1
|
Wu K, Hou YJ, Makrinos D, Liu R, Zhu A, Koch M, Yu WH, Paila YD, Chandramouli S, Panther L, Henry C, DiPiazza A, Carfi A. Characterization of humoral and cellular immunologic responses to an mRNA-based human cytomegalovirus vaccine from a phase 1 trial of healthy adults. J Virol 2024; 98:e0160323. [PMID: 38526054 PMCID: PMC11019844 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01603-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
mRNA-1647 is an investigational mRNA-based vaccine against cytomegalovirus (CMV) that contains sequences encoding the CMV proteins glycoprotein B and pentamer. Humoral and cellular immune responses were evaluated in blood samples collected from healthy CMV-seropositive and CMV-seronegative adults who participated in a phase 1 trial of a three-dose series of mRNA-1647 (NCT03382405). Neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers against fibroblast and epithelial cell infection in sera from CMV-seronegative mRNA-1647 recipients were higher than those in sera from control CMV-seropositive samples and remained elevated up to 12 months after dose 3. nAb responses elicited by mRNA-1647 were comparable across 14 human CMV (HCMV) strains. Frequencies of antigen-specific memory B cells increased in CMV-seropositive and CMV-seronegative participants after each mRNA-1647 dose and remained elevated for up to 6 months after dose 3. mRNA-1647 elicited robust increases in frequencies and polyfunctionality of CD4+ T helper type 1 and effector CD8+ T cells in samples from CMV-seronegative and CMV-seropositive participants after stimulation with HCMV-specific peptides. The administration of three doses of mRNA-1647 to healthy adults elicited high nAb titers with wide-breadth, long-lasting memory B cells, and strong polyfunctional T-cell responses. These findings support further clinical development of the mRNA-1647 vaccine against CMV.IMPORTANCECytomegalovirus (CMV), a common virus that can infect people of all ages, may lead to serious health problems in unborn babies and those with a weakened immune system. Currently, there is no approved vaccine available to prevent CMV infection; however, the investigational messenger RNA (mRNA)-based CMV vaccine, mRNA-1647, is undergoing evaluation in clinical trials. The current analysis examined samples from a phase 1 trial of mRNA-1647 in healthy adults to better understand how the immune system reacts to vaccination. Three doses of mRNA-1647 produced a long-lasting immune response, thus supporting further investigation of the vaccine in the prevention of CMV infection.CLINICAL TRIALSRegistered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03382405).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kai Wu
- Infectious Disease Research, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yixuan Jacob Hou
- Infectious Disease Research, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dan Makrinos
- Infectious Disease Research, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Runxia Liu
- Infectious Disease Research, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alex Zhu
- Infectious Disease Research, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew Koch
- Infectious Disease Research, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Wen-Han Yu
- Infectious Disease Research, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yamuna D. Paila
- Infectious Disease Development, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Lori Panther
- Infectious Disease Development, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Carole Henry
- Infectious Disease Research, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anthony DiPiazza
- Infectious Disease Research, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrea Carfi
- Infectious Disease Research, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang HY, Li L, Nelson CS, Barfield R, Valencia S, Chan C, Muramatsu H, Lin PJC, Pardi N, An Z, Weissman D, Permar SR. Multivalent cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B nucleoside modified mRNA vaccines did not demonstrate a greater antibody breadth. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:38. [PMID: 38378950 PMCID: PMC10879498 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00821-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) remains the most common congenital infection and infectious complication in immunocompromised patients. The most successful HCMV vaccine to date, an HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) subunit vaccine adjuvanted with MF59, achieved 50% efficacy against primary HCMV infection. A previous study demonstrated that gB/MF59 vaccinees were less frequently infected with HCMV gB genotype strains most similar to the vaccine strain than strains encoding genetically distinct gB genotypes, suggesting strain-specific immunity accounted for the limited efficacy. To determine whether vaccination with multiple HCMV gB genotypes could increase the breadth of anti-HCMV gB humoral and cellular responses, we immunized 18 female rabbits with monovalent (gB-1), bivalent (gB-1+gB-3), or pentavalent (gB-1+gB-2+gB-3+gB-4+gB-5) gB lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated nucleoside-modified RNA (mRNA-LNP) vaccines. The multivalent vaccine groups did not demonstrate a higher magnitude or breadth of the IgG response to the gB ectodomain or cell-associated gB compared to that of the monovalent vaccine. Also, the multivalent vaccines did not show an increase in the breadth of neutralization activity and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis against HCMV strains encoding distinct gB genotypes. Interestingly, peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived gB-2-specific T-cell responses elicited by multivalent vaccines were of a higher magnitude compared to that of monovalent vaccinated animals against a vaccine-mismatched gB genotype at peak immunogenicity. Yet, no statistical differences were observed in T cell response against gB-3 and gB-5 variable regions among the three vaccine groups. Our data suggests that the inclusion of multivalent gB antigens is not an effective strategy to increase the breadth of anti-HCMV gB antibody and T cell responses. Understanding how to increase the HCMV vaccine protection breadth will be essential to improve the vaccine efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hsuan-Yuan Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Leike Li
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Takeda Pharmaceutical, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Cody S Nelson
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Richard Barfield
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Sarah Valencia
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Cliburn Chan
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Hiromi Muramatsu
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Paulo J C Lin
- Acuitas Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Norbert Pardi
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Zhiqiang An
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Drew Weissman
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Sallie R Permar
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hu X, Karthigeyan KP, Herbek S, Valencia SM, Jenks JA, Webster H, Miller IG, Connors M, Pollara J, Andy C, Gerber LM, Walter EB, Edwards KM, Bernstein DI, Hou J, Koch M, Panther L, Carfi A, Wu K, Permar SR. Human Cytomegalovirus mRNA-1647 Vaccine Candidate Elicits Potent and Broad Neutralization and Higher Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity Responses Than the gB/MF59 Vaccine. J Infect Dis 2024:jiad593. [PMID: 38324766 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND MF59-adjuvanted gB subunit (gB/MF59) vaccine demonstrated approximately 50% efficacy against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) acquisition in multiple clinical trials, suggesting that efforts to improve this vaccine design might yield a vaccine suitable for licensure. METHODS A messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine candidate encoding HCMV gB and pentameric complex (PC), mRNA-1647, is currently in late-stage efficacy trials. However, its immunogenicity has not been compared to the partially effective gB/MF59 vaccine. We assessed neutralizing and Fc-mediated immunoglobulin G (IgG) effector antibody responses induced by mRNA-1647 in both HCMV-seropositive and -seronegative vaccinees from a first-in-human clinical trial through 1 year following third vaccination using a systems serology approach. Furthermore, we compared peak anti-gB antibody responses in seronegative mRNA-1647 vaccinees to that of seronegative gB/MF59 vaccine recipients. RESULTS mRNA-1647 vaccination elicited and boosted HCMV-specific IgG responses in seronegative and seropositive vaccinees, respectively, including neutralizing and Fc-mediated effector antibody responses. gB-specific IgG responses were lower than PC-specific IgG responses. gB-specific IgG and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis responses were lower than those elicited by gB/MF59. However, mRNA-1647 elicited higher neutralization and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) responses. CONCLUSIONS Overall, mRNA-1647 vaccination induced polyfunctional and durable HCMV-specific antibody responses, with lower gB-specific IgG responses but higher neutralization and ADCC responses compared to the gB/MF59 vaccine. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT03382405 (mRNA-1647) and NCT00133497 (gB/MF59).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xintao Hu
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | | | - Savannah Herbek
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Sarah M Valencia
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Jennifer A Jenks
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Helen Webster
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Itzayana G Miller
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Megan Connors
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Justin Pollara
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Caroline Andy
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Linda M Gerber
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Emmanuel B Walter
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Kathryn M Edwards
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - David I Bernstein
- Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Jacob Hou
- Moderna, Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | | | | | | | - Kai Wu
- Moderna, Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Sallie R Permar
