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D’Addabbo A, Tong T, Crooks ET, Osawa K, Xu J, Thomas A, Allen JD, Crispin M, Binley JM. Impact of glycan depletion, glycan debranching and increased glycan charge on HIV-1 neutralization sensitivity and immunogenicity. Glycobiology 2024; 34:cwae063. [PMID: 39115361 PMCID: PMC11442005 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwae063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 07/23/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 10/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) isolated from HIV-1 infected donors are vaccine paradigms. These bNAbs recognize envelope glycoprotein trimers that carry 75-90 oligomannose and complex-type glycans. Although bNAbs and their precursors must navigate past glycans, they usually also make some glycan contacts. Glycan-modified vaccines may therefore be useful to initiate and guide bNAb development. Here, we describe two ways to modify Env glycans for possible vaccine use: 1) using a cocktail of glycosidases (termed "NGAF3" (Neuraminidase, β-Galactosidase, N-Acetylglucosaminidase, endoglycosidase F3 (endo F3)) to deplete complex glycans to try to minimize bNAb-glycan clashes and 2) co-expressing β-1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 (B4G) and β-galactoside α-2,6 sialyltransferase 1 (ST6) during Env biosynthesis, creating bNAb-preferred glycan structures. Mass spectrometry revealed that NGAF3 removed glycan heads at 3/7 sites occupied by complex glycans. B4G overexpression resulted in hybrid glycan development whenever complex glycans were closely spaced. The glycan at position 611 in of Env's gp41 transmembrane subunit was uniquely isolated from the effects of both endo F3 and B4G. B4G and ST6 co-expression increased hybrid and sialylated glycan abundance, reducing glycan complexity. In rabbit vaccinations, B4G + ST6 virus-like particles (VLPs) induced less frequent, weaker titer NAbs, implying that ST6-mediated increased Env charge dampens vaccine antibodies. In some cases, vaccine sera preferentially neutralized B4G + ST6-modified pseudovirus. HIV-1+ donor plasma NAbs were generally more effective against B4G + ST6 modified pseudovirus, suggesting a preference for less complex and/or α-2,6 sialylated Env trimers. Collectively, our data suggest that B4G and ST6 Env modifications are best suited for intermediate or late vaccine shots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio D’Addabbo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Tommy Tong
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, 3525 Johns Hopkins Court, San Diego, CA 92121, United States
| | - Emma T Crooks
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, 3525 Johns Hopkins Court, San Diego, CA 92121, United States
| | - Keiko Osawa
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, 3525 Johns Hopkins Court, San Diego, CA 92121, United States
| | - Jiamin Xu
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, 3525 Johns Hopkins Court, San Diego, CA 92121, United States
| | - Alyssa Thomas
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, 3525 Johns Hopkins Court, San Diego, CA 92121, United States
| | - Joel D Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Max Crispin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - James M Binley
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, 3525 Johns Hopkins Court, San Diego, CA 92121, United States
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2
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Tong T, D’Addabbo A, Xu J, Chawla H, Nguyen A, Ochoa P, Crispin M, Binley JM. Impact of stabilizing mutations on the antigenic profile and glycosylation of membrane-expressed HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011452. [PMID: 37549185 PMCID: PMC10434953 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent HIV-1 vaccine development has centered on "near native" soluble envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers that are artificially stabilized laterally (between protomers) and apically (between gp120 and gp41). These mutations have been leveraged for use in membrane-expressed Env mRNA vaccines, although their effects in this context are unclear. To address this question, we used virus-like particle (VLP) produced in 293T cells. Uncleaved (UNC) trimers were laterally unstable upon gentle lysis from membranes. However, gp120/gp41 processing improved lateral stability. Due to inefficient gp120/gp41 processing, UNC is incorporated into VLPs. A linker between gp120 and gp41 neither improved trimer stability nor its antigenic profile. An artificially introduced enterokinase cleavage site allowed post-expression gp120/gp41 processing, concomitantly increasing trimer stability. Gp41 N-helix mutations I559P and NT1-5 imparted lateral trimer stability, but also reduced gp120/gp41 processing and/or impacted V2 apex and interface NAb binding. I559P consistently reduced recognition by HIV+ human plasmas, further supporting antigenic differences. Mutations in the gp120 bridging sheet failed to stabilize membrane trimers in a pre-fusion conformation, and also reduced gp120/gp41 processing and exposed non-neutralizing epitopes. Reduced glycan maturation and increased sequon skipping were common side effects of these mutations. In some cases, this may be due to increased rigidity which limits access to glycan processing enzymes. In contrast, viral gp120 did not show glycan skipping. A second, minor species of high mannose gp160 was unaffected by any mutations and instead bypasses normal folding and glycan maturation. Including the full gp41 cytoplasmic tail led to markedly reduced gp120/gp41 processing and greatly increased the proportion of high mannose gp160. Remarkably, monoclonal antibodies were unable to bind to this high mannose gp160 in native protein gels. Overall, our findings suggest caution in leveraging stabilizing mutations in nucleic acid-based immunogens to ensure they impart valuable membrane trimer phenotypes for vaccine use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommy Tong
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Alessio D’Addabbo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Jiamin Xu
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Himanshi Chawla
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Albert Nguyen
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Paola Ochoa
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Max Crispin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - James M. Binley
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
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3
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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: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [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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4
