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Wacker M, Bauer J, Wessling L, Dubbelaar M, Nelde A, Rammensee HG, Walz JS. Immunoprecipitation methods impact the peptide repertoire in immunopeptidomics. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1219720. [PMID: 37545538 PMCID: PMC10400765 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1219720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Mass spectrometry-based immunopeptidomics is the only unbiased method to identify naturally presented HLA ligands, which is an indispensable prerequisite for characterizing novel tumor antigens for immunotherapeutic approaches. In recent years, improvements based on devices and methodology have been made to optimize sensitivity and throughput in immunopeptidomics. However, developments in ligand isolation, mass spectrometric analysis, and subsequent data processing can have a marked impact on the quality and quantity of immunopeptidomics data. Methods In this work, we compared the immunopeptidome composition in terms of peptide yields, spectra quality, hydrophobicity, retention time, and immunogenicity of two established immunoprecipitation methods (column-based and 96-well-based) using cell lines as well as primary solid and hematological tumor samples. Results Although, we identified comparable overall peptide yields, large proportions of method-exclusive peptides were detected with significantly higher hydrophobicity for the column-based method with potential implications for the identification of immunogenic tumor antigens. We showed that column preparation does not lose hydrophilic peptides in the hydrophilic washing step. In contrast, an additional 50% acetonitrile elution could partially regain lost hydrophobic peptides during 96-well preparation, suggesting a reduction of the bias towards the column-based method but not completely equalizing it. Discussion Together, this work showed how different immunoprecipitation methods and their adaptions can impact the peptide repertoire of immunopeptidomic analysis and therefore the identification of potential tumor-associated antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Wacker
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jens Bauer
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Laura Wessling
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marissa Dubbelaar
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Annika Nelde
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hans-Georg Rammensee
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), partner site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Juliane S. Walz
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), partner site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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2
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To Affinity and Beyond: A Personal Reflection on the Design and Discovery of Drugs. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27217624. [DOI: 10.3390/molecules27217624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Faced with new and as yet unmet medical need, the stark underperformance of the pharmaceutical discovery process is well described if not perfectly understood. Driven primarily by profit rather than societal need, the search for new pharmaceutical products—small molecule drugs, biologicals, and vaccines—is neither properly funded nor sufficiently systematic. Many innovative approaches remain significantly underused and severely underappreciated, while dominant methodologies are replete with problems and limitations. Design is a component of drug discovery that is much discussed but seldom realised. In and of itself, technical innovation alone is unlikely to fulfil all the possibilities of drug discovery if the necessary underlying infrastructure remains unaltered. A fundamental revision in attitudes, with greater reliance on design powered by computational approaches, as well as a move away from the commercial imperative, is thus essential to capitalise fully on the potential of pharmaceutical intervention in healthcare.
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Mintaev R, Glazkova D, Bogoslovskaya E, Shipulin G. Immunogenic epitope prediction to create a universal influenza vaccine. Heliyon 2022; 8:e09364. [PMID: 35540935 PMCID: PMC9079173 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Šantak M, Matić Z. The Role of Nucleoprotein in Immunity to Human Negative-Stranded RNA Viruses—Not Just Another Brick in the Viral Nucleocapsid. Viruses 2022; 14:v14030521. [PMID: 35336928 PMCID: PMC8955406 DOI: 10.3390/v14030521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Negative-stranded RNA viruses (NSVs) are important human pathogens, including emerging and reemerging viruses that cause respiratory, hemorrhagic and other severe illnesses. Vaccine design traditionally relies on the viral surface glycoproteins. However, surface glycoproteins rarely elicit effective long-term immunity due to high variability. Therefore, an alternative approach is to include conserved structural proteins such as nucleoprotein (NP). NP is engaged in myriad processes in the viral life cycle: coating and protection of viral RNA, regulation of transcription/replication processes and induction of immunosuppression of the host. A broad heterosubtypic T-cellular protection was ascribed very early to this protein. In contrast, the understanding of the humoral immunity to NP is very limited in spite of the high titer of non-neutralizing NP-specific antibodies raised upon natural infection or immunization. In this review, the data with important implications for the understanding of the role of NP in the immune response to human NSVs are revisited. Major implications of the elicited T-cell immune responses to NP are evaluated, and the possible multiple mechanisms of the neglected humoral response to NP are discussed. The intention of this review is to remind that NP is a very promising target for the development of future vaccines.
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5
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Maleki A, Russo G, Parasiliti Palumbo GA, Pappalardo F. In silico design of recombinant multi-epitope vaccine against influenza A virus. BMC Bioinformatics 2022; 22:617. [PMID: 35109785 PMCID: PMC8808469 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-022-04581-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Influenza A virus is one of the leading causes of annual mortality. The emerging of novel escape variants of the influenza A virus is still a considerable challenge in the annual process of vaccine production. The evolution of vaccines ranks among the most critical successes in medicine and has eradicated numerous infectious diseases. Recently, multi-epitope vaccines, which are based on the selection of epitopes, have been increasingly investigated.
