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Chumbe A, Grobben M, Capella-Pujol J, Koekkoek SM, Zon I, Slamanig S, Merat SJ, Beaumont T, Sliepen K, Schinkel J, van Gils MJ. A panel of hepatitis C virus glycoproteins for the characterization of antibody responses using antibodies with diverse recognition and neutralization patterns. Virus Res 2024; 341:199308. [PMID: 38171391 PMCID: PMC10821612 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2024.199308] [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: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
A vaccine against Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is urgently needed to limit the spread of HCV. The large antigenic diversity of the HCV glycoprotein E1E2 makes it difficult to design a vaccine but also to fully understand the antibody response after infection or vaccination. Here we designed a panel of HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpps) that cover a wide range of genetically and antigenically diverse E1E2s. We validate our panel using neutralization and a binding antibody multiplex assay (BAMA). The panel of HCVpps includes E1E2 glycoproteins from acute and chronically infected cases in the Netherlands, as well as E1E2 glycoproteins from previously reported HCVs. Using eight monoclonal antibodies targeting multiple antigenic regions on E1E2, we could categorize four groups of neutralization sensitive viruses with viruses showing neutralization titers over a 100-fold range. One HCVpp (AMS0230) was extremely neutralization resistant and only neutralized by AR4-targeting antibodies. In addition, using binding antibody multiplex competition assay, we delineated mAb epitopes and their interactions. The binding and neutralization sensitivity of the HCVpps were confirmed using patient sera. At the end, eleven HCVpps with unique antibody binding and neutralization profiles were selected as the final panel for standardized HCV antibody assessments. In conclusion, this HCVpp panel can be used to evaluate antibody binding and neutralization breadth and potency as well as delineate the epitopes targeted in sera from patients or candidate vaccine trials. The HCVpp panel in combination with the established antibody competition assay present highly valuable tools for HCV vaccine development and evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Chumbe
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marloes Grobben
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Joan Capella-Pujol
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sylvie M Koekkoek
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ian Zon
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Stefan Slamanig
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Tim Beaumont
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; AIMM Therapeutics, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Kwinten Sliepen
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Janke Schinkel
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Marit J van Gils
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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Thimmiraju SR, Kimata JT, Pollet J. Pseudoviruses, a safer toolbox for vaccine development against enveloped viruses. Expert Rev Vaccines 2024; 23:174-185. [PMID: 38164690 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2023.2299380] [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: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pseudoviruses are recombinant, replication-incompetent, viral particles designed to mimic the surface characteristics of native enveloped viruses. They are a safer, and cost-effective research alternative to live viruses. With the potential emergence of the next major infectious disease, more vaccine scientists must become familiar with the pseudovirus platform as a vaccine development tool to mitigate future outbreaks. AREAS COVERED This review aims at vaccine developers to provide a basic understanding of pseudoviruses, list their production methods, and discuss their utility to assess vaccine efficacy against enveloped viral pathogens. We further illustrate their usefulness as wet-lab simulators for emerging mutant variants, and new viruses to help prepare for current and future viral outbreaks, minimizing the need for gain-of-function experiments with highly infectious or lethal enveloped viruses. EXPERT OPINION With this platform, researchers can better understand the role of virus-receptor interactions and entry in infections, prepare for dangerous mutations, and develop effective vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syamala R Thimmiraju
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jason T Kimata
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jeroen Pollet
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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3
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Pseudotyped Viruses for Marburgvirus and Ebolavirus. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1407:105-132. [PMID: 36920694 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-0113-5_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Marburg virus (MARV) and Ebola virus (EBOV) of the Filoviridae family are the most lethal viruses in terms of mortality rate. However, the development of antiviral treatment is hampered by the requirement for biosafety level-4 (BSL-4) containment. The establishment of BSL-2 pseudotyped viruses can provide important tools for the study of filoviruses. This chapter summarizes general information on the filoviruses and then focuses on the construction of replication-deficient pseudotyped MARV and EBOV (e.g., lentivirus system and vesicular stomatitis virus system). It also details the potential applications of the pseudotyped viruses, including neutralization antibody detection, the study of infection mechanisms, the evaluation of antibody-dependent enhancement, virus entry inhibitor screening, and glycoprotein mutation analysis.
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Chumbe A, Urbanowicz RA, Sliepen K, Koekkoek SM, Molenkamp R, Tarr AW, Ball JK, Schinkel J, van Gils MJ. Optimization of the pseudoparticle system for standardized assessments of neutralizing antibodies against hepatitis C virus. J Gen Virol 2022; 103. [PMID: 36399377 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A better understanding of the antibody response during natural infection and the effect on disease progression and reinfection is necessary for the development of a protective hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine. The HCV pseudoparticle (HCVpp) system enables the study of viral entry and inhibition by antibody neutralization. A robust and comparable neutralization assay is crucial for the development and evaluation of experimental vaccines.With the aim of optimizing the HCVpp-murine leukaemia virus (MLV) system, we tested the neutralization of HCVpp-harbouring E1E2 from 21 HCV isolates representing 6 different genotypes by several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). HCVpps are generated by expressing functional envelope glycoproteins (E1E2) onto pseudoparticles derived from env-deleted MLV. Adjustments of E1E2, gag-pol and luciferase plasmid ratios resulted in increased yields for most HCVpps and recovery of one non-infectious HCVpp. We simplified and improved the protocol to achieve higher signal/noise ratios and minimized the amount of HCVpps and mAbs needed for the detection of neutralization. Using our optimized protocol, we demonstrated comparable results to previously reported data with both diluted and freeze-thawed HCVpps.In conclusion, we successfully established a simplified and reproducible HCVpp neutralization protocol for studying a wide range of HCV variants. This simplified protocol provides highly consistent results and could be easily adopted by others to evaluate precious biological material. This will contribute to a better understanding of the antibody response during natural infection and help evaluate experimental HCV vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Chumbe
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
| | - Kwinten Sliepen
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sylvie M Koekkoek
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Janke Schinkel
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marit J van Gils
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Echeverría N, Comas V, Aldunate F, Perbolianachis P, Moreno P, Cristina J. In the era of rapid mRNA-based vaccines: Why is there no effective hepatitis C virus vaccine yet? World J Hepatol 2021; 13:1234-1268. [PMID: 34786164 PMCID: PMC8568586 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v13.i10.1234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for no less than 71 million people chronically infected and is one of the most frequent indications for liver transplantation worldwide. Despite direct-acting antiviral therapies fuel optimism in controlling HCV infections, there are several obstacles regarding treatment accessibility and reinfection continues to remain a possibility. Indeed, the majority of new HCV infections in developed countries occur in people who inject drugs and are more plausible to get reinfected. To achieve global epidemic control of this virus the development of an effective prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine becomes a must. The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic led to auspicious vaccine development against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, which has renewed interest on fighting HCV epidemic with vaccination. The aim of this review is to highlight the current situation of HCV vaccine candidates designed to prevent and/or to reduce HCV infectious cases and their complications. We will emphasize on some of the crossroads encountered during vaccine development against this insidious virus, together with some key aspects of HCV immunology which have, so far, hampered the progress in this area. The main focus will be on nucleic acid-based as well as recombinant viral vector-based vaccine candidates as the most novel vaccine approaches, some of which have been recently and successfully employed for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Finally, some ideas will be presented on which methods to explore for the design of live-attenuated vaccines against HCV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Echeverría
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Victoria Comas
- Departamento de Desarrollo Biotecnológico, Instituto de Higiene, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay
| | - Fabián Aldunate
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Paula Perbolianachis
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Pilar Moreno
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Juan Cristina
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay.
