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Huang WC, Baker WS, Lovell JF, Schein CH. Displaying alphavirus physicochemical consensus antigens on immunogenic liposomes enhances antibody elicitation in mice. Virology 2024; 597:110152. [PMID: 38968676 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2024.110152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Cobalt-porphyrin phospholipid displays recombinant protein antigens on liposome surfaces via antigen polyhistidine-tag (His-tag), and when combined with monophosphorylated lipid A and QS-21 yields the "CPQ" vaccine adjuvant system. In this proof of principle study, CPQ was used to generate vaccine prototypes that elicited antibodies for two different alphaviruses (AV). Mice were immunized with computationally designed, His-tagged, physicochemical property consensus (PCPcon) protein antigens representing the variable B-domain of the envelope protein 2 (E2) from the serotype specific Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEVcon) or a broad-spectrum AV-antigen termed EVCcon. The CPQ adjuvant enhanced the antigenicity of both proteins without eliciting detectable anti-His-tag antibodies. Antibodies elicited from mice immunized with antigens admixed with CPQ showed orders-of-magnitude higher levels of antigen-specific IgG compared to alternative control adjuvants. The ELISA results correlated with antiviral activity against VEEV strain TC83 and more weakly to Chikungunya virus 118/25. Thus, display of E.coli-produced His-tagged E2 protein segments on the surface of immunogenic liposomes elicits high levels of antigen-specific and AV neutralizing antibodies in mice with vaccination, while facilitating vaccine preparation and providing dose-sparing potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Chiao Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Wendy S Baker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UTMB Galveston, 77555, USA
| | - Jonathan F Lovell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
| | - Catherine H Schein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UTMB Galveston, 77555, USA; Institute for human infections and immunity, UTMB Galveston, 77555, USA.
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Schein CH, Rafael G, Baker WS, Anaya ES, Schmidt JG, Weaver SC, Negi S, Braun W. PCP consensus protein/peptide alphavirus antigens stimulate broad spectrum neutralizing antibodies. Peptides 2022; 157:170844. [PMID: 35878658 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2022.170844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Vaccines based on proteins and peptides may be safer and if calculated based on many sequences, more broad-spectrum than those designed based on single strains. Physicochemical Property Consensus (PCPcon) alphavirus (AV) antigens from the B-domain of the E2 envelope protein were designed, synthesized recombinantly and shown to be immunogenic (i.e. sera after inoculation detected the antigen in dotspots and ELISA). Antibodies in sera after inoculation with B-region antigens based on individual AV species (eastern or Venezuelan equine encephalitis (EEEVcon, VEEVcon), or chikungunya (CHIKVcon) bound only their cognate protein, while those designed against multiple species (Mosaikcon and EVCcon) recognized all three serotype specific antigens. The VEEVcon and EEEVcon sera only showed antiviral activity against their related strains (in plaque reduction neutralization assays (PRNT50/80). Peptides designed to surface exposed areas of the E2-A-domain of CHIKVcon were added to CHIKVcon inocula to provide anti-CHIKV antibodies. EVCcon, based on three different alphavirus species, combined with E2-A-domain peptides from AllAVcon, a PCPcon of 24 diverse AV, generated broad spectrum, antiviral antibodies against VEEV, EEEV and CHIKV, AV with less than 35% amino acid identity to each other (>65% diversity). This is a promising start to a molecularly defined vaccine against all AV. Further study with these antigens can illuminate what areas are most important for a robust immune response, resistant to mutations in rapidly evolving viruses. The validated computational methods can also be used to design broad spectrum antigens against many other pathogen families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine H Schein
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UTMB; Institute for Human Infections and Immunity (IHII), UTMB; University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.
| | - Grace Rafael
- Microbiology and Immunology, UTMB; University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Wendy S Baker
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UTMB; University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | | | | | - Scott C Weaver
- Microbiology and Immunology, UTMB; Institute for Human Infections and Immunity (IHII), UTMB; World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, UTMB; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, UTMB; University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Surendra Negi
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UTMB; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, UTMB; University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Werner Braun
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UTMB; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, UTMB; University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
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3
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Schein CH, Levine CB, McLellan SLF, Negi SS, Braun W, Dreskin SC, Anaya ES, Schmidt J. Synthetic proteins for COVID-19 diagnostics. Peptides 2021; 143:170583. [PMID: 34087220 PMCID: PMC8168367 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2021.170583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
There is an urgent need for inexpensive, rapid and specific antigen-based assays to test for vaccine efficacy and detect infection with SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. We have identified a small, synthetic protein (JS7), representing a region of maximum variability within the receptor binding domain (RBD), which binds antibodies in sera from nine patients with PCR-verified COVID-19 of varying severity. Antibodies binding to either JS7 or the SARS-CoV-2 recombinant RBD, as well as those that disrupt binding between a fragment of the ACE2 receptor and the RBD, are proportional to disease severity and clinical outcome. Binding to JS7 was inhibited by linear peptides from the RBD interface with ACE2. Variants of JS7, such as E484K or N501Y, can be quickly synthesized in pure form in large quantities by automated methods. JS7 and related synthetic antigens can provide a basis for specific diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2 infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine H Schein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States; Institute for Human Infections and immunity (IHII), The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.
