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Josi R, Speiser DE, de Brot S, Vogt AC, Sevick-Muraca EM, Tolstonog GV, Bachmann MF, Mohsen MO. A tetravalent nanovaccine that inhibits growth of HPV-associated head and neck carcinoma via dendritic and T cell activation. iScience 2024; 27:109439. [PMID: 38523774 PMCID: PMC10957412 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The global incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) associated head and neck carcinoma is on the rise, in response to this a tetravalent therapeutic vaccine named Qβ-HPVag was developed. This vaccine, utilizing virus-like particles (VLPs) loaded with toll-like receptor ligands and chemically coupled to four HPV16-derived peptides, demonstrated strong anti-tumor effects in a murine head and neck cancer model. Qβ-HPVag impeded tumor progression, increased infiltration of HPV-specific T cells, and significantly improved survival. The vaccine`s efficacy was associated with immune repolarization in the tumor microenvironment, characterized by expanded activated dendritic cell subsets (cDC1, cDC2, DC3). Notably, mice responding to treatment exhibited a higher percentage of migratory DC3 cells expressing CCR7. These findings suggest promising prospects for optimized VLP-based vaccines in treating HPV-associated head and neck cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romano Josi
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB), Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daniel E. Speiser
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Simone de Brot
- COMPATH, Institute of Animal Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Cathrine Vogt
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB), Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eva M. Sevick-Muraca
- Center for Molecular Imaging, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Genrich V. Tolstonog
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Agora Cancer Research Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Martin F. Bachmann
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Henry Welcome Building for Molecular Physiology, The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mona O. Mohsen
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Tajarub Research & Development, Doha, State of Qatar
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Liposomal Formulations of a Polyleucine-Antigen Conjugate as Therapeutic Vaccines against Cervical Cancer. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15020602. [PMID: 36839923 PMCID: PMC9965676 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is responsible for all cases of cervical cancer. While prophylactic vaccines are available, the development of peptide-based vaccines as a therapeutic strategy is still under investigation. In comparison with the traditional and currently used treatment strategies of chemotherapy and surgery, vaccination against HPV is a promising therapeutic option with fewer side effects. A peptide derived from the HPV-16 E7 protein, called 8Qm, in combination with adjuvants showed promise as a therapeutic vaccine. Here, the ability of polymerized natural amino acids to act as a self-adjuvating delivery system as a therapeutic vaccine was investigated for the first time. Thus, 8Qm was conjugated to polyleucine by standard solid-phase peptide synthesis and self-assembled into nanoparticles or incorporated in liposomes. The liposome bearing the 8Qm conjugate significantly increased mice survival and decreased tumor growth after a single immunization. Further, these liposomes eradicated seven-day-old well-established tumors in mice. Dendritic cell (DC)-targeting moieties were introduced to further enhance vaccine efficacy, and the newly designed liposomal vaccine was tested in mice bearing 11-day-old tumors. Interestingly, these DCs-targeting moieties did not significantly improve vaccine efficacy, whereas the simple liposomal formulation of 8Qm-polyleucine conjugate was still effective in tumor eradication. In summary, a peptide-based anticancer vaccine was developed that stimulated strong cellular immune responses without the help of a classical adjuvant.
