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Lundberg U, Hochreiter R, Timofoyeva Y, Kanevsky I, Meinke A, Anderson AS, Simon R. Preclinical Evidence for the Protective Capacity of Antibodies Induced by Lyme Vaccine Candidate VLA15 in People. Open Forum Infect Dis 2024; 11:ofae467. [PMID: 39233712 PMCID: PMC11372474 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofae467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Vaccine candidate VLA15 is designed to protect against the dominant Borrelia genospecies-causing Lyme disease in North America and Europe. Active immunization with VLA15 has protected in the mouse model of tick challenge. VLA15 is currently under evaluation in clinical studies for the prevention of Lyme borreliosis. Methods Mice were passively administered sera from clinical trial participants vaccinated with VLA15, or normal human serum from unvaccinated individuals as control. Posttransfer serum anti-outer surface protein A (OspA) immunoglobulin G titers were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Following passive transfer, mice were challenged with Ixodes ticks colonized with Borrelia burgdorferi (OspA serotype 1) or Borrelia afzelii (OspA serotype 2) and infection was determined by serology for VlsE C6 or by polymerase chain reaction and culture to assess the presence of Borrelia bacteria. Results Passive transfer of immune sera prevented transmission of Borrelia from the tick vector and protected mice against challenge. Posttransfer protective threshold immunoglobulin G antibody titers were observed in this animal model of 131 U/mL for B burgdorferi (OspA serotype 1) and 352 U/mL for B afzelii (serotype 2). Conclusions Passive transfer of sera from trial participants immunized with VLA15 protected mice from borreliosis in a tick challenge model. This indicates that VLA15 induces functional immune responses in people that can be linked to efficacy in a stringent preclinical model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Isis Kanevsky
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Raphael Simon
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Pearl River, New York, USA
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Rudolph MJ, Chen Y, Vorauer C, Vance DJ, Piazza CL, Willsey GG, McCarthy K, Muriuki B, Cavacini LA, Guttman M, Mantis NJ. Structure of a human monoclonal antibody in complex with Outer surface protein C (OspC) of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borreliella burgdorferi. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.29.591597. [PMID: 38746285 PMCID: PMC11092446 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.29.591597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Lyme disease is a tick-borne, multisystem infection caused by the spirochete, Borreliella burgdorferi . Although antibodies have been implicated in the resolution of Lyme disease, the specific B cell epitopes targeted during human infections remain largely unknown. In this study, we characterized and defined the structural epitope of a patient-derived bactericidal monoclonal IgG ("B11") against Outer surface protein C (OspC), a homodimeric lipoprotein necessary for B. burgdorferi tick-mediated transmission and early-stage colonization of vertebrate hosts. High-resolution epitope mapping was accomplished through hydrogen deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and X-ray crystallography. Structural analysis of B11 Fab-OspC A complexes revealed the B11 Fabs associated in a 1:1 stoichiometry with the lateral faces of OspC A homodimers such that the antibodies are essentially positioned perpendicular to the spirochete's outer surface. B11's primary contacts reside within the membrane proximal regions of α-helices 1 and 6 and adjacent loops 5 and 6 in one OspC A monomer. In addition, B11 spans the OspC A dimer interface, engaging opposing α-helix 1', α-helix 2', and loop 2-3' in the second OspC A monomer. The B11-OspC A structure is reminiscent of the recently solved mouse transmission blocking monoclonal IgG B5 in complex with OspC A , indicating a mode of engagement with OspC that is conserved across species. In conclusion, we provide the first detailed insight into the interaction between a functional human antibody and an immunodominant Lyme disease antigen long considered an important vaccine target.
