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Yuan L, Zhang S, Bi R, Liu X, Han Z, Li M, Liao X, Xie T, Bai S, Xie Q, Luo C, Jiang Y, Yuan J, Luo H, Yan H, Sun C, Shu Y. A broad-spectrum multiepitope vaccine against seasonal influenza A and B viruses in mice. EBioMedicine 2024; 106:105269. [PMID: 39111250 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 07/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Influenza viruses pose a persistent threat to global public health, necessitating the development of innovative and broadly effective vaccines. METHODS This study focuses on a multiepitope vaccine (MEV) designed to provide broad-spectrum protection against different influenza viruses. The MEV, containing 19 B-cell linear epitopes, 7 CD4+ T cells, and 11 CD8+ T cells epitopes identified through enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT) in influenza viruses infected mice, was administered through a regimen of two doses of DNA vaccine followed by one dose of a protein vaccine in C57BL/6 female mice. FINDINGS Upon lethal challenge with both seasonal circulating strains (H1N1, H3N2, BV, and BY) and historical strains (H1N1-PR8 and H3N2-X31), MEV demonstrated substantial protection against different influenza seasonal strains, with partial efficacy against historical strains. Notably, the increased germinal centre B cells and antibody-secreting cells, along with robust T cell immune responses, highlighted the comprehensive immune defence elicited by MEV. Elevated hemagglutinin inhibition antibody was also observed against seasonal circulating and historical strains. Additionally, mice vaccinated with MEV exhibited significantly lower counts of inflammatory cells in the lungs compared to negative control groups. INTERPRETATION Our results demonstrated the efficacy of a broad-spectrum MEV against influenza viruses in mice. Conducting long-term studies to evaluate the durability of MEV-induced immune responses and explore its potential application in diverse populations will offer valuable insights for the continued advancement of this promising vaccine. FUNDING Funding bodies are described in the Acknowledgments section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lifang Yuan
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Shengze Zhang
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Rongjun Bi
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Xuejie Liu
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Zirong Han
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Minchao Li
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Xinzhong Liao
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Ting Xie
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Shaohui Bai
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Qian Xie
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Chuming Luo
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Ying Jiang
- Shenzhen Nanshan Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, 518054, PR China.
| | - Jianhui Yuan
- Shenzhen Nanshan Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, 518054, PR China.
| | - Huanle Luo
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510080, PR China.
| | - Huacheng Yan
- Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of Southern Military Theatre, 510610, Guangzhou, PR China.
| | - Caijun Sun
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510080, PR China.
| | - Yuelong Shu
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China; Key Laboratory of Pathogen Infection Prevention and Control (MOE), State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 102629, PR China.
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Mapping the Antibody Repertoires in Ferrets with Repeated Influenza A/H3 Infections: Is Original Antigenic Sin Really "Sinful"? Viruses 2023; 15:v15020374. [PMID: 36851590 PMCID: PMC9959794 DOI: 10.3390/v15020374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The influenza-specific antibody repertoire is continuously reshaped by infection and vaccination. The host immune response to contemporary viruses can be redirected to preferentially boost antibodies specific for viruses encountered early in life, a phenomenon called original antigenic sin (OAS) that is suggested to be responsible for diminished vaccine effectiveness after repeated seasonal vaccination. Using a new computational tool called Neutralization Landscapes, we tracked the progression of hemagglutination inhibition antibodies within ferret antisera elicited by repeated influenza A/H3 infections and deciphered the influence of prior exposures on the de novo antibody response to evolved viruses. The results indicate that a broadly neutralizing antibody signature can nevertheless be induced by repeated exposures despite OAS induction. Our study offers a new way to visualize how immune history shapes individual antibodies within a repertoire, which may help to inform future universal influenza vaccine design.
