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Bloise N, Giannaccari M, Guagliano G, Peluso E, Restivo E, Strada S, Volpini C, Petrini P, Visai L. Growing Role of 3D In Vitro Cell Cultures in the Study of Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms: Short Focus on Breast Cancer, Endometriosis, Liver and Infectious Diseases. Cells 2024; 13:1054. [PMID: 38920683 PMCID: PMC11201503 DOI: 10.3390/cells13121054] [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: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, the development of three-dimensional (3D) models has increased exponentially, facilitating the unravelling of fundamental and essential cellular mechanisms by which cells communicate with each other, assemble into tissues and organs and respond to biochemical and biophysical stimuli under both physiological and pathological conditions. This section presents a concise overview of the most recent updates on the significant contribution of different types of 3D cell cultures including spheroids, organoids and organ-on-chip and bio-printed tissues in advancing our understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms. The case studies presented include the 3D cultures of breast cancer (BC), endometriosis, the liver microenvironment and infections. In BC, the establishment of 3D culture models has permitted the visualization of the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the delivery of exosomes, as well as the significance of the physical properties of the extracellular matrix in promoting cell proliferation and invasion. This approach has also become a valuable tool in gaining insight into general and specific mechanisms of drug resistance. Given the considerable heterogeneity of endometriosis, 3D models offer a more accurate representation of the in vivo microenvironment, thereby facilitating the identification and translation of novel targeted therapeutic strategies. The advantages provided by 3D models of the hepatic environment, in conjunction with the high throughput characterizing various platforms, have enabled the elucidation of complex molecular mechanisms underlying various threatening hepatic diseases. A limited number of 3D models for gut and skin infections have been developed. However, a more profound comprehension of the spatial and temporal interactions between microbes, the host and their environment may facilitate the advancement of in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo disease models. Additionally, it may pave the way for the development of novel therapeutic approaches in diverse research fields. The interested reader will also find concluding remarks on the challenges and prospects of using 3D cell cultures for discovering cellular and molecular mechanisms in the research areas covered in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Bloise
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
- UOR6 Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation in Occupational Medicine and Specialty Medicine, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Maugeri 4, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), Operative Unit (OU) of University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Marialaura Giannaccari
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
| | - Giuseppe Guagliano
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, P.zza L. Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.G.); (P.P.)
| | - Emanuela Peluso
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
| | - Elisa Restivo
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
| | - Silvia Strada
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
- UOR6 Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation in Occupational Medicine and Specialty Medicine, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Maugeri 4, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Cristina Volpini
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
- UOR6 Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation in Occupational Medicine and Specialty Medicine, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Maugeri 4, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Paola Petrini
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, P.zza L. Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.G.); (P.P.)
- Interuniversity Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), Operative Unit (OU) of Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Livia Visai
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Centre for Health Technologies (CHT), Unità di Ricerca (UdR) INSTM, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.G.); (E.P.); (E.R.); (S.S.); (C.V.)
- UOR6 Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation in Occupational Medicine and Specialty Medicine, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Maugeri 4, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), Operative Unit (OU) of University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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Göbel S, Jaén KE, Dorn M, Neumeyer V, Jordan I, Sandig V, Reichl U, Altomonte J, Genzel Y. Process intensification strategies toward cell culture-based high-yield production of a fusogenic oncolytic virus. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:2639-2657. [PMID: 36779302 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/14/2023]
Abstract