Results This study utilized an immunoinformatic approach to design a recombinant multi-epitope vaccine based on a highly conserved epitope of hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, and membrane matrix proteins with fewer changes or mutate over time. The potential B cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), and CD4 T cell epitopes were identified. The recombinant multi-epitope vaccine was designed using specific linkers and a proper adjuvant. Moreover, some bioinformatics online servers and datasets were used to evaluate the immunogenicity and chemical properties of selected epitopes. In addition, Universal Immune System Simulator (UISS) in silico trial computational framework was run after influenza exposure and recombinant multi-epitope vaccine administration, showing a good immune response in terms of immunoglobulins of class G (IgG), T Helper 1 cells (TH1), epithelial cells (EP) and interferon gamma (IFN-g) levels. Furthermore, after a reverse translation (i.e., convertion of amino acid sequence to nucleotide one) and codon optimization phase, the optimized sequence was placed between the two EcoRV/MscI restriction sites in the PET32a+ vector. Conclusions The proposed “Recombinant multi-epitope vaccine” was predicted with unique and acceptable immunological properties. This recombinant multi-epitope vaccine can be successfully expressed in the prokaryotic system and accepted for immunogenicity studies against the influenza virus at the in silico level. The multi-epitope vaccine was then tested with the Universal Immune System Simulator (UISS) in silico trial platform. It revealed slight immune protection against the influenza virus, shedding the light that a multistep bioinformatics approach including molecular and cellular level is mandatory to avoid inappropriate vaccine efficacy predictions. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12859-022-04581-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avisa Maleki
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Catania, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Giulia Russo
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Pappalardo
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, 95125, Catania, Italy.
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Juanes-Velasco P, Landeira-Viñuela A, Acebes-Fernandez V, Hernández ÁP, Garcia-Vaquero ML, Arias-Hidalgo C, Bareke H, Montalvillo E, Gongora R, Fuentes M. Deciphering Human Leukocyte Antigen Susceptibility Maps From Immunopeptidomics Characterization in Oncology and Infections. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:642583. [PMID: 34123866 PMCID: PMC8195621 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.642583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variability across the three major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes (human leukocyte antigen [HLA] A, B, and C) may affect susceptibility to many diseases such as cancer, auto-immune or infectious diseases. Individual genetic variation may help to explain different immune responses to microorganisms across a population. HLA typing can be fast and inexpensive; however, deciphering peptides loaded on MHC-I and II which are presented to T cells, require the design and development of high-sensitivity methodological approaches and subsequently databases. Hence, these novel strategies and databases could help in the generation of vaccines using these potential immunogenic peptides and in identifying high-risk HLA types to be prioritized for vaccination programs. Herein, the recent developments and approaches, in this field, focusing on the identification of immunogenic peptides have been reviewed and the next steps to promote their translation into biomedical and clinical practice are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Juanes-Velasco
- Department of Medicine and Cytometry General Service-Nucleus, CIBERONC, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Alicia Landeira-Viñuela
- Department of Medicine and Cytometry General Service-Nucleus, CIBERONC, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Vanessa Acebes-Fernandez
- Department of Medicine and Cytometry General Service-Nucleus, CIBERONC, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Ángela-Patricia Hernández
- Department of Medicine and Cytometry General Service-Nucleus, CIBERONC, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Marina L. Garcia-Vaquero
- Department of Medicine and Cytometry General Service-Nucleus, CIBERONC, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Carlota Arias-Hidalgo
- Department of Medicine and Cytometry General Service-Nucleus, CIBERONC, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Halin Bareke
- Department of Medicine and Cytometry General Service-Nucleus, CIBERONC, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Enrique Montalvillo
- Department of Medicine and Cytometry General Service-Nucleus, CIBERONC, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Rafael Gongora
- Department of Medicine and Cytometry General Service-Nucleus, CIBERONC, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Manuel Fuentes
- Department of Medicine and Cytometry General Service-Nucleus, CIBERONC, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
- Proteomics Unit, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC/CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
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Azim KF, Lasker T, Akter R, Hia MM, Bhuiyan OF, Hasan M, Hossain MN. Combination of highly antigenic nucleoproteins to inaugurate a cross-reactive next generation vaccine candidate against Arenaviridae family. Heliyon 2021; 7:e07022. [PMID: 34041391 PMCID: PMC8144012 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07022] [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: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Arenaviral infections often result lethal hemorrhagic fevers, affecting primarily in African and South American regions. To date, there is no FDA-approved licensed vaccine against arenaviruses and treatments have been limited to supportive therapy. Hence, the study was employed to design a highly immunogenic cross-reactive vaccine against Arenaviridae family using reverse vaccinology approach. The whole proteome of Lassa virus (LASV), Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), Lujo virus and Guanarito virus were retrieved and assessed to determine the most antigenic viral proteins. Both T-cell and B-cell epitopes were predicted and screened based on transmembrane topology, antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity and molecular docking analysis. The final constructs were designed using different adjuvants, top epitopes, PADRE sequence and respective linkers and were assessed for the efficacy, safety, stability and molecular cloning purposes. The proposed epitopes were highly conserved (84%–100%) and showed greater cumulative population coverage. Moreover, T cell epitope GWPYIGSRS was conserved in Junin virus (Argentine mammarenavirus) and Sabia virus (Brazilian mammarenavirus), while B cell epitope NLLYKICLSG was conserved in Machupo virus (Bolivian mammarenavirus) and Sabia virus, indicating the possibility of final vaccine construct to confer a broad range immunity in the host. Docking analysis of the refined vaccine with different MHC molecules and human immune receptors were biologically significant. The vaccine-receptor (V1-TLR3) complex showed minimal deformability at molecular level and was compatible for cloning into pET28a(+) vector of E. coli strain K12. The study could be helpful in developing vaccine to combat arenaviral infections in the future. However, further in vitro and in vivo trials using model animals are highly recommended for the experimental validation of our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazi Faizul Azim