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Serial Passaging of Seasonal H3N2 Influenza A/Singapore/G2-31.1/2014 Virus in MDCK-SIAT1 Cells and Primary Chick Embryo Cells Generates HA D457G Mutation and Other Variants in HA, NA, PB1, PB1-F2, and NS1. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012408. [PMID: 36293269 PMCID: PMC9604028 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza remains one of the most prevalent viruses circulating amongst humans and has resulted in several pandemics. The prevention and control of H3N2 influenza is complicated by its propensity for evolution, which leads to vaccine mismatch and reduced vaccine efficacies. This study employed the strategy of serial passaging to compare the evolution of the human seasonal influenza strain A/Singapore/G2-31.1/2014(H3N2) in MDCK-SIAT1 versus primary chick embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells. Genetic analysis of the HA, NS1, NA, and PB1 gene segments by Sanger sequencing revealed the presence of specific mutations and a repertoire of viral quasispecies following serial passaging. Most quasispecies were also found in PB1, which exhibited consistently high transversion-to-transition ratios in all five MDCK-SIAT1 passages. Most notably, passage 5 virus harbored the D457G substitution in the HA2 subunit, while passage 3 virus acquired K53Q and Q69H mutations in PB1-F2. An A971 variant leading to a non-synonymous R316Q substitution in PB1 was also identified in MDCK-SIAT1 passages 2 and 4. With an increasing number of passages, the proportion of D457G mutations progressively increased and was associated with larger virus plaque sizes. However, microneutralization assays revealed no significant differences in the neutralizing antibody profiles of human-influenza-immune serum samples against pre-passaged virus and passage 5 virus. In contrast, viable virus was only detected in passage 1 of CEF cells, which gave rise to multiple viral RNA quasispecies. Our findings highlight that serial passaging is able to drive differential adaptation of H3N2 influenza in different host species and may alter viral virulence. More studies are warranted to elucidate the complex relationships between H3N2 virus evolution, viral virulence changes, and low vaccine efficacy.
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Lathwal A, Kumar R, Raghava GPS. In-silico identification of subunit vaccine candidates against lung cancer-associated oncogenic viruses. Comput Biol Med 2021; 130:104215. [PMID: 33465550 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Globally, ~20% of cancer malignancies are associated with virus infections. Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer and has a 10% 5-year survival rate when diagnosed at stage IV. Cancer vaccines and oncolytic immunotherapy are promising treatment strategies for better clinical outcomes in advanced-stage cancer patients. Here, we used a reverse vaccinology approach to devise subunit vaccine candidates against lung cancer-causing oncogenic viruses. Protein components (945) from nine oncogenic virus species were systematically analyzed to identify epitope-based subunit vaccine candidates. Best vaccine candidates were identified based on their predicted ability to stimulate humoral and cell-mediated immunity and avoid self-tolerance. Using a rigorous integrative approach, we identified 125 best antigenic epitopes with predicted B-cell, T-cell, and/or MHC-binding capability and vaccine adjuvant potential. Thirty-two of these antigenic epitopes were predicted to have IL-4/IFN-gamma inducing potential and IL-10 non-inducing potential and were predicted to bind 15 MHC-type I and 49 MHC-type II alleles. All 32 epitopes were non-allergenic and 31 were non-toxic. The identified epitopes showed good conservancy and likely bind a broad class of human HLA alleles, indicating promiscuous potential. The majority of best antigenic epitopes were derived from Human papillomavirus and Epstein-Barr virus proteins. Of the 32 epitopes, 25 promiscuous epitopes were related to E1 and E6 envelope genes and were present in multiple viral strains/species, potentially providing heterologous immunity. Further validating our results, 38 antigenic epitopes were also present in the largest experimentally-validated epitope resource, Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource. We further narrowed the selection to 29 antigenic epitopes with the highest immunogenic/immune-boosting potential. These epitopes possess tremendous therapeutic potential as vaccines against lung cancer-causing viruses and should be validated in future experiments. All findings are available at https://webs.iiitd.edu.in/raghava/vlcvirus/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Lathwal
- Department of Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, New Delhi, India.
| | - Rajesh Kumar
- Bioinformatics Centre, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India.
| | - Gajendra P S Raghava
- Department of Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, New Delhi, India.
