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Jitender, Vikram Kumar B, Singh S, Verma G, Kumar R, Mishra PM, Kumar S, Nagaraj SK, Nag J, Joy CM, Nikam B, Singh D, Pooja, Kalidas N, Singh S, Mumtaz, Bhardwaj AK, Mankotia DS, Ringe RP, Gupta N, Tripathi S, Mishra RPN. Mammalian cell expressed recombinant trimeric spike protein is a potent vaccine antigen and confers near-complete protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in Hamster. Vaccine 2024; 42:126099. [PMID: 38981743 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.06.066] [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: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Numerous vaccine candidates have emerged in the fight against SARS-CoV-2, yet the challenges posed by viral evolution and the evasion of vaccine-induced immunity persist. The development of broadly protective vaccines is essential in countering the threat posed by variants of concern (VoC) capable of eluding existing vaccine defenses. Among the diverse SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates, detailed characterization of those based on the expression of the entire spike protein in mammalian cells have been limited. In our study, we engineered a recombinant prefusion-stabilized trimeric spike protein antigen, IMT-CVAX, encoded by the IMT-C20 gene. This antigen was expressed utilizing a suspension mammalian cell line (CHO-S). The establishment of a stable cell line expressing IMT-CVAX involved the integration of the gene into the CHO genome, followed by the expression, purification, and characterization of the protein. To gauge the vaccine potential of adjuvanted IMT-CVAX, we conducted assessments in small animals. Analyses of blood collected from immunized animals included measurements of anti-spike IgG, SARS-CoV-2 neutralization, and responses from GC-B and Tfh cells. Furthermore, the protective efficacy of IMT-CVAX was evaluated using a Hamster challenge model. Our findings indicate that adjuvanted IMT-CVAX elicits an excellent immune response in both mice and hamsters. Notably, sera from animals immunized with IMT-CVAX effectively neutralize a diverse range of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Moreover, IMT-CVAX immunization conferred complete protection to hamsters against SARS-CoV-2 infection. In hACE2 transgenic mice, IMT-CVAX vaccination induced a robust response from GC-B and Tfh cells. Based on our preclinical model assessments, adjuvanted IMT-CVAX emerges as a highly efficacious vaccine candidate. This protein-subunit-based vaccine exhibits promise for clinical development, offering an affordable solution for both primary and heterologous immunization against SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitender
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - B Vikram Kumar
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Sneha Singh
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Geetika Verma
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Reetesh Kumar
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Pranaya M Mishra
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Sahil Kumar
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Santhosh K Nagaraj
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Joydeep Nag
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Christy M Joy
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | | | | | - Pooja
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Nidhi Kalidas
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Shubham Singh
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Mumtaz
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Ashwani K Bhardwaj
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Dhananjay S Mankotia
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Rajesh P Ringe
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Nimesh Gupta
- National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Shashank Tripathi
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India; Microbiology & Cell Biology Department, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Ravi P N Mishra
- Vaccine & Biotherapeutics Research Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India.
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Chan JYH, Clow F, Pearson V, Langley RJ, Fraser JD, Radcliff FJ. Feasibility of using a combination of staphylococcal superantigen-like proteins 3, 7 and 11 in a fusion vaccine for Staphylococcus aureus. Immunol Cell Biol 2024; 102:365-380. [PMID: 38572664 DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12745] [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: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a significant bacterial pathogen in both community and hospital settings, and the escalation of antimicrobial-resistant strains is of immense global concern. Vaccination is an inviting long-term strategy to curb staphylococcal disease, but identification of an effective vaccine has proved to be challenging. Three well-characterized, ubiquitous, secreted immune evasion factors from the staphylococcal superantigen-like (SSL) protein family were selected for the development of a vaccine. Wild-type SSL3, 7 and 11, which inhibit signaling through Toll-like receptor 2, cleavage of complement component 5 and neutrophil function, respectively, were successfully combined into a stable, active fusion protein (PolySSL7311). Vaccination of mice with an attenuated form of the PolySSL7311 protein stimulated significantly elevated specific immunoglobulin G and splenocyte proliferation responses to each component relative to adjuvant-only controls. Vaccination with PolySSL7311, but not a mixture of the individual proteins, led to a > 102 reduction in S. aureus tissue burden compared with controls after peritoneal challenge. Comparable antibody responses were elicited after coadministration of the vaccine in either AddaVax (an analog of MF59) or an Alum-based adjuvant; but only AddaVax conferred a significant reduction in bacterial load, aligning with other studies that suggest both cellular and humoral immune responses are necessary for protective immunity to S. aureus. Anti-sera from mice immunized with PolySSL7311, but not individual proteins, partially neutralized the functional activities of SSL7. This study confirms the importance of these SSLs for the survival of S. aureus in vivo and suggests that PolySSL7311 is a promising vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janlin Ying Hui Chan
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Fiona Clow
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Victoria Pearson
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ries J Langley
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - John D Fraser
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Fiona J Radcliff
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Lavelle EC, McEntee CP. Vaccine adjuvants: Tailoring innate recognition to send the right message. Immunity 2024; 57:772-789. [PMID: 38599170 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Adjuvants play pivotal roles in vaccine development, enhancing immunization efficacy through prolonged retention and sustained release of antigen, lymph node targeting, and regulation of dendritic cell activation. Adjuvant-induced activation of innate immunity is achieved via diverse mechanisms: for example, adjuvants can serve as direct ligands for pathogen recognition receptors or as inducers of cell stress and death, leading to the release of immunostimulatory-damage-associated molecular patterns. Adjuvant systems increasingly stimulate multiple innate pathways to induce greater potency. Increased understanding of the principles dictating adjuvant-induced innate immunity will subsequently lead to programming specific types of adaptive immune responses. This tailored optimization is fundamental to next-generation vaccines capable of inducing robust and sustained adaptive immune memory across different cohorts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ed C Lavelle
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Craig P McEntee
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Liu A, Garrett S, Hong W, Zhang J. Staphylococcus aureus Infections and Human Intestinal Microbiota. Pathogens 2024; 13:276. [PMID: 38668232 PMCID: PMC11053856 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13040276] [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: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common pathogen that can cause many human diseases, such as skin infection, food poisoning, endocarditis, and sepsis. These diseases can be minor infections or life-threatening, requiring complex medical management resulting in substantial healthcare costs. Meanwhile, as the critically ignored "organ," the intestinal microbiome greatly impacts physiological health, not only in gastrointestinal diseases but also in disorders beyond the gut. However, the correlation between S. aureus infection and intestinal microbial homeostasis is largely unknown. Here, we summarized the recent progress in understanding S. aureus infections and their interactions with the microbiome in the intestine. These summarizations will help us understand the mechanisms behind these infections and crosstalk and the challenges we are facing now, which could contribute to preventing S. aureus infections, effective treatment investigation, and vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aotong Liu
- Department of Pharmacology & Regenerative Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
| | - Shari Garrett
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Wanqing Hong
- Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada;
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering and Materials Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250061, China
| | - Jilei Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology & Regenerative Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
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Mandelli AP, Magri G, Tortoli M, Torricelli S, Laera D, Bagnoli F, Finco O, Bensi G, Brazzoli M, Chiarot E. Vaccination with staphylococcal protein A protects mice against systemic complications of skin infection recurrences. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1355764. [PMID: 38529283 PMCID: PMC10961379 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1355764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are the most common diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), which can progress to threatening conditions due to recurrences and systemic complications. Staphylococcal protein A (SpA) is an immunomodulator antigen of S. aureus, which allows bacterial evasion from the immune system by interfering with different types of immune responses to pathogen antigens. Immunization with SpA could potentially unmask the pathogen to the immune system, leading to the production of antibodies that can protect from a second encounter with S. aureus, as it occurs in skin infection recurrences. Here, we describe a study in which mice are immunized with a mutated form of SpA mixed with the Adjuvant System 01 (SpAmut/AS01) before a primary S. aureus skin infection. Although mice are not protected from the infection under these conditions, they are able to mount a broader pathogen-specific functional immune response that results in protection against systemic dissemination of bacteria following an S. aureus second infection (recurrence). We show that this "hidden effect" of SpA can be partially explained by higher functionality of induced anti-SpA antibodies, which promotes better phagocytic activity. Moreover, a broader and stronger humoral response is elicited against several S. aureus antigens that during an infection are masked by SpA activity, which could prevent S. aureus spreading from the skin through the blood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Greta Magri
- Bacterial Vx Unit, GlaxoSmithKline, Siena, Italy
| | - Marco Tortoli
- Animal Resource Center, GlaxoSmithKline, Siena, Italy
| | | | | | - Fabio Bagnoli
- Infectious Disease Research Unit, GlaxoSmithKline, Upper Providence, PA, United States
| | - Oretta Finco
- Bacterial Vx Unit, GlaxoSmithKline, Siena, Italy
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Jin T. Exploring the role of bacterial virulence factors and host elements in septic arthritis: insights from animal models for innovative therapies. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1356982. [PMID: 38410388 PMCID: PMC10895065 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1356982] [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: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Septic arthritis, characterized as one of the most aggressive joint diseases, is primarily attributed to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and often results from hematogenous dissemination. Even with prompt treatment, septic arthritis frequently inflicts irreversible joint damage, leading to sustained joint dysfunction in a significant proportion of patients. Despite the unsatisfactory outcomes, current therapeutic approaches for septic arthritis have remained stagnant for decades. In the clinical context, devising innovative strategies to mitigate joint damage necessitates a profound comprehension of the pivotal disease mechanisms. This entails unraveling how bacterial virulence factors interact with host elements to facilitate bacterial invasion into the joint and identifying the principal drivers of joint damage. Leveraging animal models of septic arthritis emerges as a potent tool to achieve these objectives. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the historical evolution and recent advancements in septic arthritis models. Additionally, we address practical considerations regarding experimental protocols. Furthermore, we delve into the utility of these animal models, such as their contribution to the discovery of novel bacterial virulence factors and host elements that play pivotal roles in the initiation and progression of septic arthritis. Finally, we summarize the latest developments in novel therapeutic strategies against septic arthritis, leveraging insights gained from these unique animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Jin
- Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Rheumatology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
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D'Oro U, O'Hagan DT. The scientific journey of a novel adjuvant (AS37) from bench to bedside. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:26. [PMID: 38332005 PMCID: PMC10853242 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00810-6] [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: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
A decade ago, we described a new approach to discover next generation adjuvants, identifying small-molecule immune potentiators (SMIPs) as Toll-like receptor (TLR)7 agonists. We also optimally formulated these drugs through adsorption to aluminum salts (alum), allowing them to be evaluated with a range of established and early-stage vaccines. Early proof-of-concept studies showed that a TLR7 agonist (TLR7a)-based SMIP, when adsorbed to alum, could perform as an effective adjuvant for a variety of different antigens, in both small and large animals. Studies in rodents demonstrated that the adjuvant enhanced immunogenicity of a recombinant protein-based vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus, and also showed potential to improve existing vaccines against pertussis or meningococcal infection. Extensive evaluations showed that the adjuvant was effective in non-human primates (NHPs), exploiting a mechanism of action that was consistent across the different animal models. The adjuvant formulation (named AS37) has now been advanced into clinical evaluation. A systems biology-based evaluation of the phase I clinical data with a meningococcal C conjugate vaccine showed that the AS37-adjuvanted formulation had an acceptable safety profile, was potent, and activated the expected immune pathways in humans, which was consistent with observations from the NHP studies. In the intervening decade, several alternative TLR7 agonists have also emerged and advanced into clinical development, such as the alum adsorbed TLR7/8 SMIP present in a widely distributed COVID-19 vaccine. This review summarizes the research and early development of the new adjuvant AS37, with an emphasis on the steps taken to allow its progression into clinical evaluations.