| | - Corri B Levine
- Institute for Translational Sciences, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Susan L F McLellan
- Department of Internal medicine - Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Surendra S Negi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Werner Braun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States; Institute for Human Infections and immunity (IHII), The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Stephen C Dreskin
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, 80045, United States
| | - Elizabeth S Anaya
- B-11 Bioenergy and Biome Sciences, Bioscience Division Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, United States
| | - Jurgen Schmidt
- B-11 Bioenergy and Biome Sciences, Bioscience Division Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, United States
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Braun BA, Schein CH, Braun W. DGraph Clusters Flaviviruses and β-Coronaviruses According to Their Hosts, Disease Type, and Human Cell Receptors. Bioinform Biol Insights 2021; 15:11779322211020316. [PMID: 34163149 PMCID: PMC8188974 DOI: 10.1177/11779322211020316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Motivation There is a need for rapid and easy-to-use, alignment-free methods to cluster large groups of protein sequence data. Commonly used phylogenetic trees based on alignments can be used to visualize only a limited number of protein sequences. DGraph, introduced here, is an application developed to generate 2-dimensional (2D) maps based on similarity scores for sequences. The program automatically calculates and graphically displays property distance (PD) scores based on physico-chemical property (PCP) similarities from an unaligned list of FASTA files. Such "PD-graphs" show the interrelatedness of the sequences, whereby clusters can reveal deeper connectivities. Results Property distance graphs generated for flavivirus (FV), enterovirus (EV), and coronavirus (CoV) sequences from complete polyproteins or individual proteins are consistent with biological data on vector types, hosts, cellular receptors, and disease phenotypes. Property distance graphs separate the tick- from the mosquito-borne FV, cluster viruses that infect bats, camels, seabirds, and humans separately. The clusters correlate with disease phenotype. The PD method segregates the β-CoV spike proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) sequences from other human pathogenic CoV, with clustering consistent with cellular receptor usage. The graphs also suggest evolutionary relationships that may be difficult to determine with conventional bootstrapping methods that require postulating an ancestral sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A Braun
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Catherine H Schein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.,Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Werner Braun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.,Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
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Read CM, Plante K, Rafael G, Rossi SL, Braun W, Weaver SC, Schein CH. Designing multivalent immunogens for alphavirus vaccine optimization. Virology 2021; 561:117-124. [PMID: 33823988 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2020.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
There is a pressing need for vaccines against mosquito-borne alphaviruses such as Venezualen and eastern equine encephalitis viruses (VEEV, EEEV). We demonstrate an approach to vaccine development based on physicochemical properties (PCP) of amino acids to design a PCP-consensus sequence of the epitope-rich B domain of the VEEV major antigenic E2 protein. The consensus "spike" domain was incorporated into a live-attenuated VEEV vaccine candidate (ZPC/IRESv1). Mice inoculated with either ZPC/IRESv1 or the same virus containing the consensus E2 protein fragment (VEEVconE2) were protected against lethal challenge with VEEV strains ZPC-738 and 3908, and Mucambo virus (MUCV, related to VEEV), and had comparable neutralizing antibody titers against each virus. Both vaccines induced partial protection against Madariaga virus (MADV), a close relative of EEEV, lowering mortality from 60% to 20%. Thus PCP-consensus sequences can be integrated into a replicating virus that could, with further optimization, provide a broad-spectrum vaccine against encephalitic alphaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Read
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Kenneth Plante
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; Institute for Human Infections and Immunity (IHII), University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Grace Rafael
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Shannan L Rossi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; Institute for Human Infections and Immunity (IHII), University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Werner Braun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Scott C Weaver
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; Institute for Human Infections and Immunity (IHII), University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Catherine H Schein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; Institute for Human Infections and Immunity (IHII), University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA.
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Baker WS, Negi S, Braun W, Schein CH. Producing physicochemical property consensus alphavirus protein antigens for broad spectrum vaccine design. Antiviral Res 2020; 182:104905. [PMID: 32800880 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
There is a pressing need for new vaccines against alphaviruses, which can cause fatal encephalitis (Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and others) and severe arthralgia (e.g. Chikungunya virus, CHIKV). These positive-strand RNA viruses are diverse and evolve rapidly, meaning that the sequence of any vaccine should cover multiple strains that may be quite different from any previous isolate. Here, consensus proteins were produced to represent the common physicochemical properties (PCPs) of the epitope rich, B domain of the E2 envelope protein. PCP-consensus proteins were based on multiple strains of VEEV (VEEVcon) and CHIKV (CHIKVcon) or the conserved PCPs of 24 different alphaviruses (AllAVcon). The AllAVcon was altered to include binding sites for neutralizing antibodies of both VEEV and CHIKV strains (Mosaikcon). All four designed proteins were produced solubly in E. coli and purified. They formed the β-strand core expected from experimental structures of this region of the wild type E2 proteins as indicated by circular dichroism (CD) spectra. Furthermore, the CHIKVcon protein bound to a structure dependent, CHIKV neutralizing monoclonal antibody. The AllAVcon and Mosaikcon proteins bound to polyclonal antibodies generated during natural infection with either VEEV or CHIKV, indicating they contained epitopes of both serotypes. The Mosaikcon antigen induced antibodies in rabbit sera that recognized both the VEEVcon and CHIKVcon spike proteins. These PCP-consensus antigens are promising starting points for novel, broad-spectrum alphavirus vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy S Baker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Surendra Negi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Werner Braun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Catherine H Schein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA; Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA.