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh.,Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| | - Tahera Lasker
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| | - Rahima Akter
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| | - Mantasha Mahmud Hia
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| | - Omar Faruk Bhuiyan
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Mahmudul Hasan
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh.,Department of Pharmaceuticals and Industrial Biotechnology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| | - Md Nazmul Hossain
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh.,Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
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Robleda-Castillo R, Ros-Lucas A, Martinez-Peinado N, Alonso-Padilla J. An Overview of Current Uses and Future Opportunities for Computer-Assisted Design of Vaccines for Neglected Tropical Diseases. Adv Appl Bioinform Chem 2021; 14:25-47. [PMID: 33623396 PMCID: PMC7894434 DOI: 10.2147/aabc.s258759] [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: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases are infectious diseases that impose high morbidity and mortality rates over 1.5 billion people worldwide. Originally restricted to tropical and subtropical regions, changing climate conditions have increased their potential to emerge elsewhere. Control of their impact suffers from shortages like poor epidemiological surveillance or irregular drug distribution, and some NTDs still lack of appropriate diagnostics and/or efficient therapeutics. For these, availability of vaccines to prevent new infections, or the worsening of those already established, would mean a major breakthrough. However, only dengue and rabies count with approved vaccines at present. Herein, we review the state-of-the-art of vaccination strategies for NTDs, setting the focus on third generation vaccines and the concept of reverse vaccinology. Its capability to address pathogens´ biological complexity, likely contributing to save developmental costs is discussed. The use of computational tools is a fundamental aid to analyze increasingly large datasets aimed at designing vaccine candidates with the highest, possibly, opportunities to succeed. Ultimately, we identify and analyze those studies that took an in silico approach to find vaccine candidates, and experimentally assessed their immunogenicity and/or protection capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Robleda-Castillo
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic - University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08036, Spain
| | - Albert Ros-Lucas
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic - University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08036, Spain
| | - Nieves Martinez-Peinado
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic - University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08036, Spain
| | - Julio Alonso-Padilla
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic - University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08036, Spain
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Computational Analysis of African Swine Fever Virus Protein Space for the Design of an Epitope-Based Vaccine Ensemble. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9121078. [PMID: 33371523 PMCID: PMC7767518 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9121078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
African swine fever virus is the etiological agent of African swine fever, a transmissible severe hemorrhagic disease that affects pigs, causing massive economic losses. There is neither a treatment nor a vaccine available, and the only method to control its spread is by extensive culling of pigs. So far, classical vaccine development approaches have not yielded sufficiently good results in terms of concomitant safety and efficacy. Nowadays, thanks to advances in genomic and proteomic techniques, a reverse vaccinology strategy can be explored to design alternative vaccine formulations. In this study, ASFV protein sequences were analyzed using an in-house pipeline based on publicly available immunoinformatic tools to identify epitopes of interest for a prospective vaccine ensemble. These included experimentally validated sequences from the Immune Epitope Database, as well as de novo predicted sequences. Experimentally validated and predicted epitopes were prioritized following a series of criteria that included evolutionary conservation, presence in the virulent and currently circulating variant Georgia 2007/1, and lack of identity to either the pig proteome or putative proteins from pig gut microbiota. Following this strategy, 29 B-cell, 14 CD4+ T-cell and 6 CD8+ T-cell epitopes were selected, which represent a starting point to investigating the protective capacity of ASFV epitope-based vaccines.
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Abstract
Conventional influenza vaccines are based on predicting the circulating viruses year by year, conferring limited effectiveness since the antigenicity of vaccine strains does not always match the circulating viruses. This necessitates development of universal influenza vaccines that provide broader and lasting protection against pan-influenza viruses. The discovery of the highly conserved immunogens (epitopes) of influenza viruses provides attractive targets for universal vaccine design. Here we review the current understanding with broadly protective immunogens (epitopes) and discuss several important considerations to achieve the goal of universal influenza vaccines.
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West Nile Virus Vaccine Design by T Cell Epitope Selection: In Silico Analysis of Conservation, Functional Cross-Reactivity with the Human Genome, and Population Coverage. J Immunol Res 2020; 2020:7235742. [PMID: 32258174 PMCID: PMC7106935 DOI: 10.1155/2020/7235742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
West Nile Virus (WNV) causes a debilitating and life-threatening neurological disease in humans. Since its emergence in Africa 50 years ago, new strains of WNV and an expanding geographical distribution have increased public health concerns. There are no licensed therapeutics against WNV, limiting effective infection control. Vaccines represent the most efficacious and efficient medical intervention known. Epitope-based vaccines against WNV remain significantly underexploited. Here, we use a selection protocol to identify a set of conserved prevalidated immunogenic T cell epitopes comprising a putative WNV vaccine. Experimentally validated immunogenic WNV epitopes and WNV sequences were retrieved from the IEDB and West Nile Virus Variation Database. Clustering and multiple sequence alignment identified a smaller subset of representative sequences. Protein variability analysis identified evolutionarily conserved sequences, which were used to select a diverse set of immunogenic candidate T cell epitopes. Cross-reactivity and human leukocyte antigen-binding affinities were assessed to eliminate unsuitable epitope candidates. Population protection coverage (PPC) quantified individual epitopes and epitope combinations against the world population. 3 CD8+ T cell epitopes (ITYTDVLRY, TLARGFPFV, and SYHDRRWCF) and 1 CD4+ epitope (VTVNPFVSVATANAKVLI) were selected as a putative WNV vaccine, with an estimated PPC of 97.14%.