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Caldera JR, Tsai CM, Trieu D, Gonzalez C, Hajam IA, Du X, Lin B, Liu GY. The characteristics of pre-existing humoral imprint determine efficacy of S. aureus vaccines and support alternative vaccine approaches. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101360. [PMID: 38232694 PMCID: PMC10829788 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101360] [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: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
The failure of the Staphylococcus aureus (SA) IsdB vaccine trial can be explained by the recall of non-protective immune imprints from prior SA exposure. Here, we investigate natural human SA humoral imprints to understand their broader impact on SA immunizations. We show that antibody responses against SA cell-wall-associated antigens (CWAs) are non-opsonic, while antibodies against SA toxins are neutralizing. Importantly, the protective characteristics of the antibody imprints accurately predict the failure of corresponding vaccines against CWAs and support vaccination against toxins. In passive immunization platforms, natural anti-SA human antibodies reduce the efficacy of the human monoclonal antibodies suvratoxumab and tefibazumab, consistent with the results of their respective clinical trials. Strikingly, in the absence of specific humoral memory responses, active immunizations are efficacious in both naive and SA-experienced mice. Overall, our study points to a practical and predictive approach to evaluate and develop SA vaccines based on pre-existing humoral imprint characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Caldera
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Chih-Ming Tsai
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Desmond Trieu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Cesia Gonzalez
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Irshad A Hajam
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Xin Du
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Brian Lin
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - George Y Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Division of Infectious Diseases, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA 92123, USA.
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Kao CM, Fritz SA. Infection prevention-how can we prevent transmission of community-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus? Clin Microbiol Infect 2024:S1198-743X(24)00010-7. [PMID: 38218373 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2024.01.004] [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: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile organism, capable of existing as a commensal organism while also possessing pathogenic potential. The emergence of clinically and genetically distinct strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), termed community-onset MRSA (CO-MRSA), resulted in an epidemic of invasive and skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) in otherwise healthy individuals without traditional risk factors. Colonization with S. aureus is a risk factor for developing infection and also a source of transmission to close contacts. Outbreaks of S. aureus SSTI have been described in crowded settings and within households. Thus, preventive strategies are essential to interrupt recurrent infections. OBJECTIVES The objective of this narrative review is to provide a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to prevent transmission of CO-MRSA. We highlight key clinical trials that emphasize the importance of household and environmental S. aureus colonization in propagating household transmission. Finally, we highlight research priorities to prevent S. aureus infection. SOURCES We cite primary literature from peer-reviewed publications as sources for this review. CONTENT Our recommended approach to the management of individuals presenting with skin abscesses includes optimal treatment of the initial infection and hygiene education. Decolonization measures should be recommended for individuals with recurrent SSTIs or whose household members have SSTIs. Targeted decolonization with topical antimicrobials should be prescribed to all affected individuals within the household. IMPLICATIONS S. aureus infections result in substantial mortality and morbidity because of the high incidence of recurrent skin infections. Although current decolonization strategies are beneficial, interventions are often costly to families and effectiveness wanes over time. Results from a recently completed trial evaluating integrated periodic decolonization and household environmental hygiene will further add to our understanding of what constitutes a sustainable decolonization approach. In addition, novel preventive strategies are being developed such as S. aureus vaccines, lytic agents, probiotics, microbiota transplants, and phage therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol M Kao
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stephanie A Fritz
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Jeong S, Im J, Lee D, Ko KH, Yun CH, Han SH. Lipoproteins are key immunostimulatory components of Bacillus species for dendritic cell maturation and activation. Mol Immunol 2024; 165:82-91. [PMID: 38160652 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2023.12.009] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) play an important role in immunity by sensing and responding to invasive microbes. Bacillus species are rod-shaped sporulating bacteria that include the pathogenic Bacillus cereus and commensal Bacillus subtilis. Although the interaction between DC and these two Bacillus species has been studied, their key structural component that prompts DC activation is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the two Bacillus species in DC activation by whole cells and their representative microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). MAMPs including lipoteichoic acid (LTA), lipoprotein (LPP), and peptidoglycan (PGN) were purified from the two Bacillus species. Among the MAMPs, LPP from both species most potently induced the maturation and activation of DCs while PGN, but not LTA, moderately stimulated DCs. LPPs from both Bacillus species enhanced the expression of DC maturation markers including CCR7, CD40, CD80, CD83, CD86, CD205, MHC-I, and MHC-II. Among the MAMPs from B. cereus, PGN most considerably lowered the endocytic capacity of DCs implying DC maturation whereas PGN from B. subtilis lowered it to a similar degree to its LPP. Furthermore, DCs sensitized with LPPs from both Bacillus species and PGN from B. subtilis moderately induced TNF-α and IL-6 production. Notably, a combination of MAMPs did not show any synergistic effect on DC activation. Taken together, our results demonstrate that LPP is the key structural component in B. cereus and B. subtilis that leads to DC activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungho Jeong
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Jintaek Im
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongwook Lee
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang Hyun Ko
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheol-Heui Yun
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Hyun Han
- Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
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Kumar V, Yasmeen N, Pandey A, Ahmad Chaudhary A, Alawam AS, Ahmad Rudayni H, Islam A, Lakhawat SS, Sharma PK, Shahid M. Antibiotic adjuvants: synergistic tool to combat multi-drug resistant pathogens. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1293633. [PMID: 38179424 PMCID: PMC10765517 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1293633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The rise of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens poses a significant challenge to the field of infectious disease treatment. To overcome this problem, novel strategies are being explored to enhance the effectiveness of antibiotics. Antibiotic adjuvants have emerged as a promising approach to combat MDR pathogens by acting synergistically with antibiotics. This review focuses on the role of antibiotic adjuvants as a synergistic tool in the fight against MDR pathogens. Adjuvants refer to compounds or agents that enhance the activity of antibiotics, either by potentiating their effects or by targeting the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. The utilization of antibiotic adjuvants offers several advantages. Firstly, they can restore the effectiveness of existing antibiotics against resistant strains. Adjuvants can inhibit the mechanisms that confer resistance, making the pathogens susceptible to the action of antibiotics. Secondly, adjuvants can enhance the activity of antibiotics by improving their penetration into bacterial cells, increasing their stability, or inhibiting efflux pumps that expel antibiotics from bacterial cells. Various types of antibiotic adjuvants have been investigated, including efflux pump inhibitors, resistance-modifying agents, and compounds that disrupt bacterial biofilms. These adjuvants can act synergistically with antibiotics, resulting in increased antibacterial activity and overcoming resistance mechanisms. In conclusion, antibiotic adjuvants have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of MDR pathogens. By enhancing the efficacy of antibiotics, adjuvants offer a promising strategy to combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. Further research and development in this field are crucial to harness the full potential of antibiotic adjuvants and bring them closer to clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram Kumar
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
- Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Nusrath Yasmeen
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Aishwarya Pandey
- INRS, Eau Terre Environnement Research Centre, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Anis Ahmad Chaudhary
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah S. Alawam
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hassan Ahmad Rudayni
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Asimul Islam
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Sudarshan S. Lakhawat
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Pushpender K. Sharma
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Mohammad Shahid
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
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12
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Shang W, Hu Z, Li M, Wang Y, Rao Y, Tan L, Chen J, Huang X, Liu L, Liu H, Guo Z, Peng H, Yang Y, Hu Q, Li S, Hu X, Zou J, Rao X. Optimizing a high-sensitivity NanoLuc-based bioluminescence system for in vivo evaluation of antimicrobial treatment. MLIFE 2023; 2:462-478. [PMID: 38818266 PMCID: PMC10989145 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Focal and systemic infections are serious threats to human health. Preclinical models enable the development of new drugs and therapeutic regimens. In vivo, animal bioluminescence (BL) imaging has been used with bacterial reporter strains to evaluate antimicrobial treatment effects. However, high-sensitivity bioluminescent systems are required because of the limited tissue penetration and low brightness of the BL signals of existing approaches. Here, we report that NanoLuc (Nluc) showed better performance than LuxCDABE in bacteria. However, the retention rate of plasmid constructs in bacteria was low. To construct stable Staphylococcus aureus reporter strains, a partner protein enolase (Eno) was identified by screening of S. aureus strain USA300 for fusion expression of Nluc-based luciferases, including Nluc, Teluc, and Antares2. Different substrates, such as hydrofurimazine (HFZ), furimazine (FUR), and diphenylterazine (DTZ), were used to optimize a stable reporter strain/substrate pair for BL imaging. S. aureus USA300/Eno-Antares2/HFZ produced the highest number of photons of orange-red light in vitro and enabled sensitive BL tracking of S. aureus in vivo, with sensitivities of approximately 10 CFU from mouse skin and 750 CFU from mouse kidneys. USA300/Eno-Antares2/HFZ was a powerful combination based on the longitudinal evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of antibiotics. The optimized S. aureus Eno-Antares2/HFZ pair provides a technological advancement for the in vivo evaluation of antimicrobial treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weilong Shang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Zhen Hu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Mengyang Li
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine Chongqing University Chongqing China
| | - Yuting Wang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Yifan Rao
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Xinqiao Hospital Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Li Tan
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Juan Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Xinqiao Hospital Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Xiaonan Huang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Lu Liu
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine Chongqing University Chongqing China
| | - He Liu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Zuwen Guo
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Huagang Peng
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Qiwen Hu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Shu Li
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Xiaomei Hu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Jiao Zou
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
| | - Xiancai Rao
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University) Chongqing China
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13
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Reel JM, Abbadi J, Bueno AJ, Cizio K, Pippin R, Doyle DA, Mortan L, Bose JL, Cox MA. The Sympathetic Nervous System Is Necessary for Development of CD4+ T-Cell Memory Following Staphylococcus aureus Infection. J Infect Dis 2023; 228:966-974. [PMID: 37163747 PMCID: PMC10547460 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad154] [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: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Lymph nodes and spleens are innervated by sympathetic nerve fibers that enter alongside arteries. Despite discovery of these nerve fibers nearly 40 years ago, the role of these nerves during response to infection remains poorly defined. We have found that chemical depletion of sympathetic nerve fibers compromises the ability of mice to develop protective immune memory to a Staphylococcus aureus infection. Innate control of the primary infection was not impacted by sympathectomy. Germinal center formation is also compromised in nerve-depleted animals; however, protective antibody responses are still generated. Interestingly, protective CD4+ T-cell memory fails to form in the absence of sympathetic nerves after S aureus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Laura Mortan