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Braun BA, Schein CH, Braun W. D-graph clusters flaviviruses and β-coronaviruses according to their hosts, disease type and human cell receptors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2020. [PMID: 32817945 PMCID: PMC7430575 DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.13.249649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Motivation: There is a need for rapid and easy to use, alignment free methods to cluster large groups of protein sequence data. Commonly used phylogenetic trees based on alignments can be used to visualize only a limited number of protein sequences. DGraph, introduced here, is a dynamic programming application developed to generate 2D-maps based on similarity scores for sequences. The program automatically calculates and graphically displays property distance (PD) scores based on physico-chemical property (PCP) similarities from an unaligned list of FASTA files. Such “PD-graphs” show the interrelatedness of the sequences, whereby clusters can reveal deeper connectivities. Results: PD-Graphs generated for flavivirus (FV), enterovirus (EV), and coronavirus (CoV) sequences from complete polyproteins or individual proteins are consistent with biological data on vector types, hosts, cellular receptors and disease phenotypes. PD-graphs separate the tick- from the mosquito-borne FV, clusters viruses that infect bats, camels, seabirds and humans separately and the clusters correlate with disease phenotype. The PD method segregates the β-CoV spike proteins of SARS, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS sequences from other human pathogenic CoV, with clustering consistent with cellular receptor usage. The graphs also suggest evolutionary relationships that may be difficult to determine with conventional bootstrapping methods that require postulating an ancestral sequence.
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Nesbit JB, Schein CH, Braun BA, Gipson SAY, Cheng H, Hurlburt BK, Maleki SJ. Epitopes with similar physicochemical properties contribute to cross reactivity between peanut and tree nuts. Mol Immunol 2020; 122:223-231. [PMID: 32442779 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2020.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Many individuals with peanut (PN) allergy have severe reactions to tree nuts (TN) such as walnuts or cashews. Although allergenic proteins in TN and PN have overall low identity, they share discrete sequences similar in physicochemical properties (PCP) to known IgE epitopes. Here, PCP-consensus peptides (cp, 13 aa and 31 aa) were identified from an alignment of epitope rich regions of walnut vicilin, Jug r 2, leader sequence (J2LS) and cross-reactive epitopes in the 2S albumins of peanut and synthesized. A peptide similarity search in the Structural Database of Allergenic Proteins (SDAP) revealed a network of peptides similar (low property distance, PD) to the 13 aa cp (13cp) in many different plant allergens. Peptides similar to the 13cp in PN and TN allergens bound IgE from sera of patients allergic to PN and TN in peptide microarray analysis. The 13cp was used to produce a rabbit consensus peptide antibody (cpAB) that detected proteins containing repeats similar to the 13cp in western blots of various nut extracts, in which reactive proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. The cpAB bound more specifically to allergens and nut extracts containing multiple repeats similar to the 13 cp, such as almond (Pru du 6), peanut (Ara h 2) and walnut (Jug r 2). IgE binding to various nut extracts is inhibited by recombinant J2LS sequence and synthetic 31cp. Thus, several repeated sequences similar to the 13cp are bound by IgE. Multiple similar repeats in several allergens could account for reaction severity and clinically relevant cross-reactivity to PN and TN. These findings may help improve detection, diagnostic, and therapeutic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline B Nesbit
- Dept of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service-Southern Regional Research Center (USDA-ARS-SRRC), New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Catherine H Schein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute for Human Infection and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB), TX, United States.
| | - Benjamin A Braun
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, United States
| | - Stephen A Y Gipson
- Dept of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service-Southern Regional Research Center (USDA-ARS-SRRC), New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Hsiaopo Cheng
- Dept of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service-Southern Regional Research Center (USDA-ARS-SRRC), New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Barry K Hurlburt
- Dept of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service-Southern Regional Research Center (USDA-ARS-SRRC), New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Soheila J Maleki
- Dept of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service-Southern Regional Research Center (USDA-ARS-SRRC), New Orleans, LA, United States.