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Flower DR. Drug Discovery: Today and Tomorrow. Bioinformation 2020; 16:1-3. [PMID: 32025152 PMCID: PMC6986934 DOI: 10.6026/97320630016001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug discovery continues to underperform relative to unmet medical need. Driven by profit not societal need, the search for new drugs is neither properly funded nor sufficiently systematic. Many innovative approaches are significantly underused yet extant methodology is replete with problems. In and of itself, technical innovation is unlikely to fulfill the potential of drug discovery if the supporting infrastructure remains unchanged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren R Flower
- Independent Interdisciplinary Consultant, Oxford, United Kingdom
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13
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Quinzo MJ, Lafuente EM, Zuluaga P, Flower DR, Reche PA. Computational assembly of a human Cytomegalovirus vaccine upon experimental epitope legacy. BMC Bioinformatics 2019; 20:476. [PMID: 31823715 PMCID: PMC6905002 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-019-3052-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus affecting approximately 90% of the world population. HCMV causes disease in immunologically naive and immunosuppressed patients. The prevention, diagnosis and therapy of HCMV infection are thus crucial to public health. The availability of effective prophylactic and therapeutic treatments remain a significant challenge and no vaccine is currently available. Here, we sought to define an epitope-based vaccine against HCMV, eliciting B and T cell responses, from experimentally defined HCMV-specific epitopes. Results We selected 398 and 790 experimentally validated HCMV-specific B and T cell epitopes, respectively, from available epitope resources and apply a knowledge-based approach in combination with immunoinformatic predictions to ensemble a universal vaccine against HCMV. The T cell component consists of 6 CD8 and 6 CD4 T cell epitopes that are conserved among HCMV strains. All CD8 T cell epitopes were reported to induce cytotoxic activity, are derived from early expressed genes and are predicted to provide population protection coverage over 97%. The CD4 T cell epitopes are derived from HCMV structural proteins and provide a population protection coverage over 92%. The B cell component consists of just 3 B cell epitopes from the ectodomain of glycoproteins L and H that are highly flexible and exposed to the solvent. Conclusions We have defined a multiantigenic epitope vaccine ensemble against the HCMV that should elicit T and B cell responses in the entire population. Importantly, although we arrived to this epitope ensemble with the help of computational predictions, the actual epitopes are not predicted but are known to be immunogenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica J Quinzo
- Faculty of Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, Pza Ramon y Cajal, s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Esther M Lafuente
- Faculty of Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, Pza Ramon y Cajal, s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Zuluaga
- Faculty of Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, Pza Ramon y Cajal, s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Darren R Flower
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
| | - Pedro A Reche
- Faculty of Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, Pza Ramon y Cajal, s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
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Michel-Todó L, Reche PA, Bigey P, Pinazo MJ, Gascón J, Alonso-Padilla J. In silico Design of an Epitope-Based Vaccine Ensemble for Chagas Disease. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2698. [PMID: 31824493 PMCID: PMC6882931 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi infection causes Chagas disease, which affects 7 million people worldwide. Two drugs are available to treat it: benznidazole and nifurtimox. Although both are efficacious against the acute stage of the disease, this is usually asymptomatic and goes undiagnosed and untreated. Diagnosis is achieved at the chronic stage, when life-threatening heart and/or gut tissue disruptions occur in ~30% of those chronically infected. By then, the drugs' efficacy is reduced, but not their associated high toxicity. Given current deficiencies in diagnosis and treatment, a vaccine to prevent infection and/or the development of symptoms would be a breakthrough in the management of the disease. Current vaccine candidates are mostly based on the delivery of single antigens or a few different antigens. Nevertheless, due to the high biological complexity of the parasite, targeting as many antigens as possible would be desirable. In this regard, an epitope-based vaccine design could be a well-suited approach. With this aim, we have gone through publicly available databases to identify T. cruzi epitopes from several antigens. By means of a computer-aided strategy, we have prioritized a set of epitopes based on sequence conservation criteria, projected population coverage of Latin American population, and biological features of their antigens of origin. Fruit of this analysis, we provide a selection of CD8+ T cell, CD4+ T cell, and B cell epitopes that have <70% identity to human or human microbiome protein sequences and represent the basis toward the development of an epitope-based vaccine against T. cruzi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Michel-Todó
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pedro Antonio Reche
- Laboratory of Immunomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pascal Bigey
- Université de Paris, UTCBS, CNRS, INSERM, Paris, France.,PSL University, ChimieParisTech, Paris, France
| | - Maria-Jesus Pinazo
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joaquim Gascón
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julio Alonso-Padilla
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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15
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Jazayeri SD, Poh CL. Development of Universal Influenza Vaccines Targeting Conserved Viral Proteins. Vaccines (Basel) 2019; 7:E169. [PMID: 31683888 PMCID: PMC6963725 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines7040169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccination is still the most efficient way to prevent an infection with influenza viruses. Nevertheless, existing commercial vaccines face serious limitations such as availability during epidemic outbreaks and their efficacy. Existing seasonal influenza vaccines mostly induce antibody responses to the surface proteins of influenza viruses, which frequently change due to antigenic shift and or drift, thus allowing influenza viruses to avoid neutralizing antibodies. Hence, influenza vaccines need a yearly formulation to protect against new seasonal viruses. A broadly protective or universal influenza vaccine must induce effective humoral as well as cellular immunity against conserved influenza antigens, offer good protection against influenza pandemics, be safe, and have a fast production platform. Nanotechnology has great potential to improve vaccine delivery, immunogenicity, and host immune responses. As new strains of human epidemic influenza virus strains could originate from poultry and swine viruses, development of a new universal influenza vaccine will require the immune responses to be directed against viruses from different hosts. This review discusses how the new vaccine platforms and nanoparticles can be beneficial in the development of a broadly protective, universal influenza vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Davoud Jazayeri
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Science and Technology, Sunway University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia.
