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Nettere D, Unnithan S, Rodgers N, Nohara J, Cray P, Berry M, Jones C, Armand L, Li SH, Berendam SJ, Fouda GG, Cain DW, Spence TN, Granek JA, Davenport CA, Edwards RJ, Wiehe K, Van Rompay KKA, Moody MA, Permar SR, Pollara J. Conjugation of HIV-1 envelope to hepatitis B surface antigen alters vaccine responses in rhesus macaques. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:183. [PMID: 38001122 PMCID: PMC10673864 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00775-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
An effective HIV-1 vaccine remains a critical unmet need for ending the AIDS epidemic. Vaccine trials conducted to date have suggested the need to increase the durability and functionality of vaccine-elicited antibodies to improve efficacy. We hypothesized that a conjugate vaccine based on the learned response to immunization with hepatitis B virus could be utilized to expand T cell help and improve antibody production against HIV-1. To test this, we developed an innovative conjugate vaccine regimen that used a modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) co-expressing HIV-1 envelope (Env) and the hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) as a prime, followed by two Env-HBsAg conjugate protein boosts. We compared the immunogenicity of this conjugate regimen to matched HIV-1 Env-only vaccines in two groups of 5 juvenile rhesus macaques previously immunized with hepatitis B vaccines in infancy. We found expansion of both HIV-1 and HBsAg-specific circulating T follicular helper cells and elevated serum levels of CXCL13, a marker for germinal center activity, after boosting with HBsAg-Env conjugate antigens in comparison to Env alone. The conjugate vaccine elicited higher levels of antibodies binding to select HIV Env antigens, but we did not observe significant improvement in antibody functionality, durability, maturation, or B cell clonal expansion. These data suggests that conjugate vaccination can engage both HIV-1 Env and HBsAg specific T cell help and modify antibody responses at early time points, but more research is needed to understand how to leverage this strategy to improve the durability and efficacy of next-generation HIV vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Nettere
- Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Shakthi Unnithan
- Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Nicole Rodgers
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Junsuke Nohara
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Paul Cray
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Madison Berry
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Caroline Jones
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Lawrence Armand
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Shuk Hang Li
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Stella J Berendam
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- GSK Rockville Center for Vaccines Research, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Genevieve G Fouda
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Derek W Cain
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Taylor N Spence
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Joshua A Granek
- Quantitative Sciences Core, Duke University Center for AIDS Research, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Clemontina A Davenport
- Quantitative Sciences Core, Duke University Center for AIDS Research, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Robert J Edwards
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kevin Wiehe
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Koen K A Van Rompay
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - M Anthony Moody
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sallie R Permar
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Justin Pollara
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
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Tarrés-Freixas F, Aguilar-Gurrieri C, Rodríguez de la Concepción ML, Urrea V, Trinité B, Ortiz R, Pradenas E, Blanco P, Marfil S, Molinos-Albert LM, Barajas A, Pons-Grífols A, Ávila-Nieto C, Varela I, Cervera L, Gutiérrez-Granados S, Segura MM, Gòdia F, Clotet B, Carrillo J, Blanco J. An engineered HIV-1 Gag-based VLP displaying high antigen density induces strong antibody-dependent functional immune responses. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:51. [PMID: 37024469 PMCID: PMC10077320 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00648-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Antigen display on the surface of Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) improves immunogenicity compared to soluble proteins. We hypothesised that immune responses can be further improved by increasing the antigen density on the surface of VLPs. In this work, we report an HIV-1 Gag-based VLP platform engineered to maximise the presence of antigen on the VLP surface. An HIV-1 gp41-derived protein (Min), including the C-terminal part of gp41 and the transmembrane domain, was fused to HIV-1 Gag. This resulted in high-density MinGag-VLPs. These VLPs demonstrated to be highly immunogenic in animal models using either a homologous (VLP) or heterologous (DNA/VLP) vaccination regimen, with the latter yielding 10-fold higher anti-Gag and anti-Min antibody titres. Despite these strong humoral responses, immunisation with MinGag-VLPs did not induce neutralising antibodies. Nevertheless, antibodies were predominantly of an IgG2b/IgG2c profile and could efficiently bind CD16-2. Furthermore, we demonstrated that MinGag-VLP vaccination could mediate a functional effect and halt the progression of a Min-expressing tumour cell line in an in vivo mouse model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferran Tarrés-Freixas
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | | | | | - Victor Urrea
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Benjamin Trinité
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Raquel Ortiz
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Edwards Pradenas
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Pau Blanco
- Comparative Medicine and Bioimage Centre of Catalonia (CMCiB), Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sílvia Marfil
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Luis Manuel Molinos-Albert
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Barajas
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Anna Pons-Grífols
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carlos Ávila-Nieto
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ismael Varela
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Laura Cervera
- Grup d'Enginyeria Cel•lular i Bioprocessos, Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra, 08913, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sònia Gutiérrez-Granados
- Grup d'Enginyeria Cel•lular i Bioprocessos, Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra, 08913, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - María Mercedes Segura
- Grup d'Enginyeria Cel•lular i Bioprocessos, Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra, 08913, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Francesc Gòdia
- Grup d'Enginyeria Cel•lular i Bioprocessos, Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra, 08913, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Bonaventura Clotet
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
- University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jorge Carrillo
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Can Ruti Campus, Badalona, 08916, Barcelona, Spain.