- Stephenson Cancer Center
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City
| | - Jeffrey L Bose
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City
| | - Maureen A Cox
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Stephenson Cancer Center
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14
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Guo Z, Zhou J, Yu Y, Krishnan N, Noh I, Zhu AT, Borum RM, Gao W, Fang RH, Zhang L. Immunostimulatory DNA Hydrogel Enhances Protective Efficacy of Nanotoxoids against Bacterial Infection. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2211717. [PMID: 37097076 PMCID: PMC10528024 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202211717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
While vaccines have been highly successful in protecting against various infections, there are still many high-priority pathogens for which there are no clinically approved formulations. To overcome this challenge, researchers have explored the use of nanoparticulate strategies for more effective antigen delivery to the immune system. Along these lines, nanotoxoids are a promising biomimetic platform that leverages cell membrane coating technology to safely deliver otherwise toxic bacterial antigens in their native form for antivirulence vaccination. Here, in order to further boost their immunogenicity, nanotoxoids formulated against staphylococcal α-hemolysin are embedded into a DNA-based hydrogel with immunostimulatory CpG motifs. The resulting nanoparticle-hydrogel composite is injectable and improves the in vivo delivery of vaccine antigens while simultaneously stimulating nearby immune cells. This leads to elevated antibody production and stronger antigen-specific cellular immune responses. In murine models of pneumonia and skin infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, mice vaccinated with the hybrid vaccine formulation are well-protected. This work highlights the benefits of combining nanoparticulate antigen delivery systems with immunostimulatory hydrogels into a single platform, and the approach can be readily generalized to a wide range of infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyuan Guo
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Jiarong Zhou
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Yiyan Yu
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Nishta Krishnan
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Ilkoo Noh
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Audrey Ting Zhu
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Raina M Borum
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Weiwei Gao
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Ronnie H Fang
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Liangfang Zhang
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
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15
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Laera D, HogenEsch H, O'Hagan DT. Aluminum Adjuvants-'Back to the Future'. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:1884. [PMID: 37514070 PMCID: PMC10383759 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15071884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Aluminum-based adjuvants will continue to be a key component of currently approved and next generation vaccines, including important combination vaccines. The widespread use of aluminum adjuvants is due to their excellent safety profile, which has been established through the use of hundreds of millions of doses in humans over many years. In addition, they are inexpensive, readily available, and are well known and generally accepted by regulatory agencies. Moreover, they offer a very flexible platform, to which many vaccine components can be adsorbed, enabling the preparation of liquid formulations, which typically have a long shelf life under refrigerated conditions. Nevertheless, despite their extensive use, they are perceived as relatively 'weak' vaccine adjuvants. Hence, there have been many attempts to improve their performance, which typically involves co-delivery of immune potentiators, including Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists. This approach has allowed for the development of improved aluminum adjuvants for inclusion in licensed vaccines against HPV, HBV, and COVID-19, with others likely to follow. This review summarizes the various aluminum salts that are used in vaccines and highlights how they are prepared. We focus on the analytical challenges that remain to allowing the creation of well-characterized formulations, particularly those involving multiple antigens. In addition, we highlight how aluminum is being used to create the next generation of improved adjuvants through the adsorption and delivery of various TLR agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatello Laera
- Technical Research & Development, Drug Product, GSK, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Global Manufacturing Division, Corporate Industrial Analytics, Chiesi Pharmaceuticals, 43122 Parma, Italy
| | - Harm HogenEsch
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA
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16
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Haag AF, Liljeroos L, Donato P, Pozzi C, Brignoli T, Bottomley MJ, Bagnoli F, Delany I. In Vivo Gene Expression Profiling of Staphylococcus aureus during Infection Informs Design of Stemless Leukocidins LukE and -D as Detoxified Vaccine Candidates. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0257422. [PMID: 36688711 PMCID: PMC9927290 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02574-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a clinically important bacterial pathogen that has become resistant to treatment with most routinely used antibiotics. Alternative strategies, such as vaccination and phage therapy, are therefore actively being investigated to prevent or combat staphylococcal infections. Vaccination requires that vaccine targets are expressed at sufficient quantities during infection so that they can be targeted by the host's immune system. While our knowledge of in vitro expression levels of putative vaccine candidates is comprehensive, crucial in vivo expression data are scarce and promising vaccine candidates during in vitro assessment often prove ineffective in preventing S. aureus infection. Here, we show how a newly developed high-throughput quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) assay monitoring the expression of 84 staphylococcal genes encoding mostly virulence factors can inform the selection and design of effective vaccine candidates against staphylococcal infections. We show that this assay can accurately quantify mRNA expression levels of these genes in several host organs relying only on very limited amounts of bacterial mRNA in each sample. We selected two highly expressed genes, lukE and lukD, encoding pore-forming leukotoxins, to inform the design of detoxified recombinant proteins and showed that immunization with recombinant genetically detoxified LukED antigens conferred protection against staphylococcal skin infection in mice. Consequently, knowledge of in vivo-expressed virulence determinants can be successfully deployed to identify and select promising candidates for optimized design of effective vaccine antigens against S. aureus. Notably, this approach should be broadly applicable to numerous other pathogens. IMPORTANCE Vaccination is an attractive strategy for preventing bacterial infections in an age of increased antimicrobial resistance. However, vaccine development frequently suffers significant setbacks when candidate antigens that show promising results in in vitro experimentation fail to protect from disease. An alluring strategy is to focus resources on developing bacterial virulence factors that are expressed during disease establishment or maintenance and are critical for bacterial in-host survival as vaccine targets. While expression profiles of many virulence factors have been characterized in detail in vitro, our knowledge of their in vivo expression profiles is still scarce. Here, using a high-throughput qRT-PCR approach, we identified two highly expressed leukotoxins in a murine infection model and showed that genetically detoxified derivatives of these elicited a protective immune response in a murine skin infection model. Therefore, in vivo gene expression can inform the selection of promising candidates for the design of effective vaccine antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas F. Haag
- GSK, Siena, Italy
- School of Medicine, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Tarcisio Brignoli
- GSK, Siena, Italy
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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17
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Pan N, Liu Y, Zhang H, Xu Y, Bao X, Sheng S, Liang Y, Liu B, Lyu Y, Li H, Ma F, Pan H, Wang X. Oral Vaccination with Engineered Probiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri Has Protective Effects against Localized and Systemic Staphylococcus aureus Infection. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0367322. [PMID: 36723073 PMCID: PMC10100842 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03673-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterium responsible for most hospital-acquired (nosocomial) and community-acquired infections worldwide. The only therapeutic strategy against S. aureus-induced infections, to date, is antibiotic treatment. A protective vaccine is urgently needed in view of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains associated with high-mortality cases; however, no such vaccine is currently available. In our previous work, the feasibility of implementing a Lactobacillus delivery system for development of S. aureus oral vaccine was first discussed. Here, we describe systematic screening and evaluation of protective effects of engineered Lactobacillus against S. aureus infection in terms of different delivery vehicle strains and S. aureus antigens and in localized and systemic infection models. Limosilactobacillus reuteri WXD171 was selected as the delivery vehicle strain based on its tolerance of the gastrointestinal environment, adhesion ability, and antimicrobial activities in vitro and in vivo. We designed, constructed, and evaluated engineered L. reuteri strains expressing various S. aureus antigens. Among these, engineered L. reuteri WXD171-IsdB displayed effective protection against S. aureus-induced localized infection (pneumonia and skin infection) and, furthermore, a substantial survival benefit in systemic infection (sepsis). WXD171-IsdB induced mucosal responses in gut-associated lymphoid tissues, as evidenced by increased production of secretory IgA and interleukin 17A (IL-17A) and proliferation of lymphocytes derived from Peyer's patches. The probiotic L. reuteri-based oral vaccine appears to have strong potential as a prophylactic agent against S. aureus infections. Our findings regarding utilization of Lactobacillus delivery system in S. aureus vaccine development support the usefulness of this live vaccination strategy and its potential application in next-generation vaccine development. IMPORTANCE We systematically screened and evaluated protective effects of engineered Lactobacillus against S. aureus infection in terms of differing delivery vehicle strains and S. aureus antigens and in localized and systemic infection models. Engineered L. reuteri was developed and showed strong protective effects against both types of S. aureus-induced infection. Our findings regarding the utilization of a Lactobacillus delivery system in S. aureus vaccine development support the usefulness of this live vaccination strategy and its potential application in next-generation vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Haochi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Ying Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Xuemei Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Shouxin Sheng
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Yanchen Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Bohui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Yueqing Lyu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Haotian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Fangfei Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Haiting Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
- Basic Medical College, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
| | - Xiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
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18
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Cross-Protection against Acute Staphylococcus aureus Lung Infection in Mice by a D-Glutamate Auxotrophic Vaccine Candidate. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020210. [PMID: 36851088 PMCID: PMC9963018 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020210] [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: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is regarded as a threatening bacterial pathogen causing invasive pneumonia in healthcare settings and in the community. The continuous emergence of multidrug resistant strains is narrowing the treatment options for these infections. The development of an effective S. aureus vaccine is, therefore, a global priority. We have previously developed a vaccine candidate, 132 ΔmurI Δdat, which is auxotrophic for D-glutamate, and protects against sepsis caused by S. aureus. In the present study, we explored the potential of this vaccine candidate to prevent staphylococcal pneumonia, by using an acute lung infection model in BALB/c mice. Intranasal inoculation of the vaccine strain yielded transitory colonization of the lung tissue, stimulated production of relevant serum IgG and secretory IgA antibodies in the lung and distal vaginal mucosa and conferred cross-protection to acute pneumonia caused by clinically important S. aureus strains. Although these findings are promising, additional research is needed to minimize dose-dependent toxicity for safer intranasal immunization with this vaccine candidate.