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Nguyen HT, Wang Q, Anang S, Sodroski JG. Characterization of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) Envelope Glycoprotein Conformational States on Infectious Virus Particles. J Virol 2023; 97:e0185722. [PMID: 36815832 PMCID: PMC10062176 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01857-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) entry into cells involves triggering of the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer ([gp120/gp41]3) by the primary receptor, CD4, and coreceptors, CCR5 or CXCR4. The pretriggered (State-1) conformation of the mature (cleaved) Env is targeted by broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), which are inefficiently elicited compared with poorly neutralizing antibodies (pNAbs). Here, we characterize variants of the moderately triggerable HIV-1AD8 Env on virions produced by an infectious molecular proviral clone; such virions contain more cleaved Env than pseudotyped viruses. We identified three types of cleaved wild-type AD8 Env trimers on virions: (i) State-1-like trimers preferentially recognized by bNAbs and exhibiting strong subunit association; (ii) trimers recognized by pNAbs directed against the gp120 coreceptor-binding region and exhibiting weak, detergent-sensitive subunit association; and (iii) a minor gp41-only population. The first Env population was enriched and the other Env populations reduced by introducing State-1-stabilizing changes in the AD8 Env or by treatment of the virions with crosslinker or the State-1-preferring entry inhibitor, BMS-806. These stabilized AD8 Envs were also more resistant to gp120 shedding induced by a CD4-mimetic compound or by incubation on ice. Conversely, a State-1-destabilized, CD4-independent AD8 Env variant exhibited weaker bNAb recognition and stronger pNAb recognition. Similar relationships between Env triggerability and antigenicity/shedding propensity on virions were observed for other HIV-1 strains. State-1 Envs on virions can be significantly enriched by minimizing the adventitious incorporation of uncleaved Env; stabilizing the pretriggered conformation by Env modification, crosslinking or BMS-806 treatment; strengthening Env subunit interactions; and using CD4-negative producer cells. IMPORTANCE Efforts to develop an effective HIV-1 vaccine have been frustrated by the inability to elicit broad neutralizing antibodies that recognize multiple virus strains. Such antibodies can bind a particular shape of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimer, as it exists on a viral membrane but before engaging receptors on the host cell. Here, we establish simple yet powerful assays to characterize the envelope glycoproteins in a natural context on virus particles. We find that, depending on the HIV-1 strain, some envelope glycoproteins change shape and fall apart, creating decoys that can potentially divert the host immune response. We identify requirements to keep the relevant envelope glycoprotein target for broad neutralizing antibodies intact on virus-like particles. These studies suggest strategies that should facilitate efforts to produce and use virus-like particles as vaccine immunogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanh T. Nguyen
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Saumya Anang
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joseph G. Sodroski
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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5
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Ng QR, Tee KK, Binley JM, Tong T. Cross-Neutralizing CRF01_AE-Infected Plasma from Malaysia Targets CD4-Binding Site of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 Envelope Glycoprotein. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2022; 38:162-172. [PMID: 34006141 PMCID: PMC9206480 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2020.0299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) antigenic variation poses a great challenge for vaccine immunogen design to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). Over the last 10-15 years, great progress has been made to understand the conserved sites of sensitivity on HIV envelope glycoprotein spikes targeted by bNAbs. Plasma neutralization mapping and monoclonal antibody isolation efforts have revealed five major conserved epitope clusters. Most of this work has focused on subtype B and C-infected Caucasian or African donors. It is not clear if the same epitopes and epitope rank order preferences are also true in donors infected with different HIV-1 subtypes and with different racial backgrounds. To investigate this point, in this study we report the first attempt to profile the bNAb specificities of CRF01_AE-infected Malaysian plasmas. We first measured neutralization titers of 21 plasmas against a subtype A, B, and AE pseudovirus panel. This revealed that 14% (3 of 21) plasmas had cross-clade breadth. Focusing on the cross-neutralizing plasma P9, we used AE and JR-FL mutant pseudoviruses, gp120 monomer interference, and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to better understand the neutralization specificity. P9 demonstrates CD4-binding-site specificity with trimer dependence and D368 independence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Ron Ng
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | - Kok Keng Tee
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - James M. Binley
- HIV and Coronavirus Vaccine Development, San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Tommy Tong
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia.,Address correspondence to: Tommy Tong, Department of Biological Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway 47500, Malaysia
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6
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Lee M, Changela A, Gorman J, Rawi R, Bylund T, Chao CW, Lin BC, Louder MK, Olia AS, Zhang B, Doria-Rose NA, Zolla-Pazner S, Shapiro L, Chuang GY, Kwong PD. Extended antibody-framework-to-antigen distance observed exclusively with broad HIV-1-neutralizing antibodies recognizing glycan-dense surfaces. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6470. [PMID: 34753907 PMCID: PMC8578620 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26579-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibody-Framework-to-Antigen Distance (AFAD) - the distance between the body of an antibody and a protein antigen - is an important parameter governing antibody recognition. Here, we quantify AFAD for ~2,000 non-redundant antibody-protein-antigen complexes in the Protein Data Bank. AFADs showed a gaussian distribution with mean of 16.3 Å and standard deviation (σ) of 2.4 Å. Notably, antibody-antigen complexes with extended AFADs (>3σ) were exclusively human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1)-neutralizing antibodies. High correlation (R2 = 0.8110) was observed between AFADs and glycan coverage, as assessed by molecular dynamics simulations of the HIV-1-envelope trimer. Especially long AFADs were observed for antibodies targeting the glycosylated trimer apex, and we tested the impact of introducing an apex-glycan hole (N160K); the cryo-EM structure of the glycan hole-targeting HIV-1-neutralizing antibody 2909 in complex with an N160K-envelope trimer revealed a substantially shorter AFAD. Overall, extended AFADs exclusively recognized densely glycosylated surfaces, with the introduction of a glycan hole enabling closer recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myungjin Lee
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Anita Changela
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jason Gorman
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Reda Rawi
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Tatsiana Bylund
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Cara W Chao
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Bob C Lin
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Mark K Louder
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Adam S Olia