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Singhal A, Singh A, Shrivastava A, Khan R. Epitope imprinted polymeric materials: application in electrochemical detection of disease biomarkers. J Mater Chem B 2023; 11:936-954. [PMID: 36606445 DOI: 10.1039/d2tb02135h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Epitope imprinting is a promising method for creating specialized recognition sites that resemble natural biorecognition elements. Epitope-imprinted materials have gained a lot of attention recently in a variety of fields, including bioanalysis, drug delivery, and clinical therapy. The vast applications of epitope imprinted polymers are due to the flexibility in choosing monomers, the simplicity in obtaining templates, specificity toward targets, and resistance to harsh environments along with being cost effective in nature. The "epitope imprinting technique," which uses only a tiny subunit of the target as the template during imprinting, offers a way around various drawbacks inherent to biomacromolecule systems i.e., traditional molecular imprinting techniques with regards to the large size of proteins, such as the size, complexity, accessibility, and conformational flexibility of the template. Electrochemical based sensors are proven to be promising tool for the quick, real-time monitoring of biomarkers. This review unravels epitope imprinting techniques, approaches, and strategies and highlights the applicability of these techniques for the electrochemical quantification of biomarkers for timely disease monitoring. In addition, some challenges are discussed along with future prospective developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayushi Singhal
- CSIR-Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (AMPRI), Hoshangabad Road, Bhopal - 462026, MP, India. .,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad-201002, India
| | - Amrita Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, Barkatullah University, Habibganj, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462026, India
| | - Apoorva Shrivastava
- Dr D. Y. Patil Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Institute, Dr D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Sr. No. 87-88, Mumbai-Bangalore Highway, Tathawade, Pune, Maharashtra, 411033, India
| | - Raju Khan
- CSIR-Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (AMPRI), Hoshangabad Road, Bhopal - 462026, MP, India. .,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad-201002, India
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Ding H, Zhang J, Zhang F, Xu Y, Yu Y, Liang W, Li Q. Effectiveness of combination therapy with ISA101 vaccine for the treatment of human papillomavirus-induced cervical cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:990877. [PMID: 36300095 PMCID: PMC9589033 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.990877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cervical cancer is one of the women-associated tumors that affects numerous people yearly. It is the fourth most common malignancy in women worldwide. Following early diagnosis, this cancer can be cured mainly by traditional methods such as surgery, tumor resection, and chemotherapy; nonetheless, it becomes more challenging to treat in advanced and metastatic stages. With the advent of novel treatments such as angiogenesis inhibitors or immuno-checkpoint blockers in recent years, the survival rate of patients with advanced cervical cancer has significantly increased. However, it has not yet reached a satisfactory level. It has been revealed that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is responsible for more than 90% of cervical cancer cases. However, evidence revealed that monotherapy with anti-HPV vaccines such as ISA101 could not affect tumor growth and progression in patients with HPV-induced cervical cancer. Therefore, combining ISA101 and immune checkpoint blockers or other immunotherapeutic approaches may be more robust and effective than monotherapy with ISA101 or immune checkpoint blockers for treating cervical cancer. This review summarizes the ISA101 properties, advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, various conducted combination therapies with ISA101 and the effectiveness and challenges of this treatment have been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haigang Ding
- Department of Gynecology, Shaoxing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Shaoxing, China
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- Department of Gynecology, Shaoxing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Shaoxing, China
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- Department of Gynecology, Shaoxing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Shaoxing, China
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
| | - Yan Xu
- Intensive Care Unit, Zhoushan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhoushan, China
| | - Yijun Yu
- Medical Research Center, Zhoushan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhoushan, China
| | - Wenqing Liang
- Medical Research Center, Zhoushan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhoushan, China
- *Correspondence: Qingping Li, ; Wenqing Liang,
| | - Qingping Li
- Medical Research Center, Zhoushan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhoushan, China
- *Correspondence: Qingping Li, ; Wenqing Liang,
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Immunoinformatics-guided designing of epitope-based subunit vaccine from Pilus assembly protein of Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria. J Immunol Methods 2022; 508:113325. [PMID: 35908655 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2022.113325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii, a prominent pathogen responsible for chronic infections in the blood, urinary tract, and lungs, has a high mortality due to its virulence and limited preventive methods. The present study aims to characterize the pilus assembly protein of A. baumannii to offer leads for epitope-based vaccine development. FilF is the putative pilus assembly protein that reportedly plays a supreme character in the virulence of this WHO-listed ESKAPE bacterium. Implementing various bioinformatics tools, led to the recognition of many antigenic B and T cell epitopes. Most promising B and T-cell epitopes were selected based on their binding efficiency with commonly occurring MHC alleles. Finally, we stepped down to fourteen protective antigenic peptides. These epitopes were also revealed to be non-allergenic and non-toxic. As a result, a vaccine chimera was created by linking these epitopes with appropriate linkers and adjuvant such as β-defensins. Furthermore, homology modeling and validation were carried out, with the modeled structure being employed for molecular docking with the immunological receptor (TLR-4) found on lymphocyte cells. As a result of the molecular dynamics simulation, the interaction between human TLR-4 and the multi-epitope vaccine sequence was stable. Finally, in silico cloning and immune simulation were carried out to see the efficacy of the construct vaccine. This is the first study targeting the pilus assembly protein from A. baumannii to identify novel epitopes that hold potential for further experimental design of multi-peptide vaccine construct against the pathogen.