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Ruiz-Jiménez F, Pérez-Olais JH, Raymond C, King BJ, McClure CP, Urbanowicz RA, Ball JK. Challenges on the development of a pseudotyping assay for Zika glycoproteins. J Med Microbiol 2021; 70:001413. [PMID: 34499027 PMCID: PMC8697511 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction. Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged as a public health concern on the American continent during late 2015. As the number of infected grew so did the concerns about its capability to cause long-term damage especially with the appearance of the congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). Proteins from the TAM family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) were proposed as the cellular receptors, however, due to the ability of the virus to infect a variety of cell lines different strategies to elucidate the tropism of the virus should be investigated.Hypothesis. Pseudotyping is a powerful tool to interrogate the ability of the glycoprotein (GP) to permit entry of viruses.Aim. We aimed to establish a highly tractable pseudotype model using lenti- and retro-viral backbones to investigate the entry pathway of ZIKV.Methodology. We used different glycoprotein constructs and different lenti- or retro-viral backbones, in a matrix of ratios to investigate production of proteins and functional pseudotypes.Results. Varying the ratio of backbone and glycoprotein plasmids did not yield infectious pseudotypes. Moreover, the supplementation of the ZIKV protease or the substitution of the backbone had no positive impact on the infectivity. We showed production of the proteins in producer cells implying the lack of infectious pseudotypes is due to a lack of successful glycoprotein incorporation, rather than lack of protein production.Conclusion. In line with other reports, we were unable to successfully produce infectious pseudotypes using the variety of methods described. Other strategies may be more suitable in the development of an efficient pseudotype model for ZIKV and other flaviviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chidinma Raymond
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Barnabas J King
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jonathan K. Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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7
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Kalemera MD, Capella-Pujol J, Chumbe A, Underwood A, Bull RA, Schinkel J, Sliepen K, Grove J. Optimized cell systems for the investigation of hepatitis C virus E1E2 glycoproteins. J Gen Virol 2021; 102. [PMID: 33147126 PMCID: PMC8116788 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Great strides have been made in understanding and treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) thanks to the development of various experimental systems including cell-culture-proficient HCV, the HCV pseudoparticle system and soluble envelope glycoproteins. The HCV pseudoparticle (HCVpp) system is a platform used extensively in studies of cell entry, screening of novel entry inhibitors, assessing the phenotypes of clinically observed E1 and E2 glycoproteins and, most pertinently, in characterizing neutralizing antibody breadth induced upon vaccination and natural infection in patients. Nonetheless, some patient-derived clones produce pseudoparticles that are either non-infectious or exhibit infectivity too low for meaningful phenotyping. The mechanisms governing whether any particular clone produces infectious pseudoparticles are poorly understood. Here we show that endogenous expression of CD81, an HCV receptor and a cognate-binding partner of E2, in producer HEK 293T cells is detrimental to the infectivity of recovered HCVpp for most strains. Many HCVpp clones exhibited increased infectivity or had their infectivity rescued when they were produced in 293T cells CRISPR/Cas9 engineered to ablate CD81 expression (293TCD81KO). Clones made in 293TCD81KO cells were antigenically very similar to their matched counterparts made parental cells and appear to honour the accepted HCV entry pathway. Deletion of CD81 did not appreciably increase the recovered titres of soluble E2 (sE2). However, we did, unexpectedly, find that monomeric sE2 made in 293T cells and Freestyle 293-F (293-F) cells exhibit important differences. We found that 293-F-produced sE2 harbours mostly complex-type glycans whilst 293T-produced sE2 displays a heterogeneous mixture of both complex-type glycans and high-mannose or hybrid-type glycans. Moreover, sE2 produced in 293T cells is antigenically superior; exhibiting increased binding to conformational antibodies and the large extracellular loop of CD81. In summary, this work describes an optimal cell line for the production of HCVpp and reveals that sE2 made in 293T and 293-F cells are not antigenic equals. Our findings have implications for functional studies of E1E2 and the production of candidate immunogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mphatso D Kalemera
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, The Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, UK
| | - Joan Capella-Pujol
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ana Chumbe
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alexander Underwood
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, The Kirby Institute, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Rowena A Bull
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, The Kirby Institute, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Janke Schinkel
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kwinten Sliepen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joe Grove
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, The Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, UK
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Toon K, Bentley EM, Mattiuzzo G. More Than Just Gene Therapy Vectors: Lentiviral Vector Pseudotypes for Serological Investigation. Viruses 2021; 13:217. [PMID: 33572589 PMCID: PMC7911487 DOI: 10.3390/v13020217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Serological assays detecting neutralising antibodies are important for determining the immune responses following infection or vaccination and are also often considered a correlate of protection. The target of neutralising antibodies is usually located in the Envelope protein on the viral surface, which mediates cell entry. As such, presentation of the Envelope protein on a lentiviral particle represents a convenient alternative to handling of a potentially high containment virus or for those viruses with no established cell culture system. The flexibility, relative safety and, in most cases, ease of production of lentiviral pseudotypes, have led to their use in serological assays for many applications such as the evaluation of candidate vaccines, screening and characterization of anti-viral therapeutics, and sero-surveillance. Above all, the speed of production of the lentiviral pseudotypes, once the envelope sequence is published, makes them important tools in the response to viral outbreaks, as shown during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In this review, we provide an overview of the landscape of the serological applications of pseudotyped lentiviral vectors, with a brief discussion on their production and batch quality analysis. Finally, we evaluate their role as surrogates for the real virus and possible alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamilla Toon
- Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control-MHRA, Blanche Lane, South Mimms EN6 3QG, UK;
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Emma M. Bentley
- Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control-MHRA, Blanche Lane, South Mimms EN6 3QG, UK;
| | - Giada Mattiuzzo
- Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control-MHRA, Blanche Lane, South Mimms EN6 3QG, UK;
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9