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Boppana SB, van Boven M, Britt WJ, Gantt S, Griffiths PD, Grosse SD, Hyde TB, Lanzieri TM, Mussi-Pinhata MM, Pallas SE, Pinninti SG, Rawlinson WD, Ross SA, Vossen ACTM, Fowler KB. Vaccine value profile for cytomegalovirus. Vaccine 2023; 41 Suppl 2:S53-S75. [PMID: 37806805 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.06.020] [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: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common infectious cause of congenital malformation and a leading cause of developmental disabilities such as sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), motor and cognitive deficits. The significant disease burden from congenital CMV infection (cCMV) led the US National Institute of Medicine to rank CMV vaccine development as the highest priority. An average of 6.7/1000 live births are affected by cCMV, but the prevalence varies across and within countries. In contrast to other congenital infections such as rubella and toxoplasmosis, the prevalence of cCMV increases with CMV seroprevalence rates in the population. The true global burden of cCMV disease is likely underestimated because most infected infants (85-90 %) have asymptomatic infection and are not identified. However, about 7-11 % of those with asymptomatic infection will develop SNHL throughout early childhood. Although no licensed CMV vaccine exists, several candidate vaccines are in development, including one currently in phase 3 trials. Licensure of one or more vaccine candidates is feasible within the next five years. Various models of CMV vaccine strategies employing different target populations have shown to provide substantial benefit in reducing cCMV. Although CMV can cause end-organ disease with significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals, the focus of this vaccine value profile (VVP) is on preventing or reducing the cCMV disease burden. This CMV VVP provides a high-level, comprehensive assessment of the currently available data to inform the potential public health, economic, and societal value of CMV vaccines. The CMV VVP was developed by a working group of subject matter experts from academia, public health groups, policy organizations, and non-profit organizations. All contributors have extensive expertise on various elements of the CMV VVP and have described the state of knowledge and identified the current gaps. The VVP was developed using only existing and publicly available information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suresh B Boppana
- Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
| | - Michiel van Boven
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, and Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Department of Epidemiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - William J Britt
- Departments of Pediatrics, Microbiology, and Neurobiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
| | - Soren Gantt
- Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Paul D Griffiths
- Emeritus Professor of Virology, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Scott D Grosse
- National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA
| | - Terri B Hyde
- Global Immunization Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tatiana M Lanzieri
- Measles, Rubella, and Cytomegalovirus Epidemiology Team, Viral Vaccine Preventable Diseases Branch / Division of Viral Diseases. National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Marisa M Mussi-Pinhata
- Department of Pediatrics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sarah E Pallas
- Global Immunization Division, Center for Global Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329-4027, USA
| | - Swetha G Pinninti
- Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - William D Rawlinson
- Serology and Virology Division, NSW Health Pathology Randwick, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia; School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, and School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Shannon A Ross
- Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Ann C T M Vossen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Karen B Fowler
- Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Valencia SM, Rochat E, Harnois MJ, Dennis M, Webster HS, Hora B, Kumar A, Wang HYS, Li L, Freed D, Zhang N, An Z, Wang D, Permar SR. Vaccination with a replication-defective cytomegalovirus vaccine elicits a glycoprotein B-specific monoclonal antibody repertoire distinct from natural infection. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:154. [PMID: 37816743 PMCID: PMC10564777 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00749-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading infectious congenital infection globally and the most common viral infection in transplant recipients, therefore identifying a vaccine for HCMV is a top priority. Humoral immunity is a correlate of protection for HCMV infection. The most effective vaccine tested to date, which achieved 50% reduction in acquisition of HCMV, was comprised of the glycoprotein B protein given with an oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant MF59. We characterize gB-specific monoclonal antibodies isolated from individuals vaccinated with a disabled infectious single cycle (DISC) CMV vaccine, V160, and compare these to the gB-specific monoclonal antibody repertoire isolated from naturally-infected individuals. We find that vaccination with V160 resulted in gB-specific antibodies that bound homogenously to gB expressed on the surface of a cell in contrast to antibodies isolated from natural infection which variably bound to cell-associated gB. Vaccination resulted in a similar breadth of gB-specific antibodies, with binding profile to gB genotypes 1-5 comparable to that of natural infection. Few gB-specific neutralizing antibodies were isolated from V160 vaccinees and fewer antibodies had identifiable gB antigenic domain specificity compared to that of naturally-infected individuals. We also show that glycosylation of gB residue N73 may shield binding of gB-specific antibodies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Valencia
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Eric Rochat
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Melissa J Harnois
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Maria Dennis
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Helen S Webster
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Bhavna Hora
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Amit Kumar
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Hsuan-Yuan Sherry Wang
- Duke University Medical Center, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Leike Li
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | | | - Ningyan Zhang
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Zhiqiang An
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Dai Wang
- Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA
| | - Sallie R Permar
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Otero CE, Barfield R, Scheef E, Nelson CS, Rodgers N, Wang HY, Moström MJ, Manuel TD, Sass J, Schmidt K, Taher H, Papen C, Sprehe L, Kendall S, Davalos A, Barry PA, Früh K, Pollara J, Malouli D, Chan C, Kaur A, Permar SR. Relationship of maternal cytomegalovirus-specific antibody responses and viral load to vertical transmission risk following primary maternal infection in a rhesus macaque model. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011378. [PMID: 37871009 PMCID: PMC10621917 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital infection and cause of birth defects worldwide. Primary CMV infection during pregnancy leads to a higher frequency of congenital CMV (cCMV) than maternal re-infection, suggesting that maternal immunity confers partial protection. However, poorly understood immune correlates of protection against placental transmission contributes to the current lack of an approved vaccine to prevent cCMV. In this study, we characterized the kinetics of maternal plasma rhesus CMV (RhCMV) viral load (VL) and RhCMV-specific antibody binding and functional responses in a group of 12 immunocompetent dams with acute, primary RhCMV infection. We defined cCMV transmission as RhCMV detection in amniotic fluid (AF) by qPCR. We then leveraged a large group of past and current primary RhCMV infection studies in late-first/early-second trimester RhCMV-seronegative rhesus macaque dams, including immunocompetent (n = 15), CD4+ T cell-depleted with (n = 6) and without (n = 6) RhCMV-specific polyclonal IgG infusion before infection to evaluate differences between RhCMV AF-positive and AF-negative dams. During the first 3 weeks after infection, the magnitude of RhCMV VL in maternal plasma was higher in AF-positive dams in the combined cohort, while RhCMV glycoprotein B (gB)- and pentamer-specific binding IgG responses were lower magnitude compared to AF-negative dams. However, these observed differences were driven by the CD4+ T cell-depleted dams, as there were no differences in plasma VL or antibody responses between immunocompetent AF-positive vs AF-negative dams. Overall, these results suggest that levels of neither maternal plasma viremia nor humoral responses are associated with cCMV following primary maternal infection in healthy individuals. We speculate that other factors related to innate immunity are more important in this context as antibody responses to acute infection likely develop too late to influence vertical transmission. Yet, pre-existing CMV glycoprotein-specific and neutralizing IgG may provide protection against cCMV following primary maternal CMV infection even in high-risk, immunocompromised settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claire E. Otero
- Department of Pathology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Richard Barfield
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Scheef
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Cody S. Nelson
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Nicole Rodgers
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute & Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Hsuan-Yuan Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Immunology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Matilda J. Moström
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Tabitha D. Manuel
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Julian Sass
- Department of Mathematics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kimberli Schmidt
- Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Husam Taher
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Courtney Papen
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Lesli Sprehe
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Savannah Kendall