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Auerswald H, de Jesus A, Seixas G, Nazareth T, In S, Mao S, Duong V, Silva AC, Paul R, Dussart P, Sousa CA. First dengue virus seroprevalence study on Madeira Island after the 2012 outbreak indicates unreported dengue circulation. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:103. [PMID: 30867031 PMCID: PMC6417143 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3357-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In 2012, the first dengue virus outbreak was reported on the Portuguese island of Madeira with 1080 confirmed cases. Dengue virus of serotype 1 (DENV-1), probably imported from Venezuela, caused this outbreak with autochthonous transmission by invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Results We investigated the seroprevalence among the population on Madeira Island four years after the outbreak. Study participants (n = 358), representative of the island population regarding their age and gender, were enrolled in 2012 in a cross-sectional study. Dengue antibodies were detected with an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the dimer of domain III (ED3) of the DENV-1 envelope protein as well as commercial Panbio indirect and capture IgG ELISAs. Positive ELISA results were validated with a neutralization test. The overall seroprevalence was found to be 7.8% (28/358) with the in-house ELISA, whereas the commercial DENV indirect ELISA detected IgG antibodies in 8.9% of the individuals (32/358). The results of the foci reduction neutralization test confirmed DENV-1 imported from South America as the causative agent of the 2012 epidemic. Additionally, we found a higher seroprevalence in study participants with an age above 60 years old and probable secondary DENV infected individuals indicating unreported dengue circulation before or after 2012 on Madeira Island. Conclusions This study revealed that the number of infections might have been much higher than estimated from only confirmed cases in 2012/2013. These mainly DENV-1 immune individuals are not protected from a secondary DENV infection and the majority of the population of Madeira Island is still naïve for DENV. Surveillance of mosquitoes and arboviruses should be continued on Madeira Island as well as in other European areas where invasive vector mosquitoes are present. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-019-3357-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Auerswald
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Institut Pasteur International Network, PO Box 983, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Ana de Jesus
- GHTM-Global Health and Tropical Medicine, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal.,UEI Medical Parasitology, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of Lisbon, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Gonçalo Seixas
- GHTM-Global Health and Tropical Medicine, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal.,UEI Medical Parasitology, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of Lisbon, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Teresa Nazareth
- GHTM-Global Health and Tropical Medicine, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal.,UEI Medical Parasitology, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of Lisbon, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Saraden In
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Institut Pasteur International Network, PO Box 983, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Sokthearom Mao
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Institut Pasteur International Network, PO Box 983, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Veasna Duong
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Institut Pasteur International Network, PO Box 983, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Ana Clara Silva
- Departamento de Saúde, Planeamento e Administração Geral, Instituto de Administração da Saúde e Assuntos Sociais, IP-RAM, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.,Madeira Regional Government, Institute of Health and Social Affairs, Av. Zarco, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
| | - Richard Paul
- Functional Genetics of Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Genomes and Genetics, Institut Pasteur, 75015, Paris, France.,Génomique évolutive, modélisation et santé UMR 2000, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 75724, Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Philippe Dussart
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Institut Pasteur International Network, PO Box 983, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
| | - Carla Alexandra Sousa
- GHTM-Global Health and Tropical Medicine, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal.,UEI Medical Parasitology, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of Lisbon, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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Abstract
This review explores the presence and functions of polyglutamine (polyQ) in viral proteins. In mammals, mutations in polyQ segments (and CAG repeats at the nucleotide level) have been linked to neural disorders and ataxias. PolyQ regions in normal human proteins have documented functional roles, in transcription factors and, more recently, in regulating autophagy. Despite the high frequency of polyQ repeats in eukaryotic genomes, little attention has been given to the presence or possible role of polyQ sequences in virus genomes. A survey described here revealed that polyQ repeats occur rarely in RNA viruses, suggesting that they have detrimental effects on virus replication at the nucleotide or protein level. However, there have been sporadic reports of polyQ segments in potyviruses and in reptilian nidoviruses (among the largest RNA viruses known). Conserved polyQ segments are found in the regulatory control proteins of many DNA viruses. Variable length polyQ tracts are found in proteins that contribute to transmissibility (cowpox A-type inclusion protein (ATI)) and control of latency (herpes viruses). New longer-read sequencing methods, using original biological samples, should reveal more details on the presence and functional role of polyQ in viruses, as well as the nucleotide regions that encode them. Given the known toxic effects of polyQ repeats, the role of these segments in neurovirulent and tumorigenic viruses should be further explored.
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Yuan J, Yang J, Hu Z, Yang Y, Shang W, Hu Q, Zheng Y, Peng H, Zhang X, Cai X, Zhu J, Li M, Hu X, Zhou R, Rao X. Safe Staphylococcal Platform for the Development of Multivalent Nanoscale Vesicles against Viral Infections. NANO LETTERS 2018; 18:725-733. [PMID: 29253342 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Many viruses often have closely related yet antigenically distinct serotypes. An ideal vaccine against viral infections should induce a multivalent and protective immune response against all serotypes. Inspired by bacterial membrane vesicles (MVs) that carry different protein components, we constructed an agr locus deletion mutant of the Staphylococcus aureus strain (RN4220-Δagr) to reduce potential toxicity. Nanoscale vesicles derived from this strain (ΔagrMVs) carry at least four major components that can deliver heterologous antigens. These components were each fused with a triple FLAG tag, and the tagged proteins could be incorporated into the ΔagrMVs. The presentation levels were (3.43 ± 0.73)%, (5.07 ± 0.82)%, (2.64 ± 0.61)%, and (2.89 ± 0.74)% of the total ΔagrMV proteins for Mntc-FLAG, PdhB-FLAG, PdhA-FLAG, and Eno-FLAG, respectively. With two DENV envelope E domain III proteins (EDIIIconA and EDIIIconB) as models, the DENV EDIIIconA and EDIIIconB delivered by two staphylococcal components were stably embedded in the ΔagrMVs. Administration of such engineered ΔagrMVs in mice induced antibodies against all four DENV serotypes. Sera from immunized mice protected Vero cells and suckling mice from a lethal challenge of DENV-2. This study will open up new insights into the preparation of multivalent nanosized viral vaccines against viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jizhen Yuan