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Shaw J, Gosain R, Kalita MM, Foster TL, Kankanala J, Mahato DR, Abas S, King BJ, Scott C, Brown E, Bentham MJ, Wetherill L, Bloy A, Samson A, Harris M, Mankouri J, Rowlands DJ, Macdonald A, Tarr AW, Fischer WB, Foster R, Griffin S. Rationally derived inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) p7 channel activity reveal prospect for bimodal antiviral therapy. eLife 2020; 9:e52555. [PMID: 33169665 PMCID: PMC7714397 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the 1960s, a single class of agent has been licensed targeting virus-encoded ion channels, or 'viroporins', contrasting the success of channel blocking drugs in other areas of medicine. Although resistance arose to these prototypic adamantane inhibitors of the influenza A virus (IAV) M2 proton channel, a growing number of clinically and economically important viruses are now recognised to encode essential viroporins providing potential targets for modern drug discovery. We describe the first rationally designed viroporin inhibitor with a comprehensive structure-activity relationship (SAR). This step-change in understanding not only revealed a second biological function for the p7 viroporin from hepatitis C virus (HCV) during virus entry, but also enabled the synthesis of a labelled tool compound that retained biological activity. Hence, p7 inhibitors (p7i) represent a unique class of HCV antiviral targeting both the spread and establishment of infection, as well as a precedent for future viroporin-targeted drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Shaw
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, St James’ University HospitalLeedsUnited Kingdom
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Rajendra Gosain
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Monoj Mon Kalita
- Institute of Biophotonics, National Yang-Ming UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Toshana L Foster
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, St James’ University HospitalLeedsUnited Kingdom
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Jayakanth Kankanala
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - D Ram Mahato
- Institute of Biophotonics, National Yang-Ming UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Sonia Abas
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Barnabas J King
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical CentreNottinghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Claire Scott
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, St James’ University HospitalLeedsUnited Kingdom
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Emma Brown
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, St James’ University HospitalLeedsUnited Kingdom
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Matthew J Bentham
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, St James’ University HospitalLeedsUnited Kingdom
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Laura Wetherill
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, St James’ University HospitalLeedsUnited Kingdom
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Abigail Bloy
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, St James’ University HospitalLeedsUnited Kingdom
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Adel Samson
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, St James’ University HospitalLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Mark Harris
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
- School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Jamel Mankouri
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
- School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - David J Rowlands
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
- School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Andrew Macdonald
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
- School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical CentreNottinghamUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Richard Foster
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Stephen Griffin
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, St James’ University HospitalLeedsUnited Kingdom
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse LaneLeedsUnited Kingdom
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10
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Mina M, Underwood A, Eltahla A, Wu BR, Walker MR, Bull RA, Lloyd AR. Anti-envelope antibody responses in highly exposed seronegative individuals may be associated with protection from HCV infection. J Viral Hepat 2020; 27:1012-1021. [PMID: 32497370 DOI: 10.1111/jvh.13339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
In rare cases, individuals with a history of long-term injecting drug use remain seronegative and aviraemic, despite prolonged and likely repeated exposure to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) through high-risk behaviour. We describe anti-HCV Envelope (E) antibody responses in a prospective cohort of carefully defined highly exposed but uninfected subjects (HESN) and comparison subjects who were also high risk and uninfected, but rapidly became HCV infected (Incident). Longitudinally collected samples from HESN cases (n = 22) were compared to Incident controls (n = 22). IgG, IgM and IgA from sera were tested by ELISA to genotype 1a and 3a E glycoproteins, and recombinant genotype 1a E2 antigen. IgG subclass isotyping was performed for those positive for IgG. Virus-neutralizing activity was assessed on HCV pseudoparticles, and HCV E-specific B cells analysed using flow cytometry. A significant minority of HESN cases (n = 10; 45%) had anti-E, predominantly in the IgG2 subclass, which was not found in the pre-infection time point of the Incident cases (n = 1; 5%). A subset of the HESN subjects also had neutralizing activity and HCV-specific B cells detected significantly more than Incident cases pre-infection. In conclusion, the HESN phenotype is associated with IgG2 anti-E antibodies, neutralization activity and HCV E-specific memory B cells. These findings suggest that HESN subjects may be resistant to HCV infection through humoral immune-mediated mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Mina
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, The Kirby Institute, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alexander Underwood
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, The Kirby Institute, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Auda Eltahla
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, The Kirby Institute, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Bing-Ru Wu
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, The Kirby Institute, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Melanie R Walker
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, The Kirby Institute, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rowena A Bull
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, The Kirby Institute, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrew R Lloyd
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, The Kirby Institute, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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11
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Almasaud A, Alharbi NK, Hashem AM. Generation of MERS-CoV Pseudotyped Viral Particles for the Evaluation of Neutralizing Antibodies in Mammalian Sera. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2099:117-126. [PMID: 31883092 PMCID: PMC7123069 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0211-9_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Pseudotyped viral particle production has been used extensively and broadly for many viruses to evaluate levels of neutralizing antibodies, viral entry inhibitors and vaccine immunogenicity. This assay is extremely safe and useful alternative to live virus-based assay without the need for high containment facilities. In this chapter, we describe the generation of MERS-CoV pseudotyped viral particles (MERSpp) expressing full-length spike protein using second-generation lentiviral packaging system. This platform is optimized to generate high titer of MERSpp and to test sera from different mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulrahman Almasaud