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Angel Davalos
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Peter A. Barry
- Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Klaus Früh
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Justin Pollara
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute & Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Daniel Malouli
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Cliburn Chan
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Amitinder Kaur
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Sallie R. Permar
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Gong Y, Moström M, Otero C, Valencia S, Tarantal AF, Kaur A, Permar SR, Chan C. Mathematical Modeling of Rhesus Cytomegalovirus Transplacental Transmission in Seronegative Rhesus Macaques. Viruses 2023; 15:2040. [PMID: 37896817 PMCID: PMC10611067 DOI: 10.3390/v15102040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Approximately 0.7% of infants are born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV), making it the most common congenital infection. About 1 in 5 congenitally infected babies will suffer long-term sequelae, including sensorineural deafness, intellectual disability, and epilepsy. CMV infection is highly species-dependent, and the rhesus CMV (RhCMV) infection of rhesus monkey fetuses is the only animal model that replicates essential features of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection in humans, including placental transmission, fetal disease, and fetal loss. Using experimental data from RhCMV seronegative rhesus macaques inoculated with RhCMV in the late first to early second trimesters of pregnancy, we built and calibrated a mathematical model for the placental transmission of CMV. The model was then used to study the effect of the timing of inoculation, maternal immune suppression, and hyper-immune globulin infusion on the risk of placental transmission in the context of primary and reactivated chronic maternal CMV infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yishu Gong
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA;
| | - Matilda Moström
- Department of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (M.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Claire Otero
- Department of Pathology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA;
| | - Sarah Valencia
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA;
| | - Alice F. Tarantal
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, California National Primate Research Center, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA;
| | - Amitinder Kaur
- Department of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA; (M.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Sallie R. Permar
- Department of Pediatrics, Joan & Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY 10065, USA;
| | - Cliburn Chan
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Yamaguchi K, Shimizu H, Takahashi K, Nagatomo T, Nishimura T, Matsumoto M, Koshizuka T, Mori H, Inoue N, Torikai M. Characterization of epitopes of human monoclonal antibodies against cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B for neutralization and antibody-dependent phagocytosis. Vaccine 2023; 41:4497-4507. [PMID: 37321896 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.06.003] [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: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
As congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections are the leading non-genetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss and significant neurological disabilities in children, the development of CMV vaccines should be given the highest public health priority. Although MF59-adjuvanted glycoprotein B (gB) vaccine (gB/MF59) is safe and immunogenic, its efficacy in terms of protection from natural infection was around 50 % in clinical trials. Although gB/MF59 induced high antibody titers, anti-gB antibodies contributed little to the neutralization of infection. Recent studies have found that non-neutralizing functions, including antibody-dependent phagocytosis of virions and virus-infected cells, are likely to play important roles in pathogenesis and vaccine design. Previously, we isolated human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that reacted with the trimeric form of gB ectodomain and found that preferential epitopes for neutralization were present on Domains (Doms) I and II of gB, while there were abundant non-neutralizing antibodies targeting Dom IV. In this study, we analyzed the phagocytosis activities of these MAbs and found the following: 1) MAbs effective for phagocytosis of the virions targeted Doms I and II, 2) the MAbs effective for phagocytosis of the virions and those of virus-infected cells were generally distinct, and 3) the antibody-dependent phagocytosis showed little correlation with neutralizing activities. Taking account of the frequency and levels of neutralization and phagocytosis, incorporation of the epitopes on Doms I and II into developing vaccines is considered desirable for the prevention of viremia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Keita Takahashi
- Microbiology & Immunology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Tetsuo Koshizuka
- Microbiology & Immunology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Mori
- Kikuchi Research Center, KM Biologics Co., Ltd, Japan
| | - Naoki Inoue
- Microbiology & Immunology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Japan.
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Semmes EC, Miller IG, Rodgers N, Phan CT, Hurst JH, Walsh KM, Stanton RJ, Pollara J, Permar SR. ADCC-activating antibodies correlate with decreased risk of congenital human cytomegalovirus transmission. JCI Insight 2023; 8:e167768. [PMID: 37427588 PMCID: PMC10371338 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.167768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common vertically transmitted infection worldwide, yet there are no vaccines or therapeutics to prevent congenital HCMV (cCMV) infection. Emerging evidence indicates that antibody Fc effector functions may be a previously underappreciated component of maternal immunity against HCMV. We recently reported that antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and IgG activation of FcγRI/FcγRII were associated with protection against cCMV transmission, leading us to hypothesize that additional Fc-mediated antibody functions may be important. In this same cohort of HCMV-transmitting (n = 41) and nontransmitting (n = 40) mother-infant dyads, we report that higher maternal sera antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activation is also associated with lower risk of cCMV transmission. We investigated the relationship between ADCC and IgG responses against 9 viral antigens and found that ADCC activation correlated most strongly with sera IgG binding to the HCMV immunoevasin protein UL16. Moreover, we determined that higher UL16-specific IgG binding and FcγRIII/CD16 engagement were associated with the greatest risk reduction in cCMV transmission. Our findings indicate that ADCC-activating antibodies against targets such as UL16 may represent an important protective maternal immune response against cCMV infection that can guide future HCMV correlates studies and vaccine or antibody-based therapeutic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor C. Semmes
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, and
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Itzayana G. Miller
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Nicole Rodgers
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Caroline T. Phan
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jillian H. Hurst
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kyle M. Walsh
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Richard J. Stanton
- Division of Infection and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Justin Pollara
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sallie R. Permar
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Gomes AC, Baraniak IA, McIntosh MR, Sodi I, Langstone T, Siddiqui S, Atkinson C, McLean GR, Griffiths PD, Reeves MB. A temperature-dependent virus-binding assay reveals the presence of neutralizing antibodies in human cytomegalovirus gB vaccine recipients' sera. J Gen Virol 2023; 104:001860. [PMID: 37310000 PMCID: PMC10661908 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) remains an important cause of mortality in immune-compromised transplant patients and following congenital infection. Such is the burden, an effective vaccine strategy is considered to be of the highest priority. The most successful vaccines to date have focused on generating immune responses against glycoprotein B (gB) - a protein essential for HCMV fusion and entry. We have previously reported that an important component of the humoral immune response elicited by gB/MF59 vaccination of patients awaiting transplant is the induction of non-neutralizing antibodies that target cell-associated virus with little evidence of concomitant classical neutralizing antibodies. Here we report that a modified neutralization assay that promotes prolonged binding of HCMV to the cell surface reveals the presence of neutralizing antibodies in sera taken from gB-vaccinated patients that cannot be detected using standard assays. We go on to show that this is not a general feature of gB-neutralizing antibodies, suggesting that specific antibody responses induced by vaccination could be important. Although we can find no evidence that these neutralizing antibody responses are a correlate of protection in vivo in transplant recipients their identification demonstrates the utility of the approach in identifying these responses. We hypothesize that further characterization has the potential to aid the identification of functions within gB that are important during the entry process and could potentially improve future vaccine strategies directed against gB if they prove to be effective against HCMV at higher concentrations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ariane C. Gomes
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL, Royal Free Campus, London, NW3 2PP, UK
| | - Ilona A. Baraniak
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL, Royal Free Campus, London, NW3 2PP, UK
| | - Megan R. McIntosh
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL, Royal Free Campus, London, NW3 2PP, UK
| | - Isabella Sodi
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL, Royal Free Campus, London, NW3 2PP, UK
| | - Toby Langstone
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL, Royal Free Campus, London, NW3 2PP, UK
| | - Saima Siddiqui
