodies to protect against placental CMV transmission in the setting of primary maternal infection and subsequent viremia, which is required for placental virus exposure. Pregnant, CD4+ T cell-depleted, rhesus CMV-seronegative (RhCMV-seronegative) rhesus monkeys were treated with either standardly produced hyperimmune globulin (HIG) from RhCMV-seropositive macaques or dose-optimized, potently RhCMV-neutralizing HIG prior to intravenous challenge with an RhCMV mixture. HIG passive infusion provided complete protection against fetal loss in both groups. The dose-optimized, RhCMV-neutralizing HIG additionally inhibited placental transmission of RhCMV and reduced viral replication and diversity. Our findings suggest that the presence of durable and potently neutralizing antibodies at the time of primary infection can prevent transmission of systemically replicating maternal RhCMV to the developing fetus, and therefore should be a primary target of vaccines to eliminate this neonatal infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody S. Nelson
- Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, and
| | - Diana Vera Cruz
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Dollnovan Tran
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Kristy M. Bialas
- Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, and
| | - Lisa Stamper
- Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, and
| | - Huali Wu
- Duke Clinical Research Unit, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Margaret Gilbert
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Robert Blair
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Xavier Alvarez
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Hannah Itell
- Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, and
| | - Meng Chen
- Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, and
| | - Ashlesha Deshpande
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Flavia Chiuppesi
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Felix Wussow
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Don J. Diamond
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | | | - Mark R. Walter
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Peter A. Barry
- Center for Comparative Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Michael Cohen-Wolkowiez
- Duke Clinical Research Unit, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Katia Koelle
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Amitinder Kaur
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Sallie R. Permar
- Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, and
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Chandramouli S, Malito E, Nguyen T, Luisi K, Donnarumma D, Xing Y, Norais N, Yu D, Carfi A. Structural basis for potent antibody-mediated neutralization of human cytomegalovirus. Sci Immunol 2017; 2:2/12/eaan1457. [DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aan1457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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The pentameric complex drives immunologically covert cell-cell transmission of wild-type human cytomegalovirus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:6104-6109. [PMID: 28533400 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1704809114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strains that have been passaged in vitro rapidly acquire mutations that impact viral growth. These laboratory-adapted strains of HCMV generally exhibit restricted tropism, produce high levels of cell-free virus, and develop susceptibility to natural killer cells. To permit experimentation with a virus that retained a clinically relevant phenotype, we reconstructed a wild-type (WT) HCMV genome using bacterial artificial chromosome technology. Like clinical virus, this genome proved to be unstable in cell culture; however, propagation of intact virus was achieved by placing the RL13 and UL128 genes under conditional expression. In this study, we show that WT-HCMV produces extremely low titers of cell-free virus but can efficiently infect fibroblasts, epithelial, monocyte-derived dendritic, and Langerhans cells via direct cell-cell transmission. This process of cell-cell transfer required the UL128 locus, but not the RL13 gene, and was significantly less vulnerable to the disruptive effects of IFN, cellular restriction factors, and neutralizing antibodies compared with cell-free entry. Resistance to neutralizing antibodies was dependent on high-level expression of the pentameric gH/gL/gpUL128-131A complex, a feature of WT but not passaged strains of HCMV.