- Department of Infectious Disease Research, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Naif Khalaf Alharbi
- Department of Infectious Disease Research, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. .,King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Anwar M Hashem
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. .,Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
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12
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Müller H, Fehling SK, Dorna J, Urbanowicz RA, Oestereich L, Krebs Y, Kolesnikova L, Schauflinger M, Krähling V, Magassouba N, Fichet-Calvet E, Ball JK, Kaufmann A, Bauer S, Becker S, von Messling V, Strecker T. Adjuvant formulated virus-like particles expressing native-like forms of the Lassa virus envelope surface glycoprotein are immunogenic and induce antibodies with broadly neutralizing activity. NPJ Vaccines 2020; 5:71. [PMID: 32802410 PMCID: PMC7403343 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-020-00219-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Lassa mammarenavirus (LASV) is a rodent-borne arenavirus endemic to several West African countries. It is the causative agent of human Lassa fever, an acute viral hemorrhagic fever disease. To date, no therapeutics or vaccines against LASV have obtained regulatory approval. Polyclonal neutralizing antibodies derived from hyperimmunized animals may offer a useful strategy for prophylactic and therapeutic intervention to combat human LASV infections. The LASV envelope surface glycoprotein complex (GP) is the major target for neutralizing antibodies, and it is the main viral antigen used for the design of an LASV vaccine. Here, we assessed the immunogenic potential of mammalian cell-derived virus-like particles (VLPs) expressing GP from the prototypic LASV strain Josiah in a native-like conformation as the sole viral antigen. We demonstrate that an adjuvanted prime-boost immunization regimen with GP-derived VLPs elicited neutralizing antibody responses in rabbits, suggesting that effective antigenic epitopes of GP were displayed. Notably, these antibodies exhibited broad reactivity across five genetic lineages of LASV. VLP-based immunization strategies may represent a powerful approach for generating polyclonal sera containing cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies against LASV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Müller
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Jens Dorna
- Institute of Immunology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Lisa Oestereich
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites Gießen-Marburg-Langen and Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yvonne Krebs
- Veterinary Medicine Division, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany
| | | | | | - Verena Krähling
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites Gießen-Marburg-Langen and Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites Gießen-Marburg-Langen and Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Andreas Kaufmann
- Institute of Immunology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Bauer
- Institute of Immunology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Becker
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites Gießen-Marburg-Langen and Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Veronika von Messling
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites Gießen-Marburg-Langen and Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.,Veterinary Medicine Division, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany.,Present Address: Federal Ministry for Education and Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Strecker
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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13
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B cell immunodominance in primary hepatitis C virus infection. J Hepatol 2020; 72:670-679. [PMID: 31785346 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2019.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Neutralising antibodies (NAbs) play a key role in clearance of HCV. NAbs have been isolated and mapped to several domains on the HCV envelope proteins. However, the immunodominance of these epitopes in HCV infection remains unknown, hindering efforts to elicit optimal epitope-specific responses. Furthermore, it remains unclear which epitope-specific responses are associated with broad NAb (bNAb) activity in primary HCV infection. The aim of this study was to define B cell immunodominance in primary HCV, and its implications on neutralisation breadth and clearance. METHODS Using samples from 168 patients with primary HCV infection, the antibody responses targeted 2 immunodominant domains, termed domains B and C. Genotype 1 and 3 infections were associated with responses targeted towards different bNAb domains. RESULTS No epitopes were uniquely targeted by clearers compared to those who developed chronic infection. Samples with bNAb activity were enriched for multi-specific responses directed towards the epitopes antigenic region 3, antigenic region 4, and domain D, and did not target non-neutralising domains. CONCLUSIONS This study outlines for the first time a clear NAb immunodominance profile in primary HCV infection, and indicates that it is influenced by the infecting virus. It also highlights the need for a vaccination strategy to induce multi-specific responses that do not target non-neutralising domains. LAY SUMMARY Neutralising antibodies will likely form a key component of a protective hepatitis C virus vaccine. In this work we characterise the predominant neutralising and non-neutralising antibody (epitope) targets in acute hepatitis C virus infection. We have defined the natural hierarchy of epitope immunodominance, and demonstrated that viral genotype can impact on this hierarchy. Our findings highlight key epitopes that are associated with broadly neutralising antibodies, and the deleterious impact of mounting a response towards some of these domains on neutralising breadth. These findings should guide future efforts to design immunogens aimed at generating neutralising antibodies with a vaccine candidate.
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14
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Duncan JD, Urbanowicz RA, Tarr AW, Ball JK. Hepatitis C Virus Vaccine: Challenges and Prospects. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8010090. [PMID: 32079254 PMCID: PMC7157504 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8010090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 01/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes both acute and chronic infection and continues to be a global problem despite advances in antiviral therapeutics. Current treatments fail to prevent reinfection and remain expensive, limiting their use to developed countries, and the asymptomatic nature of acute infection can result in individuals not receiving treatment and unknowingly spreading HCV. A prophylactic vaccine is therefore needed to control this virus. Thirty years since the discovery of HCV, there have been major gains in understanding the molecular biology and elucidating the immunological mechanisms that underpin spontaneous viral clearance, aiding rational vaccine design. This review discusses the challenges facing HCV vaccine design and the most recent and promising candidates being investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D. Duncan
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (R.A.U.); (A.W.T.); (J.K.B.)
- NIHR Nottingham BRC, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (R.A.U.); (A.W.T.); (J.K.B.)
- NIHR Nottingham BRC, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Alexander W. Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (R.A.U.); (A.W.T.); (J.K.B.)
- NIHR Nottingham BRC, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Jonathan K. Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (R.A.U.); (A.W.T.); (J.K.B.)
