1
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Stump WH, Klingenberg HJ, Ott AC, Gonzales DM, Burns JM. Design and Evaluation of Chimeric Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite Protein-Based Malaria Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:351. [PMID: 38675734 PMCID: PMC11053680 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12040351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Efficacy data on two malaria vaccines, RTS,S and R21, targeting Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP), are encouraging. Efficacy may be improved by induction of additional antibodies to neutralizing epitopes outside of the central immunodominant repeat domain of PfCSP. We designed four rPfCSP-based vaccines in an effort to improve the diversity of the antibody response. We also evaluated P. falciparum merozoite surface protein 8 (PfMSP8) as a malaria-specific carrier protein as an alternative to hepatitis B surface antigen. We measured the magnitude, specificity, subclass, avidity, durability, and efficacy of vaccine-induced antibodies in outbred CD1 mice. In comparison to N-terminal- or C-terminal-focused constructs, immunization with near full-length vaccines, rPfCSP (#1) or the chimeric rPfCSP/8 (#2), markedly increased the breadth of B cell epitopes recognized covering the N-terminal domain, junctional region, and central repeat. Both rPfCSP (#1) and rPfCSP/8 (#2) also elicited a high proportion of antibodies to conformation-dependent epitopes in the C-terminus of PfCSP. Fusion of PfCSP to PfMSP8 shifted the specificity of the T cell response away from PfCSP toward PfMSP8 epitopes. Challenge studies with transgenic Plasmodium yoelii sporozoites expressing PfCSP demonstrated high and consistent sterile protection following rPfCSP/8 (#2) immunization. Of note, antibodies to conformational C-terminal epitopes were not required for protection. These results indicate that inclusion of the N-terminal domain of PfCSP can drive responses to protective, repeat, and non-repeat B cell epitopes and that PfMSP8 is an effective carrier for induction of high-titer, durable anti-PfCSP antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - James M. Burns
- Center for Molecular Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA; (W.H.S.); (H.J.K.); (A.C.O.); (D.M.G.)
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2
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Xu Y, Zhou Z, Brooks B, Ferguson T, Obliosca J, Huang J, Kaneko I, Iwanaga S, Yuda M, Tsuji Y, Zhang H, Luo CC, Jiang X, Kong XP, Tsuji M, Tison CK. Layer-by-Layer Delivery of Multiple Antigens Using Trimethyl Chitosan Nanoparticles as a Malaria Vaccine Candidate. Front Immunol 2022; 13:900080. [PMID: 36059505 PMCID: PMC9428560 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.900080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing a safe and effective malaria vaccine is critical to reducing the spread and resurgence of this deadly disease, especially in children. In recent years, vaccine technology has seen expanded development of subunit protein, peptide, and nucleic acid vaccines. This is due to their inherent safety, the ability to tailor their immune response, simple storage requirements, easier production, and lower expense compared to using attenuated and inactivated organism-based approaches. However, these new vaccine technologies generally have low efficacy. Subunit vaccines, due to their weak immunogenicity, often necessitate advanced delivery vectors and/or the use of adjuvants. A new area of vaccine development involves design of synthetic micro- and nano-particles and adjuvants that can stimulate immune cells directly through their physical and chemical properties. Further, the unique and complex life cycle of the Plasmodium organism, with multiple stages and varying epitopes/antigens presented by the parasite, is another challenge for malaria vaccine development. Targeting multistage antigens simultaneously is therefore critical for an effective malaria vaccine. Here, we rationally design a layer-by-layer (LbL) antigen delivery platform (we called LbL NP) specifically engineered for malaria vaccines. A biocompatible modified chitosan nanoparticle (trimethyl chitosan, TMC) was synthesized and utilized for LbL loading and release of multiple malaria antigens from pre-erythrocytic and erythrocytic stages. LbL NP served as antigen/protein delivery vehicles and were demonstrated to induce the highest Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite Protein (PfCSP) specific T-cell responses in mice studies as compared to multiple controls. From immunogenicity studies, it was concluded that two doses of intramuscular injection with a longer interval (4 weeks) than traditional malaria vaccine candidate dosing would be the vaccination potential for LbL NP vaccine candidates. Furthermore, in PfCSP/Py parasite challenge studies we demonstrated protective efficacy using LbL NP. These LbL NP provided a significant adjuvant effect since they may induce innate immune response that led to a potent adaptive immunity to mediate non-specific anti-malarial effect. Most importantly, the delivery of CSP full-length protein stimulated long-lasting protective immune responses even after the booster immunization 4 weeks later in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Xu