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Baoshan Zhang
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Nicole A Doria-Rose
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Susan Zolla-Pazner
- Department of Medicine and Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Lawrence Shapiro
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Gwo-Yu Chuang
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Peter D Kwong
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. .,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
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7
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Crooks ET, Almanza F, D’Addabbo A, Duggan E, Zhang J, Wagh K, Mou H, Allen JD, Thomas A, Osawa K, Korber BT, Tsybovsky Y, Cale E, Nolan J, Crispin M, Verkoczy LK, Binley JM. Engineering well-expressed, V2-immunofocusing HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein membrane trimers for use in heterologous prime-boost vaccine regimens. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009807. [PMID: 34679128 PMCID: PMC8565784 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 vaccine immunofocusing strategies may be able to induce broadly-reactive neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). Here, we engineered a panel of diverse, membrane-resident native HIV-1 trimers vulnerable to two broad targets-the V2 apex and fusion peptide (FP). Selection criteria included i) high expression and ii) infectious function, so that trimer neutralization sensitivity can be profiled in pseudovirus (PV) assays. Initially, we boosted the expression of 17 candidate trimers by truncating gp41 and introducing a gp120-gp41 SOS disulfide to prevent gp120 shedding. "Repairs" were made to fill glycan holes and eliminate other strain-specific aberrations. A new neutralization assay allowed PV infection when our standard assay was insufficient. Trimers with exposed V3 loops, a target of non-NAbs, were discarded. To try to increase V2-sensitivity, we removed clashing glycans and modified the C-strand. Notably, a D167N mutation improved V2-sensitivity in several cases. Glycopeptide analysis of JR-FL trimers revealed near complete sequon occupation and that filling the N197 glycan hole was well-tolerated. In contrast, sequon optimization and inserting/removing glycans at other positions frequently had global "ripple" effects on glycan maturation and sequon occupation throughout the gp120 outer domain and gp41. V2 MAb CH01 selectively bound to trimers with small high mannose glycans near the base of the V1 loop, thereby avoiding clashes. Knocking in a rare N49 glycan was found to perturb gp41 glycans, increasing FP NAb sensitivity-and sometimes improving expression. Finally, a biophysical analysis of VLPs revealed that i) ~25% of particles bear Env spikes, ii) spontaneous particle budding is high and only increases 4-fold upon Gag transfection, and iii) Env+ particles express ~30-40 spikes. Taken together, we identified 7 diverse trimers with a range of sensitivities to two targets to allow rigorous testing of immunofocusing vaccine concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma T. Crooks
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Francisco Almanza
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Alessio D’Addabbo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Erika Duggan
- Scintillon Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
- Cellarcus BioSciences, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Jinsong Zhang
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Kshitij Wagh
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Huihui Mou
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Joel D. Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Alyssa Thomas
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Keiko Osawa
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Bette T. Korber
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Yaroslav Tsybovsky
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Evan Cale
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - John Nolan
- Scintillon Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
- Cellarcus BioSciences, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Max Crispin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Laurent K. Verkoczy
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - James M. Binley
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
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8
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Limited Evidence for a Relationship between HIV-1 Glycan Shield Features in Early Infection and the Development of Neutralization Breadth. J Virol 2021; 95:e0079721. [PMID: 34160251 PMCID: PMC8354232 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00797-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Identifying whether viral features present in acute HIV-1 infection predetermine the development of neutralization breadth is critical to vaccine design. Incorporating such features in vaccine antigens could initiate cross-reactive antibody responses that could sufficiently protect vaccinees from HIV-1 infection despite the uniqueness of each founder virus. To understand the relationship between Env determinants and the development of neutralization breadth, we focused on 197 individuals enrolled in two cohorts in Thailand and East Africa (RV144 and RV217) and followed since their diagnosis in acute or early HIV-1 infection. We analyzed the distribution of variable loop lengths and glycans, as well as the predicted density of the glycan shield, and compared these envelope features to the neutralization breadth data obtained 3 years after infection (n = 121). Our study revealed limited evidence for glycan shield features that associate with the development of neutralization breadth. While the glycan shield tended to be denser in participants who subsequently developed breadth, no significant relationship was found between the size of glycan holes and the development of neutralization breadth. The parallel analysis of 3,000 independent Env sequences showed no evidence of directional evolution of glycan shield features since the beginning of the epidemic. Together, our results highlight that glycan shield features in acute and early HIV-1 infection may not play a role determinant enough to dictate the development of neutralization breadth and instead suggest that the glycan shield’s reactive properties that are associated with immune evasion may have a greater impact. IMPORTANCE A major goal of HIV-1 vaccine research is to design vaccine candidates that elicit potent broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). Different viral features have been associated with the development of bNAbs, including the glycan shield on the surface of the HIV-1 Envelope (Env). Here, we analyzed data from two cohorts of individuals who were followed from early infection to several years after infection spanning multiple HIV-1 subtypes. We compared Env glycan features in HIV-1 sequences obtained in early infection to the potency and breadth of neutralizing antibodies measured 1 to 3 years after infection. We found limited evidence of glycan shield properties that associate with the development of neutralization breadth in these cohorts. These results may have important implications for antigen design in future vaccine strategies and emphasize that HIV-1 vaccines will need to rely on a complex set of properties to elicit neutralization breadth.