- London Metropolitan University, School of Human Sciences, London, N7 8DB, UK
| | - Claire Atkinson
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL, Royal Free Campus, London, NW3 2PP, UK
| | - Gary R. McLean
- London Metropolitan University, School of Human Sciences, London, N7 8DB, UK
- Imperial College London, National Heart and Lung Institute, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Paul D. Griffiths
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL, Royal Free Campus, London, NW3 2PP, UK
| | - Matthew B. Reeves
- Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL, Royal Free Campus, London, NW3 2PP, UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Otero CE, Barfield R, Scheef E, Nelson CS, Rodgers N, Wang HY, Moström MJ, Manuel TD, Sass J, Schmidt K, Taher H, Papen C, Sprehe L, Kendall S, Davalos A, Barry PA, Früh K, Pollara J, Malouli D, Chan C, Kaur A, Permar SR. Relationship of maternal cytomegalovirus-specific antibody responses and viral load to vertical transmission risk following primary maternal infection in a rhesus macaque model. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.21.537769. [PMID: 37131785 PMCID: PMC10153280 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.21.537769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital infection and cause of birth defects worldwide. Primary CMV infection during pregnancy leads to a higher frequency of congenital CMV (cCMV) than maternal re-infection, suggesting that maternal immunity confers partial protection. However, poorly understood immune correlates of protection against placental transmission contributes to the current lack of an approved vaccine to prevent cCMV. In this study, we characterized the kinetics of maternal plasma rhesus CMV (RhCMV) viral load (VL) and RhCMV-specific antibody binding and functional responses in a group of 12 immunocompetent dams with acute, primary RhCMV infection. We defined cCMV transmission as RhCMV detection in amniotic fluid (AF) by qPCR. We then leveraged a large group of past and current primary RhCMV infection studies in late-first/early-second trimester RhCMV-seronegative rhesus macaque dams, including immunocompetent (n=15), CD4+ T cell-depleted with (n=6) and without (n=6) RhCMV-specific polyclonal IgG infusion before infection to evaluate differences between RhCMV AF-positive and AF-negative dams. During the first 3 weeks after infection, the magnitude of RhCMV VL in maternal plasma was higher in AF-positive dams in the combined cohort, while RhCMV glycoprotein B (gB)- and pentamer-specific binding IgG responses were lower magnitude compared to AF-negative dams. However, these observed differences were driven by the CD4+ T cell-depleted dams, as there were no differences in plasma VL or antibody responses between immunocompetent AF-positive vs AF-negative dams. Overall, these results suggest that levels of neither maternal plasma viremia nor humoral responses are associated with cCMV following primary maternal infection in healthy individuals. We speculate that other factors related to innate immunity are more important in this context as antibody responses to acute infection likely develop too late to influence vertical transmission. Yet, pre-existing CMV glycoprotein-specific and neutralizing IgG may provide protection against cCMV following primary maternal CMV infection even in high-risk, immunocompromised settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claire E Otero
- Department of Pathology, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | - Richard Barfield
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | | | - Cody S Nelson
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Nicole Rodgers
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute & Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Hsuan-Yuan Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
- Department of Immunology, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | | | | | - Julian Sass
- Department of Mathematics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
| | - Kimberli Schmidt
- Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of California, Davis, CA
| | - Husam Taher
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR
| | - Courtney Papen
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR
| | - Lesli Sprehe
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA
| | | | - Angel Davalos
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Peter A Barry
- Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of California, Davis, CA
| | - Klaus Früh
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR
| | - Justin Pollara
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute & Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Daniel Malouli
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR
| | - Cliburn Chan
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | | | - Sallie R Permar
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Semmes EC, Miller IG, Rodgers N, Phan CT, Hurst JH, Walsh KM, Stanton RJ, Pollara J, Permar SR. ADCC-activating antibodies correlate with protection against congenital human cytomegalovirus infection. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.03.15.23287332. [PMID: 36993668 PMCID: PMC10055595 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.15.23287332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common vertically transmitted infection worldwide, yet there are no licensed vaccines or therapeutics to prevent congenital HCMV (cCMV) infection. Emerging evidence from studies of natural infection and HCMV vaccine trials indicates that antibody Fc effector functions may defend against HCMV infection. We previously reported that antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and IgG activation of FcγRI/FcγRII were associated with reduced risk of cCMV transmission, leading us to hypothesize that other Fc-mediated antibody functions may also contribute to protection. In this same cohort of HCMV transmitting (n = 41) and non-transmitting (n = 40) mother-infant dyads, we found that higher maternal sera antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activation was also associated with decreased risk of cCMV infection. We determined that NK cell-mediated ADCC responses correlated strongly with anti-HCMV IgG FcγRIII/CD16 activation and IgG binding to the HCMV immunoevasin protein UL16. Notably, anti-UL16 IgG binding and engagement of FcγRIII/CD16 were higher in non-transmitting versus transmitting dyads and interacted significantly with ADCC responses. These findings indicate that ADCC-activating antibodies against novel targets such as UL16 may represent an important protective maternal immune response against cCMV infection, which can guide future HCMV correlates studies and vaccine development.
Collapse
|
13
|
Gomes AC, Baraniak IA, Lankina A, Moulder Z, Holenya P, Atkinson C, Tang G, Mahungu T, Kern F, Griffiths PD, Reeves MB. The cytomegalovirus gB/MF59 vaccine candidate induces antibodies against an antigenic domain controlling cell-to-cell spread. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1041. [PMID: 36823200 PMCID: PMC9950427 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36683-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccination against human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains high priority. A recombinant form of a protein essential for CMV entry, glycoprotein B (gB), demonstrated partial protection in a clinical trial (NCT00299260) when delivered with the MF59 adjuvant. Although the antibody titre against gB correlated with protection poor neutralising responses against the 5 known antigenic domains (AD) of gB were evident. Here, we show that vaccination of CMV seronegative patients induces an antibody response against a region of gB we term AD-6. Responses to the polypeptide AD-6 are detected in >70% of vaccine recipients yet in <5% of naturally infected people. An AD-6 antibody binds to gB and to infected cells but not the virion directly. Consistent with this, the AD-6 antibody is non-neutralising but, instead, prevents cell-cell spread of CMV in vitro. The discovery of AD-6 responses has the potential to explain part of the protection mediated by gB vaccines against CMV following transplantation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A C Gomes
- Institute of Immunity & Transplantation, UCL, London, NW3 2PP, United Kingdom
| | - I A Baraniak
- Institute of Immunity & Transplantation, UCL, London, NW3 2PP, United Kingdom
| | - A Lankina
- Institute of Immunity & Transplantation, UCL, London, NW3 2PP, United Kingdom
| | - Z Moulder
- Institute of Immunity & Transplantation, UCL, London, NW3 2PP, United Kingdom
| | - P Holenya
- JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - C Atkinson
- Institute of Immunity & Transplantation, UCL, London, NW3 2PP, United Kingdom
| | - G Tang
- Institute of Immunity & Transplantation, UCL, London, NW3 2PP, United Kingdom
| | - T Mahungu
- Institute of Immunity & Transplantation, UCL, London, NW3 2PP, United Kingdom
| | - F Kern
- JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - P D Griffiths
- Institute of Immunity & Transplantation, UCL, London, NW3 2PP, United Kingdom
| | - M B Reeves
- Institute of Immunity & Transplantation, UCL, London, NW3 2PP, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Jenks JA, Amin S, Sponholtz MR, Kumar A, Wrapp D, Venkatayogi S, Tu JJ, Karthigeyan K, Valencia SM, Connors M, Harnois MJ, Hora B, Rochat E, McLellan JS, Wiehe K, Permar SR. A single, improbable B cell receptor mutation confers potent neutralization against cytomegalovirus. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011107. [PMID: 36662906 PMCID: PMC9891502 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a leading cause of infant hearing loss and neurodevelopmental delay, but there are no clinically licensed vaccines to prevent infection, in part due to challenges eliciting neutralizing antibodies. One of the most well-studied targets for CMV vaccines is the viral fusogen glycoprotein B (gB), which is required for viral entry into host cells. Within gB, antigenic domain 2 site 1 (AD-2S1) is a target of potently neutralizing antibodies, but gB-based candidate vaccines have yet to elicit robust responses against this region. We mapped the genealogy of B cells encoding potently neutralizing anti-gB AD-2S1 antibodies from their inferred unmutated common ancestor (UCA) and characterized the binding and function of early lineage ancestors. Surprisingly, we found that a single amino acid heavy chain mutation A33N, which was an improbable mutation rarely generated by somatic hypermutation machinery, conferred broad CMV neutralization to the non-neutralizing UCA antibody. Structural studies revealed that this mutation mediated key contacts with the gB AD-2S1 epitope. Collectively, these results provide insight into potently neutralizing gB-directed antibody evolution in a single donor and lay a foundation for using this B cell-lineage directed approach for the design of next-generation CMV vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A. Jenks