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Vance DJ, Basir S, Piazza CL, Willsey GG, Haque HME, Tremblay JM, Rudolph MJ, Muriuki B, Cavacini L, Weis DD, Shoemaker CB, Mantis NJ. Single-domain antibodies reveal unique borrelicidal epitopes on the Lyme disease vaccine antigen, outer surface protein A (OspA). Infect Immun 2024; 92:e0008424. [PMID: 38470113 PMCID: PMC11003225 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00084-24] [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: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Camelid-derived, single-domain antibodies (VHHs) have proven to be extremely powerful tools in defining the antigenic landscape of immunologically heterogeneous surface proteins. In this report, we generated a phage-displayed VHH library directed against the candidate Lyme disease vaccine antigen, outer surface protein A (OspA). Two alpacas were immunized with recombinant OspA serotype 1 from Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto strain B31, in combination with the canine vaccine RECOMBITEK Lyme containing lipidated OspA. The phage library was subjected to two rounds of affinity enrichment ("panning") against recombinant OspA, yielding 21 unique VHHs within two epitope bins, as determined through competition enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) with a panel of OspA-specific human monoclonal antibodies. Epitope refinement was conducted by hydrogen exchange-mass spectrometry. Six of the monovalent VHHs were expressed as human IgG1-Fc fusion proteins and shown to have functional properties associated with protective human monoclonal antibodies, including B. burgdorferi agglutination, outer membrane damage, and complement-dependent borreliacidal activity. The VHHs displayed unique reactivity profiles with the seven OspA serotypes associated with B. burgdorferi genospecies in the United States and Europe consistent with there being unique epitopes across OspA serotypes that should be considered when designing and evaluating multivalent Lyme disease vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Vance
- Division of Infectious Diseases, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Albany, New York, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Saiful Basir
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Carol Lyn Piazza
- Division of Infectious Diseases, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Graham G. Willsey
- Division of Infectious Diseases, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Albany, New York, USA
| | | | - Jacque M. Tremblay
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Beatrice Muriuki
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lisa Cavacini
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David D. Weis
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Charles B. Shoemaker
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nicholas J. Mantis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Albany, New York, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
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Haque HME, Ejemel M, Vance DJ, Willsey G, Rudolph MJ, Cavacini LA, Wang Y, Mantis NJ, Weis DD. Human B Cell Epitope Map of the Lyme Disease Vaccine Antigen, OspA. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:2515-2528. [PMID: 36350351 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The Lyme disease (LD) vaccine formerly approved for use in the United States consisted of recombinant outer surface protein A (OspA) from Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (ss), the bacterial genospecies responsible for the vast majority of LD in North America. OspA is an ∼30 kDa lipoprotein made up of 21 antiparallel β-strands and a C-terminal α-helix. In clinical trials, protection against LD following vaccination correlated with serum antibody titers against a single epitope near the C-terminus of OspA, as defined by the mouse monoclonal antibody (MAb), LA-2. However, the breadth of the human antibody response to OspA following vaccination remains undefined even as next-generation multivalent OspA-based vaccines are under development. In this report, we employed hydrogen exchange-mass spectrometry (HX-MS) to localize the epitopes recognized by a unique panel of OspA human MAbs, including four shown to passively protect mice against experimental B. burgdorferi infection and one isolated from a patient with antibiotic refractory Lyme arthritis. The epitopes grouped into three spatially distinct bins that, together, encompass more than half the surface-exposed area of OspA. The bins corresponded to OspA β-strands 8-10 (bin 1), 11-13 (bin 2), and 16-20 plus the C-terminal α-helix (bin 3). Bin 3 was further divided into sub-bins relative to LA-2's epitope. MAbs with complement-dependent borreliacidal activity, as well as B. burgdorferi transmission-blocking activity in the mouse model were found within each bin. Therefore, the resulting B cell epitope map encompasses functionally important targets on OspA that likely contribute to immunity to B. burgdorferi.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Emranul Haque
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas66045, United States
| | - Monir Ejemel
- MassBiologics, Boston, Massachusetts02126, United States
| | - David J Vance
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York12208, United States
| | - Graham Willsey
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York12208, United States
| | - Michael J Rudolph
- New York Structural Biology Center, New York, New York10027, United States
| | | | - Yang Wang
- MassBiologics, Boston, Massachusetts02126, United States
| | - Nicholas J Mantis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York12208, United States
| | - David D Weis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas66045, United States
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