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Karch CP, Matyas GR. The current and future role of nanovaccines in HIV-1 vaccine development. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20:935-944. [PMID: 34184607 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1945448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: An efficacious vaccine for HIV-1 has been sought for over 30 years to eliminate the virus from the human population. Many challenges have occurred in the attempt to produce a successful immunogen, mainly caused by the basic biology of the virus. Immunogens have been developed focusing on inducing one or more of the following types of immune responses; neutralizing antibodies, non-neutralizing antibodies, and T-cell mediated responses. One way to better present and develop an immunogen for HIV-1 is through the use of nanotechnology and nanoparticles.Areas covered: This article gives a basic overview of the HIV-1 vaccine field, as well as nanotechnology, specifically nanovaccines. It then covers the application of nanovaccines made from biological macromolecules to HIV-1 vaccine development for neutralizing antibodies, non-neutralizing antibodies, and T-cell-mediated responses.Expert opinion: Nanovaccines are an area that is ripe for further exploration in HIV-1 vaccine field. Not only are nanovaccines capable of carrying and presenting antigens in native-like conformations, but they have also repeatedly been shown to increase immunogenicity over recombinant antigens alone. Only through further research can the true role of nanovaccines in the development of an efficacious HIV-1 vaccine be established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P Karch
- Laboratory of Adjuvant and Antigen Research, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA.,Laboratory of Adjuvant and Antigen Research, Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gary R Matyas
- Laboratory of Adjuvant and Antigen Research, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
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10
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Gonelli CA, King HAD, Mackenzie C, Sonza S, Center RJ, Purcell DFJ. Immunogenicity of HIV-1-Based Virus-Like Particles with Increased Incorporation and Stability of Membrane-Bound Env. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:239. [PMID: 33801906 PMCID: PMC8002006 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9030239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
An optimal prophylactic vaccine to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) transmission should elicit protective antibody responses against the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env). Replication-incompetent HIV-1 virus-like particles (VLPs) offer the opportunity to present virion-associated Env with a native-like structure during vaccination that closely resembles that encountered on infectious virus. Here, we optimized the incorporation of Env into previously designed mature-form VLPs (mVLPs) and assessed their immunogenicity in mice. The incorporation of Env into mVLPs was increased by replacing the Env transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail domains with those of influenza haemagglutinin (HA-TMCT). Furthermore, Env was stabilized on the VLP surface by introducing an interchain disulfide and proline substitution (SOSIP) mutations typically employed to stabilize soluble Env trimers. The resulting mVLPs efficiently presented neutralizing antibody epitopes while minimizing exposure of non-neutralizing antibody sites. Vaccination of mice with mVLPs elicited a broader range of Env-specific antibody isotypes than Env presented on immature VLPs or extracellular vesicles. The mVLPs bearing HA-TMCT-modified Env consistently induced anti-Env antibody responses that mediated modest neutralization activity. These mVLPs are potentially useful immunogens for eliciting neutralizing antibody responses that target native Env epitopes on infectious HIV-1 virions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A. Gonelli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (C.A.G.); (H.A.D.K.); (C.M.); (S.S.); (R.J.C.)
| | - Hannah A. D. King
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (C.A.G.); (H.A.D.K.); (C.M.); (S.S.); (R.J.C.)
- Viral Entry and Vaccines Laboratory, Disease Elimination, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Charlene Mackenzie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (C.A.G.); (H.A.D.K.); (C.M.); (S.S.); (R.J.C.)
| | - Secondo Sonza
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (C.A.G.); (H.A.D.K.); (C.M.); (S.S.); (R.J.C.)
| | - Rob J. Center
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (C.A.G.); (H.A.D.K.); (C.M.); (S.S.); (R.J.C.)
- Viral Entry and Vaccines Laboratory, Disease Elimination, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Damian F. J. Purcell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (C.A.G.); (H.A.D.K.); (C.M.); (S.S.); (R.J.C.)
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11
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Lee JH, Hu JK, Georgeson E, Nakao C, Groschel B, Dileepan T, Jenkins MK, Seumois G, Vijayanand P, Schief WR, Crotty S. Modulating the quantity of HIV Env-specific CD4 T cell help promotes rare B cell responses in germinal centers. J Exp Med 2021; 218:e20201254. [PMID: 33355623 PMCID: PMC7769167 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20201254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunodominance to nonneutralizing epitopes is a roadblock in designing vaccines against several diseases of high interest. One hypothetical possibility is that limited CD4 T cell help to B cells in a normal germinal center (GC) response results in selective recruitment of abundant, immunodominant B cells. This is a central issue in HIV envelope glycoprotein (Env) vaccine designs, because precursors to broadly neutralizing epitopes are rare. Here, we sought to elucidate whether modulating the quantity of T cell help can influence recruitment and competition of broadly neutralizing antibody precursor B cells at a physiological precursor frequency in response to Env trimer immunization. To do so, two new Env-specific CD4 transgenic (Tg) T cell receptor (TCR) mouse lines were generated, carrying TCR pairs derived from Env-protein immunization. Our results suggest that CD4 T cell help quantitatively regulates early recruitment of rare B cells to GCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Hyun Lee
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
| | - Joyce K. Hu
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA
| | - Erik Georgeson
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
| | - Catherine Nakao
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA
| | - Bettina Groschel
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
| | - Thamotharampillai Dileepan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Marc K. Jenkins
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Gregory Seumois
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA
| | - Pandurangan Vijayanand
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, National Institute for Health Research Southampton, Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - William R. Schief
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
| | - Shane Crotty
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
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12
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Abstract
HIV is a virus that remains a major health concern and results in an infection that has no cure even after over 30 years since its discovery. As such, HIV vaccine discovery continues to be an area of intensive research. In this review, we summarize the most recent HIV vaccine efficacy trials, clinical trials initiated within the last 3 years, and discuss prominent improvements that have been made in prophylactic HIV vaccine designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Hyun Lee
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA; Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Shane Crotty
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA; Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA, USA.