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Luisi K, Sharma M, Yu D. Development of a vaccine against cytomegalovirus infection and disease. Curr Opin Virol 2017; 23:23-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Schampera MS, Schweinzer K, Abele H, Kagan KO, Klein R, Rettig I, Jahn G, Hamprecht K. Comparison of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific neutralization capacity of hyperimmunoglobulin (HIG) versus standard intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) preparations: Impact of CMV IgG normalization. J Clin Virol 2017; 90:40-45. [PMID: 28342316 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2017.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Based on a non-randomized study of Nigro et al. (2005) the intravenous administration of hyperimmunoglobulins (HIGs) is applied frequently to women with primary CMV-infection as "off-label use" in Germany. OBJECTIVES In order to describe their CMV-specific neutralization-capacity in vitro, we analyzed the HIG preparations Cytotect®, and Cytogam® as well as the standard intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) Octagam®, Gamunex®, Kiovig®. STUDY DESIGN We performed short-term cell-free CMV neutralization assays (CFNT) and long-term cell-adapted neutralization-plaque-reduction assays (PRANT). Human retinal epithelial cells (ARPE-19) were used as target cells. A clinical CMV primary-isolate from amnion fluid propagated in epithelial cells without any initial fibroblast adaption was used. For calibration we previously generated serum-pools (N=100) from two cohorts of mothers at birth: seronegative and latently CMV-infected mothers. Biochemical analysis included total protein, albumin, Ig-class, and IgG-subclasses. Additionally, CMV antibody-reactivity was checked using recombinant immunoblotting. RESULTS HIG and IVIG preparations showed differences in levels and patterns of protein, Ig-class and CMV-specific antibody concentrations. All IgG-preparations showed high in vitro NT-capacity and high IgG-avidity. The NT90-values for HIGs and IVIGs and our seropositive reference-pool showed similar NT-capacity at a dilution of (1:100) which corresponded well to 4.1 PEI-Units/ml. CONCLUSION All HIG- and IVIG-preparations showed similar NT-capacity following CMV IgG-normalization. Our in vitro results are in strong contrast to former findings suggesting higher functional CMV NT titers in IVIG-preparations compared to HIGs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katrin Schweinzer
- Institute of Medical Virology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, D-72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Harald Abele
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Karl Oliver Kagan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Reinhild Klein
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Immunopathological Laboratory; University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Ingo Rettig
- Department of Internal Medicine, Central Laboratory, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Gerhard Jahn
- Institute of Medical Virology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, D-72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Klaus Hamprecht
- Institute of Medical Virology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, D-72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
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Identification of a Continuous Neutralizing Epitope within UL128 of Human Cytomegalovirus. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.01857-16. [PMID: 28077639 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01857-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 01/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
As human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common infectious cause of fetal anomalies during pregnancy, development of a vaccine that prevents HCMV infection is considered a global health priority. Although HCMV immune correlates of protection are only poorly defined, neutralizing antibodies (NAb) targeting the envelope pentamer complex (PC) composed of the subunits gH, gL, UL128, UL130, and UL131A are thought to contribute to the prevention of HCMV infection. Here, we describe a continuous target sequence within UL128 that is recognized by a previously isolated potent PC-specific NAb termed 13B5. By using peptide-based scanning procedures, we identified a 13-amino-acid-long target sequence at the UL128 C terminus that binds the 13B5 antibody with an affinity similar to that of the purified PC. In addition, the 13B5 binding site is universally conserved in HCMV, contains a previously described UL128/gL interaction site, and interferes with the 13B5 neutralizing function, indicating that the 13B5 epitope sequence is located within the PC at a site of critical importance for HCMV neutralization. Vaccination of mice with peptides containing the 13B5 target sequence resulted in the robust stimulation of binding antibodies and, in a subset of immunized animals, in the induction of detectable NAb, supporting that the identified 13B5 target sequence constitutes a PC-specific neutralizing epitope. These findings provide evidence for the discovery of a continuous neutralizing epitope within the UL128 subunit of the PC that could be an important target of humoral immune responses that are involved in protection against congenital HCMV infection.IMPORTANCE Neutralizing antibodies (NAb) targeting the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) envelope pentamer complex (PC) are thought to be important for preventing HCMV transmission from the mother to the fetus, thereby mitigating severe developmental disabilities in newborns. However, the epitope sequences within the PC that are recognized by these potentially protective antibody responses are only poorly defined. Here, we provide evidence for the existence of a highly conserved, continuous, PC-specific epitope sequence that appears to be located within the PC at a subunit interaction site of critical importance for HCMV neutralization. These discoveries provide insights into a continuous PC-specific neutralizing epitope, which could be an important target for a vaccine formulation to interfere with congenital HCMV infection.