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19
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Siena E, Schiavetti F, Borgogni E, Taccone M, Faenzi E, Brazzoli M, Aprea S, Bardelli M, Volpini G, Buricchi F, Sammicheli C, Tavarini S, Bechtold V, Blohmke CJ, Cardamone D, De Intinis C, Gonzalez-Lopez A, O'Hagan DT, Nuti S, Seidl C, Didierlaurent AM, Bertholet S, D'Oro U, Medini D, Finco O. Systems analysis of human responses to an aluminium hydroxide-adsorbed TLR7 agonist (AS37) adjuvanted vaccine reveals a dose-dependent and specific activation of the interferon-mediated antiviral response. Vaccine 2023; 41:724-734. [PMID: 36564274 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The candidate Adjuvant System AS37 contains a synthetic toll-like receptor agonist (TLR7a) adsorbed to alum. In a phase I study (NCT02639351), healthy adults were randomised to receive one dose of licensed alum-adjuvanted meningococcal serogroup C (MenC-CRM197) conjugate vaccine (control) or MenC-CRM197 conjugate vaccine adjuvanted with AS37 (TLR7a dose 12.5, 25, 50 or 100 µg). A subset of 66 participants consented to characterisation of peripheral whole blood transcriptomic responses, systemic cytokine/chemokine responses and multiple myeloid and lymphoid cell responses as exploratory study endpoints. Blood samples were collected pre-vaccination, 6 and 24 h post-vaccination, and 3, 7, 28 and 180 days post-vaccination. The gene expression profile in whole blood showed an early, AS37-specific transcriptome response that peaked at 24 h, increased with TLR7a dose up to 50 µg and generally resolved within one week. Five clusters of differentially expressed genes were identified, including those involved in the interferon-mediated antiviral response. Evaluation of 30 cytokines/chemokines by multiplex assay showed an increased level of interferon-induced chemokine CXCL10 (IP-10) at 24 h and 3 days post-vaccination in the AS37-adjuvanted vaccine groups. Increases in activated plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) and intermediate monocytes were detected 3 days post-vaccination in the AS37-adjuvanted vaccine groups. T follicular helper (Tfh) cells increased 7 days post-vaccination and were maintained at 28 days post-vaccination, particularly in the AS37-adjuvanted vaccine groups. Moreover, most of the subjects that received vaccine containing 25, 50 and 100 µg TLR7a showed an increased MenC-specific memory B cell responses versus baseline. These data show that the adsorption of TLR7a to alum promotes an immune signature consistent with TLR7 engagement, with up-regulation of interferon-inducible genes, cytokines and frequency of activated pDC, intermediate monocytes, MenC-specific memory B cells and Tfh cells. TLR7a 25-50 µg can be considered the optimal dose for AS37, particularly for the adjuvanted MenC-CRM197 conjugate vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Carlo De Intinis
- GSK, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy; University of Turin, Via Verdi 8, 10124 Torino, Italy.
| | | | | | - Sandra Nuti
- GSK, 14200 Shady Grove Rd, Rockville MD, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Ugo D'Oro
- GSK, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy.
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20
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Sun J, Lin X, He Y, Zhang B, Zhou N, Huang JD. A bacterial outer membrane vesicle-based click vaccine elicits potent immune response against Staphylococcus aureus in mice. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1088501. [PMID: 36742310 PMCID: PMC9892643 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1088501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus infection is a severe public health concern with the growing number of multidrug-resistant strains. S. aureus can circumvent the defense mechanisms of host immunity with the aid of multiple virulence factors. An efficacious multicomponent vaccine targeting diverse immune evasion strategies developed by S. aureus is thus crucial for its infection control. In this study, we exploited the SpyCatcher-SpyTag system to engineer bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) for the development of a multitargeting S. aureus click vaccine. We decorated OMVs with surface exposed SpyCatcher via a truncated OmpA(a.a 1-155)-SpyCatcher fusion. The engineered OMVs can flexibly bind with various SpyTag-fused S. aureus antigens to generate an OMV-based click vaccine. Compared with antigens mixed with alum adjuvant, the click vaccine simultaneously induced more potent antigen-specific humoral and Th1-based cellular immune response, which afforded protection against S. aureus Newman lethal challenge in a mouse model. Our study provided a flexible and versatile click vaccine strategy with the potential for fighting against emerging S. aureus clinical isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xuansheng Lin
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yige He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Baozhong Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Nan Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Dong Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Department of Clinical Oncology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Cancer Metastasis and Personalized Therapy, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
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21
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Oral Administration with Recombinant Attenuated Regulated Delayed Lysis Salmonella Vaccines Protecting against Staphylococcus aureus Kidney Abscess Formation. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10071073. [PMID: 35891237 PMCID: PMC9324569 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10071073] [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: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abscess formation is one of the main symptoms of Staphylococcus aureus infection. It is very important to inhibit abscess formation for preventing S. aureus persistent infection. To find a feasible solution, the live oral vaccines delivering S. aureus antigens, rEsxAB and rHlam, were constructed, which were based on the attenuated regulated delayed lysis Salmonella enterica subspecies Serovar Typhimurium strain χ11802, and the inhibiting effect on abscess formation was evaluated in mice kidneys. As the results showed, after oral administration, humoral immunity was induced via the mucosal route as the antigen-specific IgG in the serum and IgA in the intestinal mucus both showed significant increases. Meanwhile, the production of IFN-γ and IL-17 in the kidney tissue suggested that Th1/Th17-biased cellular immunity played a role in varying degrees. After challenged intravenously (i.v.) with S. aureus USA300, the χ11802(pYA3681−esxAB)-vaccinated group showed obvious inhibition in kidney abscess formation among the vaccinated group, as the kidney abscess incidence rate and the staphylococcal load significantly reduced, and the kidney pathological injury was improved significantly. In conclusion, this study provided experimental data and showed great potential for live oral vaccine development with the attenuated regulated delayed lysis Salmonella Typhimurium strains against S. aureus infection.
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Sun KN, Huang F, Wang MY, Wu J, Hu CJ, Liu XF. IL-21 Enhances the Immune Protection Induced by the Vibrio vulnificus Hemolysin A Protein. Inflammation 2022; 45:1496-1506. [PMID: 35129769 DOI: 10.1007/s10753-022-01632-1] [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: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
We previously reported that the Vibrio vulnificus hemolysin A (VvhA) protein elicited good immune protection and could effectively control V. vulnificus infection in mice. However, its molecular mechanism remains unknown. We hypothesized that hemolysin A induces an immunoprotective response via IL-21 regulation. To demonstrate this, IL-21 expression in mice was regulated by injecting either specific antibodies or rIL-21, and the immune response was evaluated by flow cytometry. Our results suggested that IL-21 enhances immune protection by inducing a T follicular helper cell and germinal center B cell response. We used RNA-seq to explore molecular mechanisms and identified 10 upregulated and 32 downregulated genes involved in IL-21-upregulated protection. Gene Ontology analysis and pathway analysis of the differentially expressed genes were also performed. Our findings indicate that IL-21 can enhance the immune protection effect of the VvhA protein and may serve as a novel strategy for enhancing the immune protection effect of protein vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-Na Sun
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, the 960th Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Ji'nan, Shandong Province, 250031, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, the 960th Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Ji'nan, Shandong Province, 250031, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming-Yi Wang
- Department of Clinical Lab, Weihai Municipal Hospital Affiliated To Dalian Medical University, Weihai, Shandong Province, 264200, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, the 960th Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Ji'nan, Shandong Province, 250031, People's Republic of China
| | - Cheng-Jin Hu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, the 960th Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Ji'nan, Shandong Province, 250031, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Fei Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, the 960th Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Ji'nan, Shandong Province, 250031, People's Republic of China.
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23
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Leuzzi R, Bodini M, Thomsen IP, Soldaini E, Bartolini E, Muzzi A, Clemente B, Galletti B, Manetti AGO, Giovani C, Censini S, Budroni S, Spensieri F, Borgogni E, Rossi Paccani S, Margarit I, Bagnoli F, Giudice GD, Creech CB. Dissecting the Human Response to Staphylococcus aureus Systemic Infections. Front Immunol 2021; 12:749432. [PMID: 34819932 PMCID: PMC8607524 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.749432] [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: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a common human commensal and the leading cause of diverse infections. To identify distinctive parameters associated with infection and colonization, we compared the immune and inflammatory responses of patients with a diagnosis of invasive S. aureus disease to healthy donors. We analyzed the inflammatory responses founding a pattern of distinctive cytokines significantly higher in the patients with invasive disease. The measure of antibody levels revealed a wide antibody responsiveness from all subjects to most of the antigens, with significantly higher response for some antigens in the invasive patients compared to control. Moreover, functional antibodies against toxins distinctively associated with the invasive disease. Finally, we examined the genomic variability of isolates, showing no major differences in genetic distribution compared to a panel of representative strains. Overall, our study shows specific signatures of cytokines and functional antibodies in patients with different primary invasive diseases caused by S. aureus. These data provide insight into human responses towards invasive staphylococcal infections and are important for guiding the identification of novel preventive and therapeutic interventions against S. aureus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Isaac P Thomsen
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, IN, United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Clarence B Creech
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, IN, United States
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König E, Gagliardi A, Riedmiller I, Andretta C, Tomasi M, Irene C, Frattini L, Zanella I, Berti F, Grandi A, Caproni E, Fantappiè L, Grandi G. Multi-Antigen Outer Membrane Vesicle Engineering to Develop Polyvalent Vaccines: The Staphylococcus aureus Case. Front Immunol 2021; 12:752168. [PMID: 34819933 PMCID: PMC8606680 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.752168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Modification of surface antigens and differential expression of virulence factors are frequent strategies pathogens adopt to escape the host immune system. These escape mechanisms make pathogens a "moving target" for our immune system and represent a challenge for the development of vaccines, which require more than one antigen to be efficacious. Therefore, the availability of strategies, which simplify vaccine design, is highly desirable. Bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) are a promising vaccine platform for their built-in adjuvanticity, ease of purification and flexibility to be engineered with foreign proteins. However, data on if and how OMVs can be engineered with multiple antigens is limited. In this work, we report a multi-antigen expression strategy based on the co-expression of two chimeras, each constituted by head-to-tail fusions of immunogenic proteins, in the same OMV-producing strain. We tested the strategy to develop a vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram-positive human pathogen responsible for a large number of community and hospital-acquired diseases. Here we describe an OMV-based vaccine in which four S. aureus virulent factors, ClfAY338A, LukE, SpAKKAA and HlaH35L have been co-expressed in the same OMVs (CLSH-OMVsΔ60). The vaccine elicited antigen-specific antibodies with functional activity, as judged by their capacity to promote opsonophagocytosis and to inhibit Hla-mediated hemolysis, LukED-mediated leukocyte killing, and ClfA-mediated S. aureus binding to fibrinogen. Mice vaccinated with CLSH-OMVsΔ60 were robustly protected from S. aureus challenge in the skin, sepsis and kidney abscess models. This study not only describes a generalized approach to develop easy-to-produce and inexpensive multi-component vaccines, but also proposes a new tetravalent vaccine candidate ready to move to development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico König
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | - Ilary Riedmiller
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Chiara Andretta
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Michele Tomasi
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Carmela Irene
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Luca Frattini
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Ilaria Zanella
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Francesco Berti
- Technical Research and Development, GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines, Siena, Italy
| | - Alberto Grandi
- ERC Vaccibiome Unit, Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, Siena, Italy.,Infectious Diseases and Cancer Immunotherapy Unit, BiOMViS Srl, Siena, Italy
| | - Elena Caproni
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Laura Fantappiè
- ERC Vaccibiome Unit, Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, Siena, Italy
| | - Guido Grandi
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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25
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Evaluation of the immune response to a multi-epitope vaccine candidate in comparison with Hla H35L, MntC, and SACOL0723 proteins against MRSA infection. Biologicals 2021; 73:8-15. [PMID: 34376341 DOI: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is an important human opportunistic pathogen that can have a major influence on public health. Here, we aimed to evaluate different aspects of the immune response to a novel multi-epitope fusion protein (HMS) based on HlaH35L, MntC, and SACOL0723 proteins in comparison to the individual antigens. For this purpose, specific total IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a isotypes and the cytokines related to Th1, Th2, and Th17 were assessed. The Bio-efficiency of the fusion protein was evaluated by opsonic killing activity. The HMS fusion protein elicited a high specific IgG level and also induced a higher level of Th1, Th2, and Th17-related cytokines which were more polarized towards the Th1 and Th17 compared to individual antigens. The HMS-specific antisera also significantly promoted phagocytosis of S. aureus COL strain by mouse macrophages. In conclusion, the fusion protein might be an effective vaccine for potential protective immunity against a lethal infection of S. aureus in mice.
