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Bliss CM, Nachbagauer R, Mariottini C, Cuevas F, Feser J, Naficy A, Bernstein DI, Guptill J, Walter EB, Berlanda-Scorza F, Innis BL, García-Sastre A, Palese P, Krammer F, Coughlan L. A chimeric haemagglutinin-based universal influenza virus vaccine boosts human cellular immune responses directed towards the conserved haemagglutinin stalk domain and the viral nucleoprotein. EBioMedicine 2024; 104:105153. [PMID: 38805853 PMCID: PMC11154122 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105153] [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: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of a universal influenza virus vaccine, to protect against both seasonal and pandemic influenza A viruses, is a long-standing public health goal. The conserved stalk domain of haemagglutinin (HA) is a promising vaccine target. However, the stalk is immunosubdominant. As such, innovative approaches are required to elicit robust immunity against this domain. In a previously reported observer-blind, randomised placebo-controlled phase I trial (NCT03300050), immunisation regimens using chimeric HA (cHA)-based immunogens formulated as inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV) -/+ AS03 adjuvant, or live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV), elicited durable HA stalk-specific antibodies with broad reactivity. In this study, we sought to determine if these vaccines could also boost T cell responses against HA stalk, and nucleoprotein (NP). METHODS We measured interferon-γ (IFN-γ) responses by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSpot (ELISpot) assay at baseline, seven days post-prime, pre-boost and seven days post-boost following heterologous prime:boost regimens of LAIV and/or adjuvanted/unadjuvanted IIV-cHA vaccines. FINDINGS Our findings demonstrate that immunisation with adjuvanted cHA-based IIVs boost HA stalk-specific and NP-specific T cell responses in humans. To date, it has been unclear if HA stalk-specific T cells can be boosted in humans by HA-stalk focused universal vaccines. Therefore, our study will provide valuable insights for the design of future studies to determine the precise role of HA stalk-specific T cells in broad protection. INTERPRETATION Considering that cHA-based vaccines also elicit stalk-specific antibodies, these data support the further clinical advancement of cHA-based universal influenza vaccine candidates. FUNDING This study was funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly M Bliss
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Division of Cancer & Genetics and Systems Immunity University Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Raffael Nachbagauer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chiara Mariottini
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Frans Cuevas
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jodi Feser
- Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, PATH, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Abdi Naficy
- Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, PATH, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David I Bernstein
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jeffrey Guptill
- Duke Early Phase Clinical Research Unit, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Emmanuel B Walter
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Bruce L Innis
- Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, PATH, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Adolfo García-Sastre
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; The Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Peter Palese
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Florian Krammer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Center for Vaccine Research and Pandemic Preparedness (C-VaRPP), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lynda Coughlan
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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Charles T, Moss DL, Bhat P, Moore PW, Kummer NA, Bhattacharya A, Landry SJ, Mettu RR. CD4+ T-Cell Epitope Prediction by Combined Analysis of Antigen Conformational Flexibility and Peptide-MHCII Binding Affinity. Biochemistry 2022; 61:1585-1599. [PMID: 35834502 PMCID: PMC9352311 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
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Antigen processing in the class II MHC pathway depends
on conventional
proteolytic enzymes, potentially acting on antigens in native-like
conformational states. CD4+ epitope dominance arises from a competition
among antigen folding, proteolysis, and MHCII binding. Protease-sensitive
sites, linear antibody epitopes, and CD4+ T-cell epitopes were mapped
in plague vaccine candidate F1-V to evaluate the various contributions
to CD4+ epitope dominance. Using X-ray crystal structures, antigen
processing likelihood (APL) predicts CD4+ epitopes with significant
accuracy for F1-V without considering peptide-MHCII binding affinity.
We also show that APL achieves excellent performance over two benchmark
antigen sets. The profiles of conformational flexibility derived from
the X-ray crystal structures of the F1-V proteins, Caf1 and LcrV,
were similar to the biochemical profiles of linear antibody epitope
reactivity and protease sensitivity, suggesting that the role of structure
in proteolysis was captured by the analysis of the crystal structures.
The patterns of CD4+ T-cell epitope dominance in C57BL/6, CBA, and
BALB/c mice were compared to epitope predictions based on APL, MHCII
binding, or both. For a sample of 13 diverse antigens, the accuracy
of epitope prediction by the combination of APL and I-Ab-MHCII-peptide affinity reached 36%. When MHCII allele specificity
was also diverse, such as in human immunity, prediction of dominant
epitopes by APL alone reached 42% when using a stringent scoring threshold.