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Lilleri D, Gerna G. Maternal immune correlates of protection from human cytomegalovirus transmission to the fetus after primary infection in pregnancy. Rev Med Virol 2016; 27. [DOI: 10.1002/rmv.1921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Lilleri
- Experimental Research Laboratories, Transplantation Area; Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo; Pavia Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gerna
- Experimental Research Laboratories, Transplantation Area; Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo; Pavia Italy
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Exploitation of Interleukin-10 (IL-10) Signaling Pathways: Alternate Roles of Viral and Cellular IL-10 in Rhesus Cytomegalovirus Infection. J Virol 2016; 90:9920-9930. [PMID: 27558431 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00635-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
There is accumulating evidence that the viral interleukin-10 (vIL-10) ortholog of both human and rhesus cytomegalovirus (HCMV and RhCMV, respectively) suppresses the functionality of cell types that are critical to contain virus dissemination and help shape long-term immunity during the earliest virus-host interactions. In particular, exposure of macrophages, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, monocyte-derived dendritic cells, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells to vIL-10 suppresses multiple effector functions including, notably, those that link innate and adaptive immune responses. Further, vaccination of RhCMV-uninfected rhesus macaques with nonfunctional forms of RhCMV vIL-10 greatly restricted parameters of RhCMV infection following RhCMV challenge of the vaccinees. Vaccinees exhibited significantly reduced shedding of RhCMV in saliva and urine following RhCMV challenge compared to shedding in unvaccinated controls. Based on the evidence that vIL-10 is critical during acute infection, the role of vIL-10 during persistent infection was analyzed in rhesus macaques infected long term with RhCMV to determine whether postinfection vaccination against vIL-10 could change the virus-host balance. RhCMV-seropositive macaques, which shed RhCMV in saliva, were vaccinated with nonfunctional RhCMV vIL-10, and shedding levels of RhCMV in saliva were evaluated. Following robust increases in vIL-10-binding and vIL-10-neutralizing antibodies, shedding levels of RhCMV modestly declined, consistent with the interpretation that vIL-10 may play a functional role during persistent infection. However, a more significant association was observed between the levels of cellular IL-10 secreted in peripheral blood mononuclear cells exposed to RhCMV antigens and shedding of RhCMV in saliva. This result implies that RhCMV persistence is associated with the induction of cellular IL-10 receptor-mediated signaling pathways. IMPORTANCE Human health is adversely impacted by viruses that establish lifelong infections that are often accompanied with increased morbidity and mortality (e.g., infections with HIV, hepatitis C virus, or human cytomegalovirus). A longstanding but unfulfilled goal has been to develop postinfection vaccine strategies that could "reboot" the immune system of an infected individual in ways that would enable the infected host to develop immune responses that clear reservoirs of persistent virus infection, effectively curing the host of infection. This concept was evaluated in rhesus macaques infected long term with rhesus cytomegalovirus by repeatedly immunizing infected animals with nonfunctional versions of the rhesus cytomegalovirus-encoded viral interleukin-10 immune-modulating protein. Following vaccine-mediated boosting of antibody titers to viral interleukin-10, there was modest evidence for increased immunological control of the virus following vaccination. More significantly, data were also obtained that indicated that rhesus cytomegalovirus is able to persist due to upregulation of the cellular interleukin-10 signaling pathway.
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Repair of a Mutation Disrupting the Guinea Pig Cytomegalovirus Pentameric Complex Acquired during Fibroblast Passage Restores Pathogenesis in Immune-Suppressed Guinea Pigs and in the Context of Congenital Infection. J Virol 2016; 90:7715-27. [PMID: 27307567 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00320-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) provides a valuable model for congenital cytomegalovirus transmission. Salivary gland (SG)-passaged stocks of GPCMV are pathogenic, while tissue culture (TC) passage in fibroblasts results in attenuation. Nonpathogenic TC-derived virus N13R10 (cloned as a bacterial artificial chromosome [BAC]) has a 4-bp deletion that disrupts GP129, which encodes a subunit of the GPCMV pentameric complex (PC) believed to govern viral entry into select cell types, and GP130, an overlapping open reading frame (ORF) of unknown function. To determine if this deletion contributes to attenuation of N13R10, markerless gene transfer in Escherichia coli was used to construct virus r129, a variant of N13R10 in which the 4-bp deletion is repaired. Virions from r129 were found to contain GP129 as well as two other PC subunit proteins, GP131 and GP133, whereas these three PC subunits were absent from N13R10 virions. Replication of r129 in fibroblasts appeared unaltered compared to that of N13R10. However, following experimental challenge of immunocompromised guinea pigs, r129 induced significant weight loss, longer duration of viremia, and dramatically higher (up to 1.5 × 10(6)-fold) viral loads in blood and end organs compared to N13R10. In pregnant guinea pigs, challenge with doses of r129 virus of ≥5 × 10(6) PFU resulted in levels of maternal viremia, congenital transmission, pup viral loads, intrauterine growth restriction, and pup mortality comparable to that induced by pathogenic SG virus, although higher doses of r129 were required. These results suggest that the GP129-GP130 mutation is a significant contributor to attenuation of N13R10, likely by abrogating expression of a functional PC. IMPORTANCE Tissue culture adaptation of cytomegaloviruses rapidly selects for mutations, deletions, and rearrangements in the genome, particularly for viruses passaged in fibroblast cells. Some of these mutations are focused in the region of the genome encoding components of the pentameric complex (PC), in particular homologs of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) proteins UL128, UL130, and UL131A. These mutations can attenuate the course of infection when the virus is reintroduced into animals for vaccine and pathogenesis studies. This study demonstrates that a deletion that arose during the process of tissue culture passage can be repaired, with subsequent restoration of pathogenicity, using BAC-based mutagenesis. Restoration of pathogenicity by repair of a frameshift mutation in GPCMV gene GP129 using this approach provides a valuable genetic platform for future studies using the guinea pig model of congenital CMV infection.