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13
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Predicting Antibody Neutralization Efficacy in Hypermutated Epitopes Using Monte Carlo Simulations. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12102392. [PMID: 33080783 PMCID: PMC7602999 DOI: 10.3390/polym12102392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) evades adaptive immunity by means of its extremely high mutation rate, which allows the HIV envelope glycoprotein to continuously escape from the action of antibodies. However, some broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) targeting specific viral regions show the ability to block the infectivity of a large number of viral variants. The discovery of these antibodies opens new avenues in anti-HIV therapy; however, they are still suboptimal tools as their amplitude of action ranges between 50% and 90% of viral variants. In this context, being able to discriminate between sensitive and resistant strains to an antibody would be of great interest for the design of optimal clinical antibody treatments and to engineer potent bNAbs for clinical use. Here, we describe a hierarchical procedure to predict the antibody neutralization efficacy of multiple viral isolates to three well-known anti-CD4bs bNAbs: VRC01, NIH45-46 and 3BNC117. Our method consists of simulating the three-dimensional binding process between the gp120 and the antibody by using Protein Energy Landscape Exploration (PELE), a Monte Carlo stochastic approach. Our results clearly indicate that the binding profiles of sensitive and resistant strains to a bNAb behave differently, showing the latter’s weaker binding profiles, that can be exploited for predicting antibody neutralization efficacy in hypermutated HIV-1 strains.
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14
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Seabright GE, Cottrell CA, van Gils MJ, D'addabbo A, Harvey DJ, Behrens AJ, Allen JD, Watanabe Y, Scaringi N, Polveroni TM, Maker A, Vasiljevic S, de Val N, Sanders RW, Ward AB, Crispin M. Networks of HIV-1 Envelope Glycans Maintain Antibody Epitopes in the Face of Glycan Additions and Deletions. Structure 2020; 28:897-909.e6. [PMID: 32433992 PMCID: PMC7416112 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2020.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Numerous broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) have been identified that target the glycans of the HIV-1 envelope spike. Neutralization breadth is notable given that glycan processing can be substantially influenced by the presence or absence of neighboring glycans. Here, using a stabilized recombinant envelope trimer, we investigate the degree to which mutations in the glycan network surrounding an epitope impact the fine glycan processing of antibody targets. Using cryo-electron microscopy and site-specific glycan analysis, we reveal the importance of glycans in the formation of the 2G12 bnAb epitope and show that the epitope is only subtly impacted by variations in the glycan network. In contrast, we show that the PG9 and PG16 glycan-based epitopes at the trimer apex are dependent on the presence of the highly conserved surrounding glycans. Glycan networks underpin the conservation of bnAb epitopes and are an important parameter in immunogen design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma E Seabright
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Christopher A Cottrell
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Marit J van Gils
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Alessio D'addabbo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - David J Harvey
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; Target Discovery Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Anna-Janina Behrens
- Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Joel D Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Yasunori Watanabe
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Nicole Scaringi
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Thomas M Polveroni
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Allison Maker
- Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Snezana Vasiljevic
- Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Natalia de Val
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Frederick, MD 21701, USA; Center for Molecular Microscopy, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Rogier W Sanders
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, The Netherlands; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Andrew B Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Max Crispin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
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15
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We will discuss recent advances in the development of nanoparticle vaccines presenting HIV-1 envelope trimer vaccines and the immunological mechanisms by which they act. RECENT FINDINGS The multivalent presentation of Env trimers on nanoparticles is a promising strategy to increase Env immunogenicity. Recent studies have shed light on how Env nanoparticles increase lymph node trafficking and germinal center formation by using the lectin-mediated complement pathway and enhancing the interaction with naïve B cells. Meanwhile, research on different nanoparticle platforms has resulted in improved designs, such as liposomes with improved stability, and the emergence of novel platforms such as protein nanoparticles that self-assemble in vitro. Immmunogenicity studies with these nanoparticles delineate the advantages and expose the limitations of the different nanoparticle platforms. SUMMARY It is becoming increasingly clear that HIV-1 vaccine research might benefit greatly from using nanoparticles presenting Env trimers, particularly during the priming stage of immunization. Among the different nanoparticles that are being pursued, in vitro-assembling nanoparticles allow for greater control of Env quality making them a promising nanoparticle platform.