Because dominant CD4+ epitopes tend to occur in conformationally stable
antigen domains, crystal structures typically are available for analysis
by APL, and thus, the requirement for a crystal structure is not a
severe limitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tysheena Charles
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, United States
| | - Daniel L Moss
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, United States
| | - Pawan Bhat
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, United States
| | - Peyton W Moore
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, United States
| | - Nicholas A Kummer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, United States
| | - Avik Bhattacharya
- Department of Computer Science, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, United States
| | - Samuel J Landry
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, United States
| | - Ramgopal R Mettu
- Department of Computer Science, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, United States
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3
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Azam A, Mallart S, Illiano S, Duclos O, Prades C, Maillère B. Introduction of Non-natural Amino Acids Into T-Cell Epitopes to Mitigate Peptide-Specific T-Cell Responses. Front Immunol 2021; 12:637963. [PMID: 33777029 PMCID: PMC7991740 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.637963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-natural modifications are widely introduced into peptides to improve their therapeutic efficacy, but their impact on immunogenicity remains largely unknown. As the CD4 T-cell response is a key factor in triggering immunogenicity, we investigated the effect of introducing D-amino acids (Daa), amino isobutyric acid (Aib), N-methylation, Cα-methylation, reduced amide, and peptoid bonds into an immunoprevalent T-cell epitope on binding to a set of HLA-DR molecules, recognition, and priming of human T cells. Modifications are differentially accepted at multiple positions, but are all tolerated in the flanking regions. Introduction of Aib and Daa in the binding core had the most deleterious effect on binding to HLA-DR molecules and T-cell activation. Their introduction at the positions close to the P1 anchor residue abolished T-cell priming, suggesting they might be sufficient to dampen peptide immunogenicity. Other modifications led to variable effects on binding to HLA-DR molecules and T-cell reactivity, but none exhibited an increased ability to stimulate T cells. Altogether, non-natural modifications appear generally to diminish binding to HLA-DR molecules and hence T-cell stimulation. These data might guide the design of therapeutic peptides to make them less immunogenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélien Azam
- Sanofi, Biologics Research, Vitry-sur-Seine, France.,Université de Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé, SIMoS, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Sergio Mallart
- Sanofi R&D, Integrated Drug Discovery, Chilly-Mazarin, France
| | - Stephane Illiano
- Sanofi R&D, Cardiovascular Diseases & Metabolism, Chilly-Mazarin, France
| | - Olivier Duclos
- Sanofi R&D, Integrated Drug Discovery, Chilly-Mazarin, France
| | | | - Bernard Maillère
- Université de Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé, SIMoS, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Pollastro S, de Bourayne M, Balzaretti G, Jongejan A, van Schaik BDC, Niewold ITG, van Kampen AHC, Maillère B, de Vries N. Characterization and Monitoring of Antigen-Responsive T Cell Clones Using T Cell Receptor Gene Expression Analysis. Front Immunol 2021; 11:609624. [PMID: 33679697 PMCID: PMC7932994 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.609624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
High-throughput T-cell receptor repertoire sequencing constitutes a powerful tool to study T cell responses at the clonal level. However, it does not give information on the functional phenotype of the responding clones and lacks a statistical framework for quantitative evaluation. To overcome this, we combined datasets from different experiments, all starting from the same blood samples. We used a novel, sensitive, UMI-based protocol to perform repertoire analysis on experimental replicates. Applying established bioinformatic routines for transcriptomic expression analysis we explored the dynamics of antigen-induced clonal expansion after in vitro stimulation, identified antigen-responsive clones, and confirmed their activation status using the expression of activation markers upon antigen re-challenge. We demonstrate that the addition of IL-4 after antigen stimulation drives the expansion of T cell clones encoding unique receptor sequences. We show that our approach represents a scalable, high-throughput immunological tool, which can be used to identify and characterize antigen-responsive T cells at clonal level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Pollastro
- Department of Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Centre (ARC), Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute (AIII), Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marie de Bourayne
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé, SIMoS, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Giulia Balzaretti
- Department of Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Centre (ARC), Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute (AIII), Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Aldo Jongejan
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Bioinformatics, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute (AIII), Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Barbera D C van Schaik
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Bioinformatics, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute (AIII), Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ilse T G Niewold
- Department of Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Centre (ARC), Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Antoine H C van Kampen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Bioinformatics, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute (AIII), Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Bernard Maillère
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé, SIMoS, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Niek de Vries
- Department of Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Centre (ARC), Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute (AIII), Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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5
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The PA Subunit of the Influenza Virus Polymerase Complex Affects Replication and Airborne Transmission of the H9N2 Subtype Avian Influenza Virus. Viruses 2019; 11:v11010040. [PMID: 30634394 PMCID: PMC6356911 DOI: 10.3390/v11010040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The polymerase acidic (PA) protein is the third subunit of the influenza A virus polymerase. In recent years, studies have shown that PA plays an important role in overcoming the host species barrier and host adaptation of the avian influenza virus (AIV). The objective of this study was to elucidate the role of the PA subunit on the replication and airborne transmission of the H9N2 subtype AIV. By reverse genetics, a reassortant rSD01-PA was derived from the H9N2 subtype AIV A/Chicken/Shandong/01/2008 (SD01) by introducing the PA gene from the pandemic influenza A H1N1 virus A/swine/Shandong/07/2011 (SD07). Specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens and guinea pigs were selected as the animal models for replication and aerosol transmission studies. Results show that rSD01-PA lost the ability of airborne transmission among SPF chickens because of the single substitution of the PA gene. However, rSD01-PA could infect guinea pigs through direct contact, while the parental strain SD01 could not, even though the infection of rSD01-PA could not be achieved through aerosol. In summary, our results indicate that the protein encoded by the PA gene plays a key role in replication and airborne transmission of the H9N2 subtype AIV.
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6
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Influenza and sudden unexpected death: the possible role of peptide cross-reactivity. INFECTION INTERNATIONAL 2018. [DOI: 10.2478/ii-2018-0023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
This study investigates the hypothesis that cross-reactions may occur between human cardiac proteins and influenza antigens, thus possibly representing the molecular mechanism underlying influenzaassociated sudden unexpected death (SUD). Using titin protein as a research model, data were obtained on (1) the occurrence of the titin octapeptide AELLVLLE or its mimic AELLVALE in influenza A virus hemagglutinin (HA) sequences; (2) the immunological potential of AELLVLLE and its mimic AELLVALE; (3) the possible role of the flanking amino acid aa) context of the two octapeptide determinants in eliciting cross-reactivity between the human cardiac titin protein and HA antigens.
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7
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In Silico Identification of Highly Conserved Epitopes of Influenza A H1N1, H2N2, H3N2, and H5N1 with Diagnostic and Vaccination Potential. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:813047. [PMID: 26346523 PMCID: PMC4544958 DOI: 10.1155/2015/813047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2015] [Revised: 06/13/2015] [Accepted: 06/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The unpredictable, evolutionary nature of the influenza A virus (IAV) is the primary problem when generating a vaccine and when designing diagnostic strategies; thus, it is necessary to determine the constant regions in viral proteins. In this study, we completed an in silico analysis of the reported epitopes of the 4 IAV proteins that are antigenically most significant (HA, NA, NP, and M2) in the 3 strains with the greatest world circulation in the last century (H1N1, H2N2, and H3N2) and in one of the main aviary subtypes responsible for zoonosis (H5N1). For this purpose, the HMMER program was used to align 3,016 epitopes reported in the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource (IEDB) and distributed in 34,294 stored sequences in the Pfam database. Eighteen epitopes were identified: 8 in HA, 5 in NA, 3 in NP, and 2 in M2. These epitopes have remained constant since they were first identified (~91 years) and are present in strains that have circulated on 5 continents. These sites could be targets for vaccination design strategies based on epitopes and/or as markers in the implementation of diagnostic techniques.