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Yang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Hu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Weilong Shang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiwen Hu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Zheng
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Huagang Peng
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaopeng Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyu Cai
- Department of Emergency, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University , 83 Xinqiao Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400037, People's Republic of China
| | - Junmin Zhu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaomei Hu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Renjie Zhou
- Department of Emergency, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University , 83 Xinqiao Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400037, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiancai Rao
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University , 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
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Chaudhury S, Gromowski GD, Ripoll DR, Khavrutskii IV, Desai V, Wallqvist A. Dengue virus antibody database: Systematically linking serotype-specificity with epitope mapping in dengue virus. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005395. [PMID: 28222130 PMCID: PMC5336305 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A majority infections caused by dengue virus (DENV) are asymptomatic, but a higher incidence of severe illness, such as dengue hemorrhagic fever, is associated with secondary infections, suggesting that pre-existing immunity plays a central role in dengue pathogenesis. Primary infections are typically associated with a largely serotype-specific antibody response, while secondary infections show a shift to a broadly cross-reactive antibody response. Methods/Principal findings We hypothesized that the basis for the shift in serotype-specificity between primary and secondary infections can be found in a change in the antibody fine-specificity. To investigate the link between epitope- and serotype-specificity, we assembled the Dengue Virus Antibody Database, an online repository containing over 400 DENV-specific mAbs, each annotated with information on 1) its origin, including the immunogen, host immune history, and selection methods, 2) binding/neutralization data against all four DENV serotypes, and 3) epitope mapping at the domain or residue level to the DENV E protein. We combined epitope mapping and activity information to determine a residue-level index of epitope propensity and cross-reactivity and generated detailed composite epitope maps of primary and secondary antibody responses. We found differing patterns of epitope-specificity between primary and secondary infections, where secondary responses target a distinct subset of epitopes found in the primary response. We found that secondary infections were marked with an enhanced response to cross-reactive epitopes, such as the fusion-loop and E-dimer region, as well as increased cross-reactivity in what are typically more serotype-specific epitope regions, such as the domain I-II interface and domain III. Conclusions/Significance Our results support the theory that pre-existing cross-reactive memory B cells form the basis for the secondary antibody response, resulting in a broadening of the response in terms of cross-reactivity, and a focusing of the response to a subset of epitopes, including some, such as the fusion-loop region, that are implicated in poor neutralization and antibody-dependent enhancement of infection. Dengue virus (DENV) infections are typically asymptomatic, but severe and potentially lethal disease symptoms, such as dengue hemorrhagic fever, are associated with secondary infections. This suggests that pre-existing immunity from primary infection plays a central role in DENV pathogenesis. In order to characterize the antibody response in primary and secondary infections, we assembled the Dengue Virus Antibody Database, a freely accessible online repository (http://denvabdb.bhsai.org) storing over 400 unique monoclonal dengue-specific antibodies annotated by their 1) origin and host immune history, 2) activity information against all four dengue serotypes, and 3) epitope mapping information. Here we demonstrate the utility of the database by carrying out a large-scale analysis to characterize shifts in epitope fine-specificity and serotype cross-reactivity in primary and secondary infections. In particular, we show how the antibody response in secondary infections displays a systematic shift towards increased serotype cross-reactivity by focusing on a subset of cross-reactive epitopes on the dengue E protein. Our findings suggest a mechanistic basis for this shift in epitope and serotype specificity and demonstrate how a detailed understanding of the antibody response can provide insight into the mechanisms of dengue pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidhartha Chaudhury
- Biotechnology HPC Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Gregory D. Gromowski
- Viral Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Daniel R. Ripoll
- Biotechnology HPC Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ilja V. Khavrutskii
- Biotechnology HPC Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Valmik Desai
- Biotechnology HPC Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Anders Wallqvist
- Biotechnology HPC Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
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13
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Schein CH, Rowold D, Choi KH. Allosteric inhibitors of Coxsackie virus A24 RNA polymerase. Bioorg Med Chem 2016; 24:570-7. [PMID: 26762834 PMCID: PMC4743507 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Revised: 12/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Coxsackie virus A24 (CVA24), a causative agent of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, is a prototype of enterovirus (EV) species C. The RNA polymerase (3D(pol)) of CVA24 can uridylylate the viral peptide linked to the genome (VPg) from distantly related EV and is thus, a good model for studying this reaction. Once UMP is bound, VPgpU primes RNA elongation. Structural and mutation data have identified a conserved binding surface for VPg on the RNA polymerase (3D(pol)), located about 20Å from the active site. Here, computational docking of over 60,000 small compounds was used to select those with the lowest (best) specific binding energies (BE) for this allosteric site. Compounds with varying structures and low BE were assayed for their effect on formation of VPgU by CVA24-3D(pol). Two compounds with the lowest specific BE for the site inhibited both uridylylation and formation of VPgpolyU at 10-20μM. These small molecules can be used to probe the role of this allosteric site in polymerase function, and may be the basis for novel antiviral compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine H Schein
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, 13709 Progress Blvd, Box 7, Alachua, FL 32616, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States.