- Luna Labs USA, Biotech Group, Charlottesville, VA, United States
- *Correspondence: Yang Xu,
| | - Ziyou Zhou
- Luna Labs USA, Biotech Group, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Brad Brooks
- Luna Labs USA, Biotech Group, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Tammy Ferguson
- Luna Labs USA, Biotech Group, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Judy Obliosca
- Luna Labs USA, Biotech Group, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Jing Huang
- HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, NY, United States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Izumi Kaneko
- Department of Medical Zoology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan
| | - Shiroh Iwanaga
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masao Yuda
- Department of Medical Zoology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan
| | - Yukiko Tsuji
- HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Huitang Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Christina C. Luo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Xunqing Jiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Xiang-Peng Kong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Moriya Tsuji
- HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, NY, United States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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3
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Teixeira AR, Pérez-Cabezas B, Costa DM, Sá M, Golba S, Sefiane-Djemaoune H, Ribeiro J, Kaneko I, Iwanaga S, Yuda M, Tsuji M, Boscardin SB, Amino R, Cordeiro-da-Silva A, Tavares J. Immunization with CSP and a RIG-I Agonist is Effective in Inducing a Functional and Protective Humoral Response Against Plasmodium. Front Immunol 2022; 13:868305. [PMID: 35669785 PMCID: PMC9163323 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.868305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a major public health concern, as a highly effective human vaccine remains elusive. The efficacy of a subunit vaccine targeting the most abundant protein of the sporozoite surface, the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) has been hindered by difficulties in generating an effective humoral response in both quantity and quality. Using the rodent Plasmodium yoelii model we report here that immunization with CSP adjuvanted with 5’ppp-dsRNA, a RIG-I agonist, confers early and long-lasting sterile protection in mice against stringent sporozoite and mosquito bite challenges. The immunization induced high levels of antibodies, which were functional in targeting and killing the sporozoites and were sustained over time through the accumulation of long-lived plasma cells in the bone marrow. Moreover, 5’ppp-dsRNA-adjuvanted immunization with the CSP of P. falciparum was also significantly protective against challenges using a transgenic PfCSP-expressing P. yoelii parasite. Conversely, using the TLR3 agonist poly(A:U) as adjuvant resulted in a formulation that despite inducing high antibody levels was unable to generate equally functional antibodies and was, consequently, less protective. In conclusion, we demonstrate that using 5’ppp-dsRNA as an adjuvant to vaccines targeting CSP induces effective anti-Plasmodium humoral immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rafaela Teixeira
- Host-Parasite Interactions Group, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Begoña Pérez-Cabezas
- Host-Parasite Interactions Group, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - David M. Costa
- Host-Parasite Interactions Group, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Mónica Sá
- Host-Parasite Interactions Group, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sylvain Golba
- Center for Production and Infection of Anopheles, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | | | - Joana Ribeiro
- Host-Parasite Interactions Group, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Izumi Kaneko
- Department of Medical Zoology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan
| | - Shiroh Iwanaga
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masao Yuda
- Department of Medical Zoology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan
| | - Moriya Tsuji
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Silvia Beatriz Boscardin
- Institute for Investigation in Immunology (iii)-INCT, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rogerio Amino
- Unit of Malaria Infection and Immunity, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Tavares
- Host-Parasite Interactions Group, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Joana Tavares,
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4