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Sharmi Amin
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Madeline R. Sponholtz
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Amit Kumar
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Daniel Wrapp
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sravani Venkatayogi
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Joshua J. Tu
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Krithika Karthigeyan
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Sarah M. Valencia
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Megan Connors
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Melissa J. Harnois
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Bhavna Hora
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Eric Rochat
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jason S. McLellan
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Kevin Wiehe
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Sallie R. Permar
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Harnois MJ, Dennis M, Stöhr D, Valencia SM, Rodgers N, Semmes EC, Webster HS, Jenks JA, Barfield R, Pollara J, Chan C, Sinzger C, Permar SR. Characterization of Plasma Immunoglobulin G Responses in Elite Neutralizers of Human Cytomegalovirus. J Infect Dis 2022; 226:1667-1677. [PMID: 35970817 PMCID: PMC10205896 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac341] [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] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common infectious complication of organ transplantation and cause of birth defects worldwide. There are limited therapeutic options and no licensed vaccine to prevent HCMV infection or disease. To inform development of HCMV antibody-based interventions, a previous study identified individuals with potent and broad plasma HCMV-neutralizing activity, termed elite neutralizers (ENs), from a cohort of HCMV-seropositive (SP) blood donors. However, the specificities and functions of plasma antibodies associated with EN status remained undefined. METHODS We sought to determine the plasma antibody specificities, breadth, and Fc-mediated antibody effector functions associated with the most potent HCMV-neutralizing responses in plasma from ENs (n = 25) relative to that from SP donors (n = 19). We measured antibody binding against various HCMV strains and glycoprotein targets and evaluated Fc-mediated effector functions, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP). RESULTS We demonstrate that ENs have elevated immunoglobulin G binding responses against multiple viral glycoproteins, relative to SP donors. Our study also revealed potent HCMV-specific antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis activity of plasma from ENs. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that antibody responses against multiple glycoprotein specificities may be needed to achieve potent plasma neutralization and that potently HCMV elite-neutralizing plasma antibodies can also mediate polyfunctional responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J Harnois
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Maria Dennis
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Dagmar Stöhr
- Institute for Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Sarah M Valencia
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nicole Rodgers
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Eleanor C Semmes
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Helen S Webster
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer A Jenks
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Richard Barfield
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Justin Pollara
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Cliburn Chan
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christian Sinzger
- Institute for Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Sallie R Permar
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Wang H, Liu H, Zhou L, Wang D, Wang S, Liu Q, Wu Y, Tu M, Sun Z, Zheng X, Fu B, Wang B, Wei H. Cytomegalovirus-specific neutralizing antibodies effectively prevent uncontrolled infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. iScience 2022; 25:105065. [PMID: 36147955 PMCID: PMC9485910 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains one of the most frequent and life-threatening infectious complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Herein, we comprehensively compared the immune cells of patients with uncontrolled and controlled CMV infection post-allo-HSCT and found that B-cells were extraordinarily insufficient because of impaired B-cells reconstitution in the uncontrolled infection group. Furthermore, in the controlled infection group, reconstructed B-cells showed signatures of mature B-cells, high expression of CXCR4 and IFITM1, and enrichment of CMV-associated B-cell receptors, which were lacking in the uncontrolled infection group. Consistently, sera from the uncontrolled infection group failed to inhibit CMV infection via neutralizing virus in vitro because of its lower content of anti-CMV-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) than the controlled infection group. Overall, these results highlighted the contribution of B cells and anti-CMV-specific neutralizing IgGs to the restraint of CMV infection post-allo-HSCT, suggesting their potential as a supplementary treatment to improve outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huiru Wang
- Department of Transfusion, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.,Institute of Immunology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China
| | - Huilan Liu
- Department of Transfusion, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.,Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Li Zhou
- Institute of Immunology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.,Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Dongyao Wang
- Institute of Immunology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.,Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Shushu Wang
- Institute of Immunology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.,Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Organ Transplant Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Yun Wu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Meijuan Tu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Zimin Sun
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Xiaohu Zheng
- Institute of Immunology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China
| | - Binqing Fu
- Institute of Immunology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China
| | - Baolong Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Haiming Wei
- Institute of Immunology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.,Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Hu X, Wang HY, Otero CE, Jenks JA, Permar SR. Lessons from Acquired Natural Immunity and Clinical Trials to Inform Next-Generation Human Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Development. Annu Rev Virol 2022; 9:491-520. [PMID: 35704747 PMCID: PMC10154983 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-100220-010653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, the most common cause of congenital disease globally, affecting an estimated 1 million newborns annually, can result in lifelong sequelae in infants, such as sensorineural hearing loss and brain damage. HCMV infection also leads to a significant disease burden in immunocompromised individuals. Hence, an effective HCMV vaccine is urgently needed to prevent infection and HCMV-associated diseases. Unfortunately, despite more than five decades of vaccine development, no successful HCMV vaccine is available. This review summarizes what we have learned from acquired natural immunity, including innate and adaptive immunity; the successes and failures of HCMV vaccine human clinical trials; the progress in related animal models; and the analysis of protective immune responses during natural infection and vaccination settings. Finally, we propose novel vaccine strategies that will harness the knowledge of protective immunity and employ new technology and vaccine concepts to inform next-generation HCMV vaccine development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xintao Hu
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA;
| | - Hsuan-Yuan Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA;
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Claire E Otero
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA;
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer A Jenks
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sallie R Permar
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Chen JL, Fries CN, Berendam SJ, Rodgers NS, Roe EF, Wu Y, Li SH, Jain R, Watts B, Eudailey J, Barfield R, Chan C, Moody MA, Saunders KO, Pollara J, Permar SR, Collier JH, Fouda GG. Self-assembling peptide nanofiber HIV vaccine elicits robust vaccine-induced antibody functions and modulates Fc glycosylation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq0273. [PMID: 36149967 PMCID: PMC9506727 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq0273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
To develop vaccines for certain key global pathogens such as HIV, it is crucial to elicit both neutralizing and non-neutralizing Fc-mediated effector antibody functions. Clinical evidence indicates that non-neutralizing antibody functions including antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) contribute to protection against several pathogens. In this study, we demonstrated that conjugation of HIV Envelope (Env) antigen gp120 to a self-assembling nanofiber material named Q11 induced antibodies with higher breadth and functionality when compared to soluble gp120. Immunization with Q11-conjugated gp120 vaccine (gp120-Q11) demonstrated higher tier 1 neutralization, ADCP, and ADCC as compared to soluble gp120. Moreover, Q11 conjugation altered the Fc N-glycosylation profile of antigen-specific antibodies, leading to a phenotype associated with increased ADCC in animals immunized with gp120-Q11. Thus, this nanomaterial vaccine strategy can enhance non-neutralizing antibody functions possibly through modulation of immunoglobulin G Fc N-glycosylation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jui-Lin Chen
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Chelsea N. Fries
