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Reciprocal Inhibition of Immunogenic Performance in Mice of Two Potent DNA Immunogens Targeting HCV-Related Liver Cancer. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9051073. [PMID: 34067686 PMCID: PMC8156932 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9051073] [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: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic HCV infection and associated liver cancer impose a heavy burden on the healthcare system. Direct acting antivirals eliminate HCV, unless it is drug resistant, and partially reverse liver disease, but they cannot cure HCV-related cancer. A possible remedy could be a multi-component immunotherapeutic vaccine targeting both HCV-infected and malignant cells, but also those not infected with HCV. To meet this need we developed a two-component DNA vaccine based on the highly conserved core protein of HCV to target HCV-infected cells, and a renowned tumor-associated antigen telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) based on the rat TERT, to target malignant cells. Their synthetic genes were expression-optimized, and HCV core was truncated after aa 152 (Core152opt) to delete the domain interfering with immunogenicity. Core152opt and TERT DNA were highly immunogenic in BALB/c mice, inducing IFN-γ/IL-2/TNF-α response of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Additionally, DNA-immunization with TERT enhanced cellular immune response against luciferase encoded by a co-delivered plasmid (Luc DNA). However, DNA-immunization with Core152opt and TERT mix resulted in abrogation of immune response against both components. A loss of bioluminescence signal after co-delivery of TERT and Luc DNA into mice indicated that TERT affects the in vivo expression of luciferase directed by the immediate early cytomegalovirus and interferon-β promoters. Panel of mutant TERT variants was created and tested for their expression effects. TERT with deleted N-terminal nucleoli localization signal and mutations abrogating telomerase activity still suppressed the IFN-β driven Luc expression, while the inactivated reverse transcriptase domain of TERT and its analogue, enzymatically active HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, exerted only weak suppressive effects, implying that suppression relied on the presence of the full-length/nearly full-length TERT, but not its enzymatic activity. The effect(s) could be due to interference of the ectopically expressed xenogeneic rat TERT with biogenesis of mRNA, ribosomes and protein translation in murine cells, affecting the expression of immunogens. HCV core can aggravate this effect, leading to early apoptosis of co-expressing cells, preventing the induction of immune response.
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Jansons J, Sominskaya I, Petrakova N, Starodubova ES, Smirnova OA, Alekseeva E, Bruvere R, Eliseeva O, Skrastina D, Kashuba E, Mihailova M, Kochetkov SN, Ivanov AV, Isaguliants MG. The Immunogenicity in Mice of HCV Core Delivered as DNA Is Modulated by Its Capacity to Induce Oxidative Stress and Oxidative Stress Response. Cells 2019; 8:cells8030208. [PMID: 30823485 PMCID: PMC6468923 DOI: 10.3390/cells8030208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
HCV core is an attractive HCV vaccine target, however, clinical or preclinical trials of core-based vaccines showed little success. We aimed to delineate what restricts its immunogenicity and improve immunogenic performance in mice. We designed plasmids encoding full-length HCV 1b core and its variants truncated after amino acids (aa) 60, 98, 152, 173, or up to aa 36 using virus-derived or synthetic polynucleotides (core191/60/98/152/173/36_191v or core152s DNA, respectively). We assessed their level of expression, route of degradation, ability to trigger the production of reactive oxygen species/ROS, and to activate the components of the Nrf2/ARE antioxidant defense pathway heme oxygenase 1/HO-1 and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase/Nqo-1. All core variants with the intact N-terminus induced production of ROS, and up-regulated expression of HO-1 and Nqo-1. The capacity of core variants to induce ROS and up-regulate HO-1 and Nqo-1 expression predetermined their immunogenicity in DNA-immunized BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. The most immunogenic was core 152s, expressed at a modest level and inducing moderate oxidative stress and oxidative stress response. Thus, immunogenicity of HCV core is shaped by its ability to induce ROS and oxidative stress response. These considerations are important in understanding the mechanisms of viral suppression of cellular immune response and in HCV vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juris Jansons
- Department of Pathology, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia.
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia.
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Irina Sominskaya
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia.
| | - Natalia Petrakova
- N.F. Gamaleya Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Elizaveta S Starodubova
- N.F. Gamaleya Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia.
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Olga A Smirnova
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Ekaterina Alekseeva
- Department of Pathology, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia.
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia.
| | - Ruta Bruvere
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia.
| | - Olesja Eliseeva
- N.F. Gamaleya Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Dace Skrastina
- Department of Pathology, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia.
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia.
| | - Elena Kashuba
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
- RE Kavetsky Institite of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology, The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 03022 Kyiv, Ukraine.
| | - Marija Mihailova
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia.
| | - Sergey N Kochetkov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Alexander V Ivanov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Maria G Isaguliants
- Department of Pathology, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia.
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
- N.F. Gamaleya Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia.
- MP Chumakov Center for Research and Development of Immune and Biological Preparations of RAS, 108819 Moscow, Russia.
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