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26
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Lentini G, Famà A, De Gaetano GV, Galbo R, Coppolino F, Venza M, Teti G, Beninati C. Role of Endosomal TLRs in Staphylococcus aureus Infection. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2021; 207:1448-1455. [PMID: 34362834 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Identification of the receptors involved in innate immune recognition of Staphylococcus aureus, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in humans, is essential to develop alternative strategies to treat infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains. In the current study, we examine the role of endosomal TLRs, which sense the presence of prokaryotic-type nucleic acids, in anti-staphylococcal host defenses using infection models involving genetically defective mice. Single deficiencies in TLR7, 9, or 13 resulted in mild or no decrease in host defenses. However, the simultaneous absence of TLR7, 9, and 13 resulted in markedly increased susceptibility to cutaneous and systemic S. aureus infection concomitantly with decreased production of proinflammatory chemokines and cytokines, neutrophil recruitment to infection sites, and reduced production of reactive oxygen species. This phenotype was significantly more severe than that of mice lacking TLR2, which senses the presence of staphylococcal lipoproteins. Notably, the combined absence of TLR7, 9, and 13 resulted in complete abrogation of IL-12 p70 and IFN-β responses to staphylococcal stimulation in macrophages. Taken together, our data highlight the presence of a highly integrated endosomal detection system, whereby TLR7, 9, and 13 cooperate in sensing the presence of staphylococcal nucleic acids. We demonstrate that the combined absence of these receptors cannot be compensated for by cell surface-associated TLRs, such as TLR2, or cytosolic receptors. These data may be useful to devise strategies aimed at stimulating innate immune receptors to treat S. aureus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Germana Lentini
- Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Agata Famà
- Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | | | - Roberta Galbo
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | | | - Mario Venza
- Department of Biomedical, Dental and Imaging Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy; and
| | | | - Concetta Beninati
- Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
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27
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Bhagchandani S, Johnson JA, Irvine DJ. Evolution of Toll-like receptor 7/8 agonist therapeutics and their delivery approaches: From antiviral formulations to vaccine adjuvants. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 175:113803. [PMID: 34058283 PMCID: PMC9003539 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Imidazoquinoline derivatives (IMDs) and related compounds function as synthetic agonists of Toll-like receptors 7 and 8 (TLR7/8) and one is FDA approved for topical antiviral and skin cancer treatments. Nevertheless, these innate immune system-activating drugs have potentially much broader therapeutic utility; they have been pursued as antitumor immunomodulatory agents and more recently as candidate vaccine adjuvants for cancer and infectious disease. The broad expression profiles of TLR7/8, poor pharmacokinetic properties of IMDs, and toxicities associated with systemic administration, however, are formidable barriers to successful clinical translation. Herein, we review IMD formulations that have advanced to the clinic and discuss issues related to biodistribution and toxicity that have hampered the further development of these compounds. Recent strategies aimed at enhancing safety and efficacy, particularly through the use of bioconjugates and nanoparticle formulations that alter pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and cellular targeting, are described. Finally, key aspects of the biology of TLR7 signaling, such as TLR7 tolerance, that may need to be considered in the development of new IMD therapeutics are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachin Bhagchandani
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jeremiah A Johnson
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Darrell J Irvine
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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28
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Vaccine Composition Formulated with a Novel Lactobacillus-Derived Exopolysaccharides Adjuvant Provided High Protection against Staphylococcus aureus. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9070775. [PMID: 34358191 PMCID: PMC8310297 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9070775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A vaccine that effectively targets methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is urgently needed, and has been the focus of studies by numerous research groups, but with limited success to date. Recently, our team found that exopolysaccharides derived from probiotic Lactobacilluscasei strain WXD030 as an adjuvant-formulated OVA could upregulate IFN-γ and IL-17 expression in CD4+ T cells. In this study, we developed a vaccine (termed rMntC-EPS) composed of S. aureus antigen MntC and Lactobacillus casei exopolysaccharides, which conferred high levels of protection against S. aureus infection. Methods: Six–eight-week-old female mice were vaccinated with purified rMntC-EPS30. The immune protection function of rMntC-EPS30 was assessed by the protective effect of rMntC-EPS30 to S. aureus-induced pulmonary and cutaneous infection in mice, bacterial loads and H&E in injury site, and ELISA for inflammation-related cytokines. The protective mechanism of rMntC-EPS30 was assessed by ELISA for IgG in serum, cytokines in the spleen and lungs of vaccinated mice. In addition, flow cytometry was used for analyzing cellular immune response induced by rMntC-EPS30. For confirmation of our findings, three kinds of mice were used in this study: IL-17A knockout mice, IFN-γ knockout mice and TCRγ/δ knockout mice. Results: rMntC-EPS30 conferred up to 90% protection against S. aureus pulmonary infection and significantly reduced the abscess size in the S. aureus cutaneous model, with clearance of the pathogen. The rMntC-EPS vaccine could induce superior humoral immunity as well as significantly increase IL-17A and IFN-γ production. In addition, we found that rMntC-EPS vaccination induced robust Th 17/γδ T 17 primary and recall responses. Interestingly, this protective effect was distinctly reduced in the IL-17A knockout mice but not in IFN-γ knockout mice. Moreover, in TCRγ/δ knockout mice, rMntC-EPS vaccination neither increased IL-17A secretion nor provided effective protection against S. aureus infection. Conclusions: These data demonstrated that the rMntC formulated with a novel Lactobacillus-derived Exopolysaccharides adjuvant provided high protection against Staphylococcus aureus. The rMntC-EPS vaccine induced γδ T cells and IL-17A might play substantial roles in anti-S. aureus immunity. Our findings provided direct evidence that rMntC-EPS vaccine is a promising candidate for future clinical application against S. aureus-induced pulmonary and cutaneous infection.
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29
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Clegg J, Soldaini E, McLoughlin RM, Rittenhouse S, Bagnoli F, Phogat S. Staphylococcus aureus Vaccine Research and Development: The Past, Present and Future, Including Novel Therapeutic Strategies. Front Immunol 2021; 12:705360. [PMID: 34305945 PMCID: PMC8294057 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.705360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important human pathogens worldwide. Its high antibiotic resistance profile reinforces the need for new interventions like vaccines in addition to new antibiotics. Vaccine development efforts against S. aureus have failed so far however, the findings from these human clinical and non-clinical studies provide potential insight for such failures. Currently, research is focusing on identifying novel vaccine formulations able to elicit potent humoral and cellular immune responses. Translational science studies are attempting to discover correlates of protection using animal models as well as in vitro and ex vivo models assessing efficacy of vaccine candidates. Several new vaccine candidates are being tested in human clinical trials in a variety of target populations. In addition to vaccines, bacteriophages, monoclonal antibodies, centyrins and new classes of antibiotics are being developed. Some of these have been tested in humans with encouraging results. The complexity of the diseases and the range of the target populations affected by this pathogen will require a multipronged approach using different interventions, which will be discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonah Clegg
- GSK, Siena, Italy
- Host Pathogen Interactions Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Rachel M. McLoughlin
- Host Pathogen Interactions Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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30
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Cruz AR, van Strijp JAG, Bagnoli F, Manetti AGO. Virulence Gene Expression of Staphylococcus aureus in Human Skin. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:692023. [PMID: 34177874 PMCID: PMC8231915 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.692023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is the main cause of human skin and soft tissue infections. However, S. aureus pathogenicity within the skin is not fully characterized. Here, we implemented an S. aureus cutaneous infection model using human skin explants and performed a time-course infection to study the gene expression profile of a large panel of virulence-related factors of S. aureus USA300 LAC strain, by high-throughput RT-PCR. We pinpointed the genes that were differentially regulated by the bacteria in the skin tissues and identified 12 virulence factors that were upregulated at all time points assessed. Finally, using confocal microscopy, we show that the expression of alpha-hemolysin by S. aureus varies dependent on the skin niche and that the bacteria preferentially accumulates inside sweat glands and ducts. Taken together, our study gives insights about the pathogenic lifestyle of S. aureus within human skin tissues, which may contribute for the development of anti-S. aureus therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jos A G van Strijp
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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31
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Xu H, Huang L, Luo Q, Tu Q, Liu J, Yu R, Huang J, Chen T, Yin Y, Cao J. Absence of Toll-like receptor 7 protects mice against Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia. Int Immunopharmacol 2021; 96:107739. [PMID: 33984723 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.107739] [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] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is a sensor of microbial ssRNA that participates in the immune response process in many diseases. We herein sought to establish the role of TLR7 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia. Pneumonia model was created by intratracheally injecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the effects of TLR7 on survival, bacterial burden, lung pathology, cytokine and chemokine production, and pulmonary leukocyte recruitment were measured after Pseudomonas aeruginosa challenge. TLR7 expression was significantly elevated in WT mice after Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. TLR7-/- mice demonstrated enhanced survival, bacterial clearance, leukocyte infiltration, and macrophages phagocytic activity, and decreased pathology and capillary leakage. Besides, improved survival and bacterial clearance were observed in WT mice treated with TLR7 antagonist IRS661. More importantly, lack of TLR7 suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine production and induced anti-inflammatory cytokine production in mice lungs. Finally, neutralized IL-10 damaged the bacterial clearance ability of TLR7 deficient mice, leading to decreased survival. Collectively, absence of TLR7 provided protective effects during Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia and suggested that TLR7 could act as a novel immune target to treat clinical cases with Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haofeng Xu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China; Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine designated by the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Lili Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Qin Luo
- Department of Clinical Molecular Medical Testing Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Qianqian Tu
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine designated by the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Jiayu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine designated by the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Renlin Yu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Jun Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Te Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China; Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine designated by the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Yibing Yin
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine designated by the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Ju Cao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China.
