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Swadling L, Halliday J, Kelly C, Brown A, Capone S, Ansari MA, Bonsall D, Richardson R, Hartnell F, Collier J, Ammendola V, Del Sorbo M, Von Delft A, Traboni C, Hill AVS, Colloca S, Nicosia A, Cortese R, Klenerman P, Folgori A, Barnes E. Highly-Immunogenic Virally-Vectored T-cell Vaccines Cannot Overcome Subversion of the T-cell Response by HCV during Chronic Infection. Vaccines (Basel) 2016; 4:E27. [PMID: 27490575 PMCID: PMC5041021 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines4030027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Revised: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
An effective therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, as an adjunct to newly developed directly-acting antivirals (DAA), or for the prevention of reinfection, would significantly reduce the global burden of disease associated with chronic HCV infection. A recombinant chimpanzee adenoviral (ChAd3) vector and a modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA), encoding the non-structural proteins of HCV (NSmut), used in a heterologous prime/boost regimen induced multi-specific, high-magnitude, durable HCV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses in healthy volunteers, and was more immunogenic than a heterologous Ad regimen. We now assess the immunogenicity of this vaccine regimen in HCV infected patients (including patients with a low viral load suppressed with interferon/ribavirin therapy), determine T-cell cross-reactivity to endogenous virus, and compare immunogenicity with that observed previously in both healthy volunteers and in HCV infected patients vaccinated with the heterologous Ad regimen. Vaccination of HCV infected patients with ChAd3-NSmut/MVA-NSmut was well tolerated. Vaccine-induced HCV-specific T-cell responses were detected in 8/12 patients; however, CD4+ T-cell responses were rarely detected, and the overall magnitude of HCV-specific T-cell responses was markedly reduced when compared to vaccinated healthy volunteers. Furthermore, HCV-specific cells had a distinct partially-functional phenotype (lower expression of activation markers, granzyme B, and TNFα production, weaker in vitro proliferation, and higher Tim3 expression, with comparable Tbet and Eomes expression) compared to healthy volunteers. Robust anti-vector T-cells and antibodies were induced, showing that there is no global defect in immunity. The level of viremia at the time of vaccination did not correlate with the magnitude of the vaccine-induced T-cell response. Full-length, next-generation sequencing of the circulating virus demonstrated that T-cells were only induced by vaccination when there was a sequence mismatch between the autologous virus and the vaccine immunogen. However, these T-cells were not cross-reactive with the endogenous viral variant epitopes. Conversely, when there was complete homology between the immunogen and circulating virus at a given epitope T-cells were not induced. T-cell induction following vaccination had no significant impact on HCV viral load. In vitro T-cell culture experiments identified the presence of T-cells at baseline that could be expanded by vaccination; thus, HCV-specific T-cells may have been expanded from pre-existing low-level memory T-cell populations that had been exposed to HCV antigens during natural infection, explaining the partial T-cell dysfunction. In conclusion, vaccination with ChAd3-NSmut and MVA-NSmut prime/boost, a potent vaccine regimen previously optimized in healthy volunteers was unable to reconstitute HCV-specific T-cell immunity in HCV infected patients. This highlights the major challenge of overcoming T-cell exhaustion in the context of persistent antigen exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo Swadling
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
| | - John Halliday
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
- Oxford NIHR BRC, and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
- Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia.
| | - Christabel Kelly
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
- Oxford NIHR BRC, and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
| | - Anthony Brown
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
| | - Stefania Capone
- Reithera Srl (former Okairos Srl), Viale Città d'Europa, 679, Rome 00144, Italy.
| | - M Azim Ansari
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
| | - David Bonsall
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
| | - Rachel Richardson
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
| | - Felicity Hartnell
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
| | - Jane Collier
- Oxford NIHR BRC, and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
| | - Virginia Ammendola
- Reithera Srl (former Okairos Srl), Viale Città d'Europa, 679, Rome 00144, Italy.
| | | | - Annette Von Delft
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
| | - Cinzia Traboni
- Reithera Srl (former Okairos Srl), Viale Città d'Europa, 679, Rome 00144, Italy.
| | - Adrian V S Hill
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK.
| | - Stefano Colloca
- Reithera Srl (former Okairos Srl), Viale Città d'Europa, 679, Rome 00144, Italy.
| | - Alfredo Nicosia
- Reithera Srl (former Okairos Srl), Viale Città d'Europa, 679, Rome 00144, Italy.