We present a proof-of-concept study for production of a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV)-based fusogenic oncolytic virus (OV), rVSV-Newcastle disease virus (NDV), at high cell densities (HCD). Based on comprehensive experiments in 1 L stirred tank reactors (STRs) in batch mode, first optimization studies at HCD were carried out in semi-perfusion in small-scale cultivations using shake flasks. Further, a perfusion process was established using an acoustic settler for cell retention. Growth, production yields, and process-related impurities were evaluated for three candidate cell lines (AGE1.CR, BHK-21, HEK293SF)infected at densities ranging from 15 to 30 × 106 cells/mL. The acoustic settler allowed continuous harvesting of rVSV-NDV with high cell retention efficiencies (above 97%) and infectious virus titers (up to 2.4 × 109 TCID50 /mL), more than 4-100 times higher than for optimized batch processes. No decrease in cell-specific virus yield (CSVY) was observed at HCD, regardless of the cell substrate. Taking into account the accumulated number of virions both from the harvest and bioreactor, a 15-30 fold increased volumetric virus productivity for AGE1.CR and HEK293SF was obtained compared to batch processes performed at the same scale. In contrast to all previous findings, formation of syncytia was observed at HCD for the suspension cells BHK 21 and HEK293SF. Oncolytic potency was not affected compared to production in batch mode. Overall, our study describes promising options for the establishment of perfusion processes for efficient large-scale manufacturing of fusogenic rVSV-NDV at HCD for all three candidate cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Göbel
- Bioprocess Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Karim E Jaén
- Bioprocess Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munchen, Germany
| | - Marie Dorn
- Bioprocess Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Process and Systems Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Victoria Neumeyer
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munchen, Germany
| | | | | | - Udo Reichl
- Bioprocess Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
- Chair for Bioprocess Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Altomonte
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munchen, Germany
| | - Yvonne Genzel
- Bioprocess Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
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McDuffie D, Barr D, Helm M, Baumert T, Agarwal A, Thomas E. Physiomimetic In Vitro Human Models for Viral Infection in the Liver. Semin Liver Dis 2023; 43:31-49. [PMID: 36402129 PMCID: PMC10005888 DOI: 10.1055/a-1981-5944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Viral hepatitis is a leading cause of liver morbidity and mortality globally. The mechanisms underlying acute infection and clearance, versus the development of chronic infection, are poorly understood. In vitro models of viral hepatitis circumvent the high costs and ethical considerations of animal models, which also translate poorly to studying the human-specific hepatitis viruses. However, significant challenges are associated with modeling long-term infection in vitro. Differentiated hepatocytes are best able to sustain chronic viral hepatitis infection, but standard two-dimensional models are limited because they fail to mimic the architecture and cellular microenvironment of the liver, and cannot maintain a differentiated hepatocyte phenotype over extended periods. Alternatively, physiomimetic models facilitate important interactions between hepatocytes and their microenvironment by incorporating liver-specific environmental factors such as three-dimensional ECM interactions and co-culture with non-parenchymal cells. These physiologically relevant interactions help maintain a functional hepatocyte phenotype that is critical for sustaining viral hepatitis infection. In this review, we provide an overview of distinct, novel, and innovative in vitro liver models and discuss their functionality and relevance in modeling viral hepatitis. These platforms may provide novel insight into mechanisms that regulate viral clearance versus progression to chronic infections that can drive subsequent liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis McDuffie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
| | - David Barr
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - Madeline Helm
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
| | - Thomas Baumert
- Inserm Research Institute for Viral and Liver Diseases, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Ashutosh Agarwal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
- Desai Sethi Urology Institute, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - Emmanuel Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
- Schiff Center for Liver Diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
- Address for correspondence Emmanuel Thomas, MD, PhD, FAASLD Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL 33136-1015
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Kembou-Ringert JE, Readman J, Smith CM, Breuer J, Standing JF. Applications of the hollow-fibre infection model (HFIM) in viral infection studies. J Antimicrob Chemother 2022; 78:8-20. [PMID: 36411255 PMCID: PMC9780528 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkac394] [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] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Conventional cell culture systems involve growing cells in stationary cultures in the presence of growth medium containing various types of supplements. At confluency, the cells are divided and further expanded in new culture dishes. This passage from confluent monolayer to sparse cultures does not reflect normal physiological conditions and represents quite a drastic physiological change that may affect the natural cell physiobiology. Hollow-fibre bioreactors were in part developed to overcome these limitations and since their inception, they have widely been used in production of monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins. These bioreactors are increasingly used to study antibacterial drug effects via simulation of in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles. The use of the hollow-fibre infection model (HFIM) in viral infection studies is less well developed and in this review we have analysed and summarized the current available literature on the use of these bioreactors, with an emphasis on viruses. Our work has demonstrated that this system can be applied for viral expansion, studies of drug resistance mechanisms, and studies of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) of antiviral compounds. These platforms could therefore have great applications in large-scale vaccine development, and in studies of mechanisms driving antiviral resistance, since the HFIM could recapitulate the same resistance mechanisms and mutations observed in vivo in clinic. Furthermore, some dosage and spacing regimens evaluated in the HFIM system, as allowing maximal viral suppression, are in line with clinical practice and highlight this 'in vivo-like' system as a powerful tool for experimental validation of in vitro-predicted antiviral activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Japhette E Kembou-Ringert