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16
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Dubrovskaya V, Tran K, Ozorowski G, Guenaga J, Wilson R, Bale S, Cottrell CA, Turner HL, Seabright G, O'Dell S, Torres JL, Yang L, Feng Y, Leaman DP, Vázquez Bernat N, Liban T, Louder M, McKee K, Bailer RT, Movsesyan A, Doria-Rose NA, Pancera M, Karlsson Hedestam GB, Zwick MB, Crispin M, Mascola JR, Ward AB, Wyatt RT. Vaccination with Glycan-Modified HIV NFL Envelope Trimer-Liposomes Elicits Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies to Multiple Sites of Vulnerability. Immunity 2019; 51:915-929.e7. [PMID: 31732167 PMCID: PMC6891888 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2019.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The elicitation of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer remains a major vaccine challenge. Most cross-conserved protein determinants are occluded by self-N-glycan shielding, limiting B cell recognition of the underlying polypeptide surface. The exceptions to the contiguous glycan shield include the conserved receptor CD4 binding site (CD4bs) and glycoprotein (gp)41 elements proximal to the furin cleavage site. Accordingly, we performed heterologous trimer-liposome prime:boosting in rabbits to drive B cells specific for cross-conserved sites. To preferentially expose the CD4bs to B cells, we eliminated proximal N-glycans while maintaining the native-like state of the cleavage-independent NFL trimers, followed by gradual N-glycan restoration coupled with heterologous boosting. This approach successfully elicited CD4bs-directed, cross-neutralizing Abs, including one targeting a unique glycan-protein epitope and a bNAb (87% breadth) directed to the gp120:gp41 interface, both resolved by high-resolution cryoelectron microscopy. This study provides proof-of-principle immunogenicity toward eliciting bNAbs by vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoriya Dubrovskaya
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Karen Tran
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Neutralizing Antibody Center at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Gabriel Ozorowski
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Javier Guenaga
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Neutralizing Antibody Center at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Richard Wilson
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Shridhar Bale
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Christopher A Cottrell
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Hannah L Turner
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Gemma Seabright
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Sijy O'Dell
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jonathan L Torres
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Lifei Yang
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Yu Feng
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Neutralizing Antibody Center at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Daniel P Leaman
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Néstor Vázquez Bernat
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Tyler Liban
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Mark Louder
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Krisha McKee
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Robert T Bailer
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Arlette Movsesyan
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Nicole A Doria-Rose
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Marie Pancera
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | | | - Michael B Zwick
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Max Crispin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - John R Mascola
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Andrew B Ward
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Neutralizing Antibody Center at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Richard T Wyatt
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Neutralizing Antibody Center at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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17
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Cervera L, Gòdia F, Tarrés-Freixas F, Aguilar-Gurrieri C, Carrillo J, Blanco J, Gutiérrez-Granados S. Production of HIV-1-based virus-like particles for vaccination: achievements and limits. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:7367-7384. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-10038-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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18
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Brinkkemper M, Sliepen K. Nanoparticle Vaccines for Inducing HIV-1 Neutralizing Antibodies. Vaccines (Basel) 2019; 7:E76. [PMID: 31362378 PMCID: PMC6789800 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines7030076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The enormous sequence diversity between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strains poses a major roadblock for generating a broadly protective vaccine. Many experimental HIV-1 vaccine efforts are therefore aimed at eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) that are capable of neutralizing the majority of circulating HIV-1 strains. The envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer on the viral membrane is the sole target of bNAbs and the key component of vaccination approaches aimed at eliciting bNAbs. Multimeric presentation of Env on nanoparticles often plays a critical role in these strategies. Here, we will discuss the different aspects of nanoparticles in Env vaccination, including recent insights in immunological processes underlying their perceived advantages, the different nanoparticle platforms and the various immunogenicity studies that employed nanoparticles to improve (neutralizing) antibody responses against Env.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitch Brinkkemper
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kwinten Sliepen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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19
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Magaret CA, Benkeser DC, Williamson BD, Borate BR, Carpp LN, Georgiev IS, Setliff I, Dingens AS, Simon N, Carone M, Simpkins C, Montefiori D, Alter G, Yu WH, Juraska M, Edlefsen PT, Karuna S, Mgodi NM, Edugupanti S, Gilbert PB. Prediction of VRC01 neutralization sensitivity by HIV-1 gp160 sequence features. PLoS Comput Biol 2019; 15:e1006952. [PMID: 30933973 PMCID: PMC6459550 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) VRC01 is being evaluated for its efficacy to prevent HIV-1 infection in the Antibody Mediated Prevention (AMP) trials. A secondary objective of AMP utilizes sieve analysis to investigate how VRC01 prevention efficacy (PE) varies with HIV-1 envelope (Env) amino acid (AA) sequence features. An exhaustive analysis that tests how PE depends on every AA feature with sufficient variation would have low statistical power. To design an adequately powered primary sieve analysis for AMP, we modeled VRC01 neutralization as a function of Env AA sequence features of 611 HIV-1 gp160 pseudoviruses from the CATNAP database, with objectives: (1) to develop models that best predict the neutralization readouts; and (2) to rank AA features by their predictive importance with classification and regression methods. The dataset was split in half, and machine learning algorithms were applied to each half, each analyzed separately using cross-validation and hold-out validation. We selected Super Learner, a nonparametric ensemble-based cross-validated learning method, for advancement to the primary sieve analysis. This method predicted the dichotomous resistance outcome of whether the IC50 neutralization titer of VRC01 for a given Env pseudovirus is right-censored (indicating resistance) with an average validated AUC of 0.868 across the two hold-out datasets. Quantitative log IC50 was predicted with an average validated R2 of 0.355. Features predicting neutralization sensitivity or resistance included 26 surface-accessible residues in the VRC01 and CD4 binding footprints, the length of gp120, the length of Env, the number of cysteines in gp120, the number of cysteines in Env, and 4 potential N-linked glycosylation sites; the top features will be advanced to the primary sieve analysis. This modeling framework may also inform the study of VRC01 in the treatment of HIV-infected persons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig A. Magaret
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - David C. Benkeser
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Brian D. Williamson
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Bhavesh R. Borate
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Lindsay N. Carpp
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Ivelin S. Georgiev
- Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Ian Setliff
- Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Program in Chemical & Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Adam S. Dingens
- Division of Basic Sciences and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Division of Human Biology and Epidemiology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Molecular and Cellular Biology PhD Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Noah Simon
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Marco Carone
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Christopher Simpkins
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - David Montefiori
- Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Galit Alter
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Wen-Han Yu