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Stella J. Berendam
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Nicole S. Rodgers
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Emily F. Roe
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Yaoying Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Shuk Hang Li
- The Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Rishabh Jain
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Brian Watts
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Joshua Eudailey
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Richard Barfield
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham NC 27710, USA
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - Cliburn Chan
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham NC 27710, USA
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - M. Anthony Moody
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Kevin O. Saunders
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Justin Pollara
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Sallie R. Permar
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Joel H. Collier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Genevieve G. Fouda
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Spencer Clinton JL, Hoornweg TE, Tan J, Peng R, Schaftenaar W, Rutten VPMG, de Haan CAM, Ling PD. EEHV1A glycoprotein B subunit vaccine elicits humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in mice. Vaccine 2022; 40:5131-5140. [PMID: 35879117 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Asian elephants are an endangered species facing many threats, including severe hemorrhagic disease (HD) caused by the elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). EEHV-HD is the leading cause of death in captive juvenile Asian elephants in North America and Europe, and also affects elephants in their natural range countries. Significant challenges exist for successful treatment of EEHV-HD, which include timely recognition of disease onset and limited availability of highly effective treatment options. To address this problem, our goal is to prevent lethal disease in young elephants by developing a vaccine that elicits robust and durable humoral and cell-mediated immunity against EEHV. EEHV glycoprotein B (gB) is a major target for cellular and humoral immunity in elephants previously exposed to EEHV. Therefore, we generated a vaccine containing recombinant EEHV1A gB together with a liposome formulated TLR-4 and saponin combination adjuvant (SLA-LSQ). CD-1 mice that received one or two vaccinations with the vaccine elicited significant anti-gB antibody and polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, while no adverse effects of vaccination were observed. Overall, our findings demonstrate that an adjuvanted gB protein subunit vaccine stimulates robust humoral and cell-mediated immune responses and supports its potential use in elephants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Spencer Clinton
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM-385, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Tabitha E Hoornweg
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Jie Tan
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM-385, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Rongsheng Peng
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM-385, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Willem Schaftenaar
- Veterinary Advisor EAZA Elephant TAG, Rotterdam Zoo, Blijdorplaan 8, 3041 JG Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Victor P M G Rutten
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Cornelis A M de Haan
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Paul D Ling
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM-385, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Semmes EC, Miller IG, Wimberly CE, Phan CT, Jenks JA, Harnois MJ, Berendam SJ, Webster H, Hurst JH, Kurtzberg J, Fouda GG, Walsh KM, Permar SR. Maternal Fc-mediated non-neutralizing antibody responses correlate with protection against congenital human cytomegalovirus infection. J Clin Invest 2022; 132:e156827. [PMID: 35763348 PMCID: PMC9374380 DOI: 10.1172/jci156827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common congenital infection and a leading cause of stillbirth, neurodevelopmental impairment, and pediatric hearing loss worldwide. Development of a maternal vaccine or therapeutic to prevent congenital HCMV has been hindered by limited knowledge of the immune responses that protect against HCMV transmission in utero. To identify protective antibody responses, we measured HCMV-specific IgG binding and antiviral functions in paired maternal and cord blood sera from HCMV-seropositive transmitting (n = 41) and non-transmitting (n = 40) mother-infant dyads identified via a large, US-based, public cord blood bank. We found that high-avidity IgG binding to HCMV and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) were associated with reduced risk of congenital HCMV infection. We also determined that HCMV-specific IgG activation of FcγRI and FcγRII was enhanced in non-transmitting dyads and that increased ADCP responses were mediated through both FcγRI and FcγRIIA expressed on human monocytes. These findings suggest that engagement of FcγRI/FcγRIIA and Fc effector functions including ADCP may protect against congenital HCMV infection. Taken together, these data can guide future prospective studies on immune correlates against congenital HCMV transmission and inform HCMV vaccine and immunotherapeutic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor C. Semmes
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Itzayana G. Miller
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Courtney E. Wimberly
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery and
| | - Caroline T. Phan
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer A. Jenks
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Melissa J. Harnois
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Stella J. Berendam
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Helen Webster
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jillian H. Hurst
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Joanne Kurtzberg
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Carolinas Cord Blood Bank, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Genevieve G. Fouda
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kyle M. Walsh
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery and
| | - Sallie R. Permar
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Dasari V, Beckett K, Horsefield S, Ambalathingal G, Khanna R. A bivalent CMV vaccine formulated with human compatible TLR9 agonist CpG1018 elicits potent cellular and humoral immunity in HLA expressing mice. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010403. [PMID: 35737741 PMCID: PMC9223316 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
There is now convincing evidence that the successful development of an effective CMV vaccine will require improved formulation and adjuvant selection that is capable of inducing both humoral and cellular immune responses. Here, we have designed a novel bivalent subunit vaccine formulation based on CMV-encoded oligomeric glycoprotein B (gB) and polyepitope protein in combination with human compatible TLR9 agonist CpG1018. The polyepitope protein includes multiple minimal HLA class I-restricted CD8+ T cell epitopes from different antigens of CMV. This subunit vaccine generated durable anti-viral antibodies, CMV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in multiple HLA expressing mice. Antibody responses included broad TH1 isotypes (IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG3) and potently neutralized CMV infection in fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Furthermore, polyfunctional antigen-specific T cell immunity and antiviral antibody responses showed long-term memory maintenance. These observations argue that this novel vaccine strategy, if applied to humans, could facilitate the generation of robust humoral and cellular immune responses which may be more effective in preventing CMV-associated complications in various clinical settings. Human Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a significant human pathogen. Generally, in healthy people CMV causes mild symptomatic disease, but during pregnancy CMV can transmit from mother to foetus (1 out of every 200 live births worldwide) and lead to sensorineural hearing loss, vision impairment and central nervous system damage. In transplant patients, CMV can cause serious complications leading to organ rejection and even death. Currently, there is no licensed vaccine available to prevent CMV-associated complications in pregnant women and transplant patients. Here, we have developed a novel bivalent CMV vaccine formulation consisting of recombinant CMVpoly and gB proteins in combination with human compatible adjuvant CpG1018. Preclinical immunogenicity evaluation in multiple HLA expressing mice demonstrated that bivalent CMV vaccine formulation consistently generated robust CMV-specific neutralising antibodies, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. More importantly, long-term follow-up analysis showed that the CMV vaccine can induce durable CMV-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. Our results support further development of this bivalent subunit CMV vaccine to test safety, immunogenicity and efficacy in humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vijayendra Dasari
- QIMR Berghofer Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development and Tumour Immunology Laboratory, Department of Immunology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail: (VD); (RK)
| | - Kirrilee Beckett
- QIMR Berghofer Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development and Tumour Immunology Laboratory, Department of Immunology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Shane Horsefield
- QIMR Berghofer Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development and Tumour Immunology Laboratory, Department of Immunology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - George Ambalathingal
- QIMR Berghofer Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development and Tumour Immunology Laboratory, Department of Immunology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Rajiv Khanna
- QIMR Berghofer Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development and Tumour Immunology Laboratory, Department of Immunology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail: (VD); (RK)