- NIHR Nottingham BRC, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
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15
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Lester S, Harcourt J, Whitt M, Al-Abdely HM, Midgley CM, Alkhamis AM, Aziz Jokhdar HA, Assiri AM, Tamin A, Thornburg N. Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV) spike (S) protein vesicular stomatitis virus pseudoparticle neutralization assays offer a reliable alternative to the conventional neutralization assay in human seroepidemiological studies. Access Microbiol 2019; 1:e000057. [PMID: 32974558 PMCID: PMC7472544 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a novel zoonotic coronavirus that was identified in 2012. MERS-CoV infection in humans can result in an acute, severe respiratory disease and in some cases multi-organ failure; the global mortality rate is approximately 35 %. The MERS-CoV spike (S) protein is a major target for neutralizing antibodies in infected patients. The MERS-CoV microneutralization test (MNt) is the gold standard method for demonstrating prior infection. However, this method requires the use of live MERS-CoV in biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) containment. The present work describes the generation and validation of S protein-bearing vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) pseudotype particles (VSV-MERS-CoV-S) in which the VSV glycoprotein G gene has been replaced by the luciferase reporter gene, followed by the establishment of a pseudoparticle-based neutralization test to detect MERS-CoV neutralizing antibodies under BSL-2 conditions. Using a panel of human sera from confirmed MERS-CoV patients, the VSV-MERS-CoV particle neutralization assay produced results that were highly comparable to those of the microneutralization test using live MERS-CoV. The results suggest that the VSV-MERS-CoV-S pseudotype neutralization assay offers a highly specific, sensitive and safer alternative method to detect MERS-CoV neutralizing antibodies in human sera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Lester
- Synergy America, Inc., Duluth, GA, USA
- National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases, Respiratory Viruses Laboratory Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- *Correspondence: Sandra Lester,
| | - Jennifer Harcourt
- National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases, Respiratory Viruses Laboratory Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michael Whitt
- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, Memphis, TN, USA
| | | | - Claire M. Midgley
- National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases, Respiratory Viruses Laboratory Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | | | | | - Azaibi Tamin
- National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases, Respiratory Viruses Laboratory Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Natalie Thornburg
- National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases, Respiratory Viruses Laboratory Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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16
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Soares HR, Ferreira-Fernandes M, Almeida AI, Marchel M, Alves PM, Coroadinha AS. Enhancing Hepatitis C virus pseudoparticles infectivity through p7NS2 cellular expression. J Virol Methods 2019; 274:113714. [PMID: 31412271 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2019.113714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis C pseudoparticles (HCVpp) are used to evaluate HCV cell entry while screening for neutralizing antibodies induced upon vaccination or while screening for new antiviral drugs. In this work we explore the stable production of HCVpp aiming to reduce the variability associated with transient productions. The performance of stably produced HCVpp was assessed by evaluating the influence of Human Serum and the impact of CD81 cellular expression on the infectivity of HCVpp. After evaluating the performance of stably produced HCVpp we studied the effect of co-expressing p7NS2 openreading frame (ORF) on HCVpp infectivity. Our data clearly shows an enhanced infectivity of HCVppp7NS2. Even though the exact mechanism was not completely elucidated, the enhanced infectivity of HCVppp7NS2 is neither a result of an increase production of virus particles nor a result from increased envelope density. The inhibitory effect of p7 inhibitory molecules such as rimantadine suggests a direct contribution of p7 ion channel for the enhanced infectivity of HCVppp7NS2 which is coherent with a pH-dependent cell entry mechanism. In conclusion, we report the establishment of a stable production system of HCVpp with enhanced infectivity through the overexpression of p7NS2 ORF contributing to improve HCV entry assessment assays widely used in antiviral drug discovery and vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo R Soares
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal; Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Marina Ferreira-Fernandes
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal; Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ana I Almeida
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal; Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Mateusz Marchel
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal; Centro de Química Estrutural, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Paula M Alves
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal; Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ana S Coroadinha
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal; Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
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17
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Urbanowicz RA, Wang R, Schiel JE, Keck ZY, Kerzic MC, Lau P, Rangarajan S, Garagusi KJ, Tan L, Guest JD, Ball JK, Pierce BG, Mariuzza RA, Foung SKH, Fuerst TR. Antigenicity and Immunogenicity of Differentially Glycosylated Hepatitis C Virus E2 Envelope Proteins Expressed in Mammalian and Insect Cells. J Virol 2019; 93:e01403-18. [PMID: 30651366 PMCID: PMC6430559 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01403-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of a prophylactic vaccine for hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a global health challenge. Cumulative evidence supports the importance of antibodies targeting the HCV E2 envelope glycoprotein to facilitate viral clearance. However, a significant challenge for a B cell-based vaccine is focusing the immune response on conserved E2 epitopes capable of eliciting neutralizing antibodies not associated with viral escape. We hypothesized that glycosylation might influence the antigenicity and immunogenicity of E2. Accordingly, we performed head-to-head molecular, antigenic, and immunogenic comparisons of soluble E2 (sE2) produced in (i) mammalian (HEK293) cells, which confer mostly complex- and high-mannose-type glycans; and (ii) insect (Sf9) cells, which impart mainly paucimannose-type glycans. Mass spectrometry demonstrated that all 11 predicted N-glycosylation sites were utilized in both HEK293- and Sf9-derived sE2, but that N-glycans in insect sE2 were on average smaller and less complex. Both proteins bound CD81 and were recognized by conformation-dependent antibodies. Mouse immunogenicity studies revealed that similar polyclonal antibody responses were generated against antigenic domains A to E of E2. Although neutralizing antibody titers showed that Sf9-derived sE2 induced moderately stronger responses than did HEK293-derived sE2 against the homologous HCV H77c isolate, the two proteins elicited comparable neutralization titers against heterologous isolates. Given that global alteration of HCV E2 glycosylation by expression in different hosts did not appreciably affect antigenicity or overall immunogenicity, a more productive approach to increasing the antibody response to neutralizing epitopes may be complete deletion, rather than just modification, of specific N-glycans proximal to these epitopes.IMPORTANCE The development of a vaccine for hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a global health challenge. A major challenge for vaccine development is focusing the immune response on conserved regions of the HCV envelope protein, E2, capable of eliciting neutralizing antibodies. Modification of E2 by glycosylation might influence the immunogenicity of E2. Accordingly, we performed molecular and immunogenic comparisons of E2 produced in mammalian and insect cells. Mass spectrometry demonstrated that the predicted glycosylation sites were utilized in both mammalian and insect cell E2, although the glycan types in insect cell E2 were smaller and less complex. Mouse immunogenicity studies revealed similar polyclonal antibody responses. However, insect cell E2 induced stronger neutralizing antibody responses against the homologous isolate used in the vaccine, albeit the two proteins elicited comparable neutralization titers against heterologous isolates. A more productive approach for vaccine development may be complete deletion of specific glycans in the E2 protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ruixue Wang