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Design of a Novel Recombinant Multi-Epitope Vaccine against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. IRANIAN BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL 2022; 26:160-74. [PMID: 35090304 PMCID: PMC8987416 DOI: 10.52547/ibj.26.2.160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Background Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is determined by the absence of ERBB2, estrogen and progesterone receptors’ expression. Cancer vaccines, as the novel immunotherapy strategies, have emerged as promising tools for treating the advanced stage of TNBC. The aim of this study was to evaluate Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), Metadherin (MTDH), and Mucin 1 (MUC-1) proteins as vaccine candidates against TNBC. Methods In this research, a novel vaccine was designed against TNBC by using different immunoinformatics and bioinformatics approaches. Effective immunodominant epitopes were chosen from three antigenic proteins, namely CEA, MTDH, and MUC-1. Recombinant TLR4 agonists were utilized as an adjuvant to stimulate immune responses. Following the selection of antigens and adjuvants, appropriate linkers were chosen to generate the final recombinant protein. To achieve an excellent 3D model, the best predicted 3D model was required to be refined and validated. To demonstrate whether the vaccine/TLR4 complex is stable or not, we performed docking analysis and dynamic molecular simulation. Result Immunoinformatics and bioinformatics evaluations of the designed construct demonstrated that this vaccine candidate could effectively be used as a therapeutic armament against TNBC. Conclusion Bioinformatics studies revealed that the designed vaccine has an acceptable quality. Investigating the effectiveness of this vaccine can be confirmed by supplementary in vitro and in vivo studies.
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Zhang J, Fan J, Skwarczynski M, Stephenson RJ, Toth I, Hussein WM. Peptide-Based Nanovaccines in the Treatment of Cervical Cancer: A Review of Recent Advances. Int J Nanomedicine 2022; 17:869-900. [PMID: 35241913 PMCID: PMC8887913 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s269986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs), such as HPV-16 and HPV-18, can induce cervical cancer in humans. The disease carries high morbidity and mortality among females worldwide. Inoculation with prophylactic HPV vaccines, such as Gardasil® or Cervarix®, is the predominant method of preventing cervical cancer in females 6 to 26 years of age. However, despite the availability of commercial prophylactic HPV vaccines, no therapeutic HPV vaccines to eliminate existing HPV infections have been approved. Peptide-based vaccines, which form one of the most potent vaccine platforms, have been broadly investigated to overcome this shortcoming. Peptide-based vaccines are especially effective in inducing cellular immune responses and eradicating tumor cells when combined with nanoscale adjuvant particles and delivery systems. This review summarizes progress in the development of peptide-based nanovaccines against HPV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Jingyi Fan
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Mariusz Skwarczynski
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Rachel J Stephenson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Istvan Toth
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Waleed M Hussein
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
- Correspondence: Waleed M Hussein, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia, Tel +61 7 3365 2782, Email
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Tang J, Li M, Zhao C, Shen D, Liu L, Zhang X, Wei L. Therapeutic DNA Vaccines against HPV-Related Malignancies: Promising Leads from Clinical Trials. Viruses 2022; 14:v14020239. [PMID: 35215833 PMCID: PMC8874761 DOI: 10.3390/v14020239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2014 and 2021, two nucleic-acid vaccine candidates named MAV E2 and VGX-3100 completed phase III clinical trials in Mexico and U.S., respectively, for patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related, high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). These well-tolerated but still unlicensed vaccines encode distinct HPV antigens (E2 versus E6+E7) to elicit cell-mediated immune responses; their clinical efficacy, as measured by HSIL regression or cure, was modest when compared with placebo or surgery (conization), but both proved highly effective in clearing HPV infection, which should help further optimize strategies for enhancing vaccine immunogenicity, toward an ultimate goal of preventing malignancies in millions of patients who are living with persistent, oncogenic HPV infection but are not expected to benefit from current, prophylactic vaccines. The major roadblocks to a highly efficacious and practical product remain challenging and can be classified into five categories: (i) getting the vaccines into the right cells for efficient expression and presentation of HPV antigens (fusion proteins or epitopes); (ii) having adequate coverage of oncogenic HPV types, beyond the current focus on HPV-16 and -18; (iii) directing immune protection to various epithelial niches, especially anogenital mucosa and upper aerodigestive tract where HPV-transformed cells wreak havoc; (iv) establishing the time window and vaccination regimen, including dosage, interval and even combination therapy, for achieving maximum efficacy; and (v) validating therapeutic efficacy in patients with poor prognosis because of advanced, recurrent or non-resectable malignancies. Overall, the room for improvements is still large enough that continuing efforts for research and development will very likely extend into the next decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianming Tang
- Aeonvital Biomedical Research Institute, Beijing 102208, China; (L.L.); (X.Z.)