| | - Diane Rowold
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, 13709 Progress Blvd, Box 7, Alachua, FL 32616, United States
| | - Kyung H Choi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, UTMB, United States
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14
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Schein CH, Ye M, Paul AV, Oberste MS, Chapman N, van der Heden van Noort GJ, Filippov DV, Choi KH. Sequence specificity for uridylylation of the viral peptide linked to the genome (VPg) of enteroviruses. Virology 2015; 484:80-85. [PMID: 26074065 PMCID: PMC4567471 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Revised: 05/17/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Enteroviruses (EV) uridylylate a peptide, VPg, as the first step in their replication. VPgpUpU, found free in infected cells, serves as the primer for RNA elongation. The abilities of four polymerases (3D(pol)), from EV-species A-C, to uridylylate VPgs that varied by up to 60% of their residues were compared. Each 3D(pol) was able to uridylylate all five VPgs using polyA RNA as template, while showing specificity for its own genome encoded peptide. All 3D(pol) uridylylated a consensus VPg representing the physical chemical properties of 31 different VPgs. Thus the residues required for uridylylation and the enzymatic mechanism must be similar in diverse EV. As VPg-binding sites differ in co-crystal structures, the reaction is probably done by a second 3D(pol) molecule. The conservation of polymerase residues whose mutation reduces uridylylation but not RNA elongation is compared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine H Schein
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (FfAME), 13709 Progress Blvd., Alachua, FL 32616, United States.
| | - Mengyi Ye
- Dept. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Aniko V Paul
- Dept. Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11790, United States
| | - M Steven Oberste
- Division of Viral Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, MS G-17, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States
| | - Nora Chapman
- Dept. Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, NE 68198, United States
| | | | - Dmitri V Filippov
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Kyung H Choi
- Dept. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States
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15
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A High-Performance Multiplex Immunoassay for Serodiagnosis of Flavivirus-Associated Neurological Diseases in Horses. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:678084. [PMID: 26457301 PMCID: PMC4589573 DOI: 10.1155/2015/678084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) are flaviviruses responsible for severe neuroinvasive infections in humans and horses. The confirmation of flavivirus infections is mostly based on rapid serological tests such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). These tests suffer from poor specificity, mainly due to antigenic cross-reactivity among flavivirus members. Robust diagnosis therefore needs to be validated through virus neutralisation tests (VNTs) which are time-consuming and require BSL3 facilities. The flavivirus envelope (E) glycoprotein ectodomain is composed of three domains (D) named DI, DII, and DIII, with EDIII containing virus-specific epitopes. In order to improve the serological differentiation of flavivirus infections, the recombinant soluble ectodomain of WNV E (WNV.sE) and EDIIIs (rEDIIIs) of WNV, JEV, and TBEV were synthesised using the Drosophila S2 expression system. Purified antigens were covalently bonded to fluorescent beads. The microspheres coupled to WNV.sE or rEDIIIs were assayed with about 300 equine immune sera from natural and experimental flavivirus infections and 172 nonimmune equine sera as negative controls. rEDIII-coupled microspheres captured specific antibodies against WNV, TBEV, or JEV in positive horse sera. This innovative multiplex immunoassay is a powerful alternative to ELISAs and VNTs for veterinary diagnosis of flavivirus-related diseases.
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16
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Garg H, Lee RTC, Tek NO, Maurer-Stroh S, Joshi A. Identification of conserved motifs in the West Nile virus envelope essential for particle secretion. BMC Microbiol 2013; 13:197. [PMID: 24007503 PMCID: PMC3766686 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-13-197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Accepted: 08/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Enveloped viruses utilize cellular membranes to bud from infected cells. The process of virion assembly and budding is often facilitated by the presence of certain conserved motifs within viral proteins in conjunction with cellular factors. We hence examined the West Nile Virus (WNV) Envelope protein for the presence of any such motifs and their functional characterization. Results We identified conserved 461PXAP464 and 349YCYL352 motifs in the WNV envelope glycoprotein bearing resemblance to retroviral late domains. Disruptive mutations of PXAP to LAAL and of the highly conserved Cys350 in the YCYL motif, led to a severe reduction in WNV particle production. Similar motifs in case of retroviruses are known to interact with components of host sorting machinery like PXAP with Tsg101 and YXXL with Alix. However, in the case of WNV, siRNA mediated depletion of Alix or Tsg101 did not have an effect on WNV release. Molecular modeling suggested that while the 461PXAP464 motif is surface accessible and could potentially interact with cellular proteins required for WNV assembly, the 349YCYL352 motif was found to be internal with Cys350 important for protein folding via disulphide bonding. Conclusions The conserved 461PXAP464 and 349YCYL352 motifs in the WNV envelope are indispensable for WNV particle production. Although these motifs bear sequence similarity to retroviral late domains and are essential for WNV assembly, they are functionally distinct suggesting that they are not the typical late domain like motifs of retroviruses and may play a role other than Alix/Tsg101 utilization/dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himanshu Garg
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 5001 El Paso Dr, MSB-1 Annex, El Paso, TX 79905, USA.