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - John Readman
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Claire M Smith
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Judith Breuer
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Joseph F Standing
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
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Pihl AF, Feng S, Offersgaard A, Alzua GP, Augestad EH, Mathiesen CK, Jensen TB, Krarup H, Law M, Prentoe J, Christensen JP, Bukh J, Gottwein JM. Inactivated whole hepatitis C virus vaccine employing a licensed adjuvant elicits cross-genotype neutralizing antibodies in mice. J Hepatol 2022; 76:1051-1061. [PMID: 34990750 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2021.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS A prophylactic vaccine is required to eliminate HCV as a global public health threat. We developed whole virus inactivated HCV vaccine candidates employing a licensed adjuvant. Further, we investigated the effects of HCV envelope protein modifications (to increase neutralization epitope exposure) on immunogenicity. METHODS Whole virus vaccine antigen was produced in Huh7.5 hepatoma cells, processed using a multistep protocol and formulated with adjuvant (MF-59 analogue AddaVax or aluminium hydroxide). We investigated the capacity of IgG purified from the serum of immunized BALB/c mice to neutralize genotype 1-6 HCV (by virus neutralization assays) and to bind homologous envelope proteins (by ELISA). Viruses used for immunizations were (i) HCV5aHi with strain SA13 envelope proteins and modification of an O-linked glycosylation site in E2 (T385P), (ii) HCV5aHi(T385) with reversion of T385P to T385, featuring the original E2 sequence determined in vivo and (iii) HCV5aHi(ΔHVR1) with deletion of HVR1. For these viruses, epitope exposure was investigated using human monoclonal (AR3A and AR4A) and polyclonal (C211 and H06) antibodies in neutralization assays. RESULTS Processed HCV5aHi formulated with AddaVax induced antibodies that efficiently bound homologous envelope proteins and broadly neutralized cultured genotype 1-6 HCV, with half maximal inhibitory concentrations of between 14 and 192 μg/ml (mean of 36 μg/ml against the homologous virus). Vaccination with aluminium hydroxide was less immunogenic. Compared to HCV5aHi(T385) with the original E2 sequence, HCV5aHi with a modified glycosylation site and HCV5aHi(ΔHVR1) without HVR1 showed increased neutralization epitope exposure but similar immunogenicity. CONCLUSION Using an adjuvant suitable for human use, we developed inactivated whole HCV vaccine candidates that induced broadly neutralizing antibodies, which warrant investigation in further pre-clinical studies. LAY SUMMARY A vaccine against hepatitis C virus (HCV) is needed to prevent the estimated 2 million new infections and 400,000 deaths caused by this virus each year. We developed inactivated whole HCV vaccine candidates using adjuvants licensed for human use, which, following immunization of mice, induced antibodies that efficiently neutralized all HCV genotypes with recognized epidemiological importance. HCV variants with modified envelope proteins exhibited similar immunogenicity as the virus with the original envelope proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Finne Pihl
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Shan Feng
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna Offersgaard
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Garazi Peña Alzua
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Elias Honerød Augestad
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian Kjaerulff Mathiesen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tanja Bertelsen Jensen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Henrik Krarup
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics, Aalborg University Hospital and Clinical Institute, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Mansun Law
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States
| | - Jannick Prentoe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jan Pravsgaard Christensen
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Judith Margarete Gottwein
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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High-Titer Hepatitis C Virus Production in a Scalable Single-Use High Cell Density Bioreactor. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10020249. [PMID: 35214707 PMCID: PMC8880717 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10020249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections pose a major public health burden due to high chronicity rates and associated morbidity and mortality. A vaccine protecting against chronic infection is not available but would be important for global control of HCV infections. In this study, cell culture-based HCV production was established in a packed-bed bioreactor (CelCradle™) aiming to further the development of an inactivated whole virus vaccine and to facilitate virological and immunological studies requiring large quantities of virus particles. HCV was produced in human hepatoma-derived Huh7.5 cells maintained in serum-free medium on days of virus harvesting. Highest virus yields were obtained when the culture was maintained with two medium exchanges per day. However, increasing the total number of cells in the culture vessel negatively impacted infectivity titers. Peak infectivity titers of up to 7.2 log10 focus forming units (FFU)/mL, accumulated virus yields of up to 5.9 × 1010 FFU, and a cell specific virus yield of up to 41 FFU/cell were obtained from one CelCradle™. CelCradle™-derived and T flask-derived virus had similar characteristics regarding neutralization sensitivity and buoyant density. This packed-bed tide-motion system is available with larger vessels and may thus be a promising platform for large-scale HCV production.