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8
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Specificities of human CD4+ T cell responses to an inactivated flavivirus vaccine and infection: correlation with structure and epitope prediction. J Virol 2014; 88:7828-42. [PMID: 24789782 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00196-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus is endemic in large parts of Europe and Central and Eastern Asia and causes more than 10,000 annual cases of neurological disease in humans. It is closely related to the mosquito-borne yellow fever, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses, and vaccination with an inactivated whole-virus vaccine can effectively prevent clinical disease. Neutralizing antibodies are directed to the viral envelope protein (E) and an accepted correlate of immunity. However, data on the specificities of CD4(+) T cells that recognize epitopes in the viral structural proteins and thus can provide direct help to the B cells producing E-specific antibodies are lacking. We therefore conducted a study on the CD4(+) T cell response against the virion proteins in vaccinated people in comparison to TBE patients. The data obtained with overlapping peptides in interleukin-2 (IL-2) enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISpot) assays were analyzed in relation to the three-dimensional structures of the capsid (C) and E proteins as well as to epitope predictions based on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II peptide affinities. In the C protein, peptides corresponding to two out of four alpha helices dominated the response in both vaccinees and patients, whereas in the E protein concordance of immunodominance was restricted to peptides of a single domain (domain III). Epitope predictions were much better for C than for E and were especially erroneous for the transmembrane regions. Our data provide evidence for a strong impact of protein structural features that influence peptide processing, contributing to the discrepancies observed between experimentally determined and computer-predicted CD4(+) T cell epitopes. Importance: Tick-borne encephalitis virus is endemic in large parts of Europe and Asia and causes more than 10,000 annual cases of neurological disease in humans. It is closely related to yellow fever, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses, and vaccination with an inactivated vaccine can effectively prevent disease. Both vaccination and natural infection induce the formation of antibodies to a viral surface protein that neutralize the infectivity of the virus and mediate protection. B lymphocytes synthesizing these antibodies require help from other lymphocytes (helper T cells) which recognize small peptides derived from proteins contained in the viral particle. Which of these peptides dominate immune responses to vaccination and infection, however, was unknown. In our study we demonstrate which parts of the proteins contribute most strongly to the helper T cell response, highlight specific weaknesses of currently available approaches for their prediction, and demonstrate similarities and differences between vaccination and infection.
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Sant AJ, Chaves FA, Krafcik FR, Lazarski CA, Menges P, Richards K, Weaver JM. Immunodominance in CD4 T-cell responses: implications for immune responses to influenza virus and for vaccine design. Expert Rev Vaccines 2014; 6:357-68. [PMID: 17542751 DOI: 10.1586/14760584.6.3.357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
CD4 T cells play a primary role in regulating immune responses to pathogenic organisms and to vaccines. Antigen-specific CD4 T cells provide cognate help to B cells, a requisite event for immunoglobulin switch and affinity maturation of B cells that produce neutralizing antibodies and also provide help to cytotoxic CD8 T cells, critical for their expansion and persistence as memory cells. Finally, CD4 T cells may participate directly in pathogen clearance via cell-mediated cytotoxicity or through production of cytokines. Understanding the role of CD4 T-cell immunity to viruses and other pathogens, as well as evaluation of the efficacy of vaccines, requires insight into the specificity of CD4 T cells. This review focuses on the events within antigen-presenting cells that focus CD4 T cells toward a limited number of peptide antigens within the pathogen or vaccine. The molecular events are discussed in light of the special challenges that the influenza virus poses, owing to the high degree of genetic variability, unpredictable pathogenicity and the repeated encounters that human populations face with this highly infectious pathogenic organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea J Sant
- David H Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Aab Institute and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
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10
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Cheng X, Zengel JR, Suguitan AL, Xu Q, Wang W, Lin J, Jin H. Evaluation of the humoral and cellular immune responses elicited by the live attenuated and inactivated influenza vaccines and their roles in heterologous protection in ferrets. J Infect Dis 2013; 208:594-602. [PMID: 23656978 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jit207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The humoral and cellular immune responses elicited by the trivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) and the trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) were evaluated in the ferret model, using newly developed ferret immunological reagents and assays. In contrast to the TIV, which only induced immune responses in primed animals, LAIV induced strong influenza virus-specific serum antibody and T-cell responses in both naive and influenza-seropositive animals. The LAIV offered significant protection against a heterologous H1N1 virus challenge infection in the upper respiratory tract. Influenza virus-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) and influenza virus-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells were detected in the circulation and local paratracheal draining lymph nodes. The frequency of the influenza-specific ASCs in the local lymph nodes appeared to correlate with the degree of protection in the upper respiratory tract. The protection conferred by the LAIV could be attributed not only to the antibody response but also to the cell-mediated and local mucosal immune responses, particularly in naive ferrets. These findings may explain why the LAIV is immunologically superior and offers immediate protection after a single dose in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Cheng
- MedImmune, Mountain View, California 94043, USA
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11
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A human CD4+ T cell epitope in the influenza hemagglutinin is cross-reactive to influenza A virus subtypes and to influenza B virus. J Virol 2012; 86:9233-43. [PMID: 22718815 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.06325-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The hemagglutinin protein (HA) of the influenza virus family is a major antigen for protective immunity. Thus, it is a relevant target for developing vaccines. Here, we describe a human CD4(+) T cell epitope in the influenza virus HA that lies in the fusion peptide of the HA. This epitope is well conserved in all 16 subtypes of the HA protein of influenza A virus and the HA protein of influenza B virus. By stimulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a healthy adult donor with peptides covering the entire HA protein based on the sequence of A/Japan/305/1957 (H2N2), we generated a T cell line specific to this epitope. This CD4(+) T cell line recognizes target cells infected with influenza A virus seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 strains, a reassortant H2N1 strain, the 2009 pandemic H1N1 strain, and influenza B virus in cytotoxicity assays and intracellular-cytokine-staining assays. It also lysed target cells infected with avian H5N1 virus. We screened healthy adult PBMCs for T cell responses specific to this epitope and found individuals who had ex vivo gamma interferon (IFN-γ) responses to the peptide epitope in enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assays. Almost all donors who responded to the epitope had the HLA-DRB1*09 allele, a relatively common HLA allele. Although natural infection or standard vaccination may not induce strong T and B cell responses to this highly conserved epitope in the fusion peptide, it may be possible to develop a vaccination strategy to induce these CD4(+) T cells, which are cross-reactive to both influenza A and B viruses.