- CEINGE, via Gaetano Salvatore 486, Naples 80145, Italy.
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via S. Pansini 5, Naples 80131, Italy.
| | | | - Paul Klenerman
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
- Oxford NIHR BRC, and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK.
| | - Antonella Folgori
- Reithera Srl (former Okairos Srl), Viale Città d'Europa, 679, Rome 00144, Italy.
| | - Eleanor Barnes
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.
- Oxford NIHR BRC, and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK.
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Gededzha MP, Mphahlele MJ, Selabe SG. Prediction of T-cell epitopes of hepatitis C virus genotype 5a. Virol J 2014; 11:187. [PMID: 25380768 PMCID: PMC4289306 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-11-187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a public health problem with almost 185 million people estimated to be infected worldwide and is one of the leading causes of hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, there is no vaccine for HCV infection and the current treatment does not clear the infection in all patients. Because of the high diversity of HCV, protective vaccines will have to overcome significant viral antigenic diversities. The objective of this study was to predict T-cell epitopes from HCV genotype 5a sequences. Methods HCV near full-length protein sequences were analyzed to predict T-cell epitopes that bind human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and HLA class II in HCV genotype 5a using Propred I and Propred, respectively. The Antigenicity score of all the predicted epitopes were analysed using VaxiJen v2.0. All antigenic predicted epitopes were analysed for conservation using the IEDB database in comparison with 406, 221, 98, 33, 45, 45 randomly selected sequences from each of the HCV genotypes 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4 and 6 respectively, downloaded from the GenBank. For epitope prediction binding to common HLA alleles found in South Africa, the IEDB epitope analysis tool was used. Results A total of 24 and 77 antigenic epitopes that bind HLA class I and HLA class II respectively were predicted. The highest number of HLA class I binding epitopes were predicted within the NS3 (63%), followed by NS5B (21%). For the HLA class II, the highest number of epitopes were predicted in the NS3 (30%) followed by the NS4B (23%) proteins. For conservation analysis, 8 and 31 predicted epitopes were conserved in different genotypes for HLA class I and HLA class II alleles respectively. Several epitopes bind with high affinity for both HLA class I alleles and HLA class II common in South Africa. Conclusion The predicted conserved T-cell epitopes analysed in this study will contribute towards the future design of HCV vaccine candidates which will avoid variation in genotypes, which in turn will be capable of inducing broad HCV specific immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Selokela G Selabe
- HIV and Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Virology, University of Limpopo, Medunsa Campus/National Health Laboratory Service, Pretoria, South Africa.
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Doi H, Hiroishi K, Shimazaki T, Eguchi J, Baba T, Ito T, Matsumura T, Nozawa H, Morikawa K, Ishii S, Hiraide A, Sakaki M, Imawari M. Magnitude of CD8 T-cell responses against hepatitis C virus and severity of hepatitis do not necessarily determine outcomes in acute hepatitis C virus infection. Hepatol Res 2009; 39:256-65. [PMID: 19054151 DOI: 10.1111/j.1872-034x.2008.00459.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
AIM We investigated the relationship between the magnitude of comprehensive hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses and the clinical course of acute HCV infection. METHODS Six consecutive patients with acute HCV infection were studied. Analysis of HCV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses was performed using an interferon-gamma-based enzyme-linked immunospot assay using peripheral CD8(+) T-cells, monocytes and 297 20-mer synthetic peptides overlapping by 10 residues and spanning the entire HCV sequence of genotype 1b. RESULTS Five patients presented detectable HCV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses against a single and different peptide, whereas 1 patient showed responses against three different peptides. Neither the magnitude of HCV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses nor the severity of hepatitis predicts the outcome of acute hepatitis. The maximum number of HCV-specific CD8(+) T-cells correlated with maximum serum alanine aminotransferase level during the course (r = 0.841, P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS HCV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses were detectable in all 6 patients with acute HCV infection, and 6 novel HCV-specific CTL epitopes were identified. Acute HCV infection can resolve with detectable HCV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses, but without development of antibody against HCV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyoshi Doi