| | - Chit Laa Poh
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Science and Technology, Sunway University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia.
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16
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Sun Y, Chen X, Zhang L, Liu H, Liu S, Yu H, Wang X, Qin Y, Li P. The antiviral property of Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide for avian leukosis virus subgroup J in vitro and in vivo. Int J Biol Macromol 2019; 138:70-78. [PMID: 31306705 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.07.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Avian Leukosis Virus Subgroup J (ALV-J) is an oncogenic retrovirus, mainly spread by vertical and horizontal transmission, which have caused severe losses in world poultry industry. Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide (SFP), a marine algae sulfated polysaccharide, has attracted more attention due to its variously biological activities. In this study, the anti-ALV-J property of SFP was assessed in vivo and in vitro. The results demonstrated that different Mw of SFPs showed virustatic activity to ALV-J in vitro by combining with the virus when ALV-J adsorbed onto the host cells. When treated with SFPs, the ALV-J gene and protein expression reduced clearly and SFP-3 (Molecular weight 9 kDa) had the best antiviral effect. Results in vivo showed that the immunosuppression of the ALV-J infected chickens were relieved by SFP-3. Moreover, SFP-3 obviously inhibit the viral shedding and alleviated the organs damage caused by ALV-J. This study offered a new method for ALV-J treatment and enriched the potential application of SFP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhao Sun
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaolin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China.
| | - Lili Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Material Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Song Liu
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Huahua Yu
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Xueqin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Yukun Qin
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Pengcheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China.
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17
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Purcell AW, Ramarathinam SH, Ternette N. Mass spectrometry-based identification of MHC-bound peptides for immunopeptidomics. Nat Protoc 2019; 14:1687-1707. [PMID: 31092913 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-019-0133-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Peptide antigens bound to molecules encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and presented on the cell surface form the targets of T lymphocytes. This critical arm of the adaptive immune system facilitates the eradication of pathogen-infected and cancerous cells, as well as the production of antibodies. Methods to identify these peptide antigens are critical to the development of new vaccines, for which the goal is the generation of effective adaptive immune responses and long-lasting immune memory. Here, we describe a robust protocol for the identification of MHC-bound peptides from cell lines and tissues, using nano-ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (nUPLC-MS/MS) and recent improvements in methods for isolation and characterization of these peptides. The protocol starts with the immunoaffinity capture of naturally processed MHC-peptide complexes. The peptides dissociate from the class I human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) upon acid denaturation. This peptide cargo is then extracted and separated into fractions by HPLC, and the peptides in these fractions are identified using nUPLC-MS/MS. With this protocol, several thousand peptides can be identified from a wide variety of cell types, including cancerous and infected cells and those from tissues, with a turnaround time of 2-3 d.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony W Purcell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
| | - Sri H Ramarathinam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Nicola Ternette
- The Jenner Institute, Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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18
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Liu WC, Nachbagauer R, Stadlbauer D, Solórzano A, Berlanda-Scorza F, García-Sastre A, Palese P, Krammer F, Albrecht RA. Sequential Immunization With Live-Attenuated Chimeric Hemagglutinin-Based Vaccines Confers Heterosubtypic Immunity Against Influenza A Viruses in a Preclinical Ferret Model. Front Immunol 2019; 10:756. [PMID: 31105689 PMCID: PMC6499175 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to continuous antigenic drift and occasional antigenic shift, influenza viruses escape from human adaptive immunity resulting in significant morbidity and mortality in humans. Therefore, to avoid the need for annual reformulation and readministration of seasonal influenza virus vaccines, we are developing a novel chimeric hemagglutinin (cHA)-based universal influenza virus vaccine, which is comprised of sequential immunization with antigens containing a conserved stalk domain derived from a circulating pandemic H1N1 strain in combination with “exotic” head domains. Here, we show that this prime-boost sequential immunization strategy redirects antibody responses toward the conserved stalk region. We compared the vaccine efficacy elicited by distinct vaccination approaches in the preclinical ferret model of influenza. All ferrets immunized with cHA-based vaccines developed stalk-specific and broadly cross-reactive antibody responses. Two consecutive vaccinations with live-attenuated influenza viruses (LAIV-LAIV) conferred superior protection against pH1N1 and H6N1 challenge infection. Sequential immunization with LAIV followed by inactivated influenza vaccine (LAIV-IIV regimen) also induced robust antibody responses. Importantly, the LAIV-LAIV immunization regimen also induced HA stalk-specific CD4+IFN-γ+ and CD8+IFN-γ+ effector T cell responses in peripheral blood that were recalled by pH1N1 viral challenge. The findings from this preclinical study suggest that an LAIV-LAIV vaccination regimen would be more efficient in providing broadly protective immunity against influenza virus infection as compared to other approaches tested here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Chun Liu
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Raffael Nachbagauer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Daniel Stadlbauer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Alicia Solórzano
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Adolfo García-Sastre
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Peter Palese
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Florian Krammer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Randy A Albrecht
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
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19
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Murphy D, Reche P, Flower DR. Selection-based design of in silico dengue epitope ensemble vaccines. Chem Biol Drug Des 2018; 93:21-28. [DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Murphy
- School of Life and Health Sciences; Aston University; Birmingham UK
| | - Pedro Reche