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Tang S, Zhu W, Wang BZ. Influenza Vaccines toward Universality through Nanoplatforms and Given by Microneedle Patches. Viruses 2020; 12:E1212. [PMID: 33114336 PMCID: PMC7690886 DOI: 10.3390/v12111212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza is one of the top threats to public health. The best strategy to prevent influenza is vaccination. Because of the antigenic changes in the major surface antigens of influenza viruses, current seasonal influenza vaccines need to be updated every year to match the circulating strains and are suboptimal for protection. Furthermore, seasonal vaccines do not protect against potential influenza pandemics. A universal influenza vaccine will eliminate the threat of both influenza epidemics and pandemics. Due to the massive challenge in realizing influenza vaccine universality, a single vaccine strategy cannot meet the need. A comprehensive approach that integrates advances in immunogen designs, vaccine and adjuvant nanoplatforms, and vaccine delivery and controlled release has the potential to achieve an effective universal influenza vaccine. This review will summarize the advances in the research and development of an affordable universal influenza vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Bao-Zhong Wang
- Center for Inflammation, Immunity & Infection, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA; (S.T.); (W.Z.)
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Kim YH, Bang YJ, Park HJ, Li Ko H, Park SI, Hwang KA, Kim H, Nam JH. Inactivated influenza vaccine formulated with single-stranded RNA-based adjuvant confers mucosal immunity and cross-protection against influenza virus infection. Vaccine 2020; 38:6141-6152. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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Intragastric delivery of recombinant Lactococcus lactis displaying ectodomain of influenza matrix protein 2 (M2e) and neuraminidase (NA) induced focused mucosal and systemic immune responses in chickens. Mol Immunol 2019; 114:497-512. [PMID: 31518854 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2019.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Compounding with the problem of frequent antigenic shift and occasional drift of the segmented genome of Avian Influenza Virus (AIV), vaccines based on major surface glycoproteins such as haemagglutinin (HA) to counter heterosubtypic AIV infection in chickens remain unsuccessful. In contrast, neuraminidase (NA), the second most abundant surface glycoprotein present in viral capsid is less mutable and, in some instances, successful in eliciting inter-species cross-reactive antibody responses. However, without selective activation of B-cells and T-cells, the ability of NA to induce strong cell mediated immune responses is limited, thus NA based vaccines cannot singularly address the risk of virus escape from host defence. To this end, the highly conserved ectodomain of influenza matrix protein-2 (M2e) has emerged as an attractive cross-protective vaccine target. The present study describes the potential of recombinant Lactococcus lactis (rL. lactis) in expressing functional influenza NA or M2e proteins and conferring effective mucosal and systemic immune responses in the intestine as well as in the upper respiratory airways (trachea) of chickens. In addition, lavages collected from trachea and intestine of birds administered with rL. lactis expressing influenza NA or M2e protein were found to protect MDCK cells against avian influenza type A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) virus challenge. Although minor, the differences in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines gene transcripts targeted in this study among the birds administered with either empty or rL. lactis could be attributed to the activation of innate response by L. lactis.