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Michal Juraska
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Paul T. Edlefsen
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Shelly Karuna
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Nyaradzo M. Mgodi
- University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences Clinical Trials Research Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Srilatha Edugupanti
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Peter B. Gilbert
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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20
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Dingens AS, Arenz D, Weight H, Overbaugh J, Bloom JD. An Antigenic Atlas of HIV-1 Escape from Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Distinguishes Functional and Structural Epitopes. Immunity 2019; 50:520-532.e3. [PMID: 30709739 PMCID: PMC6435357 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2018.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Anti-HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) have revealed vaccine targets on the virus's envelope (Env) protein and are themselves promising immunotherapies. The efficacy of bnAb-based therapies and vaccines depends in part on how readily the virus can escape neutralization. Although structural studies can define contacts between bnAbs and Env, only functional studies can define mutations that confer escape. Here, we mapped how all possible single amino acid mutations in Env affect neutralization of HIV by nine bnAbs targeting five epitopes. For most bnAbs, mutations at only a small fraction of structurally defined contact sites mediated escape, and most escape occurred at sites near, but not in direct contact with, the antibody. The Env mutations selected by two pooled bnAbs were similar to those expected from the combination of the bnAbs's independent action. Overall, our mutation-level antigenic atlas provides a comprehensive dataset for understanding viral immune escape and refining therapies and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam S Dingens
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Molecular & Cellular Biology PhD Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Division of Human Biology and Epidemiology Program, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Dana Arenz
- Division of Human Biology and Epidemiology Program, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Haidyn Weight
- Division of Human Biology and Epidemiology Program, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Julie Overbaugh
- Division of Human Biology and Epidemiology Program, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
| | - Jesse D Bloom
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
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21
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Margolin E, Chapman R, Meyers AE, van Diepen MT, Ximba P, Hermanus T, Crowther C, Weber B, Morris L, Williamson AL, Rybicki EP. Production and Immunogenicity of Soluble Plant-Produced HIV-1 Subtype C Envelope gp140 Immunogens. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1378. [PMID: 31737007 PMCID: PMC6831737 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The development of effective vaccines is urgently needed to curb the spread of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). A major focal point of current HIV vaccine research is the production of soluble envelope (Env) glycoproteins which reproduce the structure of the native gp160 trimer. These antigens are produced in mammalian cells, which requires a sophisticated infrastructure for manufacture that is mostly absent in developing countries. The production of recombinant proteins in plants is an attractive alternative for the potentially cheap and scalable production of vaccine antigens, especially for developing countries. In this study, we developed a transient expression system in Nicotiana benthamiana for the production of soluble HIV Env gp140 antigens based on two rationally selected virus isolates (CAP256 SU and Du151). The scalability of the platform was demonstrated and both affinity and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) were explored for recovery of the recombinant antigens. Rabbits immunized with lectin affinity-purified antigens developed high titres of binding antibodies, including against the V1V2 loop region, and neutralizing antibodies against Tier 1 viruses. The removal of aggregated Env species by gel filtration resulted in the elicitation of superior binding and neutralizing antibodies. Furthermore, a heterologous prime-boost regimen employing a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara (rMVA) vaccine, followed by boosts with the SEC-purified protein, significantly improved the immunogenicity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the immunogenicity of a near-full length plant-derived Env vaccine immunogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Margolin
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Rosamund Chapman
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ann E. Meyers
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- *Correspondence: Ann E. Meyers,
| | - Michiel T. van Diepen
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Phindile Ximba
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Tandile Hermanus
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Sandringham, South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Carol Crowther
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Sandringham, South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Brandon Weber
- Structural Biology Research Unit, Division of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lynn Morris
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Sandringham, South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Anna-Lise Williamson
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Edward P. Rybicki
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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22
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Glycoengineering HIV-1 Env creates 'supercharged' and 'hybrid' glycans to increase neutralizing antibody potency, breadth and saturation. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1007024. [PMID: 29718999 PMCID: PMC5951585 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The extensive glycosylation of HIV-1 envelope (Env) glycoprotein leaves few glycan-free holes large enough to admit broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAb). Consequently, most bnAbs must inevitably make some glycan contacts and avoid clashes with others. To investigate how Env glycan maturation regulates HIV sensitivity to bnAbs, we modified HIV-1 pseudovirus (PV) using various glycoengineering (GE) tools. Promoting the maturation of α-2,6 sialic acid (SA) glycan termini increased PV sensitivity to two bnAbs that target the V2 apex and one to the interface between Env surface gp120 and transmembrane gp41 subunits, typically by up to 30-fold. These effects were reversible by incubating PV with neuraminidase. The same bnAbs were unusually potent against PBMC-produced HIV-1, suggesting similar α-2,6 hypersialylated glycan termini may occur naturally. Overexpressing β-galactosyltransferase during PV production replaced complex glycans with hybrid glycans, effectively 'thinning' trimer glycan coverage. This increased PV sensitivity to some bnAbs but ablated sensitivity to one bnAb that depends on complex glycans. Other bnAbs preferred small glycans or galactose termini. For some bnAbs, the effects of GE were strain-specific, suggesting that GE had context-dependent effects on glycan clashes. GE was also able to increase the percent maximum neutralization (i.e. saturation) by some bnAbs. Indeed, some bnAb-resistant strains became highly sensitive with GE—thus uncovering previously unknown bnAb breadth. As might be expected, the activities of bnAbs that recognize glycan-deficient or invariant oligomannose epitopes were largely unaffected by GE. Non-neutralizing antibodies were also unaffected by GE, suggesting that trimers remain compact. Unlike mature bnAbs, germline-reverted bnAbs avoided or were indifferent to glycans, suggesting that glycan contacts are acquired as bnAbs mature. Together, our results suggest that glycovariation can greatly impact neutralization and that knowledge of the optimal Env glycoforms recognized by bnAbs may assist rational vaccine design. Here we engineered various changes in the sizes and shapes of sugars that decorate HIV surface spike proteins and tested the effects of these changes on virus susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies. In so doing, we were able to define the optimal Env-sugars recognized by prototype bnAbs that recognize various canonical epitope clusters on Env spike proteins. Some bnAbs preferred spike proteins decorated with large, complex glycans. Others preferred smaller glycans that improved their access to underlying protein targets. For similar reasons, germline-reverted versions of bnAbs were also generally more effective when the glycans were small. In some cases, bnAbs acquired an ability to bind to sugars as they matured. A comparison of viruses generated in cell lines and primary cells revealed large differences in bnAb sensitivity, raising questions about clinical relevance of cell line-produced virus for checking vaccine responses and, moreover, the use of these cell lines for manufacturing vaccines. Overall, just as car engines may be modified to be supercharged or hybrid for increased power or efficiency, the sugars of HIV coat proteins may also need to be engineered as 'supercharged' and 'hybrid' or otherwise modified in rational vaccine designs to optimize bnAb recognition.
