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Daian E Silva DSO, Cox LJ, Rocha AS, Lopes-Ribeiro Á, Souza JPC, Franco GM, Prado JLC, Pereira-Santos TA, Martins ML, Coelho-Dos-Reis JGA, Gomes-de-Pinho TM, Da Fonseca FG, Barbosa-Stancioli EF. Preclinical assessment of an anti-HTLV-1 heterologous DNA/MVA vaccine protocol expressing a multiepitope HBZ protein. Virol J 2023; 20:304. [PMID: 38115107 PMCID: PMC10731796 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-023-02264-z] [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: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) is associated with the development of several pathologies and chronic infection in humans. The inefficiency of the available treatments and the challenge in developing a protective vaccine highlight the need to produce effective immunotherapeutic tools. The HTLV-1 basic leucine zipper (bZIP) factor (HBZ) plays an important role in the HTLV-1 persistence, conferring a survival advantage to infected cells by reducing the HTLV-1 proteins expression, allowing infected cells to evade immune surveillance, and enhancing cell proliferation leading to increased proviral load. METHODS We have generated a recombinant Modified Virus Vaccinia Ankara (MVA-HBZ) and a plasmid DNA (pcDNA3.1(+)-HBZ) expressing a multiepitope protein based on peptides of HBZ to study the immunogenic potential of this viral-derived protein in BALB/c mice model. Mice were immunized in a prime-boost heterologous protocol and their splenocytes (T CD4+ and T CD8+) were immunophenotyped by flow cytometry and the humoral response was evaluated by ELISA using HBZ protein produced in prokaryotic vector as antigen. RESULTS T CD4+ and T CD8+ lymphocytes cells stimulated by HBZ-peptides (HBZ42-50 and HBZ157-176) showed polyfunctional double positive responses for TNF-α/IFN-γ, and TNF-α/IL-2. Moreover, T CD8+ cells presented a tendency in the activation of effector memory cells producing granzyme B (CD44+High/CD62L-Low), and the activation of Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTLs) and cytotoxic responses in immunized mice were inferred through the production of granzyme B by effector memory T cells and the expression of CD107a by CD8+ T cells. The overall data is consistent with a directive and effector recall response, which may be able to operate actively in the elimination of HTLV-1-infected cells and, consequently, in the reduction of the proviral load. Sera from immunized mice, differently from those of control animals, showed IgG-anti-HBZ production by ELISA. CONCLUSIONS Our results highlight the potential of the HBZ multiepitope protein expressed from plasmid DNA and a poxviral vector as candidates for therapeutic vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- D S O Daian E Silva
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil
- GIPH - Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas em HTLV, Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - L J Cox
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil
- GIPH - Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas em HTLV, Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - A S Rocha
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil
- GIPH - Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas em HTLV, Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Á Lopes-Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil
| | - J P C Souza
- Centro de Tecnologia de Vacinas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - G M Franco
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil
- GIPH - Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas em HTLV, Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - J L C Prado
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil
| | - T A Pereira-Santos
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil
- GIPH - Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas em HTLV, Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - M L Martins
- GIPH - Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas em HTLV, Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Gerência de Desenvolvimento Técnico Científico, Fundação Centro de Hematologia e Hemoterapia do Estado de Minas Gerais - Hemominas, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - J G A Coelho-Dos-Reis
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil
- GIPH - Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas em HTLV, Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - T M Gomes-de-Pinho
- Centro de Tecnologia de Vacinas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - F G Da Fonseca
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil
- Centro de Tecnologia de Vacinas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - E F Barbosa-Stancioli
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil.
- GIPH - Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas em HTLV, Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
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