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32
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Yi Y, Wang H, Su L, Wang H, Zhang B, Su Y. A comparative investigation on the role and interaction of EsxA and EsxB in host immune response. Microb Pathog 2021; 154:104843. [PMID: 33691174 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.104843] [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] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 01/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a frequent and major cause of bovine mastitis; it poses a tremendous economic burden to dairy industries of numerous countries. Early-secretion antigen-6 secretion system (ESS) has been viewed as an essential virulence and pathogenic factor of S. aureus. EsxA and EsxB are small acidic proteins secreted by ESS and identified as potential T-cell antigens of S. aureus. Unlike those of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), the EsxA and EsxB of S. aureus do not form a dimer. Instead, EsxA dimerizes with itself or EsaC. Therefore, the interaction of EsxA and EsxB remains incompletely understood. In this study, to explore their interactions, EsxA and EsxB were expressed and used for immunization, alone or in combination, of murine infection models. Both components can interact with each other. Through the analysis of the immune response by immunological method, EsxB could significantly enhance the EsxA-specific IgG2a antibody level and increase the proliferation proportion of CD8+ T cells. These results indicate that when vaccinated with EsxA, EsxB can play a critical role in stimulating T helper 1 immunity by activating IgG2a and CD8+ T cells. We further show that vaccination with the combination of EsxA and EsxB resulted in enhanced stimulation of TLR-4 and improved protection against S. aureus. The findings may help us better understand the role of EsxB in the virulence and pathogenesis of S. aureus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyang Yi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Hanqing Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Lingling Su
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Hao Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Baojiang Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yan Su
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
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Venkatasubramaniam A, Liao G, Cho E, Adhikari RP, Kort T, Holtsberg FW, Elsass KE, Kobs DJ, Rudge TL, Kauffman KD, Lora NE, Barber DL, Aman MJ, Karauzum H. Safety and Immunogenicity of a 4-Component Toxoid-Based Staphylococcus aureus Vaccine in Rhesus Macaques. Front Immunol 2021; 12:621754. [PMID: 33717122 PMCID: PMC7947289 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.621754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of significant morbidity and mortality and an enormous economic burden to public health worldwide. Infections caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) pose a major threat as MRSA strains are becoming increasingly prevalent and multi-drug resistant. To this date, vaccines targeting surface-bound antigens demonstrated promising results in preclinical testing but have failed in clinical trials. S. aureus pathogenesis is in large part driven by immune destructive and immune modulating toxins and thus represent promising vaccine targets. Hence, the objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a staphylococcal 4-component vaccine targeting secreted bi-component pore-forming toxins (BCPFTs) and superantigens (SAgs) in non-human primates (NHPs). The 4-component vaccine proved to be safe, even when repeated vaccinations were given at a dose that is 5 to 10- fold higher than the proposed human dose. Vaccinated rhesus macaques did not exhibit clinical signs, weight loss, or changes in hematology or serum chemistry parameters related to the administration of the vaccine. No acute, vaccine-related elevation of serum cytokine levels was observed after vaccine administration, confirming the toxoid components lacked superantigenicity. Immunized animals demonstrated high level of toxin-specific total and neutralizing antibodies toward target antigens of the 4-component vaccine as well as cross-neutralizing activity toward staphylococcal BCPFTs and SAgs that are not direct targets of the vaccine. Cross-neutralization was also observed toward the heterologous streptococcal pyogenic exotoxin B. Ex vivo stimulation of PBMCs with individual vaccine components demonstrated an overall increase in several T cell cytokines measured in supernatants. Immunophenotyping of CD4 T cells ex vivo showed an increase in Ag-specific polyfunctional CD4 T cells in response to antigen stimulation. Taken together, we demonstrate that the 4-component vaccine is well-tolerated and immunogenic in NHPs generating both humoral and cellular immune responses. Targeting secreted toxin antigens could be the next-generation vaccine approach for staphylococcal vaccines if also proven to provide efficacy in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Grant Liao
- Integrated BioTherapeutics, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Eunice Cho
- Integrated BioTherapeutics, Rockville, MD, United States
| | | | - Tom Kort
- Integrated BioTherapeutics, Rockville, MD, United States
| | | | | | - Dean J. Kobs
- Batelle - West Jefferson, West Jefferson, OH, United States
| | | | - Keith D. Kauffman
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, T Lymphocyte Biology Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Nickiana E. Lora
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, T Lymphocyte Biology Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Daniel L. Barber
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, T Lymphocyte Biology Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - M. Javad Aman
- Integrated BioTherapeutics, Rockville, MD, United States
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Teymournejad O, Montgomery CP. Evasion of Immunological Memory by S. aureus Infection: Implications for Vaccine Design. Front Immunol 2021; 12:633672. [PMID: 33692805 PMCID: PMC7937817 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.633672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recurrent S. aureus infections are common, suggesting that natural immune responses are not protective. All candidate vaccines tested thus far have failed to protect against S. aureus infections, highlighting an urgent need to better understand the mechanisms by which the bacterium interacts with the host immune system to evade or prevent protective immunity. Although there is evidence in murine models that both cellular and humoral immune responses are important for protection against S. aureus, human studies suggest that T cells are critical in determining susceptibility to infection. This review will use an “anatomic” approach to systematically outline the steps necessary in generating a T cell-mediated immune response against S. aureus. Through the processes of bacterial uptake by antigen presenting cells, processing and presentation of antigens to T cells, and differentiation and proliferation of memory and effector T cell subsets, the ability of S. aureus to evade or inhibit each step of the T-cell mediated response will be reviewed. We hypothesize that these interactions result in the redirection of immune responses away from protective antigens, thereby precluding the establishment of “natural” memory and potentially inhibiting the efficacy of vaccination. It is anticipated that this approach will reveal important implications for future design of vaccines to prevent these infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omid Teymournejad
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Christopher P Montgomery
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States
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35
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Scully IL, Timofeyeva Y, Illenberger A, Lu P, Liberator PA, Jansen KU, Anderson AS. Performance of a Four-Antigen Staphylococcus aureus Vaccine in Preclinical Models of Invasive S. aureus Disease. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9010177. [PMID: 33467609 PMCID: PMC7830931 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9010177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
A Staphylococcus aureus four-antigen vaccine (SA4Ag) was designed for the prevention of invasive disease in surgical patients. The vaccine is composed of capsular polysaccharide type 5 and type 8 CRM197 conjugates, a clumping factor A mutant (Y338A-ClfA) and manganese transporter subunit C (MntC). S. aureus pathogenicity is characterized by an ability to rapidly adapt to the host environment during infection, which can progress from a local infection to sepsis and invasion of distant organs. To test the protective capacity of the SA4Ag vaccine against progressive disease stages of an invasive S. aureus infection, a deep tissue infection mouse model, a bacteremia mouse model, a pyelonephritis model, and a rat model of infectious endocarditis were utilized. SA4Ag vaccination significantly reduced the bacterial burden in deep tissue infection, in bacteremia, and in the pyelonephritis model. Complete prevention of infection was demonstrated in a clinically relevant endocarditis model. Unfortunately, these positive preclinical findings with SA4Ag did not prove the clinical utility of SA4Ag in the prevention of surgery-associated invasive S. aureus infection.
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36
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Grego EA, Siddoway AC, Uz M, Liu L, Christiansen JC, Ross KA, Kelly SM, Mallapragada SK, Wannemuehler MJ, Narasimhan B. Polymeric Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine Adjuvants and Delivery Vehicles. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2021; 433:29-76. [PMID: 33165869 PMCID: PMC8107186 DOI: 10.1007/82_2020_226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
As vaccine formulations have progressed from including live or attenuated strains of pathogenic components for enhanced safety, developing new adjuvants to more effectively generate adaptive immune responses has become necessary. In this context, polymeric nanoparticles have emerged as a promising platform with multiple advantages, including the dual capability of adjuvant and delivery vehicle, administration via multiple routes, induction of rapid and long-lived immunity, greater shelf-life at elevated temperatures, and enhanced patient compliance. This comprehensive review describes advances in nanoparticle-based vaccines (i.e., nanovaccines) with a particular focus on polymeric particles as adjuvants and delivery vehicles. Examples of the nanovaccine approach in respiratory infections, biodefense, and cancer are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Grego
- Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Alaric C Siddoway
- Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Metin Uz
- Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
- Departments of Nanovaccine Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Luman Liu
- Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - John C Christiansen
- Departments of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Kathleen A Ross
- Departments of Nanovaccine Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Sean M Kelly
- Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Surya K Mallapragada
- Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
- Departments of Nanovaccine Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Michael J Wannemuehler
- Departments of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
- Departments of Nanovaccine Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Balaji Narasimhan
- Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
- Departments of Nanovaccine Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
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Nappi F, Spadaccio C, Mihos C. Infective endocarditis in the 21st century. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2020; 8:1620. [PMID: 33437819 PMCID: PMC7791244 DOI: 10.21037/atm-20-4867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Nappi
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Centre Cardiologique du Nord de Saint-Denis, Paris, France
| | - Cristiano Spadaccio
- Department of Cardiac Surgery. Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Glasgow, UK.,Echocardiography Laboratory, Columbia University Division of Cardiology, Mount Sinai Heart Institute, Miami Beach, FL, USA
| | - Christos Mihos
- Echocardiography Laboratory, Columbia University Division of Cardiology, Mount Sinai Heart Institute, Miami Beach, FL, USA
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Vlaeminck J, Raafat D, Surmann K, Timbermont L, Normann N, Sellman B, van Wamel WJB, Malhotra-Kumar S. Exploring Virulence Factors and Alternative Therapies against Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:toxins12110721. [PMID: 33218049 PMCID: PMC7698915 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12110721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pneumonia is an acute pulmonary infection associated with high mortality and an immense financial burden on healthcare systems. Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen capable of inducing S. aureus pneumonia (SAP), with some lineages also showing multidrug resistance. Given the high level of antibiotic resistance, much research has been focused on targeting S. aureus virulence factors, including toxins and biofilm-associated proteins, in an attempt to develop effective SAP therapeutics. Despite several promising leads, many hurdles still remain for S. aureus vaccine research. Here, we review the state-of-the-art SAP therapeutics, highlight their pitfalls, and discuss alternative approaches of potential significance and future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelle Vlaeminck
- Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (J.V.); (L.T.)
| | - Dina Raafat
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany; (D.R.); (N.N.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21521, Egypt
| | - Kristin Surmann
- Department of Functional Genomics, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany;
| | - Leen Timbermont
- Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (J.V.); (L.T.)
| | - Nicole Normann
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany; (D.R.); (N.N.)