- Department of Gastroenterology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Hiroishi K, Ito T, Imawari M. Immune responses in hepatitis C virus infection and mechanisms of hepatitis C virus persistence. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2008; 23:1473-82. [PMID: 18761560 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2008.05475.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Immune responses against hepatitis C virus (HCV) play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C. HCV infection often persists and leads to chronic hepatitis and eventually cirrhosis. Accumulated data suggest that HCV proteins suppress host immune responses through the suppression of functions of immune cells, such as cytotoxic T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells. They also suppress the type 1 interferon signaling system. The resulting insufficient immune responses against HCV lead to the sustained infection. The appropriate control of immune responses would contribute to the eradication of HCV and the improvement of hepatitis, but there are still many issues to be clarified. This review describes the scientific evidence to support these emerging concepts, and will touch on the implications for improving antiviral therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazumasa Hiroishi
- Department of Gastroenterology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
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Shiina M, Kobayashi K, Kobayashi T, Kondo Y, Ueno Y, Shimosegawa T. Dynamics of immature subsets of dendritic cells during antiviral therapy in HLA-A24-positive chronic hepatitis C patients. J Gastroenterol 2006; 41:758-64. [PMID: 16988764 DOI: 10.1007/s00535-006-1843-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2006] [Accepted: 04/12/2006] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cellular immune response is important in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). To better understand its mechanism, we examined dendritic cells (DCs) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), which are thought to contribute to liver injury and viral clearance. METHODS CHC patients received 24 weeks of interferon-alpha-based antiviral therapy. We analyzed time-sequential frequencies of peripheral DCs, classified as myeloid DCs (mDCs) or plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), together with peptide major histocompatibility class I tetramers, epitope specific for HCV core 129-137 (t*24/c129) or HCV NS3 1296-1304 (t*24/ns1294), directly ex vivo. RESULTS The mDC and pDC populations changed in parallel (P < 0.05), showing a significant transient decrease at weeks 12 and 16 during the therapy, and then recovering. However, neither of the tetramer results showed a direct correlation with the kinetics of peripheral DCs. CONCLUSIONS There is an apparent effect of antiviral therapy or a subsequent reduction of HCV on host immunity, but the effect may not include the induction of CTLs in CHC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaaki Shiina
- Division of Gastroenterology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
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Wang Y, Takao Y, Harada M, Komatsu N, Ono T, Sata M, Itoh K, Yamada A. Identification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) 2a-derived epitope peptides having the capacity to induce cytotoxic T lymphocytes in human leukocyte antigen-A24+ and HCV2a-infected patients. Cell Immunol 2006; 241:38-46. [PMID: 16963008 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2006.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2006] [Revised: 07/24/2006] [Accepted: 07/28/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Since virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play a critical role in preventing the spread of hepatitis C virus (HCV), vaccine-based HCV-specific CTL induction could be a promising strategy to treat HCV-infected patients. In this study, we tried to identify HCV2a-derived epitopes, which can induce human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A24-restricted and peptide-specific CTLs. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HCV2a-infected patients or healthy donors were stimulated in vitro with HCV2a-derived peptides, which were prepared based on the HLA-A24 binding motif. As a result, three peptides (HCV2a 576-584, HCV2a 627-635, and HCV2a 1085-1094) efficiently induced peptide-specific CTLs from HLA-A24(+) HCV2a-infected patients as well as healthy donors. The cytotoxicity was exhibited by peptide-specific CD8(+) T cells in an HLA-A24-restricted manner. In addition, the HCV2a 627-635 peptide was frequently recognized by immunoglobulin G of HCV2a-infected patients. These results indicate that the identified three HCV2a peptides might be applicable to peptide-based immunotherapy for HLA-A24(+) HCV2a-infected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wang
- Cancer Vaccine Development Division, Kurume University Research Center for Innovative Cancer Therapy, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume, Fukuoka 830-0011, Japan
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