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Luo H, Ma Y, Bi J, Li Z, Wang Y, Su Z, Gerstweiler L, Ren Y, Zhang S. Experimental and molecular dynamics simulation studies on the physical properties of three HBc-VLP derivatives as nanoparticle protein vaccine candidates. Vaccine 2024; 42:125992. [PMID: 38811268 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.05.040] [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: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Self-assembling virus-like particles (VLPs) are promising platforms for vaccine development. However, the unpredictability of the physical properties, such as self-assembly capability, hydrophobicity, and overall stability in engineered protein particles fused with antigens, presents substantial challenges in their downstream processing. We envision that these challenges can be addressed by combining more precise computer-aided molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with experimental studies on the modified products, with more to-date forcefield descriptions and larger models closely resembling real assemblies, realized by rapid advancement in computing technology. In this study, three chimeric designs based on the hepatitis B core (HBc) protein as model vaccine candidates were constructed to study and compare the influence of inserted epitopes as well as insertion strategy on HBc modifications. Large partial VLP models containing 17 chains for the HBc chimeric model vaccines were constructed based on the wild-type (wt) HBc assembly template. The findings from our simulation analysis have demonstrated good consistency with experimental results, pertaining to the surface hydrophobicity and overall stability of the chimeric vaccine candidates. Furthermore, the different impact of foreign antigen insertions on the HBc scaffold was investigated through simulations. It was found that separately inserting two epitopes into the HBc platform at the N-terminal and the major immunogenic regions (MIR) yields better results compared to a serial insertion at MIR in terms of protein structural stability. This study substantiates that an MD-guided design approach can facilitate vaccine development and improve its manufacturing efficiency by predicting products with extreme surface hydrophobicity or structural instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Luo
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia; State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery (CAS), Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China; Institute of Pharmaceutical and Food Engineering, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Jinzhong 030619, PR China
| | - Yanyan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery (CAS), Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Jingxiu Bi
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - Zhengjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery (CAS), Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Yingli Wang
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Food Engineering, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Jinzhong 030619, PR China
| | - Zhiguo Su
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery (CAS), Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Lukas Gerstweiler
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia.
| | - Ying Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Mesoscience and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China; School of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
| | - Songping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery (CAS), Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China.
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Luo H, Ma Y, Ren Y, Li Z, Sheng Y, Wang Y, Su Z, Bi J, Zhang S. Study of self-assembling properties of HBc-VLP derivatives aided by molecular dynamic simulations from a thermodynamic perspective. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-14. [PMID: 37908124 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2273438] [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: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembling protein nanoparticles showed promise for vaccine design due to efficient antigen presentations and safety. However, the unpredictable formations of epitopes-fused protein assemblies remain challenging in the upstream design. This study suggests employing molecular dynamic (MD) simulations to investigate the assembly properties of Hepatitis B core protein (HBc) from thermodynamic perspectives. Eight HBc derivatives were expressed in E. coli, with their self-assembly properties characterised by high-performance liquid chromatography and transmission electron microscopy. MD simulations on the dimers, based on AlphaFold-predicted 3D structures, analysed the derivative at the atomic level. Results revealed that HBc derivatives can form dissociative polymers or large multi-subunit structures due to assembly failures. The instability of the dimer in aqueous solvents or inappropriate intradimer distances could cause major assembly failures. Polar solvation energies played a vital role too in forming assemble-incompetent dimers. Importantly, our study demonstrated that MD simulations on dimers can provide preliminary predictions on the assembly properties of HBc derivatives, thus aiding vaccine design by lowering the risk of self-assembling failures in engineered proteins.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Luo
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Food Engineering, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Jinzhong, PR China
| | - Yanyan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Ying Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Complex Systems, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Zhengjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yanan Sheng
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yingli Wang
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Food Engineering, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Jinzhong, PR China
| | - Zhiguo Su
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Jingxiu Bi
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Songping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
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Singh M, Penmatsa A, Nandi D. Functional Characterization of Salmonella Typhimurium Encoded YciF, a Domain of Unknown Function (DUF892) Family Protein, and Its Role in Protection during Bile and Oxidative Stress. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0005923. [PMID: 37367303 PMCID: PMC10367587 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00059-23] [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: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