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12
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Duvvuri VRSK, Moghadas SM, Guo H, Duvvuri B, Heffernan JM, Fisman DN, Wu GE, Wu J. Highly conserved cross-reactive CD4+ T-cell HA-epitopes of seasonal and the 2009 pandemic influenza viruses. Influenza Other Respir Viruses 2010; 4:249-58. [PMID: 20716156 PMCID: PMC4634651 DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2010.00161.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Please cite this paper as: Duvvuri et al. (2010) Highly conserved cross‐reactive CD4+ T‐cell HA‐epitopes of seasonal and the 2009 pandemic influenza viruses. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 4(5), 249–258. Background The relatively mild nature of the 2009 influenza pandemic (nH1N1) highlights the overriding importance of pre‐existing immune memory. The absence of cross‐reactive antibodies to nH1N1 in most individuals suggests that such attenuation may be attributed to pre‐existing cellular immune responses to epitopes shared between nH1N1 virus and previously circulating strains of inter‐pandemic influenza A viruses. Results We sought to identify potential CD4+ T cell epitopes and predict the level of cross‐reactivity of responding T cells. By performing large‐scale major histocompatibility complex II analyses on Hemagglutinin (HA) proteins, we investigated the degree of T‐cell cross‐reactivity between seasonal influenza A (sH1N1, H3N2) from 1968 to 2009 and nH1N1 strains. Each epitope was examined against all the protein sequences that correspond to sH1N1, H3N2, and nH1N1. T‐cell cross‐reactivity was estimated to be 52%, and maximum conservancy was found between sH1N1 and nH1N1 with a significant correlation (P < 0·05). Conclusions Given the importance of cellular responses in kinetics of influenza infection in humans, our findings underscore the role of T‐cell assays for understanding the inter‐pandemic variability in severity and for planning treatment methods for emerging influenza viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkata R S K Duvvuri
- MITACS Centre for Disease Modeling, York Institute of Health Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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13
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Abstract
The genetic attributes of the influenza virus lead to unique problems in vaccination. First, a highly mutable RNA genome, resulting in sequential antigenic variation, could potentially manifest as a vaccine failure or epidemic influenza. Second, a segmented genome that engenders the virus with the capacity for genetic reassortment and the introduction of new antigens into a host population could possibly result in a pandemic. The core problem in combating influenza is the need for continual vaccine revision and induction of broader heterovariant immunity. Current vaccines – the conventional inactivated vaccine and the live attenuated vaccine – rely on technology of strain selection and production methods that is decades old. The immunity induced by these vaccines is dominated by the response to hemagglutinin (HA) and, therefore, the vaccines are most effective when there is sufficient antigenic relatedness between the vaccine strain HA and the circulating wild-type virus HA. Consequently, these vaccines are susceptible to failure when an antigenically distinct virus emerges after the selection of the vaccine candidate strain. New vaccine strategies need to include immunization with other viral antigens in addition to HA, thereby broadening the immune response against influenza. Inclusion of the more slowly evolving neuraminidase and/or M2e in a vaccine against influenza could reduce the vulnerability to antigenic changes, and conserved antigens from internal proteins – nucleoprotein and M1 – delivered to induce T-cell helper and cytotoxic T cells, could ensure the presence of activated T cells that facilitate clearance of pandemic strains. Alternative production technologies, such as recombinant baculovirus and yeast, and different delivery methods, such as virus-like particles, should be explored to decrease vaccine production times and reduce reliance on embryonated eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bert E Johansson
- Center of Excellence of Infectious Diseases & Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul H Foster School of Medicine, MSB1 5001 El Paso Dr, El Paso, TX 79922, USA
| | - Maryna C Eichelberger
- Division of Viral Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation & Research, Food & Drug Administration, Building 29A room 1D24, 8800 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20852, USA
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14
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Zinckgraf JW, Sposato M, Zielinski V, Powell D, Treanor JJ, von Hofe E. Identification of HLA class II H5N1 hemagglutinin epitopes following subvirion influenza A (H5N1) vaccination. Vaccine 2009; 27:5393-401. [PMID: 19596415 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.06.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2009] [Revised: 06/09/2009] [Accepted: 06/22/2009] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Prophylactic immunization against influenza infection requires CD4+ T-helper cell activity for optimal humoral and cellular immunity. Currently there is one FDA approved H5N1 subvirion vaccine available, although stockpiles of this vaccine are insufficient for broad population coverage and the vaccine has only demonstrated modest immunogenicity. Specific activation of CD4+ T-helper cells using class II H5N1 HA peptide vaccines may be a useful component in immunization strategy and design. Identification of HLA class II HA epitopes was undertaken in this report by obtaining PBMCs from volunteers previously immunized with an H5N1 inactivated subvirion vaccine, followed by direct ex vivo stimulation of CD4+ T cells against different sources of potential HA class II epitopes. In the 1st round of analysis, 35 donors were tested via IFN-gamma ELISPOT using pools of overlapping HA peptides derived from the H5N1 A/Thailand/4(SP-528)/2004 virus, recombinant H5N1 (rHA) and inactivated H5N1 subvirion vaccine. In addition, a series of algorithm-predicted epitopes coupled with the Ii-Key moiety of the MHC class II-associated invariant chain for enhanced MHC class II charging were also included. Specific responses were observed for all 20 peptide pools, with 6-26% of vaccinated individuals responding to any given pool (donor response frequency) and a magnitude of response ranging from 3- to >10-fold above background levels. Responses were similarly observed with the majority of algorithm-predicted epitopes, with a donor response frequency of up to 29% and a magnitude of response ranging from 3-10-fold (11/24 peptides) to >10-fold above background (7/24 peptides). PBMCs from vaccine recipients that had detectable responses to H5N1 rHA following 1st round analysis were used in a 2nd round of testing to confirm the identity of specific peptides based on the results of the 1st screening. Sixteen individual HA peptides identified from the library elicited CD4+ T cell responses between 3- and >10-fold above background, with two peptides being recognized in 21% of recipients tested. Eight of the putative MHC class II epitopes recognized were found in regions showing partial to significant sequence homology with New Caledonia H1N1 influenza HA, while eight were unique to H5N1 HA. This is the first study to identify H5N1 HA epitope-specific T cells in vaccine recipients and offers hope for the design of a synthetic peptide vaccine to prime CD4+ T-helper cells. Such a vaccine could be used to provide at least some minimal level of H5N1 protection on its own and/or prime for a subsequent dose of a more traditional but supply-limited vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- John W Zinckgraf
- Antigen Express, Inc, One Innovation Drive, Worcester, MA 01605, United States
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15
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Babon JAB, Cruz J, Orphin L, Pazoles P, Co MDT, Ennis FA, Terajima M. Genome-wide screening of human T-cell epitopes in influenza A virus reveals a broad spectrum of CD4(+) T-cell responses to internal proteins, hemagglutinins, and neuraminidases. Hum Immunol 2009; 70:711-21. [PMID: 19524006 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2009.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2009] [Revised: 06/01/2009] [Accepted: 06/03/2009] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