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Hopp CS, Kanatani S, Archer NK, Miller RJ, Liu H, Chiou KK, Miller LS, Sinnis P. Comparative intravital imaging of human and rodent malaria sporozoites reveals the skin is not a species-specific barrier. EMBO Mol Med 2021; 13:e11796. [PMID: 33750026 PMCID: PMC8033530 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201911796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria infection starts with the injection of Plasmodium sporozoites into the host’s skin. Sporozoites are motile and move in the skin to find and enter blood vessels to be carried to the liver. Here, we present the first characterization of P. falciparum sporozoites in vivo, analyzing their motility in mouse skin and human skin xenografts and comparing their motility to two rodent malaria species. These data suggest that in contrast to the liver and blood stages, the skin is not a species‐specific barrier for Plasmodium. Indeed, P. falciparum sporozoites enter blood vessels in mouse skin at similar rates to the rodent malaria parasites. Furthermore, we demonstrate that antibodies targeting sporozoites significantly impact the motility of P. falciparum sporozoites in mouse skin. Though the sporozoite stage is a validated vaccine target, vaccine trials have been hampered by the lack of good animal models for human malaria parasites. Pre‐clinical screening of next‐generation vaccines would be significantly aided by the in vivo platform we describe here, expediting down‐selection of candidates prior to human vaccine trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine S Hopp
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Johns Hopkins Malaria Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Sachie Kanatani
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Johns Hopkins Malaria Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nathan K Archer
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Robert J Miller
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Haiyun Liu
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kevin K Chiou
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lloyd S Miller
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Photini Sinnis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Johns Hopkins Malaria Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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5
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Mendes AM, Machado M, Gonçalves-Rosa N, Reuling IJ, Foquet L, Marques C, Salman AM, Yang ASP, Moser KA, Dwivedi A, Hermsen CC, Jiménez-Díaz B, Viera S, Santos JM, Albuquerque I, Bhatia SN, Bial J, Angulo-Barturen I, Silva JC, Leroux-Roels G, Janse CJ, Khan SM, Mota MM, Sauerwein RW, Prudêncio M. A Plasmodium berghei sporozoite-based vaccination platform against human malaria. NPJ Vaccines 2018; 3:33. [PMID: 30155278 PMCID: PMC6109154 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-018-0068-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a pressing need for safe and highly effective Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria vaccines. The circumsporozoite protein (CS), expressed on sporozoites and during early hepatic stages, is a leading target vaccine candidate, but clinical efficacy has been modest so far. Conversely, whole-sporozoite (WSp) vaccines have consistently shown high levels of sterilizing immunity and constitute a promising approach to effective immunization against malaria. Here, we describe a novel WSp malaria vaccine that employs transgenic sporozoites of rodent P. berghei (Pb) parasites as cross-species immunizing agents and as platforms for expression and delivery of PfCS (PbVac). We show that both wild-type Pb and PbVac sporozoites unabatedly infect and develop in human hepatocytes while unable to establish an infection in human red blood cells. In a rabbit model, similarly susceptible to Pb hepatic but not blood infection, we show that PbVac elicits cross-species cellular immune responses, as well as PfCS-specific antibodies that efficiently inhibit Pf sporozoite liver invasion in human hepatocytes and in mice with humanized livers. Thus, PbVac is safe and induces functional immune responses in preclinical studies, warranting clinical testing and development. A genetically engineered parasite, related to malaria-causing Plasmodium falciparum, excels as a vaccine in preclinical tests. A team led by Miguel Prudêncio, of the University of Lisbon, Portugal, developed a genetically altered vaccine candidate based on Plasmodium berghei, which is pathogenic to rodents but, in humans, fails to progress from a harmless, transient liver infection to causing full, blood-borne malaria. The candidate expresses a human form of ‘circumsporozoite protein,’ a known antigen, and is designed to provoke a more comprehensive immune response as it presents a whole pathogen to the host. In preclinical tests, the candidate generated antibodies able to neutralize infection in human hepatocytes and also provoked a cellular immune response in rabbits. The team’s candidate proved safe and efficacious, warranting further trials and clinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- António M Mendes
- 1Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Marta Machado
- 1Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Nataniel Gonçalves-Rosa
- 1Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Isaie J Reuling
- 2Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, Microbiology 268, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Lander Foquet
- 3Center for Vaccinology, Ghent University and Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.,Departments of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Cláudia Marques