YciF (STM14_2092) is a member of the domain of unknown function (DUF892) family. It is an uncharacterized protein involved in stress responses in Salmonella Typhimurium. In this study, we investigated the significance of YciF and its DUF892 domain during bile and oxidative stress responses of S. Typhimurium. Purified wild-type YciF forms higher order oligomers, binds to iron, and displays ferroxidase activity. Studies on the site-specific mutants revealed that the ferroxidase activity of YciF is dependent on the two metal binding sites present within the DUF892 domain. Transcriptional analysis displayed that the ΔcspE strain, which has compromised expression of YciF, encounters iron toxicity due to dysregulation of iron homeostasis in the presence of bile. Utilizing this observation, we demonstrate that the bile mediated iron toxicity in ΔcspE causes lethality, primarily through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Expression of wild-type YciF, but not the three mutants of the DUF892 domain, in ΔcspE alleviate ROS in the presence of bile. Our results establish the role of YciF as a ferroxidase that can sequester excess iron in the cellular milieu to counter ROS-associated cell death. This is the first report of biochemical and functional characterization of a member of the DUF892 family. IMPORTANCE The DUF892 domain has a wide taxonomic distribution encompassing several bacterial pathogens. This domain belongs to the ferritin-like superfamily; however, it has not been biochemically and functionally characterized. This is the first report of characterization of a member of this family. In this study, we demonstrate that S. Typhimurium YciF is an iron binding protein with ferroxidase activity, which is dependent on the metal binding sites present within the DUF892 domain. YciF combats iron toxicity and oxidative damage caused due to exposure to bile. The functional characterization of YciF delineates the significance of the DUF892 domain in bacteria. In addition, our studies on S. Typhimurium bile stress response divulged the importance of comprehensive iron homeostasis and ROS in bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhulika Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Aravind Penmatsa
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Dipankar Nandi
- Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
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Yin Q, Wang Y, Xiang Y, Xu F. Nanovaccines: Merits, and diverse roles in boosting antitumor immune responses. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2022; 18:2119020. [PMID: 36170662 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2119020] [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: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
An attractive type of cancer immunotherapy is cancer therapeutic vaccines that induce antitumor immunity effectively. Although supportive results in the recent vaccine studies, there are still numerous drawbacks, such as poor stability, weak immunogenicity and strong toxicity, to be tackled for promoting the potency and durability of antitumor efficacy. NPs (Nanoparticles)-based vaccines offer unique opportunities to breakthrough the current bottleneck. As a rule, nanovaccines are new the generations of vaccines that use NPs as carriers and/or adjuvants. Several advantages of nanovaccines are constantly explored, including optimal nanometer size, high stability, plenty of antigen loading, enhanced immunogenicity, tunable antigen presentation, more retention in lymph nodes and promote patient compliance by a lower frequency of dosing. Here, we summarized the merits and highlight the diverse role nanovaccines play in improving antitumor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiliang Yin
- Department of Cadre Ward, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Academy of Health Management, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
| | - Yipeng Xiang
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Feng Xu
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
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Qu Y, Davey K, Sun Y, Middelberg A, Bi J. Engineered Design of the E-Helix Structure on Ferritin Nanoparticles. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2022; 5:3167-3179. [PMID: 35770389 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.2c00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Insertion of an immunogenic epitope at the C-terminus of ferritin has shown the potential to produce a stable and efficacious vaccine. There is however limited understanding of how C-terminus insertion affects ferritin protein stability. The E-helix at the C-terminus has attracted interest because there are contradictory reports as to whether it has a role in protein stabilization. Here, we report, for the first time, combining molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) with experiment to engineer the design of the E-helix at the C-terminus of engineered human ferritin heavy chain (F1) inserted with Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1, E1) and flexible linker (L3) residues (to afford F1L3E1). Hot spots on the E-helix of the C-terminus were predicted by MDS at aa 167 (Glu) and aa 171 (Asp). Five (5) variants of F1L3E1 were constructed by considering hot spots and alteration of electrostatic or hydrophobic interfaces, namely, (1) C1, hot spots substituted with noncharged residue Gln; (2) C2, hot spots substituted with positively charged residue Arg; (3) C3, hydrophobic residues substituted with the most hydrophobic residues Val and Ile; (4) C4, hydrophobic residues substituted with the most hydrophilic residues Gln and Asn; and (5) C5, a heptad repeat structure in the E-helix disrupted by substituting "a" and "d" heptad residues with noncharged polar residue Gln. It was found that the E-helix is essential to maintain integrated protein stability and that changing the hydrophobic interface (C3 and C4) had more significant effects on protein folding and stability than changing the electrostatic interface (C1 and C2). It was confirmed by both MDS and experiment that variants C1, C2, and C5 were able to fold to form stable conformational structures with protein surface hydrophobicity similar to that of F1L3E1. However, they are less thermally stable than F1L3E1. Significant changes in hydrophobicity drove significant protein aggregation for variants C3 and C4. It is concluded that the molecular design of the C-terminus in engineered ferritin, especially the E-helix, is important to ensure the epitope-based chimeric vaccine is safe (aggregate free) and efficacious.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiran Qu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Kenneth Davey
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Anton Middelberg
- Division of Research and Innovation, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Jingxiu Bi
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
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Qu Y, Zhang B, Wang Y, Yin S, Sun Y, Middelberg A, Bi J. Immunogenicity and Vaccine Efficacy Boosted by Engineering Human Heavy Chain Ferritin and Chimeric Hepatitis B Virus Core Nanoparticles. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2021; 4:7147-7156. [DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c00738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yiran Qu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Bingyang Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Yingli Wang
- Shanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030024, China
| | - Shuang Yin
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Anton Middelberg
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Jingxiu Bi
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
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