- Immunomedicine Group; Departamento de Inmunología; Facultad de Medicina; Universidad Complutense de Madrid; Madrid Spain
| | - Darren R. Flower
- School of Life and Health Sciences; Aston University; Birmingham UK
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20
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Peptide-Based Immunotherapeutics and Vaccines 2017. J Immunol Res 2018; 2018:4568239. [PMID: 30116752 PMCID: PMC6079504 DOI: 10.1155/2018/4568239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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21
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In silico design of Mycobacterium tuberculosis epitope ensemble vaccines. Mol Immunol 2018; 97:56-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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22
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Doytchinova IA, Flower DR. In silico prediction of cancer immunogens: current state of the art. BMC Immunol 2018; 19:11. [PMID: 29544447 PMCID: PMC5856276 DOI: 10.1186/s12865-018-0248-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer kills 8 million annually worldwide. Although survival rates in prevalent cancers continue to increase, many cancers have no effective treatment, prompting the search for new and improved protocols. Immunotherapy is a new and exciting addition to the anti-cancer arsenal. The successful and accurate identification of aberrant host proteins acting as antigens for vaccination and immunotherapy is a key aspiration for both experimental and computational research. Here we describe key elements of in silico prediction, including databases of cancer antigens and bleeding-edge methodology for their prediction. We also highlight the role dendritic cell vaccines can play and how they can act as delivery mechanisms for epitope ensemble vaccines. Immunoinformatics can help streamline the discovery and utility of Cancer Immunogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irini A. Doytchinova
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Sofia, 2 Dunav st, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Darren R. Flower
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
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23
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Chauhan V, Goyal K, Singh MP. Identification of broadly reactive epitopes targeting major glycoproteins of Herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1 and 2 - An immunoinformatics analysis. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2018. [PMID: 29524615 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2018.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Infections due to both HSV-1 and HSV-2 constitute an enormous health burden worldwide. Development of vaccine against herpes infections is a WHO supported public health priority. The viral glycoproteins have always been the major hotspots for vaccine designing. The present study was aimed to identify the conserved T and B cell epitopes in the major glycoproteins of both HSV-1 and HSV-2 via rigorous computational approaches. Identification of promiscuous T cell epitopes is of utmost importance in vaccine designing as such epitopes are capable of binding to several allelic forms of HLA and could generate effective immune response in the host. The criteria designed for identification of T and B cell epitopes was that it should be conserved in both HSV-1 and 2, promiscuous, have high affinity towards HLA alleles, should be located on the surface of glycoproteins and not be present in the glycosylation sites. This study led to the identification of 17 HLA Class II and 26 HLA Class I T cell epitopes, 9 linear and some conformational B cell epitopes. The identified T cell epitopes were further subjected to molecular docking analysis to analyze their binding patterns. Altogether we have identified 4 most promising regions in glycoproteins (2-gB, 1-gD, 1-gH) of HSV-1 and 2 which are promiscuous to HLA Class II alleles and have overlapping HLA Class I and B cell epitopes, which could be very useful in generating both arms of immune response in the host i.e. adaptive as well as humoral immunity. Further the authors propose the cross-validation of the identified epitopes in experimental settings for confirming their immunogenicity to support the present findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun Chauhan
- Department of Virology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, Punjab 160012, India
| | - Kapil Goyal
- Department of Virology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, Punjab 160012, India
| | - Mini P Singh
- Department of Virology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, Punjab 160012, India.
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24
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Kar P, Ruiz-Perez L, Arooj M, Mancera RL. Current methods for the prediction of T-cell epitopes. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Prattusha Kar
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University; Perth Western Australia 6845 Australia
| | - Lanie Ruiz-Perez
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University; Perth Western Australia 6845 Australia
| | - Mahreen Arooj
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University; Perth Western Australia 6845 Australia
| | - Ricardo L. Mancera
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University; Perth Western Australia 6845 Australia
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25
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Vaccination potential of B and T epitope-enriched NP and M2 against Influenza A viruses from different clades and hosts. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191574. [PMID: 29377916 PMCID: PMC5788337 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
To avoid outbreaks of influenza virus epidemics and pandemics among human populations, modern medicine requires the development of new universal vaccines that are able to provide protection from a wide range of influenza A virus strains. In the course of development of a universal vaccine, it is necessary to consider that immunity must be generated even against viruses from different hosts because new human epidemic virus strains have their origins in viruses of birds and other animals. We have enriched conserved viral proteins–nucleoprotein (NP) and matrix protein 2 (M2)—by B and T-cell epitopes not only human origin but also swine and avian origin. For this purpose, we analyzed M2 and NP sequences with respect to changes in the sequences of known T and B-cell epitopes and chose conserved and evolutionarily significant epitopes. Eventually, we found consensus sequences of M2 and NP that have the maximum quantity of epitopes that are 100% coincident with them. Consensus epitope-enriched amino acid sequences of M2 and NP proteins were included in a recombinant adenoviral vector. Immunization with Ad5-tet-M2NP induced strong CD8 and CD4 T cells responses, specific to each of the encoded antigens, i.e. M2 and NP. Eight months after immunization with Ad5-tet-M2NP, high numbers of M2- and NP-responding “effector memory” CD44posCD62neg T cells were found in the mouse spleens, which revealed a long-term T cell immune memory conferred by the immunization. In all, the challenge experiments showed an extraordinarily wide-ranging efficacy of protection by the Ad5-tet-M2NP vaccine, covering 5 different heterosubtypes of influenza A virus (2 human, 2 avian and 1 swine).