We performed a genome-wide screening for T-cell epitopes using synthetic peptides that encompass all of the influenza A viral proteins, including subtype variants for hemagglutinin (HA; H1, H3, and H5) and neuraminidase (NA; human and avian N1 and N2) proteins, based on the sequence information of recently circulating strains. We identified a total of 83 peptides, 54 of them novel, to which specific T cells were detectable in interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assays using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from four healthy adult donors. The surface glycoproteins, HA and NA, major components of vaccines, expressed many T-cell epitopes. HA and matrix protein 1 expressed more T-cell epitopes than other viral proteins, most of which were recognized by CD4(+) T cells. We established several cytotoxic CD4(+) T-cell lines from these donors. We also analyzed H1 and H3 HA-specific T-cell responses using the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 30 hospital workers. Fifty-three percent of donors gave a positive response to H3 HA peptides, whereas 17% gave a positive response to H1 HA peptides. Our genome-wide screening is useful in identifying T-cell epitopes and is complementary to the approach based on the predicted binding peptides to well-studied HLA-A, -B, and -DR alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Aurielle B Babon
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
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16
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Infection of HLA-DR1 transgenic mice with a human isolate of influenza a virus (H1N1) primes a diverse CD4 T-cell repertoire that includes CD4 T cells with heterosubtypic cross-reactivity to avian (H5N1) influenza virus. J Virol 2009; 83:6566-77. [PMID: 19386707 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00302-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The specificity of the CD4 T-cell immune response to influenza virus is influenced by the genetic complexity of the virus and periodic encounters with variant subtypes and strains. In order to understand what controls CD4 T-cell reactivity to influenza virus proteins and how the influenza virus-specific memory compartment is shaped over time, it is first necessary to understand the diversity of the primary CD4 T-cell response. In the study reported here, we have used an unbiased approach to evaluate the peptide specificity of CD4 T cells elicited after live influenza virus infection. We have focused on four viral proteins that have distinct intracellular distributions in infected cells, hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), nucleoprotein, and the NS1 protein, which is expressed in infected cells but excluded from virion particles. Our studies revealed an extensive diversity of influenza virus-specific CD4 T cells that includes T cells for each viral protein and for the unexpected immunogenicity of the NS1 protein. Due to the recent concern about pandemic avian influenza virus and because CD4 T cells specific for HA and NA may be particularly useful for promoting the production of neutralizing antibody to influenza virus, we have also evaluated the ability of HA- and NA-specific CD4 T cells elicited by a circulating H1N1 strain to cross-react with related sequences found in an avian H5N1 virus and find substantial cross-reactivity, suggesting that seasonal vaccines may help promote protection against avian influenza virus.
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17
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Lee LYH, Ha DLA, Simmons C, de Jong MD, Chau NVV, Schumacher R, Peng YC, McMichael AJ, Farrar JJ, Smith GL, Townsend AR, Askonas BA, Rowland-Jones S, Dong T. Memory T cells established by seasonal human influenza A infection cross-react with avian influenza A (H5N1) in healthy individuals. J Clin Invest 2008; 118:3478-90. [PMID: 18802496 PMCID: PMC2542885 DOI: 10.1172/jci32460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 240] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2007] [Accepted: 07/30/2008] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The threat of avian influenza A (H5N1) infection in humans remains a global health concern. Current influenza vaccines stimulate antibody responses against the surface glycoproteins but are ineffective against strains that have undergone significant antigenic variation. An alternative approach is to stimulate pre-existing memory T cells established by seasonal human influenza A infection that could cross-react with H5N1 by targeting highly conserved internal proteins. To determine how common cross-reactive T cells are, we performed a comprehensive ex vivo analysis of cross-reactive CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cell responses to overlapping peptides spanning the full proteome of influenza A/Viet Nam/CL26/2005 (H5N1) and influenza A/New York/232/2004 (H3N2) in healthy individuals from the United Kingdom and Viet Nam. Memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells isolated from the majority of participants exhibited human influenza-specific responses and showed cross-recognition of at least one H5N1 internal protein. Participant CD4+ and CD8+ T cells recognized multiple synthesized influenza peptides, including peptides from the H5N1 strain. Matrix protein 1 (M1) and nucleoprotein (NP) were the immunodominant targets of cross-recognition. In addition, cross-reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells recognized target cells infected with recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing either H5N1 M1 or NP. Thus, vaccine formulas inducing heterosubtypic T cell-mediated immunity may confer broad protection against avian and human influenza A viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel Yong-Hwa Lee
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Do Lien Anh Ha
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Cameron Simmons
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Menno D. de Jong
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Nguyen Van Vinh Chau
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Reto Schumacher
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Yan Chun Peng
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. McMichael
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy J. Farrar
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Geoffrey L. Smith
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Alain R.M. Townsend
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Brigitte A. Askonas
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Rowland-Jones
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Tao Dong
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Molecular Immunology Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
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18
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Three-dimensional structure determines the pattern of CD4+ T-cell epitope dominance in influenza virus hemagglutinin. J Virol 2007; 82:1238-48. [PMID: 18057238 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02026-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The structural context of a CD4(+) T-cell epitope is known to influence immunodominance at the level of antigen processing, but general rules have not emerged. Dominant epitopes of influenza virus hemagglutinin are found to be localized to the C-terminal flanks of conformationally stable segments identified by low crystallographic B-factors or high COREX residue stabilities. The bias toward C-terminal flanks is distinctive for antigens from the influenza virus. Dominant epitopes in antigens/allergens from other sources also localize to the flanks of stable segments but are found on either N- or C-terminal flanks. Thus, dominance arises from preferential endoproteolytic nicking between stable segments followed by loading of fragment terminal regions into antigen-presenting proteins. This mechanism probably arose in order to direct CD4(+) responses onto sequences that are conserved for structure and function. Structure-guided presentation could enhance protection against genetically drifting influenza virus variants but most likely reduces protection against new viral subtypes.