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Zidane N, Dussart P, Bremand L, Bedouelle H. Cross-reactivities between human IgMs and the four serotypes of dengue virus as probed with artificial homodimers of domain-III from the envelope proteins. BMC Infect Dis 2013; 13:302. [PMID: 23815496 PMCID: PMC3701519 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-13-302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2013] [Accepted: 06/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dengue fever is the most important vector-borne viral disease. Four serotypes of dengue virus, DENV1 to DENV4, coexist. Infection by one serotype elicits long-lasting immunity to that serotype but not the other three. Subsequent infection by a different serotype is a risk factor for severe dengue. Domain III (ED3) of the viral envelope protein interacts with cell receptors and contains epitopes recognized by neutralizing antibodies. We determined the serotype specificity and cross-reactivity of human IgMs directed against ED3 by using a well-characterized collection of 90 DENV-infected and 89 DENV-uninfected human serums. Methods The recognitions between the four serotypes of ED3 and the serums were assayed with an IgM antibody-capture ELISA (MAC-ELISA) and artificial homodimeric antigens. The results were analyzed with Receiving Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves. Results The DENV-infected serums contained IgMs that reacted with one or several ED3 serotypes. The discrimination by ED3 between serums infected by the homotypic DENV and uninfected serums varied with the serotype in the decreasing order DENV1 > DENV2 > DENV3 > DENV4. The ED3 domain of DENV1 gave the highest discrimination between DENV-infected and DENV-uninfected serums, whatever the infecting serotype, and thus behaved like a universal ED3 domain for the detection of IgMs against DENV. Some ED3 serotypes discriminated between IgMs directed against the homotypic and heterotypic DENVs. The patterns of cross-reactivities and discriminations varied with the serotype. Conclusions The results should help better understand the IgM immune response and protection against DENV since ED3 is widely used as an antigen in diagnostic assays and an immunogen in vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Zidane
- Unit of Molecular Prevention and Therapy of Human Diseases, Department of Infection and Epidemiology, Institut Pasteur, Rue du Docteur Roux, F-75015 Paris, France
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18
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Villabona-Arenas CJ, Mondini A, Bosch I, Schimitt D, Calzavara-Silva CE, de A Zanotto PM, Nogueira ML. Dengue virus type 3 adaptive changes during epidemics in São Jose de Rio Preto, Brazil, 2006-2007. PLoS One 2013; 8:e63496. [PMID: 23667626 PMCID: PMC3646734 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Global dengue virus spread in tropical and sub-tropical regions has become a major international public health concern. It is evident that DENV genetic diversity plays a significant role in the immunopathology of the disease and that the identification of polymorphisms associated with adaptive responses is important for vaccine development. The investigation of naturally occurring genomic variants may play an important role in the comprehension of different adaptive strategies used by these mutants to evade the human immune system. In order to elucidate this role we sequenced the complete polyprotein-coding region of thirty-three DENV-3 isolates to characterize variants circulating under high endemicity in the city of São José de Rio Preto, Brazil, during the onset of the 2006-07 epidemic. By inferring the evolutionary history on a local-scale and estimating rates of synonymous (dS) and nonsynonimous (dN) substitutions, we have documented at least two different introductions of DENV-3 into the city and detected 10 polymorphic codon sites under significant positive selection (dN/dS > 1) and 8 under significant purifying selection (dN/dS < 1). We found several polymorphic amino acid coding sites in the envelope (15), NS1 (17), NS2A (11), and NS5 (24) genes, which suggests that these genes may be experiencing relatively recent adaptive changes. Furthermore, some polymorphisms correlated with changes in the immunogenicity of several epitopes. Our study highlights the existence of significant and informative DENV variability at the spatio-temporal scale of an urban outbreak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Julian Villabona-Arenas
- Laboratório de Evolução Molecular e Bioinformática (LEMB), Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas. Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Adriano Mondini
- Laboratório de Saúde Pública. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas. Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas - Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” Araraquara/SP, Brazil
| | - Irene Bosch
- Division of Heath Science and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Diane Schimitt
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Carlos E. Calzavara-Silva
- Laboratório de Imunologia Celular e Molecular (LICM), Centro de Pesquisas Rene Rachou (CPqRR), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Paolo M. de A Zanotto
- Laboratório de Evolução Molecular e Bioinformática (LEMB), Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas. Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maurício L. Nogueira
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Virologia, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
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Zidane N, Dussart P, Bremand L, Villani ME, Bedouelle H. Thermodynamic stability of domain III from the envelope protein of flaviviruses and its improvement by molecular design. Protein Eng Des Sel 2013; 26:389-99. [PMID: 23479674 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzt010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Flavivirus genus includes widespread and severe human pathogens like the four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV1 to DENV4), yellow fever virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and West Nile virus. Domain III (ED3) of the viral envelope protein interacts with cell receptors and contains epitopes recognized by virus neutralizing antibodies. Its structural, antigenic and immunogenic properties have been thoroughly studied contrary to its physico-chemical properties. Here, the ED3 domains of the above pathogenic flaviviruses were produced in the periplasm of Escherichia coli. Their thermodynamic stabilities were measured and compared in experiments of unfolding equilibriums, induced with chemicals or heat and monitored through protein fluorescence. A designed ED3 domain, with the consensus sequence of DENV strains from all serotypes, was highly stable. The low stability of the ED3 domain from DENV3 was increased by three changes of residues in the protein core without affecting its reactivity towards DENV-infected human serums. Additional changes showed that the stability of ED3 varied with the DENV3 genotype. The T(m) of ED3 was higher than 69°C for all the tested viruses and reached 86°C for the consensus ED3. The latter, deprived of its disulfide bond by mutations, was predominantly unfolded at 20°C. These results will help better understand and design the properties of ED3 for its use as diagnostic, vaccine or therapeutic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Zidane