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Singh G, Zholobko O, Pillatzki A, Webb B, Nelson E, Voronov A, Ramamoorthy S. An amphiphilic invertible polymer as a delivery vehicle for a M2e-HA2-HA1 peptide vaccine against an Influenza A virus in pigs. Vaccine 2019; 37:4291-4301. [PMID: 31235376 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.06.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are a group of genetically diverse and economically important zoonotic pathogens. Despite decades of research, effective and broadly protective vaccines are yet to be developed. Recent breakthroughs in epitope-based immunization for influenza viruses identify certain conserved regions of the HA2 and M2e proteins as capable of inducing broad protection against multiple influenza strains. The M2e and HA2 peptides have been evaluated in mice but not as a combination in pigs, which play an important role in the transmission and evolution of IAV. Peptides are inherently weak immunogens; and effective delivery of peptide antigens is challenging. To enhance the delivery and immunogenicity of peptide-based vaccines, the conserved M2e and HA2 and a strain-specific HA1 epitope of Influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 were expressed as a chain in a bacterial expression system and entrapped in a novel amphiphilic invertible polymer made from polyethyelene glycol (PEG, molecular weight 600 g/mol) and polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF, molecular weight 650 g/mol), PEG600PTHF650. Piglets vaccinated with polymeric peptide vaccine mounted significantly stronger antibody responses against the peptide construct when compared to piglets immunized with the multi-epitope peptide alone. When vaccinated pigs were challenged with Influenza A (H1N1) pdm09, viral shedding in nasal secretions and lung lesion scores were significantly reduced when compared to the unvaccinated controls and pigs vaccinated with the peptide alone at six days post-challenge. Thus, the combination of the PEG600PTHF650 polymer and trimeric peptide construct enhanced delivery of the peptide antigen, acted as an adjuvant in stimulating strong antibody responses, reduced the effects of viral infection in vaccinated pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gagandeep Singh
- Department of Microbiological Sciences, N. Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, United States
| | - Oksana Zholobko
- Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, N. Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, United States
| | - Angela Pillatzki
- Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, S. Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, United States
| | - Brett Webb
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, N. Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, United States
| | - Eric Nelson
- Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, S. Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, United States
| | - Andriy Voronov
- Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, N. Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, United States
| | - Sheela Ramamoorthy
- Department of Microbiological Sciences, N. Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, United States.
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Ramamurthy M, Sankar S, Abraham AM, Nandagopal B, Sridharan G. B cell epitopes in the intrinsically disordered regions of neuraminidase and hemagglutinin proteins of H5N1 and H9N2 avian influenza viruses for peptide-based vaccine development. J Cell Biochem 2019; 120:17534-17544. [PMID: 31111560 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.29017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Avian influenza viruses (AIV) are very active in several parts of the globe and are the cause of huge economic loss for the poultry industry and also human fatalities. Three dimensional modeling was carried out for neuraminidase (NA) and hemagglutinin (HA) proteins of AIV. The C-score, estimated TM-Score, and estimated root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) score for NA of H5N1 were -1.18, 0.57 ± 0.15, and 9.8 ± 7.6, respectively. The C-score, estimated TM-Score, and estimated RMSD score for NA of H9N2 were -1.43, 0.54 ± 0.15, and 10.5 ± 4.6, respectively. The C-score, estimated TM-Score, and estimated RMSD score for HA of H5N1 were -0.03, 0.71 ± 0.12, and 7.7 ± 4.3, respectively. The C-score, estimated TM-Score, and estimated RMSD score for HA of H9N2 were -0.57, 0.64 ± 0.13, and 8.9 ± 4.6, respectively. Intrinsically disordered regions were identified for the NA and HA proteins of H5N1 and H9N2 with the use of PONDR program. Linear B cell epitope was predicted using BepiPred 2 program for NA and HA of H5N1 and H9N2 avian influenza strains. Discontinuous epitopes were predicted by Discotope 2 program. The linear epitopes that were considered likely to be immunogenic and within the intrinsically disordered region for the NA of H5N1 was TKSTNSRSGFEMIWDPNGWTGTDSSFSVK, and for H9N2 it was VGDTPRNDDSSSSSNCRDPNNERGAP. In the case of HA of H5N1, it was QRLVPKIATRSKVNGQSG and ATGLRNSPQRERRRKK; for H9N2 it was INRTFKPLIGPRPLVNGLQG and SLKLAVGLRNVPARSSR. The discontinuous epitopes of NA of H5N1 and H9N2 were identified at various regions of the protein structure spanning from amino acid residue positions 90 to 449 and 107 to 469, respectively. Similarly, the discontinuous epitopes of HA of H5N1 and H9N2 were identified in the amino acid residue positions 27 to 517 and 136 to 521, respectively. This study has identified potential and highly immunogenic linear and conformational B-cell epitopes towards developing a vaccine against AIV both for human and poultry use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mageshbabu Ramamurthy
- Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sathish Sankar
- Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Asha Mary Abraham
- Department of Clinical Virology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Balaji Nandagopal
- Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Gopalan Sridharan
- Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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Fan S, Wang Y, Wang X, Huang L, Zhang Y, Liu X, Zhu W. Analysis of the affinity of influenza A virus protein epitopes for swine MHC I by a modified in vitro refolding method indicated cross-reactivity between swine and human MHC I specificities. Immunogenetics 2018; 70:671-680. [PMID: 29992375 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-018-1070-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In vitro refolding assays can be used to investigate the affinity and stability of the binding of epitope peptides to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, which are key factors in the presentation of peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). The recognition of peptide epitopes by CTLs is crucial for protection against influenza A virus (IAV) infection. The peptide-binding motif of the swine SLA-3*hs0202 molecule has been previously reported and partly overlaps with the binding motif of the most abundant human MHC allele, HLA-A*0201. In this study, we screened all the protein sequences of the swine-origin epidemic IAV strain A/Beijing/01/2009 (H1N1), and a total of 73 9-mer epitope peptides were predicted to fit the consensus motif of the swine SLA-3*hs0202 or HLA-A*0201 molecule. Then, 14 peptides were selected, and their affinities to SLA-3*hs0202 were tested by a modified in vitro refolding assay. Our results show that ten epitopes could tolerate gel filtration, indicating that these epitopes formed stable or partly stable complexes with SLA-3*hs0202. Eight out of the ten epitopes have been previously reported as HLA-A2-restricted epitopes, which implied cross-reactivity between swine and human MHC I specificities. Furthermore, the modified mini-system refolding method could be applied for the screening of peptides because the refolding efficiency remained almost unchanged with the positive peptide (HA-KMN9) subjected to size-exclusion chromatography and Resource Q anion-exchange chromatography. The results presented here provide new insight into the development of epitope-based vaccines to control IAV and increase our understanding of swine molecular immunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhua Fan
- College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, People's Republic of China. .,Institute of Neuroscience and Translational Medicine, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yongli Wang
- College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, People's Republic of China
| | - Xian Wang
- College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Huang
- College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Neuroscience and Translational Medicine, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunxia Zhang
- College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Neuroscience and Translational Medicine, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaomeng Liu
- College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Neuroscience and Translational Medicine, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenshuai Zhu
- College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Neuroscience and Translational Medicine, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, People's Republic of China
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Structural and Biochemical Analyses of Swine Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Complexes and Prediction of the Epitope Map of Important Influenza A Virus Strains. J Virol 2016; 90:6625-6641. [PMID: 27170754 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00119-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The lack of a peptide-swine leukocyte antigen class I (pSLA I) complex structure presents difficulties for the study of swine cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) immunity and molecule vaccine development to eliminate important swine viral diseases, such as influenza A virus (IAV). Here, after cloning and comparing 28 SLA I allelic genes from Chinese Heishan pigs, pSLA-3*hs0202 was crystalized and solved. SLA-3*hs0202 binding with sβ2m and a KMNTQFTAV (hemagglutinin [HA]-KMN9) peptide from the 2009 pandemic swine H1N1 strain clearly displayed two distinct conformations with HA-KMN9 peptides in the structures, which are believed to be beneficial to stimulate a broad spectrum of CTL immune responses. Notably, we found that different HA-KMN9 conformations are caused, not only by the flexibility of the side chains of residues in the peptide-binding groove (PBG), but also by the skewing of α1 and α2 helixes forming the PBG. In addition, alanine scanning and circular-dichroism (CD) spectra confirmed that the B, D, and F pockets play critical biochemical roles in determining the peptide-binding motif of SLA-3*hs0202. Based on biochemical parameters and comparisons to similar pockets in other known major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) structures, the fundamental motif for SLA-3*hs0202 was determined to be X-(M/A/R)-(N/Q/R/F)-X-X-X-X-X-(V/I) by refolding in vitro and multiple mutant peptides. Finally, 28 SLA-3*hs0202-restricted epitope candidates were identified from important IAV strains, and two of them have been found in humans as HLA-A*0201-specific IAV epitopes. Structural and biochemical illumination of pSLA-3*hs0202 can benefit vaccine development to control IAV in swine. IMPORTANCE We crystalized and solved the first SLA-3 structure, SLA-3*hs0202, and found that it could present the same IAV peptide with two distinct conformations. Unlike previous findings showing that variable peptide conformations are caused only by the flexibility of the side chains in the groove, the skewing of the α1 and α2 helixes is important in the different peptide conformations in SLA-3*hs0202. We also determined the fundamental motif for SLA-3*hs0202 to be X-(M/A/R)-(N/Q/R/F)-X-X-X-X-X-(V/I) based on a series of structural and biochemical analyses, and 28 SLA-3*hs0202-restricted epitope candidates were identified from important IAV strains. We believe our structure and analyses of pSLA-3*hs0202 can benefit vaccine development to control IAV in swine.