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23
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Abstract
Vaccine design efforts against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been greatly stimulated by the observation that many infected patients eventually develop highly potent broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). Importantly, these bnAbs have evolved to recognize not only the two protein components of the viral envelope protein (Env) but also the numerous glycans that form a protective barrier on the Env protein. Because Env is heavily glycosylated compared to host glycoproteins, the glycans have become targets for the antibody response. Therefore, considerable efforts have been made in developing and validating biophysical methods to elucidate the complex structure of the Env-spike glycoprotein, with its combination of glycan and protein epitopes. We illustrate here how the application of robust biophysical methods has transformed our understanding of the structure and function of the HIV Env spike and stimulated innovation in vaccine design strategies that takes into account the essential glycan components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Crispin
- Centre for Biological Sciences and Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom;
| | - Andrew B Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Neutralizing Antibody Center, and Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA; ,
| | - Ian A Wilson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Neutralizing Antibody Center, and Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA; , .,Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
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24
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Dubrovskaya V, Guenaga J, de Val N, Wilson R, Feng Y, Movsesyan A, Karlsson Hedestam GB, Ward AB, Wyatt RT. Targeted N-glycan deletion at the receptor-binding site retains HIV Env NFL trimer integrity and accelerates the elicited antibody response. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006614. [PMID: 28902916 PMCID: PMC5640423 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive shielding by N-glycans on the surface of the HIV envelope glycoproteins (Env) restricts B cell recognition of conserved neutralizing determinants. Elicitation of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) in selected HIV-infected individuals reveals that Abs capable of penetrating the glycan shield can be generated by the B cell repertoire. Accordingly, we sought to determine if targeted N-glycan deletion might alter antibody responses to Env. We focused on the conserved CD4 binding site (CD4bs) since this is a known neutralizing determinant that is devoid of glycosylation to allow CD4 receptor engagement, but is ringed by surrounding N-glycans. We selectively deleted potential N-glycan sites (PNGS) proximal to the CD4bs on well-ordered clade C 16055 native flexibly linked (NFL) trimers to potentially increase recognition by naïve B cells in vivo. We generated glycan-deleted trimer variants that maintained native-like conformation and stability. Using a panel of CD4bs-directed bNAbs, we demonstrated improved accessibility of the CD4bs on the N-glycan-deleted trimer variants. We showed that pseudoviruses lacking these Env PNGSs were more sensitive to neutralization by CD4bs-specific bNAbs but remained resistant to non-neutralizing mAbs. We performed rabbit immunogenicity experiments using two approaches comparing glycan-deleted to fully glycosylated NFL trimers. The first was to delete 4 PNGS sites and then boost with fully glycosylated Env; the second was to delete 4 sites and gradually re-introduce these N-glycans in subsequent boosts. We demonstrated that the 16055 PNGS-deleted trimers more rapidly elicited serum antibodies that more potently neutralized the CD4bs-proximal-PNGS-deleted viruses in a statistically significant manner and strongly trended towards increased neutralization of fully glycosylated autologous virus. This approach elicited serum IgG capable of cross-neutralizing selected tier 2 viruses lacking N-glycans at residue N276 (natural or engineered), indicating that PNGS deletion of well-ordered trimers is a promising strategy to prime B cell responses to this conserved neutralizing determinant. A major challenge in HIV-1 vaccine design is to generate antibodies directed toward conserved broadly neutralizing epitopes on the surface-exposed viral envelope glycoprotein (Env). Most conserved epitopes are masked by self N-glycans, limiting naïve B cell recognition of the underlying protein surface following Env vaccination or during natural infection. Recently, soluble faithful mimics of the HIV Env spike have been developed, but their capacity to elicit broadly cross-reactive tier 2 (clinical isolate) neutralizing responses is limited. The conserved primary receptor, CD4 binding site, is a known neutralizing determinant, but is flanked by self-N-linked glycans, limiting Ab access to this site. Here, we removed up to four N-glycans surrounding the CD4 binding site without affecting trimer stability and conformation as demonstrated by multiple biophysical methods. Using these well-ordered trimers, we performed an immunogenicity experiment, demonstrating that glycan-deleted trimers elicited superior neutralizing responses compared to the fully glycosylated trimers, resulting in detectable cross-neutralization of a subset of tier 2-like viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoriya Dubrovskaya
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Javier Guenaga
- IAVI Neutralizing Center at TSRI, Department of Research and Development, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Natalia de Val
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Richard Wilson
- IAVI Neutralizing Center at TSRI, Department of Research and Development, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Yu Feng
- IAVI Neutralizing Center at TSRI, Department of Research and Development, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Arlette Movsesyan
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | | | - Andrew B. Ward
- IAVI Neutralizing Center at TSRI, Department of Research and Development, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- The Scripps CHAVI-ID, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Richard T. Wyatt
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- IAVI Neutralizing Center at TSRI, Department of Research and Development, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- The Scripps CHAVI-ID, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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