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19
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Richards KA, Chaves FA, Krafcik FR, Topham DJ, Lazarski CA, Sant AJ. Direct ex vivo analyses of HLA-DR1 transgenic mice reveal an exceptionally broad pattern of immunodominance in the primary HLA-DR1-restricted CD4 T-cell response to influenza virus hemagglutinin. J Virol 2007; 81:7608-19. [PMID: 17507491 PMCID: PMC1933370 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02834-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent threat of an avian influenza pandemic has generated significant interest in enhancing our understanding of the events that dictate protective immunity to influenza and in generating vaccines that can induce heterosubtypic immunity. Although antigen-specific CD4 T cells are known to play a key role in protective immunity to influenza through the provision of help to B cells and CD8 T cells, little is known about the specificity and diversity of CD4 T cells elicited after infection, particularly those elicited in humans. In this study, we used HLA-DR transgenic mice to directly and comprehensively identify the specificities of hemagglutinin (HA)-specific CD4 T cells restricted to a human class II molecule that were elicited following intranasal infection with a strain of influenza virus that has been endemic in U.S. human populations for the last decade. Our results reveal a surprising degree of diversity among influenza virus-specific CD4 T cells. As many as 30 different peptides, spanning the entire HA protein, were recognized by CD4 T cells, including epitopes genetically conserved among H1, H2, and H5 influenza A viruses. We also compared three widely used major histocompatibility class II algorithms to predict HLA-DR binding peptides and found these as yet inadequate for identifying influenza virus-derived epitopes. The results of these studies offer key insights into the spectrum of peptides recognized by HLA-DR-restricted CD4 T cells that may be the focus of immune responses to infection or to experimental or clinical vaccines in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A Richards
- David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Aab Institute, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
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20
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Pinto LA, Viscidi R, Harro CD, Kemp TJ, García-Piñeres AJ, Trivett M, Demuth F, Lowy DR, Schiller JT, Berzofsky JA, Hildesheim A. Cellular immune responses to HPV-18, -31, and -53 in healthy volunteers immunized with recombinant HPV-16 L1 virus-like particles. Virology 2006; 353:451-62. [PMID: 16863657 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2006.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2006] [Revised: 05/25/2006] [Accepted: 06/19/2006] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Human papillomavirus-like particles (HPV VLP) are candidate vaccines that have shown to be efficacious in reducing infection and inducing robust antiviral immunity. Neutralizing antibodies generated by vaccination are largely type-specific, but little is known about the type-specificity of cellular immune responses to VLP vaccination. To determine whether vaccination with HPV-16 L1VLP induces cellular immunity to heterologous HPV types (HPV-18, HPV-31, and HPV-53), we examined proliferative and cytokine responses in vaccine (n=11) and placebo (n=5) recipients. Increased proliferative and cytokine responses to heterologous types were observed postvaccination in some individuals. The proportion of women responding to heterologous types postvaccination (36%-55%) was lower than that observed in response to HPV-16 (73%). Response to HPV-16 VLP predicted response to other types. The strongest correlations in response were observed between HPV-16 and HPV-31, consistent with their phylogenetic relatedness. In summary, PBMC from HPV-16 VLP vaccine recipients can respond to L1VLP from heterologous HPV types, suggesting the presence of conserved T cell epitopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ligia A Pinto
- HPV Immunology Laboratory, SAIC-Frederick, Inc./NCI-Frederick, Frederick Building 469, Room 120, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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21
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Smith KL, Tristram A, Gallagher KM, Fiander AN, Man S. Epitope specificity and longevity of a vaccine-induced human T cell response against HPV18. Int Immunol 2004; 17:167-76. [PMID: 15623547 PMCID: PMC7109653 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxh197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 and 18 infection can lead to pre-malignant and malignant diseases of the lower genital tract. Several lines of evidence suggest that T cell responses can control HPV infection. However, relative to other human viruses, strong effector memory T cell responses against HPV have been difficult to detect. We used an in vitro stimulation step prior to enzyme-linked immunospot assays to identify IFN-γ-secreting T cells specific for HPV16 and 18 E6/E7 peptides. This allowed the detection of HPV-specific CD4+ T cells that were not evident in direct ex vivo assays. T cell responses against HPV16 or 18 peptides were detected in healthy volunteers (7/9) and patients with lower genital tract neoplasia (10/20). Importantly, this assay allowed tracking of vaccine-induced T cell responses in nine patients, following inoculation with a live recombinant vaccinia virus (HPV16 and 18 E6/E7, TA-HPV). Novel vaccine-induced T cell responses were demonstrated in five patients, but no clinical responses (lesion regressions) were seen. For one vaccinated patient, the T cell response was mapped to a single dominant HPV18 E7 epitope and this response was sustained for >3 years. Our data suggest that systemic memory T cells against HPV16 and 18, induced naturally or by TA-HPV vaccination, are relatively rare. Nevertheless, the assay system developed allowed estimation of magnitude, epitope specificity, and longevity of vaccine-induced CD4+ T cell responses. This will be useful for vaccine design and measurement of immunological endpoints in clinical trials.