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Broad protection against avian influenza virus by using a modified vaccinia Ankara virus expressing a mosaic hemagglutinin gene. J Virol 2014; 88:13300-9. [PMID: 25210173 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01532-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED A critical failure in our preparedness for an influenza pandemic is the lack of a universal vaccine. Influenza virus strains diverge by 1 to 2% per year, and commercially available vaccines often do not elicit protection from one year to the next, necessitating frequent formulation changes. This represents a major challenge to the development of a cross-protective vaccine that can protect against circulating viral antigenic diversity. We have constructed a recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) that expresses an H5N1 mosaic hemagglutinin (H5M) (MVA-H5M). This mosaic was generated in silico using 2,145 field-sourced H5N1 isolates. A single dose of MVA-H5M provided 100% protection in mice against clade 0, 1, and 2 avian influenza viruses and also protected against seasonal H1N1 virus (A/Puerto Rico/8/34). It also provided short-term (10 days) and long-term (6 months) protection postvaccination. Both neutralizing antibodies and antigen-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells were still detected at 5 months postvaccination, suggesting that MVA-H5M provides long-lasting immunity. IMPORTANCE Influenza viruses infect a billion people and cause up to 500,000 deaths every year. A major problem in combating influenza is the lack of broadly effective vaccines. One solution from the field of human immunodeficiency virus vaccinology involves a novel in silico mosaic approach that has been shown to provide broad and robust protection against highly variable viruses. Unlike a consensus algorithm which picks the most frequent residue at each position, the mosaic method chooses the most frequent T-cell epitopes and combines them to form a synthetic antigen. These studies demonstrated that a mosaic influenza virus H5 hemagglutinin expressed by a viral vector can elicit full protection against diverse H5N1 challenges as well as induce broader immunity than a wild-type hemagglutinin.
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Grouping of large populations into few CTL immune 'response-types' from influenza H1N1 genome analysis. Clin Transl Immunology 2014; 3:e24. [PMID: 25505972 PMCID: PMC4232073 DOI: 10.1038/cti.2014.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2014] [Revised: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite extensive work on influenza, a number of questions still remain open about why individuals are differently susceptible to the disease and why only some strains lead to epidemics. Here we study the effect of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotype heterogeneity on possible cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response to 186 influenza H1N1 genomes. To enable such analysis, we reconstruct HLA genotypes in different populations using a probabilistic method. We find that epidemic strains in general correlate with poor CTL response in populations. Our analysis shows that large populations can be classified into a small number of groups called response-types, specific to a given viral strain. Individuals of a response-type are expected to exhibit similar CTL responses. Extent of CTL responses varies significantly across different populations and increases with increase in genetic heterogeneity. Overall, our analysis presents a conceptual advance towards understanding how genetic heterogeneity influences disease susceptibility in individuals and in populations. We also obtain lists of top-ranking epitopes and proteins, ranked on the basis of conservation, antigenic cross-reactivity and population coverage, which provide ready short-lists for rational vaccine design. Our method is fairly generic and has the potential to be applied for studying other viruses.
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