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Langel SN, Blasi M, Permar SR. Maternal immune protection against infectious diseases. Cell Host Microbe 2022; 30:660-674. [PMID: 35550669 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2022.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The maternal immune system protects developing offspring against pathogens before birth via transplacental transfer and after birth through secreted milk. This transferred maternal immunity influences each generation's susceptibility to infections and responsiveness to immunization. Thus, boosting immunity in the maternal-neonatal dyad is a potentially valuable public health strategy. Additionally, at critical times during fetal and postnatal development, environmental factors and immune stimuli influence immune development. These "windows of opportunity" offer a chance to identify both risk and protective factors that promote long-term health and limit disease. Here, we review pre- and postpartum maternal immune factors that protect against infectious agents in offspring and how they may shape the infant's immune landscape over time. Additionally, we discuss the influence of maternal immunity on the responsiveness to immunization in early life. Lastly, when maternal factors are insufficient to prevent neonatal infectious diseases, we discuss pre- and postnatal therapeutic strategies for the maternal-neonatal dyad.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie N Langel
- Department of Surgery, Duke Center for Human Systems Immunology, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Maria Blasi
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sallie R Permar
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Parsons AJ, Ophir SI, Duty JA, Kraus TA, Stein KR, Moran TM, Tortorella D. Development of broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting the cytomegalovirus subdominant antigen gH. Commun Biol 2022; 5:387. [PMID: 35468974 PMCID: PMC9038728 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03294-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a β-herpesvirus that increases morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals including transplant recipients and newborns. New anti-HCMV therapies are an urgent medical need for diverse patient populations. HCMV infection of a broad range of host tissues is dependent on the gH/gL/gO trimer and gH/gL/UL28/UL130/UL131A pentamer complexes on the viral envelope. We sought to develop safe and effective therapeutics against HCMV by generating broadly-neutralizing, human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from VelocImmune® mice immunized with gH/gL cDNA. Following high-throughput binding and neutralization screening assays, 11 neutralizing antibodies were identified with unique CDR3 regions and a high-affinity (KD 1.4-65 nM) to the pentamer complex. The antibodies bound to distinct regions within Domains 1 and 2 of gH and effectively neutralized diverse clinical strains in physiologically relevant cell types including epithelial cells, trophoblasts, and monocytes. Importantly, combined adminstration of mAbs with ganciclovir, an FDA approved antiviral, greatly limited virus dissemination. Our work identifies several anti-gH/gL mAbs and sheds light on gH neutralizing epitopes that can guide future vaccine strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea J Parsons
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sabrina I Ophir
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - J Andrew Duty
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Center of Therapeutic Antibody Development, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Thomas A Kraus
- Center of Therapeutic Antibody Development, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Kathryn R Stein
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thomas M Moran
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Center of Therapeutic Antibody Development, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Domenico Tortorella
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Permar SR, Kaur A, Fruh K. Derisking Human Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Clinical Development in Relevant Preclinical Models. J Infect Dis 2022; 226:563-565. [PMID: 35415750 PMCID: PMC9441196 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sallie R Permar
- Correspondence: S. R. Permar, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 East 68th Street, M-622, Box 225, New York, NY 10065, USA ()
| | - Amitinder Kaur
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Klaus Fruh
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health Sciences University, Beaverton, Oregon, USA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Li J, Wellnitz S, Chi XS, Yue Y, Schmidt KA, Nguyen N, Chen W, Yurgelonis I, Rojas E, Liu Y, Loschko J, Pollozi E, Matsuka YV, Needle E, Vidunas E, Donald RGK, Moran J, Jansen KU, Dormitzer PR, Barry PA, Yang X. Horizontal transmission of cytomegalovirus in a rhesus model despite high-level, vaccine-elicited neutralizing antibody and T cell responses. J Infect Dis 2022; 226:585-594. [PMID: 35413121 PMCID: PMC10147388 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of a vaccine to prevent congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) disease is a public health priority. We tested rhesus CMV (RhCMV) prototypes of HCMV vaccine candidates in a seronegative macaque oral challenge model. Immunogens included a recombinant pentameric complex (PC; gH/gL/pUL128/pUL130/pUL131A), a postfusion gB ectodomain, and a DNA plasmid that encodes pp65-2. Immunization with QS21-adjuvanted PC alone or with the other immunogens elicited neutralizing titers comparable to those elicited by RhCMV infection. Similarly, immunization with all three immunogens elicited pp65-specific cytotoxic T cell responses comparable to those elicited by RhCMV infection. RhCMV readily infected immunized animals and was detected in saliva, blood and urine after challenge in quantities similar to those in placebo-immunized animals. If HCMV evades vaccine-elicited immunity in humans as RhCMV evaded immunity in macaques, a HCMV vaccine must elicit immunity superior to, or different from, that elicited by the prototype RhCMV vaccine to block horizontal transmission.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Li
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Sabine Wellnitz
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Xiaoyuan S Chi
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Yujuan Yue
- Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Kimberli A Schmidt
- Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Nancy Nguyen
- Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Wei Chen
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Irina Yurgelonis
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Eduardo Rojas
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Yuhang Liu
- Groton Center for Chemistry, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT 06340, USA
| | - Jakob Loschko
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Eneida Pollozi
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Yury V Matsuka
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Elie Needle
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Eugene Vidunas
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Robert G K Donald
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Justin Moran
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Kathrin U Jansen
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Philip R Dormitzer
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| | - Peter A Barry
- Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.,California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Xinzhen Yang
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York 10965, USA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Etti M, Calvert A, Galiza E, Lim S, Khalil A, Le Doare K, Heath PT. Maternal vaccination: a review of current evidence and recommendations. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2022; 226:459-474. [PMID: 34774821 PMCID: PMC8582099 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.10.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Maternal vaccination is an effective means of protecting pregnant women, their fetuses, and infants from vaccine-preventable infections. Despite the availability of sufficient safety data to support the use of vaccines during pregnancy, maternal immunization remains an underutilized method of disease prevention, often because of concerns from both healthcare providers and pregnant women about vaccine safety. Such concerns have been reflected in the low uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among pregnant women seen in many parts of the world. Here, we present an update of the current recommendations for the use of vaccines during pregnancy, including the evidence supporting the use of novel vaccine platforms. We also provide an overview of the data supporting the use of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy and an update of the status of vaccines that are currently under development for use in pregnant women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Etti
- Paediatric Infectious Diseases Research Group, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Anna Calvert
- Paediatric Infectious Diseases Research Group, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eva Galiza
- Paediatric Infectious Diseases Research Group, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Suzy Lim
- Paediatric Infectious Diseases Research Group, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Asma Khalil
- Fetal Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kirsty Le Doare
- Paediatric Infectious Diseases Research Group, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul T Heath