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - John E Schiel
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Zhen-Yong Keck
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Melissa C Kerzic
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Patrick Lau
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Sneha Rangarajan
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Kyle J Garagusi
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Lei Tan
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Johnathan D Guest
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Brian G Pierce
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Roy A Mariuzza
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Steven K H Foung
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Thomas R Fuerst
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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18
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Jalal PJ, Urbanowicz RA, Horncastle E, Pathak M, Goddard C, Saeed A, Mason CP, Ball JK, Irving WL, McClure CP, King BJ, Tarr AW. Expression of human ficolin-2 in hepatocytes confers resistance to infection by diverse hepatotropic viruses. J Med Microbiol 2019; 68:642-648. [PMID: 30747617 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.000935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The liver-expressed pattern recognition receptors mannose-binding lectin (MBL), ficolin-2 and ficolin-3 contribute to the innate immune response by activating complement. Binding of soluble ficolin-2 to viral pathogens can directly neutralize virus entry. We observed that the human hepatoma cell line HuH7.5, which is routinely used for the study of hepatotropic viruses, is deficient in expression of MBL, ficolin-2 and ficolin-3. We generated a cell line that expressed and secreted ficolin-2. This cell line (HuH7.5 [FCN2]) was more resistant to infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV), ebolavirus and vesicular stomatitis virus, but surprisingly was more susceptible to infection with rabies virus. Cell-to-cell spread of HCV was also inhibited in ficolin-2 expressing cells. This illustrates that ficolin-2 expression in hepatocytes contributes to innate resistance to virus infection, but some viruses might utilize ficolin-2 to facilitate entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paywast J Jalal
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Emma Horncastle
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Monika Pathak
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Chun Goddard
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Amanj Saeed
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq
| | - Christopher P Mason
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - William L Irving
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - C Patrick McClure
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Barnabas J King
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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19
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Bailey JR, Urbanowicz RA, Ball JK, Law M, Foung SKH. Standardized Method for the Study of Antibody Neutralization of HCV Pseudoparticles (HCVpp). Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1911:441-450. [PMID: 30593644 PMCID: PMC6398441 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8976-8_30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) pseudoparticles (HCVpp) are generated by cotransfection of HCV envelope (E1 and E2) genes along with a retroviral packaging/reporter construct into HEK293T cells. Enveloped particles bearing HCV E1E2 proteins on their surface are released through a retroviral budding process into the supernatant. Viral E1E2 glycoproteins facilitate a single round of receptor-mediated entry of HCVpp into hepatoma cells, which can be quantified by reporter gene expression. These HCVpp have been employed to study mechanisms of HCV entry into hepatoma cells, as well as HCV neutralization by immune sera or HCV-specific monoclonal antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin R Bailey
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Mansun Law
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Steven K H Foung
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
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20
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Abstract
Experimental characterization of the properties of authentic viruses circulating in infected individuals presents a problem when investigating RNA viruses with error-prone polymerases. The hepatitis C virus provides an extreme example of RNA virus genetic variability, as the nucleotide composition of HCV genomes can vary by more than 30% between strains. The envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 in particular are able to tolerate a particularly high level of variation. They are under continual selection pressure from the host antibody response during chronic infection and can tolerate adaptive mutations, leading to great diversity in a single host. The diversity of E1/E2 in circulating viruses has hindered investigations of their function and development of a vaccine that will generate antibodies able to potently neutralize entry of genetically distinct strains.Here we describe methods used in our laboratory to overcome the limitations of investigating the properties of the envelope glycoproteins representing only small numbers of HCV variants. Using a high-fidelity, limiting dilution ("endpoint") PCR approach to amplify single E1/E2 cDNA templates, which can then generate recombinant model viral particles using retrovirus packaging/reporter constructs. These retroviral pseudoparticles (pseudotypes) facilitate investigation of the properties of authentic E1/E2 glycoproteins in a single-round infection assay. We also describe optimized methods for generation of infectious pseudoparticles from patient-isolated E1/E2 and methods for performing neutralization assays with both anti-virus and anti-host antibodies.
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21
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Similarities and Differences Between HCV Pseudoparticle (HCVpp) and Cell Culture HCV (HCVcc) in the Study of HCV. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1911:33-45. [PMID: 30593616 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8976-8_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
For a long time, the study of the HCV infectious cycle has been a major challenge for researchers because of the difficulties in generating an efficient cell culture system leading to a productive viral infection. The development of HCVpp and later on HCVcc model allowing for functional studies of HCV in cell culture completely revolutionized HCV research. The aim of this review is to provide the reader with a brief overview of the development of these two models. We describe the advantages of each model as well as their limitations in the study of the HCV life cycle, with a particular emphasis on virus entry. A comparison between these two models is presented in terms of virion composition and their use as tools for the characterization of entry factors, envelope glycoprotein functions, and antibody neutralization. We also compare the production and biosafety level of these two types of viral particles. Globally, this review provides a general description of the most adequate applications for HCVpp and HCVcc in HCV research.