- 1Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ahmed M Salman
- 5Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,6The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, ORCRB, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7DQ UK
| | - Annie S P Yang
- 2Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, Microbiology 268, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Kara A Moser
- 7Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Ankit Dwivedi
- 7Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Cornelus C Hermsen
- 2Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, Microbiology 268, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Belén Jiménez-Díaz
- 8Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKline, Severo Ochoa, 2, 28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid Spain
| | - Sara Viera
- 8Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKline, Severo Ochoa, 2, 28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid Spain
| | - Jorge M Santos
- 1Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal.,12Present Address: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, 02115 Boston, MA USA
| | - Inês Albuquerque
- 1Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sangeeta N Bhatia
- 9Health Sciences and Technology/Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - John Bial
- 10Yecuris Corporation, PO Box 4645, Tualatin, OR 97062 USA
| | - Iñigo Angulo-Barturen
- 8Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKline, Severo Ochoa, 2, 28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid Spain
| | - Joana C Silva
- 7Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA.,11Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Geert Leroux-Roels
- 3Center for Vaccinology, Ghent University and Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Chris J Janse
- 5Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Shahid M Khan
- 5Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Maria M Mota
- 1Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Robert W Sauerwein
- 2Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, Microbiology 268, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Miguel Prudêncio
- 1Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
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6
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Marin-Mogollon C, van Pul FJA, Miyazaki S, Imai T, Ramesar J, Salman AM, Winkel BMF, Othman AS, Kroeze H, Chevalley-Maurel S, Reyes-Sandoval A, Roestenberg M, Franke-Fayard B, Janse CJ, Khan SM. Chimeric Plasmodium falciparum parasites expressing Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein fail to produce salivary gland sporozoites. Malar J 2018; 17:288. [PMID: 30092798 PMCID: PMC6085629 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-018-2431-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rodent malaria parasites where the gene encoding circumsporozoite protein (CSP) has been replaced with csp genes from the human malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum or Plasmodium vivax, are used as pre-clinical tools to evaluate CSP vaccines in vivo. These chimeric rodent parasites produce sporozoites in Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes that are capable of infecting rodent and human hepatocytes. The availability of chimeric P. falciparum parasites where the pfcsp gene has been replaced by the pvcsp would open up possibilities to test P. vivax CSP vaccines in small scale clinical trials using controlled human malaria infection studies. METHODS Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing two chimeric P. falciparum parasites, were generated, where the pfcsp gene has been replaced by either one of the two major pvcsp alleles, VK210 or VK247. In addition, a P. falciparum parasite line that lacks CSP expression was also generated. These parasite lines have been analysed for sporozoite production in An. stephensi mosquitoes. RESULTS The two chimeric Pf-PvCSP lines exhibit normal asexual and sexual blood stage development in vitro and produce sporozoite-containing oocysts in An. stephensi mosquitoes. Expression of the corresponding PvCSP was confirmed in oocyst-derived Pf-PvCSP sporozoites. However, most oocysts degenerate before sporozoite formation and sporozoites were not found in either the mosquito haemocoel or salivary glands. Unlike the chimeric Pf-PvCSP parasites, oocysts of P. falciparum parasites lacking CSP expression do not produce sporozoites. CONCLUSIONS Chimeric P. falciparum parasites expressing P. vivax circumsporozoite protein fail to produce salivary gland sporozoites. Combined, these studies show that while PvCSP can partially complement the function of PfCSP, species-specific features of CSP govern full sporozoite maturation and development in the two human malaria parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherin Marin-Mogollon
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Fiona J A van Pul
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Shinya Miyazaki
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Takashi Imai