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26
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Fundamentals and Methods for T- and B-Cell Epitope Prediction. J Immunol Res 2017; 2017:2680160. [PMID: 29445754 PMCID: PMC5763123 DOI: 10.1155/2017/2680160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 284] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive immunity is mediated by T- and B-cells, which are immune cells capable of developing pathogen-specific memory that confers immunological protection. Memory and effector functions of B- and T-cells are predicated on the recognition through specialized receptors of specific targets (antigens) in pathogens. More specifically, B- and T-cells recognize portions within their cognate antigens known as epitopes. There is great interest in identifying epitopes in antigens for a number of practical reasons, including understanding disease etiology, immune monitoring, developing diagnosis assays, and designing epitope-based vaccines. Epitope identification is costly and time-consuming as it requires experimental screening of large arrays of potential epitope candidates. Fortunately, researchers have developed in silico prediction methods that dramatically reduce the burden associated with epitope mapping by decreasing the list of potential epitope candidates for experimental testing. Here, we analyze aspects of antigen recognition by T- and B-cells that are relevant for epitope prediction. Subsequently, we provide a systematic and inclusive review of the most relevant B- and T-cell epitope prediction methods and tools, paying particular attention to their foundations.
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27
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Tang K, Cheng L, Zhang C, Zhang Y, Zheng X, Zhang Y, Zhuang R, Jin B, Zhang F, Ma Y. Novel Identified HLA-A*0201-Restricted Hantaan Virus Glycoprotein Cytotoxic T-Cell Epitopes Could Effectively Induce Protective Responses in HLA-A2.1/K b Transgenic Mice May Associate with the Severity of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1797. [PMID: 29312318 PMCID: PMC5732971 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Hantaan virus (HTNV) infections can cause severe hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in humans, which is associated with high fatality rates. Cytotoxic T cell (CTL) responses contribute to virus elimination; however, to date, HLA class I allele-restricted HTNV glycoprotein (GP) epitopes recognized by CTLs have not been reported, limiting our understanding of CTL responses against HTNV infection in humans. In this study, 34 HTNV GP nine-mer epitopes that may bind to HLA-A*0201 molecules were predicted using the BIMAS and SYFPEITHI database. Seven of the epitopes were demonstrated to bind to HLA-A*0201 molecules with high affinity via the T2 cell binding assay and were successfully used to synthesize peptide/HLA-A*0201 tetramers. The results of tetramer staining showed that the frequencies of each epitope-specific CTL were higher in patients with milder HFRS, which indicated that the epitopes may induce protective CTL responses after HTNV infection. IFN-γ-enzyme-linked immunospot analysis further confirmed the immunoreactivity of epitopes by eliciting epitope-specific IFN-γ-producing CTL responses. In an HTNV challenge trial, significant inhibition of HTNV replication characterized by lower levels of antigens and RNA loads was observed in major target organs (liver, spleen, and kidneys) of HLA-A2.1/Kb transgenic mice pre-vaccinated with nonapeptides VV9 (aa8–aa16, VMASLVWPV), SL9 (aa996–aa1004, SLTECPTFL) and LL9 (aa358–aa366, LIWTGMIDL). Importantly, LL9 exhibited the best ability to induce protective CTL responses and showed a prominent effect on the kidneys, potentially preventing kidney injury after HTNV infection. Taken together, our results highlight that HTNV GP-derived HLA-A*0201-restricted epitopes could elicit protective CTL responses against the virus, and that epitope LL9 functions as an immunodominant protective epitope that may advance the design of safe and effective CTL-based HTNV peptide vaccines for humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Tang
- Department of Immunology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Linfeng Cheng
- Department of Microbiology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chunmei Zhang
- Department of Immunology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yusi Zhang
- Department of Immunology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xuyang Zheng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Department of Immunology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ran Zhuang
- Department of Immunology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Boquan Jin
- Department of Immunology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Fanglin Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ying Ma
- Department of Immunology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
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28
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Wang X, Zhou D, Wang G, Huang L, Zheng Q, Li C, Cheng Z. A novel multi-variant epitope ensemble vaccine against avian leukosis virus subgroup J. Vaccine 2017; 35:6685-6690. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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29
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In silico design of knowledge-based Plasmodium falciparum epitope ensemble vaccines. J Mol Graph Model 2017; 78:195-205. [PMID: 29100164 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is a global health burden, and a major cause of mortality and morbidity in Africa. Here we designed a putative malaria epitope ensemble vaccine by selecting an optimal set of pathogen epitopes. From the IEDB database, 584 experimentally-verified CD8+ epitopes and 483 experimentally-verified CD4+ epitopes were collected; 89% of which were found in 8 proteins. Using the PVS server, highly conserved epitopes were identified from variability analysis of multiple alignments of Plasmodium falciparum protein sequences. The allele-dependent binding of epitopes was then assessed using IEDB analysis tools, from which the population protection coverage of single and combined epitopes was estimated. Ten conserved epitopes from four well-studied antigens were found to have a coverage of 97.9% of the world population: 7 CD8+ T cell epitopes (LLMDCSGSI, FLIFFDLFLV, LLACAGLAYK, TPYAGEPAPF, LLACAGLAY, SLKKNSRSL, and NEVVVKEEY) and 3 CD4+ T cell epitopes (MRKLAILSVSSFLFV, KSKYKLATSVLAGLL and GLAYKFVVPGAATPYE). The addition of four heteroclitic peptides - single point mutated epitopes - increased HLA binding affinity and raised the predicted world population coverage above 99%.