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22
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Chowdhury P, Sahuc ME, Rouillé Y, Rivière C, Bonneau N, Vandeputte A, Brodin P, Goswami M, Bandyopadhyay T, Dubuisson J, Séron K. Theaflavins, polyphenols of black tea, inhibit entry of hepatitis C virus in cell culture. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198226. [PMID: 30485282 PMCID: PMC6261387 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by combination of direct acting antivirals (DAA), with different mode of action, has made substantial progress in the past few years. However, appearance of resistance and high cost of the therapy is still an obstacle in the achievement of the therapy, more specifically in developing countries. In this context, search for affordable antivirals with new mechanisms of action is still needed. Tea, after water, is the most popular drink worldwide. Polyphenols extracted from green tea have already shown anti-HCV activity as entry inhibitors. Here, three different theaflavins, theaflavin (TF1), theaflavin-3’-monogallate (TF2), and theaflavin-3-3’-digallate (TF3), which are major polyphenols from black tea, were tested against HCV in cell culture. The results showed that all theaflavins inhibit HCV infection in a dose-dependent manner in an early step of infection. Results obtained with HCV pseudotyped virions confirmed their activity on HCV entry and demonstrated their pan-genotypic action. No effect on HCV replication was observed by using HCV replicon. Investigation on the mechanism of action of black tea theaflavins showed that they act directly on the virus particle and are able to inhibit cell-to-cell spread. Combination study with inhibitors most widely used in anti-HCV treatment regimen demonstrated that TF3 exerts additive effect. In conclusion, theaflavins, that are present in high quantity in black tea, are new inhibitors of HCV entry and hold promise for developing in therapeutic arsenal for HCV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pritom Chowdhury
- University of Lille, CNRS, INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
- Department of Biotechnology, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, TRA, Jorhat, Assam, India
| | - Marie-Emmanuelle Sahuc
- University of Lille, CNRS, INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Yves Rouillé
- University of Lille, CNRS, INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Céline Rivière
- ICV - Institut Charles Viollette, Univ. Lille, INRA, ISA, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte d’Opale, Lille, France
| | - Natacha Bonneau
- ICV - Institut Charles Viollette, Univ. Lille, INRA, ISA, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte d’Opale, Lille, France
| | - Alexandre Vandeputte
- University of Lille, CNRS, INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Priscille Brodin
- University of Lille, CNRS, INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Manoranjan Goswami
- Department of Biochemistry, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, TRA, Jorhat, Assam, India
| | - Tanoy Bandyopadhyay
- Department of Biotechnology, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, TRA, Jorhat, Assam, India
| | - Jean Dubuisson
- University of Lille, CNRS, INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Karin Séron
- University of Lille, CNRS, INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
- * E-mail:
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23
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Underwood AP, Walker MR, Brasher NA, Eltahla AA, Maher L, Luciani F, Lloyd AR, Bull RA. Understanding the Determinants of BnAb Induction in Acute HCV Infection. Viruses 2018; 10:E659. [PMID: 30469363 PMCID: PMC6266478 DOI: 10.3390/v10110659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite recent advances in curative therapy, hepatitis C virus (HCV) still remains a global threat. In order to achieve global elimination, a prophylactic vaccine should be considered high priority. Previous immunogens used to induce broad neutralising antibodies (BnAbs) have been met with limited success. To improve immunogen design, factors associated with the early development of BnAbs in natural infection must first be understood. In this study, 43 subjects identified with acute HCV were analysed longitudinally using a panel of heterogeneous HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpp), to understand the emergence of BnAbs. Compared to those infected with a single genotype, early BnAb development was associated with subjects co-infected with at least 2 HCV subtypes during acute infection. In those that were mono-infected, BnAbs were seen to emerge with increasing viral persistence. If subjects acquired a secondary infection, nAb breadth was seen to boost upon viral re-exposure. Importantly, this data highlights the potential for multivalent and prime-boost vaccine strategies to induce BnAbs against HCV in humans. However, the data also indicate that the infecting genotype may influence the development of BnAbs. Therefore, the choice of antigen will need to be carefully considered in future vaccine trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander P Underwood
- School of Medical Sciences and the Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Melanie R Walker
- School of Medical Sciences and the Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Nicholas A Brasher
- School of Medical Sciences and the Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Auda A Eltahla
- School of Medical Sciences and the Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Lisa Maher
- School of Medical Sciences and the Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Fabio Luciani
- School of Medical Sciences and the Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Andrew R Lloyd
- School of Medical Sciences and the Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Rowena A Bull
- School of Medical Sciences and the Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
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24
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Kinchen VJ, Bailey JR. Defining Breadth of Hepatitis C Virus Neutralization. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1703. [PMID: 30116237 PMCID: PMC6082923 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Extraordinary genetic diversity is a hallmark of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Therefore, accurate measurement of the breadth of antibody neutralizing activity across diverse HCV isolates is key to defining correlates of immune protection against the virus, and essential to guide vaccine development. Panels of HCV pseudoparticle (HCVpp) or replication-competent cell culture viruses (HCVcc) can be used to measure neutralizing breadth of antibodies. These in vitro assays have been used to define neutralizing breadth of antibodies in serum, to characterize broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, and to identify mechanisms of HCV resistance to antibody neutralization. Recently, larger and more diverse panels of both HCVpp and HCVcc have been described that better represent the diversity of circulating HCV strains, but further work is needed to expand and standardize these neutralization panels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie J Kinchen
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Justin R Bailey
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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25
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Ramirez S, Bukh J. Current status and future development of infectious cell-culture models for the major genotypes of hepatitis C virus: Essential tools in testing of antivirals and emerging vaccine strategies. Antiviral Res 2018; 158:264-287. [PMID: 30059723 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we summarize the relevant scientific advances that led to the development of infectious cell culture systems for hepatitis C virus (HCV) with the corresponding challenges and successes. We also provide an overview of how these systems have contributed to the study of antiviral compounds and their relevance for the development of a much-needed vaccine against this major human pathogen. An efficient infectious system to study HCV in vitro, using human hepatoma derived cells, has only been available since 2005, and was limited to a single isolate, named JFH1, until 2012. Successive developments have been slow and cumbersome, as each available system has been the result of a systematic effort for discovering adaptive mutations conferring culture replication and propagation to patient consensus clones that are inherently non-viable in vitro. High genetic heterogeneity is a paramount characteristic of this virus, and as such, it should preferably be reflected in basic, translational, and clinical studies. The limited number of efficient viral culture systems, in the context of the vast genetic diversity of HCV, continues to represent a major hindrance for the study of this virus, posing a significant barrier towards studies of antivirals (particularly of resistance) and for advancing vaccine development. Intensive research efforts, driven by isolate-specific culture adaptation, have only led to efficient full-length infectious culture systems for a few strains of HCV genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 6. Hence research aimed at identifying novel strategies that will permit universal culture of HCV will be needed to further our understanding of this unique virus causing 400 thousand deaths annually.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santseharay Ramirez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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26