| | - Bret Sellman
- Microbiome Discovery, Microbial Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R & D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA;
| | - Willem J. B. van Wamel
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, 3015 Rotterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar
- Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (J.V.); (L.T.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +32-3-265-27-52
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Chasaide CN, Mills KH. Next-Generation Pertussis Vaccines Based on the Induction of Protective T Cells in the Respiratory Tract. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:E621. [PMID: 33096737 PMCID: PMC7711671 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8040621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunization with current acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines protects against severe pertussis, but immunity wanes rapidly after vaccination and these vaccines do not prevent nasal colonization with Bordetella pertussis. Studies in mouse and baboon models have demonstrated that Th1 and Th17 responses are integral to protective immunity induced by previous infection with B. pertussis and immunization with whole cell pertussis (wP) vaccines. Mucosal Th17 cells, IL-17 and secretory IgA (sIgA) are particularly important in generating sustained sterilizing immunity in the nasal cavity. Current aP vaccines induce potent IgG and Th2-skewed T cell responses but are less effective at generating Th1 and Th17 responses and fail to prime respiratory tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells, that maintain long-term immunity at mucosal sites. In contrast, a live attenuated pertussis vaccine, pertussis outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccines or aP vaccines formulated with novel adjuvants do induce cellular immune responses in the respiratory tract, especially when delivered by the intranasal route. An increased understanding of the mechanisms of sustained protective immunity, especially the role of respiratory TRM cells, will facilitate the development of next generation pertussis vaccines that not only protect against pertussis disease, but prevent nasal colonization and transmission of B. pertussis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kingston H.G. Mills
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin, 2, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland;
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40
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Nguyen MT, Matsuo M, Niemann S, Herrmann M, Götz F. Lipoproteins in Gram-Positive Bacteria: Abundance, Function, Fitness. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:582582. [PMID: 33042100 PMCID: PMC7530257 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.582582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
When one thinks of the Gram+ cell wall, the peptidoglycan (PG) scaffold in particular comes to mind. However, the cell wall also consists of many other components, for example those that are covalently linked to the PG: the wall teichoic acid and the cell wall proteins tethered by the sortase. In addition, there are completely different molecules that are anchored in the cytoplasmic membrane and span the cell wall. These are lipoteichoic acids and bacterial lipoproteins (Lpp). The latter are in the focus of this review. Lpp are present in almost all bacteria. They fulfill a wealth of different tasks. They represent the window to the outside world by recognizing nutrients and incorporating them into the bacterial cell via special transport systems. Furthermore, they perform very diverse and special tasks such as acting as chaperonin, as cyclomodulin, contributing to invasion of host cells or uptake of plasmids via conjugation. All these functions are taken over by the protein part. Nevertheless, the lipid part of the Lpp plays an as important role as the protein part. It is the released lipoproteins and derived lipopeptides that massively modulate our immune system and ultimately play an important role in immune tolerance or non-tolerance. All these varied activities of the Lpp are considered in this review article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minh-Thu Nguyen
- Section of Medical and Geographical Infectiology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Miki Matsuo
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT), Microbial Genetics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Silke Niemann
- Section of Medical and Geographical Infectiology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Mathias Herrmann
- Section of Medical and Geographical Infectiology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Friedrich Götz
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT), Microbial Genetics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Miller LS, Fowler VG, Shukla SK, Rose WE, Proctor RA. Development of a vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus invasive infections: Evidence based on human immunity, genetics and bacterial evasion mechanisms. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2020; 44:123-153. [PMID: 31841134 PMCID: PMC7053580 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuz030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive Staphylococcus aureus infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both hospital and community settings, especially with the widespread emergence of virulent and multi-drug resistant methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains. There is an urgent and unmet clinical need for non-antibiotic immune-based approaches to treat these infections as the increasing antibiotic resistance is creating a serious threat to public health. However, all vaccination attempts aimed at preventing S. aureus invasive infections have failed in human trials, especially all vaccines aimed at generating high titers of opsonic antibodies against S. aureus surface antigens to facilitate antibody-mediated bacterial clearance. In this review, we summarize the data from humans regarding the immune responses that protect against invasive S. aureus infections as well as host genetic factors and bacterial evasion mechanisms, which are important to consider for the future development of effective and successful vaccines and immunotherapies against invasive S. aureus infections in humans. The evidence presented form the basis for a hypothesis that staphylococcal toxins (including superantigens and pore-forming toxins) are important virulence factors, and targeting the neutralization of these toxins are more likely to provide a therapeutic benefit in contrast to prior vaccine attempts to generate antibodies to facilitate opsonophagocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lloyd S Miller
- Immunology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA, 19477, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1550 Orleans Street, Cancer Research Building 2, Suite 209, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA.,Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1830 East Monument Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.,Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 North Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Vance G Fowler
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, 315 Trent Drive, Hanes House, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.,Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, 40 Duke Medicine Circle, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Sanjay K Shukla
- Center for Precision Medicine Research, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA.,Computation and Informatics in Biology and Medicine, University of Wisconsin, 425 Henry Mall, Room 3445, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Warren E Rose
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, 1685 Highland Avenue, 5158 Medical Foundation Centennial Building, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.,Pharmacy Practice Division, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 777 Highland Avenue, 4123 Rennebohm Hall, Madison, WI, 53705 USA
| | - Richard A Proctor
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, 1685 Highland Avenue, 5158 Medical Foundation Centennial Building, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.,Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, 1550 Linden Drive, Microbial Sciences Building, Room 1334, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
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42
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Convergent Evolution of Neutralizing Antibodies to Staphylococcus aureus γ-Hemolysin C That Recognize an Immunodominant Primary Sequence-Dependent B-Cell Epitope. mBio 2020; 11:mBio.00460-20. [PMID: 32546616 PMCID: PMC7298706 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00460-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus infection is a major public health threat in part due to the spread of antibiotic resistance and repeated failures to develop a protective vaccine. Infection is associated with production of virulence factors that include exotoxins that attack host barriers and cellular defenses, such as the leukocidin (Luk) family of bicomponent pore-forming toxins. To investigate the structural basis of antibody-mediated functional inactivation of Luk toxins, we generated a panel of murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that neutralize host cell killing by the γ-hemolysin HlgCB. Staphylococcus aureus infection is a major public health threat in part due to the spread of antibiotic resistance and repeated failures to develop a protective vaccine. Infection is associated with production of virulence factors that include exotoxins that attack host barriers and cellular defenses, such as the leukocidin (Luk) family of bicomponent pore-forming toxins. To investigate the structural basis of antibody-mediated functional inactivation of Luk toxins, we generated a panel of murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that neutralize host cell killing by the γ-hemolysin HlgCB. By biopanning these MAbs against a phage-display library of random Luk peptide fragments, we identified a small subregion within the rim domain of HlgC as the epitope for all the MAbs. Within the native holotoxin, this subregion folds into a conserved β-hairpin structure, with exposed key residues, His252 and Tyr253, required for antibody binding. On the basis of the phage-display results and molecular modeling, a 15-amino-acid synthetic peptide representing the minimal epitope on HlgC (HlgC241-255) was designed, and preincubation with this peptide blocked antibody-mediated HIgCB neutralization. Immunization of mice with HlgC241-255 or the homologous LukS246-260 subregion peptide elicited serum antibodies that specifically recognized the native holotoxin subunits. Furthermore, serum IgG from patients who were convalescent for invasive S. aureus infection showed neutralization of HlgCB toxin activity ex vivo, which recognized the immunodominant HlgC241-255 peptide and was dependent on His252 and Tyr253 residues. We have thus validated an efficient, rapid, and scalable experimental workflow for identification of immunodominant and immunogenic leukotoxin-neutralizing B-cell epitopes that can be exploited for new S. aureus-protective vaccines and immunotherapies.
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Dreisbach A, Wang M, van der Kooi-Pol MM, Reilman E, Koedijk DGAM, Mars RAT, Duipmans J, Jonkman M, Benschop JJ, Bonarius HPJ, Groen H, Hecker M, Otto A, Bäsell K, Bernhardt J, Back JW, Becher D, Buist G, van Dijl JM. Tryptic Shaving of Staphylococcus aureus Unveils Immunodominant Epitopes on the Bacterial Cell Surface. J Proteome Res 2020; 19:2997-3010. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Annette Dreisbach
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P. O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Min Wang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P. O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Magdalena M. van der Kooi-Pol
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P. O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ewoud Reilman
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P. O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Dennis G. A. M. Koedijk
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P. O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ruben A. T. Mars
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P. O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - José Duipmans
- Department of Dermatology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marcel Jonkman
- Department of Dermatology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Joris J. Benschop
- Pepscan Therapeutics BV, P. O. Box 2098, 8203 AB Lelystad, the Netherlands
| | | | - Herman Groen
- IQ Therapeutics, Rozenburglaan 13a, 9727 DL Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Michael Hecker
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 15, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Andreas Otto
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 15, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Katrin Bäsell
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 15, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Jörg Bernhardt
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 15, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Jaap Willem Back
- Pepscan Therapeutics BV, P. O. Box 2098, 8203 AB Lelystad, the Netherlands
| | - Dörte Becher
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 15, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Girbe Buist
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P. O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jan Maarten van Dijl
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P. O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
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44
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Xiu L, Sheng S, Hu Z, Liu Y, Li J, Zhang H, Liang Y, Du R, Wang X. Exopolysaccharides from Lactobacillus kiferi as adjuvant enhanced the immuno-protective against Staphylococcus aureus infection. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 161:10-23. [PMID: 32512102 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Exopolysaccharides from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have gained more attention due to their health benefits. Most research on LAB EPS focuses on antitumor and antioxidant activities. To our knowledge, the immunoadjuvant activity of LAB EPS has not been thoroughly studied. In this study, the EPS produced by Lactobacillus kiferi WXD029 were purified by ethanol precipitation and column chromatography fractionation. The molecular weight of the EPS was 3.423 × 105 Da and was mainly composed of Glu, GlcN, and GalN in a molar ratio of 3.1:1:1. In vitro, EPS could significantly enhance the proliferation and phagocytic activity as well as induce the production of NO, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells. In vivo, the EPS adjuvant could increase the titers of S.aureus antigen-specific antibodies and markedly enhanced T cell proliferation. Notably, EPS adjuvant also induced a strong potential Th1, Th2 and Th17-cell mixture responses. Furthermore, immunization with S.aureus antigen plus EPS adjuvant induced a protective effect when compared with S.aureus antigen alone in murine bacteremia, pneumonia and mastitis model. Collectively, these results suggest that EPS derived from probiotic Lactobacillus kiferi strain is promising as an efficient adjuvant candidate for the prevention of S. aureus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xiu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation & Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, PR China
| | - Shouxin Sheng
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation & Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, PR China
| | - Zhongpeng Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation & Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, PR China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation & Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, PR China
| | - Jianwei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation & Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, PR China
| | - Haochi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation & Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, PR China
| | - Yanchen Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation & Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, PR China
| | - Ruiping Du
- Animal Nutrition Institute, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Academy of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot 010031, PR China.
| | - Xiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation & Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, PR China.