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Host Defense, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8510, Japan
| | - Jai Ramesar
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ahmed M Salman
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, The Henry Welcome Building for Molecular Physiology, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Beatrice M F Winkel
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ahmad Syibli Othman
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Hans Kroeze
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Severine Chevalley-Maurel
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Arturo Reyes-Sandoval
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, The Henry Welcome Building for Molecular Physiology, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Meta Roestenberg
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Blandine Franke-Fayard
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Chris J Janse
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Shahid M Khan
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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7
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Shiratsuchi T, Rai U, Kaneko I, Zhang M, Iwanaga S, Yuda M, Tsuji M. A potent malaria vaccine based on adenovirus with dual modifications at Hexon and pVII. Vaccine 2017; 35:6990-7000. [PMID: 29089194 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.10.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Revised: 09/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Adenovirus (Ad) is thought to be one of the most promising platforms for a malaria vaccine targeted against its liver stages, because of its ability to induce a strong T-cell response against a transgene. However, a further improvement of this platform is needed in order to elicit another arm of the immunity, i.e. humoral response, against malaria. In order to augment immunogenicity and protective efficacy of Ad-based malaria vaccine, we inserted B-cell, as well as CD4+ T-cell, epitopes of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP) into the capsid protein, Hexon, and the core protein, VII (pVII), of Ad, respectively, in addition to the PfCSP transgene. Insertion of PfCSP-derived B cell epitope to Hexon significantly enhanced the epitope-specific antibody response compared to AdPfCSP, an Ad vaccine expressing only PfCSP transgene. PfCSP-derived CD4+ T-cell epitope insertion into pVII augmented not only PfCSP-specific CD4+ T-cell response but also anti-PfCSP antibody response. Finally, mice immunized with AdPfCSP having both Hexon and pVII modifications were more protected than AdPfCSP or Hexon-modified AdPfCSP against challenge with transgenic rodent malaria parasites expressing the PfCSP. Overall, this study has demonstrated that Hexon and pVII-modified AdPfCSP vaccine is a promising malaria vaccine which induces strong PfCSP-specific humoral, CD4+ T-cell, and CD8+ T-cell responses and protects against infection with transgenic malaria parasites expressing the PfCSP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Shiratsuchi
- HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Affiliate of The Rockefeller University, 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA; Otsuka Maryland Medicinal Laboratories, Inc., 9900 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Urvashi Rai
- HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Affiliate of The Rockefeller University, 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Izumi Kaneko
- Department of Medical Zoology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
| | - Min Zhang
- HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Affiliate of The Rockefeller University, 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Shiroh Iwanaga
- Department of Medical Zoology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan; Department of Environmental Parasitology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Masao Yuda
- Department of Medical Zoology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
| | - Moriya Tsuji
- HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Affiliate of The Rockefeller University, 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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8
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Monoclonal Antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite Protein. Antibodies (Basel) 2017; 6:antib6030011. [PMID: 31548526 PMCID: PMC6698827 DOI: 10.3390/antib6030011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by the parasite Plasmodium spp. Malaria continues to have a devastating impact on human health. Sporozoites are the infective forms of the parasite inside mosquito salivary glands. Circumsporozoite protein (CSP) is a major and immunodominant protective antigen on the surface of Plasmodium sporozoites. Here, we report a generation of specific monoclonal antibodies that recognize the central repeat and C-terminal regions of P. falciparum CSP. The monoclonal antibodies 3C1, 3C2, and 3D3-specific for the central repeat region-have higher titers and protective efficacies against challenge with sporozoites compared with 2A10, a gold standard monoclonal antibody that was generated in early 1980s.