- CIBER Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Julià Blanco
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Can Ruti Campus, 08916, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain.
- University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Barcelona, Spain.
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Can Ruti Campus, Badalona, 08916, Barcelona, Spain.
- CIBER Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
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Lapuente D, Stab V, Storcksdieck Genannt Bonsmann M, Maaske A, Köster M, Xiao H, Ehrhardt C, Tenbusch M. Innate signalling molecules as genetic adjuvants do not alter the efficacy of a DNA-based influenza A vaccine. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231138. [PMID: 32243477 PMCID: PMC7122823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In respect to the heterogeneity among influenza A virus strains and the shortcomings of current vaccination programs, there is a huge interest in the development of alternative vaccines that provide a broader and more long-lasting protection. Gene-based approaches are considered as promising candidates for such flu vaccines. In our study, innate signalling molecules from the RIG-I and the NALP3 pathways were evaluated as genetic adjuvants in intramuscular DNA immunizations. Plasmids encoding a constitutive active form of RIG-I (cRIG-I), IPS-1, IL-1β, or IL-18 were co-administered with plasmids encoding the hemagglutinin and nucleoprotein derived from H1N1/Puerto Rico/8/1934 via electroporation in BALB/c mice. Immunogenicity was analysed in detail and efficacy was demonstrated in homologous and heterologous influenza challenge experiments. Although the biological activities of the adjuvants have been confirmed by in vitro reporter assays, their single or combined inclusion in the vaccine did not result in superior vaccine efficacy. With the exception of significantly increased levels of antigen-specific IgG1 after the co-administration of IL-1β, there were only minor alterations concerning the immunogenicity. Since DNA electroporation alone induced substantial inflammation at the injection site, as demonstrated in this study using Mx2-Luc reporter mice, it might override the adjuvants´ contribution to the inflammatory microenvironment and thereby minimizes the influence on the immunogenicity. Taken together, the DNA immunization was protective against subsequent challenge infections but could not be further improved by the genetic adjuvants analysed in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Lapuente
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Viktoria Stab
- Department of Molecular and Medical Virology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Andre Maaske
- Environmental Medicine, UNIKA-T Augsburg, Technische Universität München and Helmholtz Zentrum, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Mario Köster
- Model Systems for Infection and Immunity, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Han Xiao
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christina Ehrhardt
- Section of Experimental Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Matthias Tenbusch
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Li X, Li H, Li C, Xia W, Li A, Li W. Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Improve the Immune Reconstruction of HIV/AIDS Patients. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2020; 36:258-259. [PMID: 31958968 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2019.0274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xiuhui Li
- Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Center, YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongyan Li
- Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Center, YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Chuanyun Li
- Surgical Liver Transplantation Center, YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Xia
- Infection Disease Center, YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ang Li
- Bioinformatics Center, YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Weihua Li
- Beijing Institute of Hepatology, YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Computational Design of Epitope-Enriched HIV-1 Gag Antigens with Preserved Structure and Function for Induction of Broad CD8 + T Cell Responses. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11264. [PMID: 30050069 PMCID: PMC6062507 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29435-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The partially protective phenotype observed in HIV-infected long-term-non-progressors is often associated with certain HLA alleles, thus indicating that cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses play a crucial role in combating virus replication. However, both the vast variability of HIV and the HLA diversity impose a challenge on elicitation of broad and effective CTL responses. Therefore, we conceived an algorithm for the enrichment of CD8+ T cell epitopes in HIV’s Gag protein, respecting functional preservation to enable cross-presentation. Experimentally identified epitopes were compared to a Gag reference sequence. Amino-acid-substitutions (AAS) were assessed for their impact on Gag’s budding-function using a trained classifier that considers structural models and sequence conservation. Experimental assessment of Gag-variants harboring selected AAS demonstrated an apparent classifier-precision of 100%. Compatible epitopes were assigned an immunological score that incorporates features such as conservation or HLA-association in a user-defined weighted manner. Using a genetic algorithm, the epitopes were incorporated in an iterative manner into novel T-cell-epitope-enriched Gag sequences (TeeGag). Computational evaluation showed that these antigen candidates harbor a higher fraction of epitopes with higher score as compared to natural Gag isolates and other artificial antigen designs. Thus, these designer sequences qualify as next-generation antigen candidates for induction of broader CTL responses.