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The Human Cytomegalovirus UL116 Gene Encodes an Envelope Glycoprotein Forming a Complex with gH Independently from gL. J Virol 2016; 90:4926-38. [PMID: 26937030 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02517-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in transplant patients and is the leading viral cause of birth defects after congenital infection. HCMV infection relies on the recognition of cell-specific receptors by one of the viral envelope glycoprotein complexes. Either the gH/gL/gO or the gH/gL/UL128/UL130/UL131A (Pentamer) complex has been found to fulfill this role, accounting for HCMV entry into almost all cell types. We have studied the UL116 gene product, a putative open reading frame identified by in silico analysis and predicted to code for a secreted protein. Virus infection experiments in mammalian cells demonstrated that UL116 is expressed late in the HCMV replication cycle and is a heavily glycosylated protein that first localizes to the cellular site of virus assembly and then inserts into the virion envelope. Transient-transfection studies revealed that UL116 is efficiently transported to the plasma membrane when coexpressed with gH and that gL competes with UL116 for gH binding. Further evidence for gH/UL116 complex formation was obtained by coimmunoprecipitation experiments on both transfected and infected cells and biochemical characterization of the purified complex. In summary, our results show that the product of the UL116 gene is an HCMV envelope glycoprotein that forms a novel gH-based complex alternative to gH/gL. Remarkably, the gH/UL116 complex is the first herpesvirus gH-based gL-less complex. IMPORTANCE HCMV infection can cause severe disease in immunocompromised adults and infants infected in utero The dissection of the HCMV entry machinery is important to understand the mechanism of viral infection and to identify new vaccine antigens. The gH/gL/gO and gH/gL/UL128/UL130/UL131 (Pentamer) complexes play a key role in HCMV cell entry and tropism. Both complexes are formed by an invariant gH/gL scaffold on which the other subunits assemble. Here, we show that the UL116 gene product is expressed in infected cells and forms a heterodimer with gH. The gH/UL116 complex is carried on the infectious virions, although in smaller amounts than gH/gL complexes. No gH/UL116/gL ternary complex formed in transfected cells, suggesting that the gH/UL116 complex is independent from gL. This new gH-based gL-free complex represents a potential target for a protective HCMV vaccine and opens new perspectives on the comprehension of the HCMV cell entry mechanism and tropism.