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Kaushik D, Dhingra S, Patil MT, Piplani S, Khanna V, Honda-Okubo Y, Li L, Fung J, Sakala IG, Salunke DB, Petrovsky N. BBIQ, a pure TLR7 agonist, is an effective influenza vaccine adjuvant. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2020; 16:1989-1996. [PMID: 32298200 PMCID: PMC7482670 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2019.1710409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Better adjuvants are needed for vaccines against seasonal influenza. TLR7 agonists are potent activators of innate immune responses and thereby may be promising adjuvants. Among the imidazoquinoline compounds, 1-benzyl-2-butyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-amine (BBIQ) was reported to be a highly active TLR7 agonist but has remained relatively unexplored because of its commercial unavailability. Indeed, in silico molecular modeling studies predicted that BBIQ had a higher TLR7 docking score and binding free energy than imiquimod, the gold standard TLR7 agonist. To circumvent the availability issue, we developed an improved and higher yield method to synthesize BBIQ. Testing BBIQ on human and mouse TLR7 reporter cell lines confirmed it to be TLR7 specific with significantly higher potency than imiquimod. To test its adjuvant potential, BBIQ or imiquimod were admixed with recombinant influenza hemagglutinin protein and administered to mice as two intramuscular immunizations 2 weeks apart. Serum anti-influenza IgG responses assessed by ELISA 2 weeks after the second immunization confirmed that the mice that received vaccine admixed with BBIQ had significantly higher anti-influenza IgG1 and IgG2c responses than mice immunized with antigen alone or admixed with imiquimod. This confirmed BBIQ to be a TLR7-specific adjuvant able to enhance humoral immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepender Kaushik
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University , Chandigarh, India
| | - Simran Dhingra
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University , Chandigarh, India
| | - Madhuri T Patil
- Department of Chemistry, Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women , Chandigarh, India
| | - Sakshi Piplani
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
| | - Varun Khanna
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
| | - Yoshikazu Honda-Okubo
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
| | - Lei Li
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
| | | | - Isaac G Sakala
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
| | - Deepak B Salunke
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University , Chandigarh, India.,National Interdisciplinary Centre of Vaccine, Immunotherapeutics and Antimicrobials (NICOVIA), Panjab University , Chandigarh, India
| | - Nikolai Petrovsky
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
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Rapid and Broad Immune Efficacy of a Recombinant Five-Antigen Vaccine against Staphylococcus Aureus Infection in Animal Models. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8010134. [PMID: 32197534 PMCID: PMC7157245 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8010134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a leading cause of both healthcare-and community-associated infections globally, which result in severe disease and readily developing antibiotic resistance. Developing an efficacious vaccine against S. aureus is urgently required. In the present study, we selected five conserved antigens, including the secreted factors α-hemolysin (Hla), staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) and the three surface proteins staphylococcal protein A (SpA), iron surface determinant B N2 domain (IsdB-N2) and manganese transport protein C (MntC). They were all well-characterized virulence factor of S. aureus and developed a recombinant five-antigen S. aureus vaccine (rFSAV), rFSAV provided consistent protection in S. aureus lethal sepsis and pneumonia mouse models, and it showed broad immune protection when challenged with a panel of epidemiologically relevant S. aureus strains. Meanwhile, rFSAV immunized mice were able to induce comprehensive cellular and humoral immune responses to reduce bacterial loads, inflammatory cytokine expression, inflammatory cell infiltration and decrease pathology after challenge with a sub-lethal dose of S. aureus. Moreover, the importance of specific antibodies in protection was demonstrated by antibody function tests in vitro and in vivo. Altogether, our data demonstrate that rFSAV is a potentially promising vaccine candidate for defensing against S. aureus infection.
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Hu Y, Tang L, Zhu Z, Meng H, Chen T, Zhao S, Jin Z, Wang Z, Jin G. A novel TLR7 agonist as adjuvant to stimulate high quality HBsAg-specific immune responses in an HBV mouse model. J Transl Med 2020; 18:112. [PMID: 32131853 PMCID: PMC7055022 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02275-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The global burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in terms of morbidity and mortality is immense. Novel treatments that can induce a protective immune response are urgently needed to effectively control the HBV epidemic and eventually eradicate chronic HBV infection. Methods We designed and evaluated an HBV therapeutic vaccine consisting of a novel Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist T7-EA, an Alum adjuvant and a recombinant HBsAg protein. We used RNA-seq, ELISA and hTLR7/8 reporting assays to characterize T7-EA in vitro and real-time PCR to evaluate the tissue-retention characteristics in vivo. To evaluate the adjuvant potential, we administrated T7-EA intraperitoneally in a formulation with an Alum adjuvant and HBsAg in normal and HBV mice, then, we evaluated the HBsAg-specific immune responses by ELISA and Elispot assays. Results T7-EA acted as an hTLR7-specific agonist and induced a similar gene expression pattern as an unmodified TLR7 ligand when Raw 264.7 cells were exposed to T7-EA; however, T7-EA was more potent than the unmodified TLR7 ligand. In vivo studies showed that T7-EA had tissue-retaining activity with stimulating local cytokine and chemokine expression for up to 7 days. T7-EA could induce Th1-type immune responses, as evidenced by an increased HBsAg-specific IgG2a titer and a T-cell response in normal mice compared to mice received traditional Alum-adjuvant HBV vaccine. Importantly, T7-EA could break immune tolerance and induce persistent HBsAg-specific antibody and T-cell responses in an HBV mouse model. Conclusions T7-EA might be a candidate adjuvant in a prophylactic and therapeutic HBV vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Hu
- The Cancer Research Center, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China. .,National Engineering LAB of Synthetic Biology of Medicine, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Li Tang
- The Cancer Research Center, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,National Engineering LAB of Synthetic Biology of Medicine, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zhengyu Zhu
- Shenzhen Kang Tai Biological Products CO., Ltd, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - He Meng
- Department of Stomatology, Shenzhen University General Hospital & Shenzhen University Clinical Medical Academy, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Tingting Chen
- The Cancer Research Center, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,National Engineering LAB of Synthetic Biology of Medicine, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Sheng Zhao
- The Cancer Research Center, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,National Engineering LAB of Synthetic Biology of Medicine, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zhenchao Jin
- The Cancer Research Center, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,National Engineering LAB of Synthetic Biology of Medicine, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zhulin Wang
- The Cancer Research Center, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,National Engineering LAB of Synthetic Biology of Medicine, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Guangyi Jin
- The Cancer Research Center, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China. .,National Engineering LAB of Synthetic Biology of Medicine, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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Toll-like Receptor 7 Contributes to Inflammation, Organ Injury, and Mortality in Murine Sepsis. Anesthesiology 2020; 131:105-118. [PMID: 31045897 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000002706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THIS TOPIC Toll-like receptor 7 responds to elevated single-stranded RNA by increasing cytokine production. Sepsis is characterized by elevated plasma levels of tissue damage (and pathogen)-associated molecular patterns, including RNA. WHAT THIS ARTICLE TELLS US THAT IS NEW Using murine models of bacterial sepsis, knockout of the Toll-like receptor 7 resulted in lower mortality and cytokine levels and less end-organ injury. Therefore, Toll-like receptor 7, which mediates innate immune response, contributes to harm in experimental sepsis. BACKGROUND Sepsis remains a critical illness with high mortality. The authors have recently reported that mouse plasma RNA concentrations are markedly increased during sepsis and closely associated with its severity. Toll-like receptor 7, originally identified as the sensor for single-stranded RNA virus, also mediates host extracellular RNA-induced innate immune responses in vitro and in vivo. Here, the authors hypothesize that innate immune signaling via Toll-like receptor 7 contributes to inflammatory response, organ injury, and mortality during polymicrobial sepsis. METHODS Sepsis was created by (1) cecal ligation and puncture or (2) stool slurry peritoneal injection. Wild-type and Toll-like receptor 7 knockout mice, both in C57BL/6J background, were used. The following endpoints were measured: mortality, acute kidney injury biomarkers, plasma and peritoneal cytokines, blood bacterial loading, peritoneal leukocyte counts, and neutrophil phagocytic function. RESULTS The 11-day overall mortality was 81% in wild-type mice and 48% in Toll-like receptor 7 knockout mice after cecal ligation and puncture (N = 27 per group, P = 0.0031). Compared with wild-type septic mice, Toll-like receptor 7 knockout septic mice also had lower sepsis severity, attenuated plasma cytokine storm (wild-type vs. Toll-like receptor 7 knockout, interleukin-6: 43.2 [24.5, 162.7] vs. 4.4 [3.1, 12.0] ng/ml, P = 0.003) and peritoneal inflammation, alleviated acute kidney injury (wild-type vs. Toll-like receptor 7 knockout, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin: 307 ± 184 vs.139 ± 41-fold, P = 0.0364; kidney injury molecule-1: 40 [16, 49] vs.13 [4, 223]-fold, P = 0.0704), lower bacterial loading, and enhanced leukocyte peritoneal recruitment and phagocytic activities at 24 h. Moreover, stool slurry from wild-type and Toll-like receptor 7 knockout mice resulted in similar level of sepsis severity, peritoneal cytokines, and leukocyte recruitment in wild-type animals after peritoneal injection. CONCLUSIONS Toll-like receptor 7 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of polymicrobial sepsis by mediating host innate immune responses and contributes to acute kidney injury and mortality.
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Adjuvant effect of TLR7 agonist adsorbed on aluminum hydroxide (AS37): A phase I randomized, dose escalation study of an AS37-adjuvanted meningococcal C conjugated vaccine. Clin Immunol 2019; 209:108275. [PMID: 31669193 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2019.108275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
An adjuvant system (AS37) has been developed containing a synthetic toll-like receptor agonist (TLR7a). We conducted a phase I randomized, observer-blind, dose-escalation study to assess the safety and immunogenicity of an investigational AS37-adjuvanted meningococcus C (MenC) conjugate vaccine in healthy adults (NCT02639351). A control group received a licensed MenC conjugate alum-adjuvanted vaccine. Eighty participants were randomized to receive one dose of control or investigational vaccine containing AS37 (TLR7a dose 12.5, 25, 50, 100 μg). All vaccines were well tolerated, apart from in the TLR7a 100 μg dose group, which had three reports (18.8%) of severe systemic adverse events. Four weeks after vaccination, human complement serum bactericidal assay seroresponse rates against MenC were 56-81% in all groups, and ELISA seroresponses were ≥81% for all AS37-adjuvanted vaccine groups (100% in 50 and 100 μg dose groups) and 88% in the control group. Antibody responses were maintained at six months after vaccination.
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Bacterial outer membrane vesicles engineered with lipidated antigens as a platform for Staphylococcus aureus vaccine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:21780-21788. [PMID: 31591215 PMCID: PMC6815149 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1905112116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) represent an interesting vaccine platform for their built-in adjuvanticity and simplicity of production process. Moreover, OMVs can be decorated with foreign antigens using different synthetic biology approaches. However, the optimal OMV engineering strategy, which should guarantee the OMV compartmentalization of most heterologous antigens in quantities high enough to elicit protective immune responses, remains to be validated. In this work we exploited the lipoprotein transport pathway to engineer OMVs with foreign proteins. Using 5 Staphylococcus aureus protective antigens expressed in Escherichia coli as fusions to a lipoprotein leader sequence, we demonstrated that all 5 antigens accumulated in the vesicular compartment at a concentration ranging from 5 to 20% of total OMV proteins, suggesting that antigen lipidation could be a universal approach for OMV manipulation. Engineered OMVs elicited high, saturating antigen-specific antibody titers when administered to mice in quantities as low as 0.2 μg/dose. Moreover, the expression of lipidated antigens in E. coli BL21(DE3)ΔompAΔmsbBΔpagP was shown to affect the lipopolysaccharide structure, with the result that the TLR4 agonist activity of OMVs was markedly reduced. These results, together with the potent protective activity of engineered OMVs observed in mice challenged with S. aureus Newman strain, makes the 5-combo-OMVs a promising vaccine candidate to be tested in clinics.
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