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Virus-Like-Vaccines against HIV. Vaccines (Basel) 2018; 6:vaccines6010010. [PMID: 29439476 PMCID: PMC5874651 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines6010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Protection against chronic infections has necessitated the development of ever-more potent vaccination tools. HIV seems to be the most challenging foe, with a remarkable, poorly immunogenic and fragile surface glycoprotein and the ability to overpower the cell immune system. Virus-like-particle (VLP) vaccines have emerged as potent inducers of antibody and helper T cell responses, while replication-deficient viral vectors have yielded potent cytotoxic T cell responses. Here, we review the emerging concept of merging these two technologies into virus-like-vaccines (VLVs) for the targeting of HIV. Such vaccines are immunologically perceived as viruses, as they infect cells and produce VLPs in situ, but they only resemble viruses, as the replication defective vectors and VLPs cannot propagate an infection. The inherent safety of such a platform, despite robust particle production, is a distinct advantage over live-attenuated vaccines that must balance safety and immunogenicity. Previous studies have delivered VLVs encoded in modified Vaccinia Ankara vectors and we have developed the concept into a single-reading adenovirus-based technology capable of eliciting robust CD8+ and CD4+ T cells responses and trimer binding antibody responses. Such vaccines offer the potential to display the naturally produced immunogen directly and induce an integrated humoral and cellular immune response.
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW A major focus in HIV vaccine research is the development of suitable antigens that elicit broadly neutralizing antibody responses targeting HIV's envelope protein (Env). Delivery of Env in a repetitive manner on particle-based carriers allows higher avidity interactions and is therefore expected to efficiently engage B cells, thus leading to affinity maturation that results in superior antibody responses characterized by improved breadth, potency, and durability. This review summarizes current work that is evaluating diverse types of such particulate carriers for Env delivery. RECENT FINDINGS Various types of particle scaffolds are being investigated, encompassing group-specific antigen-derived virus-like particles, bacteria-derived proteins that self-assemble into symmetrical nanoparticles, as well as liposomes assembled from membrane components and recombinantly produced Env isoforms. Env-derived antigens from peptides over selected isolates to improved, stabilized next-generation designer Envs have been attached to such carriers. Immunological evaluation in animal models showed that these structures often elicit superior humoral immune responses. SUMMARY The findings reviewed here emphasize the potential of particle-based delivery modalities to elicit better antibody responses. Together with advances in Env antigen design, these approaches may synergistically act together on the way to obtain vaccine candidates that potentially induce protective immune responses against HIV.
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Andersson AMC, Holst PJ. Increased T cell breadth and antibody response elicited in prime-boost regimen by viral vector encoded homologous SIV Gag/Env in outbred CD1 mice. J Transl Med 2016; 14:343. [PMID: 27998269 PMCID: PMC5175304 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-016-1102-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A major obstacle for the development of HIV vaccines is the virus' worldwide sequence diversity. Nevertheless, the presence of T cell epitopes within conserved regions of the virus' structural Gag protein and conserved structures in the envelope (env) sequence raises the possibility that cross-reactive responses may be induced by vaccination. In this study, the aim was to investigate the importance of antigenic match on immunodominance and breadth of obtainable T cell responses. METHODS Outbred CD1 mice were immunized with either heterologous (SIVmac239 and HIV-1 clade B consensus) or homologous (SIVmac239) gag sequences using adenovirus (Ad5) and MVA vectors. Env (SIVmac239) was co-encoded in the vectors to study the induction of antibodies, which is a primary target of current HIV vaccine designs. All three vaccines were designed as virus-encoded virus-like particle vaccines. Antibody responses were analysed by ELISA, avidity ELISA, and neutralization assay. T cell responses were determined by intracellular cytokine staining of splenocytes. RESULTS The homologous Env/Gag prime-boost regimen induced higher Env binding antibodies, and induced stronger and broader Gag specific CD8+ T cell responses than the homologous Env/heterologous Gag prime-boost regimen. Homologous Env/heterologous Gag immunization resulted in selective boosting of Env specific CD8+ T cell responses and consequently a paradoxical decreased recognition of variant sequences including conserved elements of p24 Gag. CONCLUSIONS These results contrast with related studies using Env or Gag as the sole antigen and suggest that prime-boost immunizations based on homologous SIVmac239 Gag inserts is an efficient component of genetic VLP vaccines-both for induction of potent antibody responses and cross-reactive CD8+ T cell responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Marie Carola Andersson
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Center for Medical Parasitology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Peter Johannes Holst
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Center for Medical Parasitology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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