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22
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Goon PKC, Igakura T, Hanon E, Mosley AJ, Barfield A, Barnard AL, Kaftantzi L, Tanaka Y, Taylor GP, Weber JN, Bangham CRM. Human T cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-specific CD4+ T cells: immunodominance hierarchy and preferential infection with HTLV-I. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2004; 172:1735-43. [PMID: 14734756 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.172.3.1735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CD4(+) T cells predominate in early lesions in the CNS in the inflammatory disease human lymphotropic T cell virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), but the pathogenesis of the disease remains unclear and the HTLV-I-specific CD4(+) T cell response has been little studied. We quantified the IFN-gamma-producing HTLV-I-specific CD4(+) T cells, in patients with HAM/TSP and in asymptomatic carriers with high proviral load, to test two hypotheses: that HAM/TSP patients and asymptomatic HTLV-I carriers with a similar proviral load differ in the immunodominance hierarchy or the total frequency of specific CD4(+) T cells, and that HTLV-I-specific CD4(+) T cells are preferentially infected with HTLV-I. The strongest CD4(+) T cell response in both HAM/TSP patients and asymptomatic carriers was specific to Env. This contrasts with the immunodominance of Tax in the HTLV-I-specific CD8(+) T cell response. The median frequency of HTLV-I-specific IFN-gamma(+) CD4(+) T cells was 25-fold greater in patients with HAM/TSP (p = 0.0023, Mann-Whitney) than in asymptomatic HTLV-I carriers with a similar proviral load. Furthermore, the frequency of CD4(+) T cells infected with HTLV-I (expressing Tax protein) was significantly greater (p = 0.0152, Mann-Whitney) among HTLV-I-specific cells than CMV-specific cells. These data were confirmed by quantitative PCR for HTLV-I DNA. We conclude that the high frequency of specific CD4(+) T cells was associated with the disease HAM/TSP, and did not simply reflect the higher proviral load that is usually found in HAM/TSP patients. Finally, we conclude that HTLV-I-specific CD4(+) T cells are preferentially infected with HTLV-I.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter K C Goon
- Department of Immunology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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23
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Abstract
Influenza A and B viruses are negative-strand RNA viruses that cause regular outbreaks of respiratory disease and substantially impact on morbidity and mortality. Our primary defense against the influenza virus infection is provided by neutralizing antibodies that inhibit the function of the virus surface coat proteins hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. Production of these antibodies by B lymphocytes requires help from CD4+ T cells. The most commonly used vaccines against the influenza virus comprise purified preparations of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, and are designed to induce a protective neutralizing antibody response. Because of regular antigenic change in these proteins (drift and shift mutation), the vaccines have to be administered on an annual basis. Current defense strategies center on prophylactic vaccination of those individuals who are considered to be most at risk from the serious complications of infection (principally individuals aged >65 years and those with chronic respiratory, cardiac, or metabolic disease). The clinical effectiveness of influenza virus vaccination is dependent on several vaccine-related factors, including the quantity of hemagglutinin within the vaccine, the number of doses administered, and the route of immunization. In addition, the immunocompetence of the recipient, their previous exposure to influenza virus and influenza virus vaccines, and the closeness of the match between the vaccine and circulating influenza virus strains, all influence the serologic response to vaccination.However, even when these vaccines are administered to young fit adults a proportion of individuals do not mount a significant serologic response to the vaccine. It is not clear whether these nonresponding individuals are genetically pre-programmed to be nonresponders or whether failure to respond to the vaccine is a random event. There is good evidence that nonresponsiveness to hepatitis B vaccine, another purified protein vaccine, is at least partially modulated by an individual's human leucocyte antigen (HLA) alleles. Because CD4+ T cells, which control the neutralizing antibody response to influenza virus, recognize antigens in association with HLA class II molecules, we recently conducted a small study to investigate whether there was any association between HLA class II molecules and nonresponsiveness to influenza virus vaccination. This work revealed that the HLA-DRB1*0701 allele was over represented among persons who fail to mount a neutralizing antibody response. This preliminary finding is important because it potentially identifies a group who may not be protected by current vaccination strategies. Further investigation into the role of HLA polymorphisms and nonresponse to influenza virus vaccination, and vaccination against viruses in general, is clearly required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Lambkin
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Retroscreen Virology, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, England.