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Antigenic and immunogenic evaluation of permutations of soluble hepatitis C virus envelope protein E2 and E1 antigens. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255336. [PMID: 34329365 PMCID: PMC8323887 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Yearly, about 1.5 million people become chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and for the 71 million with chronic HCV infection about 400,000 die from related morbidities, including liver cirrhosis and cancer. Effective treatments exist, but challenges including cost-of-treatment and wide-spread undiagnosed infection, necessitates the development of vaccines. Vaccines should induce neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against the HCV envelope (E) transmembrane glycoprotein 2, E2, which partly depends on its interaction partner, E1, for folding. Here, we generated three soluble HCV envelope protein antigens with the transmembrane regions deleted (i.e., fused peptide backbones), termed sE1E2 (E1 followed by E2), sE2E1 (E2 followed by E1), and sE21E (E2 followed by inverted E1). The E1 inversion for sE21E positions C-terminal residues of E1 near C-terminal residues of E2, which is in analogy to how they likely interact in native E1/E2 complexes. Probing conformational E2 epitope binding using HCV patient-derived human monoclonal antibodies, we show that sE21E was superior to sE2E1, which was consistently superior to sE1E2. This correlated with improved induction of NAbs by sE21E compared with sE2E1 and especially compared with sE1E2 in female BALB/c mouse immunizations. The deletion of the 27 N-terminal amino acids of E2, termed hypervariable region 1 (HVR1), conferred slight increases in antigenicity for sE2E1 and sE21E, but severely impaired induction of antibodies able to neutralize in vitro viruses retaining HVR1. Finally, comparing sE21E with sE2 in mouse immunizations, we show similar induction of heterologous NAbs. In summary, we find that C-terminal E2 fusion of E1 or 1E is superior to N-terminal fusion, both in terms of antigenicity and the induction of heterologous NAbs. This has relevance when designing HCV E1E2 vaccine antigens.
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So CW, Randall G. Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Systems for Studying Hepatitis C Virus. Viruses 2021; 13:v13020211. [PMID: 33573191 PMCID: PMC7911643 DOI: 10.3390/v13020211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocytes, the major target of hepatitis C virus (HCV), are highly polarized. HCV infection requires extensive trafficking to distinct subcellular domains in the polarized hepatocyte. Polarized cells and three-dimensional organoids are commonly used to study liver functions and differentiation. Researchers have begun adapting these cell culture models that morphologically and physiologically resemble hepatocytes in vivo to study HCV infection. This review summarizes the use of three-dimensional cell culture systems in studies of HCV infection.
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Development of a downstream process for the production of an inactivated whole hepatitis C virus vaccine. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16261. [PMID: 33004836 PMCID: PMC7530675 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72328-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a large unmet need for a prophylactic hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine to control the ongoing epidemic with this deadly pathogen. Many antiviral vaccines employ whole viruses as antigens. For HCV, this approach became feasible following the development of infectious cell culture systems for virus production. However, the lack of efficient downstream processes (DSP) for HCV purification poses a roadblock for the development of a whole virus vaccine. Using cell culture-derived genotype 1a HCV we developed a scalable and efficient DSP train, employing commonly used clarification and ultrafiltration techniques, followed by two membrane-based chromatography steps. For virus capture, steric exclusion chromatography using cellulose membranes was established, resulting in a virtually complete virus recovery with > 99% protein and 84% DNA depletion. Virus polishing was achieved by sulphated cellulose membrane adsorbers with ~ 50% virus recovery and > 99% protein and 90% DNA depletion. Additional nuclease digestion resulted in 99% overall DNA depletion with final DNA concentrations of 2 ng/mL. Process results were comparable for cell culture-derived HCV of another major genotype (5a). This study provides proof-of-concept for establishment of an efficient and economically attractive DSP with potential application for production of an inactivated whole virus vaccine against HCV for human use.
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