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9
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Othman AS, Marin-Mogollon C, Salman AM, Franke-Fayard BM, Janse CJ, Khan SM. The use of transgenic parasites in malaria vaccine research. Expert Rev Vaccines 2017; 16:1-13. [DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2017.1333426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Syibli Othman
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, the Netherlands
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Catherin Marin-Mogollon
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | - Blandine M. Franke-Fayard
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Chris J. Janse
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Shahid M. Khan
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, the Netherlands
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10
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Frischknecht F, Matuschewski K. Plasmodium Sporozoite Biology. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2017; 7:cshperspect.a025478. [PMID: 28108531 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a025478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium sporozoite transmission is a critical population bottleneck in parasite life-cycle progression and, hence, a target for prophylactic drugs and vaccines. The recent progress of a candidate antisporozoite subunit vaccine formulation to licensure highlights the importance of sporozoite transmission intervention in the malaria control portfolio. Sporozoites colonize mosquito salivary glands, migrate through the skin, penetrate blood vessels, breach the liver sinusoid, and invade hepatocytes. Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that mediate the remarkable sporozoite journey in the invertebrate vector and the vertebrate host can inform evidence-based next-generation drug development programs and immune intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friedrich Frischknecht
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kai Matuschewski
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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11
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Li X, Huang J, Kaneko I, Zhang M, Iwanaga S, Yuda M, Tsuji M. A potent adjuvant effect of a CD1d-binding NKT cell ligand in human immune system mice. Expert Rev Vaccines 2017; 16:73-80. [PMID: 27801602 PMCID: PMC5526659 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2017.1256208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES A CD1d-binding invariant natural killer T (iNKT)-cell stimulatory glycolipid, namely 7DW8-5, is shown to enhance the efficacy of radiation-attenuated sporozoites (RAS)-based malaria vaccine in mice. In the current study, we aim to determine whether 7DW8-5 can display a potent adjuvant effect in human immune system (HIS) mice. METHODS HIS-A2/hCD1d mice, which possess both functional human iNKT cells and CD8+ T cells, were generated by the transduction of NSG mice with adeno-associated virus serotype 9 expressing genes that encode human CD1d molecules and HLA-A*0201, followed by the engraftment of human hematopoietic stem cells. The magnitudes of human iNKT-cell response against 7DW8-5 and HLA-A*0201-restricted human CD8+ T-cell response against a human malaria antigen in HIS-A2/hCD1d mice were determined by using human CD1d tetramer and human HLA-A*0201 tetramer, respectively. RESULTS We found that 7DW8-5 stimulates human iNKT cells in HIS-A2/hCD1d mice, as well as those derived from HIS-A2/hCD1d mice in vitro. We also found that 7DW8-5 significantly increases the level of a human malarial antigen-specific HLA-A*0201-restricted human CD8+ T-cell response in HIS-A2/hCD1d mice. CONCLUSIONS Our study indicates that 7DW8-5 can display a potent adjuvant effect on RAS vaccine-induced anti-malarial immunity by augmenting malaria-specific human CD8+ T-cell response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangming Li
- a HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center , Affiliate of The Rockefeller University , New York , NY , USA
| | - Jing Huang
- a HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center , Affiliate of The Rockefeller University , New York , NY , USA
| | - Izumi Kaneko
- b Department of Medical Zoology , Mie University Graduate School of Medicine , Tsu , Mie , Japan
| | - Min Zhang
- a HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center , Affiliate of The Rockefeller University , New York , NY , USA
- c Department of Pathology , New York University School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA
| | - Shiroh Iwanaga
- b Department of Medical Zoology , Mie University Graduate School of Medicine , Tsu , Mie , Japan
| | - Masao Yuda
- b Department of Medical Zoology , Mie University Graduate School of Medicine , Tsu , Mie , Japan
| | - Moriya Tsuji
- a HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center , Affiliate of The Rockefeller University , New York , NY , USA
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12
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Steel RW, Kappe SH, Sack BK. An expanding toolkit for preclinical pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccine development: bridging traditional mouse malaria models and human trials. Future Microbiol 2016; 11:1563-1579. [PMID: 27855488 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2016-0077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains a significant public health burden with 214 million new infections and over 400,000 deaths in 2015. Elucidating relevant Plasmodium parasite biology can lead to the identification of novel ways to control and ultimately eliminate the parasite within geographic areas. Particularly, the development of an effective vaccine that targets the clinically silent pre-erythrocytic stages of infection would significantly augment existing malaria elimination tools by preventing both the onset of blood-stage infection/disease as well as spread of the parasite through mosquito transmission. In this Perspective, we discuss the role of small animal models in pre-erythrocytic stage vaccine development, highlighting how human liver-chimeric and human immune system mice are emerging as valuable components of these efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Wj Steel
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Formerly Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Stefan Hi Kappe
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Formerly Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Brandon K Sack
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Formerly Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
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