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King B, Tarr AW. How have retrovirus pseudotypes contributed to our understanding of viral entry? Future Virol 2017. [DOI: 10.2217/fvl-2017-0062] [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
Study of virus entry into host cells is important for understanding viral tropism and pathogenesis. Studying the entry of in vitro cultured viruses is not always practicable. Study of highly pathogenic viruses, viruses that do not grow in culture, and viruses that rapidly change phenotype in vitro can all benefit from alternative models of entry. Retrovirus particles can be engineered to display the envelope proteins of heterologous enveloped viruses. This approach, broadly termed ‘pseudotyping’, is an important technique for interrogating virus entry. In this perspective we consider how retrovirus pseudotypes have addressed these challenges and improved our understanding of the entry pathways of diverse virus species, including Ebolavirus, human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barnabas King
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust & the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust & the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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27
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Naik AS, Owsianka A, Palmer BA, O’Halloran CJ, Walsh N, Crosbie O, Kenny-Walsh E, Patel AH, Fanning LJ. Reverse epitope mapping of the E2 glycoprotein in antibody associated hepatitis C virus. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175349. [PMID: 28558001 PMCID: PMC5448734 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The humoral immune system responds to chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by producing neutralising antibodies (nAb). In this study we generated three HCV pseudoparticles in which E1E2 glycoprotein sequence was targeted by the host humoral immune system. We used patient derived virus free Fabs (VF-Fabs) obtained from HCV genotype 1a (n = 3), genotype 1b (n = 7) and genotype 3a (n = 1) for neutralisation of HCVpp produced in this study both individually and in combination. Based on the available anti-HCV monoclonal nAb mapping information we selected amino acid region 384-619 for conformational epitope mapping. Amongst our notable findings, we observed significant reduction in HCVpp infectivity (p<0.05) when challenged with a combination of inter genotype and subtype VF-Fabs. We also identified five binding motifs targeted by patient derived VF-Fab upon peptide mapping, of which two shared the residues with previously reported epitopes. One epitope lies within an immunodominant HVR1 and two were novel. In summary, we used a reverse epitope mapping strategy to identify preferred epitopes by the host humoral immune system. Additionally, we have combined different VF-Fabs to further reduce the HCVpp infectivity. Our data indicates that combining the antigen specificity of antibodies may be a useful strategy to reduce (in-vitro) infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amruta S. Naik
- Department of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Ania Owsianka
- MRC—University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Nicole Walsh
- Department of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Orla Crosbie
- Department of Hepatology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland
| | | | - Arvind H. Patel
- MRC—University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Liam J. Fanning
- Department of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- APC-Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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28
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Urbanowicz RA, McClure CP, Sakuntabhai A, Sall AA, Kobinger G, Müller MA, Holmes EC, Rey FA, Simon-Loriere E, Ball JK. Human Adaptation of Ebola Virus during the West African Outbreak. Cell 2017; 167:1079-1087.e5. [PMID: 27814505 PMCID: PMC5101188 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2016] [Revised: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The 2013–2016 outbreak of Ebola virus (EBOV) in West Africa was the largest recorded. It began following the cross-species transmission of EBOV from an animal reservoir, most likely bats, into humans, with phylogenetic analysis revealing the co-circulation of several viral lineages. We hypothesized that this prolonged human circulation led to genomic changes that increased viral transmissibility in humans. We generated a synthetic glycoprotein (GP) construct based on the earliest reported isolate and introduced amino acid substitutions that defined viral lineages. Mutant GPs were used to generate a panel of pseudoviruses, which were used to infect different human and bat cell lines. These data revealed that specific amino acid substitutions in the EBOV GP have increased tropism for human cells, while reducing tropism for bat cells. Such increased infectivity may have enhanced the ability of EBOV to transmit among humans and contributed to the wide geographic distribution of some viral lineages. EBOV adapted to humans during the West African outbreak Amino acid substitutions in the EBOV glycoprotein increase human cell tropism The same glycoprotein amino acid substitutions decrease tropism for bat cells
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - C Patrick McClure
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Anavaj Sakuntabhai
- Functional Genetics of Infectious Diseases Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité de Recherche Associée 3012, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Amadou A Sall
- Arbovirus and Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Unit, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, BP 220 Dakar, Senegal
| | - Gary Kobinger
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada; Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R32T 2N2, Canada
| | - Marcel A Müller
- Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Edward C Holmes
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Félix A Rey
- Institut Pasteur, Département de Virologie, Unité de Virologie Structurale, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 3569, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Etienne Simon-Loriere
- Functional Genetics of Infectious Diseases Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité de Recherche Associée 3012, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
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29
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Wasilewski LN, Ray SC, Bailey JR. Hepatitis C virus resistance to broadly neutralizing antibodies measured using replication-competent virus and pseudoparticles. J Gen Virol 2016; 97:2883-2893. [PMID: 27667373 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A better understanding of natural variation in neutralization resistance and fitness of diverse hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope (E1E2) variants will be critical to guide rational development of an HCV vaccine. This work has been hindered by inadequate genetic diversity in viral panels and by a lack of standardization of HCV entry assays. Neutralization assays generally use lentiviral pseudoparticles expressing HCV envelope proteins (HCVpp) or chimeric full-length viruses that are replication competent in cell culture (HCVcc). There have been few systematic comparisons of specific infectivities of E1E2-matched HCVcc and HCVpp, and to our knowledge, neutralization of E1E2-matched HCVpp and HCVcc has never been compared using a diverse panel of human broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (bNAbs) targeting distinct epitopes. Here, we describe an efficient method for introduction of naturally occurring E1E2 genes into a full-length HCV genome, producing replication-competent chimeric HCVcc. We generated diverse panels of E1E2-matched HCVcc and HCVpp and measured the entry-mediating fitness of E1E2 variants using the two systems. We also compared neutralization of E1E2-matched HCVcc and HCVpp by a diverse panel of human bNAbs targeting epitopes across E1E2. We found no correlation between specific infectivities of E1E2-matched HCVcc versus HCVpp, but found a very strong positive correlation between relative neutralization resistance of these same E1E2-matched HCVcc and HCVpp variants. These results suggest that quantitative comparisons of neutralization resistance of E1E2 variants can be made with confidence using either HCVcc or HCVpp, allowing the use of either or both systems to maximize diversity of neutralization panels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa N Wasilewski
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Stuart C Ray
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.,Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Justin R Bailey
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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