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Bruno F, Fornara C, Zelini P, Furione M, Carrara E, Scaramuzzi L, Cane I, Mele F, Sallusto F, Lilleri D, Gerna G. Follicular helper T-cells and virus-specific antibody response in primary and reactivated human cytomegalovirus infections of the immunocompetent and immunocompromised transplant patients. J Gen Virol 2016; 97:1928-1941. [PMID: 27113912 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Analysis of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) primary infection in immunocompetent (n=40) and immunocompromised transplant patients (n=20) revealed that the median peak antibody titre neutralizing infection of epithelial cells was 16-fold higher in immunocompromised patients. The mechanism of this finding was investigated by measuring: (i) HCMV DNAemia; (ii) HCMV neutralizing antibodies; (iii) ELISA IgG antibody titre to HCMV glycoprotein complexes gHgLpUL128L, gHgLgO and gB; and (iv) HCMV-specific (IFN-γ+) CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. Circulating CXCR5+ CD4+ (memory T follicular helper - TFH-cells) were identified as activated TFH (ICOS+PD-1++CCR7lo) and quiescent cells. In the early stages of primary infection, activated TFH cells increased in number. Concomitantly, both neutralizing and IgG antibodies to HCMV glycoproteins reached a peak, followed by a plateau. A stop in antibody rise occurred upon appearance of HCMV-specific CD4+ T-cells, HCMV clearance and progressive reduction in activated TFH cells. The main differences between healthy and transplant patients were that the latter had a delayed DNA peak, a much higher DNA load and delayed activated TFH cells and antibody peaks. Similar events were observed in clinically severe HCMV reactivations of transplant patients. A preliminary analysis of the specificity of the activated TFH cell response to viral proteins showed a major response to the pentamer gHgLpUL128L and gB. In conclusion, in the absence of T-cell immunity, one of the first lines of defence, during primary infection, is conferred by antibodies produced through the interaction of TFH cells and B-cells of germinal centres, resulting in differentiation of B-cells into antibody producing plasma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Bruno
- Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, Area Trapiantologica, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Chiara Fornara
- Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, Area Trapiantologica, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Paola Zelini
- Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, Area Trapiantologica, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Milena Furione
- Struttura Semplice Virologia Molecolare, Struttura Complessa Microbiologia e Virologia, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elena Carrara
- Divisione di Cardiochirurgia, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Lucia Scaramuzzi
- Divisione di Nefrologia, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Ilaria Cane
- Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, Area Trapiantologica, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Federico Mele
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Federica Sallusto
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Daniele Lilleri
- Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, Area Trapiantologica, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gerna
- Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, Area Trapiantologica, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
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Maffini E, Giaccone L, Festuccia M, Brunello L, Busca A, Bruno B. Treatment of CMV infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Expert Rev Hematol 2016; 9:585-96. [PMID: 27043241 DOI: 10.1080/17474086.2016.1174571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite a remarkable reduction in the past decades, cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients remains a feared complication, still associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Today, first line treatment of CMV infection/reactivation is still based on dated antiviral compounds Ganciclovir (GCV), Foscarnet (FOS) and Cidofovir (CDF) with their burdensome weight of side effects. Maribavir (MBV), Letermovir (LMV) and Brincidofovir (BDF) are three new promising anti-CMV drugs without myelosuppressive properties or renal toxic effects that are under investigation in randomized phase II and III trials. Adoptive T-cell therapy (ATCT) in CMV infection possesses a strong rationale, demonstrated by several proof of concept studies; its feasibility is currently under investigation by clinical trials. ATCT from third-party and naïve donors could meet the needs of HSCT recipients of seronegative donors and cord blood grafts. In selected patients such as recipients of T-cell depleted grafts, ATCT, based on CMV-specific host T-cells reconstitution kinetics, would be of value in the prophylactic and/or preemptive CMV treatment. Vaccine-immunotherapy has the difficult task to reduce the incidence of CMV reactivation/infection in highly immunocompromised HSCT patients. Newer notions on CMV biology may represent the base to flush out the Troll of transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Maffini
- a Department of Oncology, SSCVD Trapianto di Cellule Staminali , A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino , Torino , Italy.,b Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences , University of Torino , Torino , Italy
| | - Luisa Giaccone
- a Department of Oncology, SSCVD Trapianto di Cellule Staminali , A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino , Torino , Italy.,b Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences , University of Torino , Torino , Italy
| | - Moreno Festuccia
- a Department of Oncology, SSCVD Trapianto di Cellule Staminali , A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino , Torino , Italy.,b Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences , University of Torino , Torino , Italy
| | - Lucia Brunello
- a Department of Oncology, SSCVD Trapianto di Cellule Staminali , A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino , Torino , Italy.,b Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences , University of Torino , Torino , Italy
| | - Alessandro Busca
- a Department of Oncology, SSCVD Trapianto di Cellule Staminali , A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino , Torino , Italy
| | - Benedetto Bruno
- a Department of Oncology, SSCVD Trapianto di Cellule Staminali , A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino , Torino , Italy.,b Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences , University of Torino , Torino , Italy
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