- Unit of Molecular Prevention and Therapy of Human Diseases, Department of Infection and Epidemiology, Institut Pasteur, Rue du Dr. Roux, F-75015 Paris, France
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20
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Schein CH, Bowen DM, Lewis JA, Choi K, Paul A, van der Heden van Noort GJ, Lu W, Filippov DV. Physicochemical property consensus sequences for functional analysis, design of multivalent antigens and targeted antivirals. BMC Bioinformatics 2012; 13 Suppl 13:S9. [PMID: 23320474 PMCID: PMC3426803 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-13-s13-s9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Analysis of large sets of biological sequence data from related strains or organisms is complicated by superficial redundancy in the set, which may contain many members that are identical except at one or two positions. Thus a new method, based on deriving physicochemical property (PCP)-consensus sequences, was tested for its ability to generate reference sequences and distinguish functionally significant changes from background variability. Methods The PCP consensus program was used to automatically derive consensus sequences starting from sequence alignments of proteins from Flaviviruses (from the Flavitrack database) and human enteroviruses, using a five dimensional set of Eigenvectors that summarize over 200 different scalar values for the PCPs of the amino acids. A PCP-consensus protein of a Dengue virus envelope protein was produced recombinantly and tested for its ability to bind antibodies to strains using ELISA. Results PCP-consensus sequences of the flavivirus family could be used to classify them into five discrete groups and distinguish areas of the envelope proteins that correlate with host specificity and disease type. A multivalent Dengue virus antigen was designed and shown to bind antibodies against all four DENV types. A consensus enteroviral VPg protein had the same distinctive high pKa as wild type proteins and was recognized by two different polymerases. Conclusions The process for deriving PCP-consensus sequences for any group of aligned similar sequences, has been validated for sequences with up to 50% diversity. Ongoing projects have shown that the method identifies residues that significantly alter PCPs at a given position, and might thus cause changes in function or immunogenicity. Other potential applications include deriving target proteins for drug design and diagnostic kits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine H Schein
- Institute for Translational Sciences, Computational Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Texas 77555-0857, USA.
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Bowen DM, Lewis JA, Lu W, Schein CH. Simplifying complex sequence information: a PCP-consensus protein binds antibodies against all four Dengue serotypes. Vaccine 2012; 30:6081-7. [PMID: 22863657 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.07.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2012] [Revised: 07/13/2012] [Accepted: 07/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Designing proteins that reflect the natural variability of a pathogen is essential for developing novel vaccines and drugs. Flaviviruses, including Dengue (DENV) and West Nile (WNV), evolve rapidly and can "escape" neutralizing monoclonal antibodies by mutation. Designing antigens that represent many distinct strains is important for DENV, where infection with a strain from one of the four serotypes may lead to severe hemorrhagic disease on subsequent infection with a strain from another serotype. Here, a DENV physicochemical property (PCP)-consensus sequence was derived from 671 unique sequences from the Flavitrack database. PCP-consensus proteins for domain 3 of the envelope protein (EdomIII) were expressed from synthetic genes in Escherichia coli. The ability of the purified consensus proteins to bind polyclonal antibodies generated in response to infection with strains from each of the four DENV serotypes was determined. The initial consensus protein bound antibodies from DENV-1-3 in ELISA and Western blot assays. This sequence was altered in 3 steps to incorporate regions of maximum variability, identified as significant changes in the PCPs, characteristic of DENV-4 strains. The final protein was recognized by antibodies against all four serotypes. Two amino acids essential for efficient binding to all DENV antibodies are part of a discontinuous epitope previously defined for a neutralizing monoclonal antibody. The PCP-consensus method can significantly reduce the number of experiments required to define a multivalent antigen, which is particularly important when dealing with pathogens that must be tested at higher biosafety levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Bowen
- Computational Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0857, United States
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Schein CH, Oezguen N, van der Heden van Noort GJ, Filippov DV, Paul A, Kumar E, Braun W. NMR solution structure of poliovirus uridylyated peptide linked to the genome (VPgpU). Peptides 2010; 31:1441-8. [PMID: 20441784 PMCID: PMC2905501 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2010.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2010] [Revised: 04/23/2010] [Accepted: 04/23/2010] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Picornaviruses have a 22-24 amino acid peptide, VPg, bound covalently at the 5' end of their RNA, that is essential for replication. VPgs are uridylylated at a conserved tyrosine to form VPgpU, the primer of RNA synthesis by the viral polymerase. This first complete structure for any uridylylated VPg, of poliovirus type 1 (PV1)-VPgpU, shows that conserved amino acids in VPg stabilize the bound UMP, with the uridine atoms involved in base pairing and chain elongation projected outward. Comparing this structure to PV1-VPg and partial structures of VPg/VPgpU from other picornaviruses suggests that enteroviral polymerases require a more stable VPg structure than does the distantly related aphthovirus, foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV). The glutamine residue at the C-terminus of PV1-VPgpU lies in back of the uridine base and may stabilize its position during chain elongation and/or contribute to base specificity. Under in vivo-like conditions with the authentic cre(2C) hairpin RNA and Mg(2+), 5-methylUTP cannot compete with UTP for VPg uridylyation in an in vitro uridylyation assay, but both nucleotides are equally incorporated by PV1-polymerase with Mn(2+) and a poly-A RNA template. This indicates the 5 position is recognized under in vivo conditions. The compact VPgpU structure docks within the active site cavity of the PV-polymerase, close to the position seen for the fragment of FMDV-VPgpU with its polymerase. This structure could aid in design of novel enterovirus inhibitors, and stabilization upon uridylylation may also be pertinent for post-translational uridylylation reactions that underlie other biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine H Schein
- Computational Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0857, USA.
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