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Computer-Aided Design of an Epitope-Based Vaccine against Epstein-Barr Virus. J Immunol Res 2017; 2017:9363750. [PMID: 29119120 PMCID: PMC5651165 DOI: 10.1155/2017/9363750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus is a very common human virus that infects 90% of human adults. EBV replicates in epithelial and B cells and causes infectious mononucleosis. EBV infection is also linked to various cancers, including Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinomas, and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Currently, there are no effective drugs or vaccines to treat or prevent EBV infection. Herein, we applied a computer-aided strategy to design a prophylactic epitope vaccine ensemble from experimentally defined T and B cell epitopes. Such strategy relies on identifying conserved epitopes in conjunction with predictions of HLA presentation for T cell epitope selection and calculations of accessibility and flexibility for B cell epitope selection. The T cell component includes 14 CD8 T cell epitopes from early antigens and 4 CD4 T cell epitopes, targeted during the course of a natural infection and providing a population protection coverage of over 95% and 81.8%, respectively. The B cell component consists of 3 experimentally defined B cell epitopes from gp350 plus 4 predicted B cell epitopes from other EBV envelope glycoproteins, all mapping in flexible and solvent accessible regions. We discuss the rationale for the formulation and possible deployment of this epitope vaccine ensemble.
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Mistry J, Flower DR. Designing Epitope Ensemble Vaccines against TB by Selection: Prioritizing Antigens using Predicted Immunogenicity. Bioinformation 2017; 13:220-223. [PMID: 28943726 PMCID: PMC5602288 DOI: 10.6026/97320630013220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health burden, and a major cause of mortality and morbidity in West Africa. Here, we select key
conserved pathogen epitopes of proven immunogenicity to form a potential TB epitope ensemble vaccine. We compared two vaccine
formulations: one comprising class I epitopes from the 13 most prevalent class I epitope-bearing antigens and class II epitopes
deriving from the 20 most prevalent class II epitope-bearing antigens and another consisting of epitopes derived solely from 5 antigens
identified as the most immunogenic by VaxiJen. In the prevalence analysis, 279 class I and 561 class II epitopes were collected and a
subset selected using our published methodology, yielding 32 conserved epitopes. Combining 9 conserved epitopes gave a putative
vaccine with predicted population coverage (PPC) over 95%. This consists of ISSGVFLLK, AVAGAAILV, WYYQSGLSI, YQSGLSIVM,
MPVGGQSSF, QSSFYSDWY, WDINTPAFEWYYQSGLSIVM, DAPLITNPGGLLEQAVAVEE and NQAVTPAARALPLTSLTSAA. 5
immunogenic antigens VaxiJen-identified yielded 187 epitopes, which we again analyzed using published protocol. This identified 11
conserved epitopes. From this set the highest PPC value (<85%) was obtained by combining: GQQYQAMSAQAAAFH,
DDIKATYDKGILTVSVAVSE and AVAGAAILV. We conclude that prioritizing epitope selection using predicted immunogenicity
alone is likely to be unduly restrictive and is currently not an optimal or advisable strategy in the design of epitope ensemble vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaymisha Mistry
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, United Kingdom, B4 7ET
| | - Darren R Flower
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, United Kingdom, B4 7ET
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Ben-Yedidia T, Babecoff RM, Arnon R. Strategy for approving a universal flu vaccine. Future Virol 2017. [DOI: 10.2217/fvl-2016-0142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
An urgent need exists for a universal flu vaccine to be more effective than current vaccines, yet there is no such vaccine in the market and no regulatory guideline for its approval. This report proposes a stepwise process for regulatory and marketing approval for such a vaccine. As a first step, the universal vaccine will be tested as a primer to existing HA-based vaccines. Regulatory approval and conditional marketing authorization will be granted based on safety assessments and improved hemagglutination inhibition antibodies (as a marker for efficacy) for the vaccines used in combination. Permanent market authorization will be granted next, based on clinical efficacy data, accumulated during several years, and ultimately the new vaccine will be approved as a standalone vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Ben-Yedidia
- BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Science Park, 14 Einstein Street, Ness Ziona, 7414002, Israel
| | - Ron Marc Babecoff
- BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Science Park, 14 Einstein Street, Ness Ziona, 7414002, Israel
| | - Ruth Arnon
- Weizmann Institute of Science, 234 Herzl Street, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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