- Vaccine Institute and Paediatric Infectious Diseases Research Group, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Pardieck IN, van Duikeren S, Veerkamp DMB, Brasem DJ, Redeker A, van Bergen J, Han W, Ossendorp F, Zondag G, Arens R. Dominant Antiviral CD8 + T Cell Responses Empower Prophylactic Antibody-Eliciting Vaccines Against Cytomegalovirus. Front Immunol 2022; 13:680559. [PMID: 35154089 PMCID: PMC8828907 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.680559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an ubiquitous herpesvirus that can cause serious morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised or immune-immature individuals. A vaccine that induces immunity to CMV in these target populations is therefore highly needed. Previous attempts to generate efficacious CMV vaccines primarily focused on the induction of humoral immunity by eliciting neutralizing antibodies. Current insights encourage that a protective immune response to HCMV might benefit from the induction of virus-specific T cells. Whether addition of antiviral T cell responses enhances the protection by antibody-eliciting vaccines is however unclear. Here, we assessed this query in mouse CMV (MCMV) infection models by developing synthetic vaccines with humoral immunity potential, and deliberately adding antiviral CD8+ T cells. To induce antibodies against MCMV, we developed a DNA vaccine encoding either full-length, membrane bound glycoprotein B (gB) or a secreted variant lacking the transmembrane and intracellular domain (secreted (s)gB). Intradermal immunization with an increasing dose schedule of sgB and booster immunization provided robust viral-specific IgG responses and viral control. Combined vaccination of the sgB DNA vaccine with synthetic long peptides (SLP)-vaccines encoding MHC class I-restricted CMV epitopes, which elicit exclusively CD8+ T cell responses, significantly enhanced antiviral immunity. Thus, the combination of antibody and CD8+ T cell-eliciting vaccines provides a collaborative improvement of humoral and cellular immunity enabling enhanced protection against CMV.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iris N Pardieck
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Dena J Brasem
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Anke Redeker
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Ferry Ossendorp
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | - Ramon Arens
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Eisfeld HS, Simonis A, Winter S, Chhen J, Ströh LJ, Krey T, Koch M, Theobald SJ, Rybniker J. Viral Glycoproteins Induce NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Pyroptosis in Macrophages. Viruses 2021; 13:v13102076. [PMID: 34696506 PMCID: PMC8538122 DOI: 10.3390/v13102076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Infections with viral pathogens are widespread and can cause a variety of different diseases. In-depth knowledge about viral triggers initiating an immune response is necessary to decipher viral pathogenesis. Inflammasomes, as part of the innate immune system, can be activated by viral pathogens. However, viral structural components responsible for inflammasome activation remain largely unknown. Here we analyzed glycoproteins derived from SARS-CoV-1/2, HCMV and HCV, required for viral entry and fusion, as potential triggers of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis in THP-1 macrophages. All tested glycoproteins were able to potently induce NLRP3 inflammasome activation, indicated by ASC-SPECK formation and secretion of cleaved IL-1β. Lytic cell death via gasdermin D (GSDMD), pore formation, and pyroptosis are required for IL-1β release. As a hallmark of pyroptosis, we were able to detect cleavage of GSDMD and, correspondingly, cell death in THP-1 macrophages. CRISPR-Cas9 knockout of NLRP3 and GSDMD in THP-1 macrophages confirmed and strongly support the evidence that viral glycoproteins can act as innate immunity triggers. With our study, we decipher key mechanisms of viral pathogenesis by showing that viral glycoproteins potently induce innate immune responses. These insights could be beneficial in vaccine development and provide new impulses for the investigation of vaccine-induced innate immunity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah S. Eisfeld
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; (H.S.E.); (A.S.); (S.W.); (J.C.)
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Alexander Simonis
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; (H.S.E.); (A.S.); (S.W.); (J.C.)
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Sandra Winter
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; (H.S.E.); (A.S.); (S.W.); (J.C.)
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Jason Chhen
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; (H.S.E.); (A.S.); (S.W.); (J.C.)
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Luisa J. Ströh
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (L.J.S.); (T.K.)
| | - Thomas Krey
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (L.J.S.); (T.K.)
- Center of Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Luebeck, 23562 Luebeck, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Excellence Cluster 2155 RESIST, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Manuel Koch
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany;
- Institute for Dental Research and Oral Musculoskeletal Biology and Center for Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 52, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Sebastian J. Theobald
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; (H.S.E.); (A.S.); (S.W.); (J.C.)
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany;
- Correspondence: (S.J.T.); (J.R.)
| | - Jan Rybniker
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; (H.S.E.); (A.S.); (S.W.); (J.C.)
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany;
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Correspondence: (S.J.T.); (J.R.)
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Pre-existing immunity to cytomegalovirus in macaques influences human CMV vaccine responses in preclinical models. Vaccine 2021; 39:5358-5367. [PMID: 34393017 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Development of a human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) vaccine is a Tier 1 priority by the National Institutes of Medicine, as HCMV is the most common congenital infection globally and most frequent infectious complication in transplant patients. Relevant preclinical non-human primate models used for testing HCMV vaccine immunogenicity are rhesus and cynomolgous monkeys. However, a complication in using these models is that species-specific CMV variants are endemic in non-human primate breeding colonies. We hypothesize that natural immunity to species-specific CMV in rhesus and cynomolgous monkeys impacts HCMV vaccine immunogenicity and may interfere with our ability to fully interpret vaccine immunogenicity. A modified mRNA vaccine encoding HCMV glycoprotein (gB) and the pentameric complex (PC) packaged in lipid nanoparticles (LNP) was delivered intramuscularly to groups of cynomolgous (n = 16, CyCMV-seropositive) and rhesus macaques (n = 24, RhCMV-seropositive). High pre-vaccination IgG binding responses to HCMV gB were present in both species, but pre-vaccination binding responses to PC were mostly present in rhesus macaques. Yet, at least a log increase in both PC and gB-specific plasma IgG levels was detected post-second HCMV mRNA vaccination in both species. Both species responded with high epithelial cell neutralizing antibody responses at 4 weeks post second HCMV mRNA vaccination, but limited fibroblast neutralizing antibodies. HCMV gB + PC mRNA/LNP vaccine also elicited IgG binding responses to cell-associated gB, an identified immune correlate of protection, in both species after the second vaccination, and there was a moderately strong direct correlation between this pre- and post-vaccination response in rhesus macaques. Based on the correlation between pre-existing and post-vaccine gB-specific binding responses in rhesus macaques, we conclude that species-specific CMV variant-specific antibody responses contribute to antibody responses to HCMV vaccination in primate models, indicating that pre-existing immunity must be taken into account in non-human primate preclinical models and will impact immunogenicity of HCMV vaccines seropositive human vaccinees.
Collapse
|
30
|
Long X, Qiu Y, Zhang Z, Wu M. Insight for Immunotherapy of HCMV Infection. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:2899-2911. [PMID: 34345215 PMCID: PMC8326118 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.58127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a ubiquitous in humans, has a high prevalence rate. Young people are susceptible to HCMV infection in developing countries, while older individuals are more susceptible in developed countries. Most patients have no obvious symptoms from the primary infection. Studies have indicated that the virus has gradually adapted to the host immune system. Therefore, the control of HCMV infection requires strong immune modulation. With the recent advances in immunotherapy, its application to HCMV infections is receiving increasing attention. Here, we discuss the immune response to HCMV infection, the immune escape mechanism, and the different roles that HCMV plays in various types of immunotherapy, including vaccines, adoptive cell therapy, checkpoint blockade therapy, and targeted antibodies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinmiao Long
- Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 , Hunan, China
- Department of Pathogeny Biology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China
| | - Yi Qiu
- Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 , Hunan, China
- Department of Pathogeny Biology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China
| | - Zuping Zhang
- Department of Pathogeny Biology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China
| | - Minghua Wu
- Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 , Hunan, China
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
A conditionally replication-defective cytomegalovirus vaccine elicits potent and diverse functional monoclonal antibodies in a phase I clinical trial. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:79. [PMID: 34078915 PMCID: PMC8172929 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00342-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A conditionally replication-defective human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) vaccine, V160, was shown to be safe and immunogenic in a two-part, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase I clinical trial (NCT01986010). However, the specificities and functional properties of V160-elicited antibodies remain undefined. Here, we characterized 272 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from single memory B cells of six V160-vaccinated subjects. The mAbs bind to diverse HCMV antigens, including multiple components of the pentamer, gB, and tegument proteins. The most-potent neutralizing antibodies target the pentamer-UL subunits. The binding sites of the antibodies overlap with those of antibodies responding to natural HCMV infection. The majority of the neutralizing antibodies target the gHgL subunit. The non-neutralizing antibodies predominantly target the gB and pp65 proteins. Sequence analysis indicated that V160 induced a class of gHgL antibodies expressing the HV1-18/KV1-5 germline genes in multiple subjects. This study provides valuable insights into primary targets for anti-HCMV antibodies induced by V160 vaccination.
Collapse
|