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24
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Williams OM, Hart KW, Wang ECY, Gelder CM. Analysis of CD4(+) T-cell responses to human papillomavirus (HPV) type 11 L1 in healthy adults reveals a high degree of responsiveness and cross-reactivity with other HPV types. J Virol 2002; 76:7418-29. [PMID: 12097554 PMCID: PMC136402 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.76.15.7418-7429.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus type 11 (HPV-11) infection causes genital warts and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. While there is compelling evidence that CD4(+) T cells play an important role in immune surveillance of HPV-associated diseases, little is known about human CD4(+) T-cell recognition of HPV-11. We have investigated the CD4(+) T-cell responses of 25 unrelated healthy donors to HPV-11 L1 virus-like particles (VLP). CD4(+) T-cell lines from 21 of 25 donors were established. Cell sorting experiments carried out on cells from six donors demonstrated that the response was located in the CD45RA(low) CD45RO(high) memory T-cell population. To determine the peptide specificity of these responses, epitope selection was analyzed by using 95 15-mer peptides spanning the entire HPV-11 L1 protein. No single region of L1 was immunodominant; responders recognized between 1 and 10 peptides, located throughout the protein, and peptide responses fell into clear HLA class II restricted patterns. Panels of L1 peptides specific for skin and genital HPV were used to show that the L1 CD4(+) T-cell responses were cross-reactive. The degree of cross-reactivity was inversely related to the degree of L1 sequence diversity between these viruses. Finally, responses to HPV-11 L1 peptides were elicited from ex vivo CD45RO(+) peripheral blood mononuclear cells, demonstrating that recognition of HPV-11 was a specific memory response and not due to in vitro selection during tissue culture. This is the first study of CD4(+) T-cell responses to HPV-11 in healthy subjects and demonstrates marked cross-reactivity with other skin and genital HPV types. This cross-reactivity may be of significance for vaccine strategies against HPV-associated clinical diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Martin Williams
- Infection and Immunity, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XX, Wales, United Kingdom
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25
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Steigerwald-Mullen P, Kurilla MG, Braciale TJ. Type 2 cytokines predominate in the human CD4(+) T-lymphocyte response to Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1. J Virol 2000; 74:6748-59. [PMID: 10888613 PMCID: PMC112191 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.74.15.6748-6759.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human herpesvirus that persistently infects 85% of the adult population worldwide. In this report, we examine the proliferative response and cytokine secretion profile of CD4(+) T lymphocytes from a panel of unrelated EBV-positive donors against two EBV latent antigens, EBNA1 and EBNA3C. Substantial proliferative responses by CD4(+) lymphocytes were demonstrated to both antigens in multiple, randomly selected donors. Surprisingly, we observed a striking and consistent difference in cytokine response to EBNA1 and EBNA3C. EBNA1-specific CD4(+) T lymphocytes from multiple unrelated donors preferentially produced type 2-like cytokines in response to antigenic stimulation, while the response to EBNA3C was a characteristic type 1 response. The implications of these findings for EBV persistence and the development of EBV-associated malignancies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Steigerwald-Mullen
- Beirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
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26
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Lina B, Fletcher MA, Valette M, Saliou P, Aymard M. A TritonX-100-split virion influenza vaccine is safe and fulfills the committee for proprietary medicinal products (CPMP) recommendations for the European Community for Immunogenicity, in Children, Adults and the Elderly. Biologicals 2000; 28:95-103. [PMID: 10885616 DOI: 10.1006/biol.2000.0245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza epidemics are an important cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Current recommendations from Health Authorities emphasize annual immunization of people who are particularly at risk from an influenza virus infection; however, vaccination of working adults and of school children also has been shown to provide public health benefits. To give it a more advantageous reactogenicity profile than the diethylether-split influenza vaccines available previously, a split virion influenza vaccine has been produced with TritonX-100. In a series of clinical trials, Aventis Pasteur (formerly, Pasteur Mérieux Connaught) tested both the safety and immunogenicity of this TritonX-100-split virion influenza vaccine in 566 subjects (42 children, 296 adults, and 228 elderly adults) during three influenza seasons (1991, 1993, and 1995). The TritonX-100-split virion vaccine was well tolerated: no serious adverse events were recorded during the 21 days following immunization. Among the local reactions observed, mild pain, redness, or induration at the injection site were the most frequently reported. Fever (38.0 to 38.5 degrees C) was noted in five adults or elderly subjects (1%), and in two children (5%). Immunogenicity was determined by measuring serum haemagglutinin antibody titres specific to each vaccine virus strain. In each of the three vaccination campaigns, the TritonX-100-split virion influenza vaccine fulfilled the Notes for Guidance on Harmonization of Requirements for Influenza Vaccines outlined by the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) of the European Community for an influenza virus vaccine (i.e., seroprotection, seroconversion, or increase of geometric mean titre) in all age groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Lina
- Laboratoire de Virologie, Centre National de Référence de la Grippe (France Sud), Faculté de Médecine Lyon Grange Blanche, France
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27
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Lu X, Tumpey TM, Morken T, Zaki SR, Cox NJ, Katz JM. A mouse model for the evaluation of pathogenesis and immunity to influenza A (H5N1) viruses isolated from humans. J Virol 1999; 73:5903-11. [PMID: 10364342 PMCID: PMC112651 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.73.7.5903-5911.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 302] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During 1997 in Hong Kong, 18 human cases of respiratory illness, including 6 fatalities, were caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses. Since H5 viruses had previously been isolated only from avian species, the outbreak raised questions about the ability of these viruses to cause severe disease and death in humans. To better understand the pathogenesis and immunity to these viruses, we have used the BALB/c mouse model. Four H5N1 viruses replicated equally well in the lungs of mice without prior adaptation but differed in lethality for mice. H5N1 viruses that were highly lethal for mice were detected in multiple organs, including the brain. This is the first demonstration of an influenza A virus that replicates systemically in a mammalian species and is neurotropic without prior adaptation. The mouse model was also used to evaluate a strategy of vaccination against the highly pathogenic avian H5N1 viruses, using an inactivated vaccine prepared from nonpathogenic A/Duck/Singapore-Q/F119-3/97 (H5N3) virus that was antigenically related to the human H5N1 viruses. Mice administered vaccine intramuscularly, with or without alum, were completely protected from lethal challenge with H5N1 virus. Protection from infection was also observed in 70% of animals administered vaccine alone and 100% of mice administered vaccine with alum. The protective effect of vaccination correlated with the level of virus-specific serum antibody. These results suggests a strategy of vaccine preparedness for rapid intervention in future influenza pandemics that uses antigenically related nonpathogenic viruses as vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Lu
- Influenza Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA
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28
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Gelder CM, Lamb JR, Askonas BA. Human CD4+ T-cell recognition of influenza A virus hemagglutinin after subunit vaccination. J Virol 1996; 70:4787-90. [PMID: 8676508 PMCID: PMC190418 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.70.7.4787-4790.1996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
We have examined human CD4+ T-cell recognition of influenza A/Beijing/32/92 (H3N2) virus hemagglutinin following influenza virus HANA subunit vaccination. CD4+ T-cell repertoires were dominated by recognition of epitopes located in conserved regions of the molecule, in a major histocompatibility complex class II haplotype-dependent manner, analogous to that observed following natural infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Gelder
- Infection and Immunity Section, Department of Biology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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