- Correspondence: or
| | - Mingzhu Li
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing 100033, China; (M.L.); (C.Z.); (D.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Chao Zhao
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing 100033, China; (M.L.); (C.Z.); (D.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Danhua Shen
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing 100033, China; (M.L.); (C.Z.); (D.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Lei Liu
- Aeonvital Biomedical Research Institute, Beijing 102208, China; (L.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xiujun Zhang
- Aeonvital Biomedical Research Institute, Beijing 102208, China; (L.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Lihui Wei
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing 100033, China; (M.L.); (C.Z.); (D.S.); (L.W.)
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Bagheri A, Nezafat N, Eslami M, Ghasemi Y, Negahdaripour M. Designing a therapeutic and prophylactic candidate vaccine against human papillomavirus through vaccinomics approaches. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2021; 95:105084. [PMID: 34547435 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.105084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer, the 4th prominent cause of death in women globally. Previous vaccine development projects have led to several approved prophylactic vaccines available commercially, all of which are made using major capsid-based (L1). Administration of minor capsid protein (L2) gave rise to the second generation investigational prophylactic HPV vaccines, none of which are approved yet due to low immunogenicity provided by the L2 capsid protein. On the other hand, post-translation proteins, E6 and E7, have been utilized to develop experimental therapeutic vaccines. Here, in silico designing of a therapeutic and prophylactic vaccine against HPV16 is performed. METHODS In this study, several immunoinformatic and computational tools were administered to identify and design a vaccine construct with dual prophylactic and therapeutic applications consisting of several epitope regions on L2, E6, and E7 proteins of HPV16. RESULTS Immunodominant epitope regions (aa 12-23 and 78-78 of L2 protein, aa 11-27 of E6 protein, and aa 70-89 of E7 protein) were employed, which offered adequate immunogenicity to induce immune responses. Resuscitation-promoting factors (RpfB and RpfE) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were integrated in two separate constructs as TLR4 agonists to act as vaccine adjuvants. Following physiochemical and structural evaluations carried out by various bioinformatics tools, the designed constructs were modeled and validated, resulting in two 3D structures. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations suggested stable ligand-receptor interactions between the designed construct and TLR4. CONCLUSION Ultimately, this study led to suggest the designed construct as a potential vaccine candidate with both prophylactic and therapeutic applications against HPV by promoting Th1, Th2, CTL, and B cell immune responses, which should be further confirmed in experimental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashkan Bagheri
- Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran; Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Navid Nezafat
- Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mahboobeh Eslami
- Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Younes Ghasemi
- Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran; Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Manica Negahdaripour
- Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran; Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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Cuspoca AF, Díaz LL, Acosta AF, Peñaloza MK, Méndez YR, Clavijo DC, Yosa Reyes J. An Immunoinformatics Approach for SARS-CoV-2 in Latam Populations and Multi-Epitope Vaccine Candidate Directed towards the World's Population. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9060581. [PMID: 34205992 PMCID: PMC8228945 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9060581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic is a major public health crisis affecting global health systems with dire socioeconomic consequences, especially in vulnerable regions such as Latin America (LATAM). There is an urgent need for a vaccine to help control contagion, reduce mortality and alleviate social costs. In this study, we propose a rational multi-epitope candidate vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Using bioinformatics, we constructed a library of potential vaccine peptides, based on the affinity of the most common major human histocompatibility complex (HLA) I and II molecules in the LATAM population to predict immunological complexes among antigenic, non-toxic and non-allergenic peptides extracted from the conserved regions of 92 proteomes. Although HLA-C, had the greatest antigenic peptide capacity from SARS-CoV-2, HLA-B and HLA-A, could be more relevant based on COVID-19 risk of infection in LATAM countries. We also used three-dimensional structures of SARS-CoV-2 proteins to identify potential regions for antibody production. The best HLA-I and II predictions (with increased coverage in common alleles and regions evoking B lymphocyte responses) were grouped into an optimized final multi-epitope construct containing the adjuvants Beta defensin-3, TpD, and PADRE, which are recognized for invoking a safe and specific immune response. Finally, we used Molecular Dynamics to identify the multi-epitope construct which may be a stable target for TLR-4/MD-2. This would prove to be safe and provide the physicochemical requirements for conducting experimental tests around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Felipe Cuspoca
- Grupo de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica de Colombia (GRECO), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja 150003, Colombia; (A.F.C.); (L.L.D.); (A.F.A.); (M.K.P.); (Y.R.M.)
| | - Laura Lorena Díaz
- Grupo de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica de Colombia (GRECO), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja 150003, Colombia; (A.F.C.); (L.L.D.); (A.F.A.); (M.K.P.); (Y.R.M.)
| | - Alvaro Fernando Acosta
- Grupo de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica de Colombia (GRECO), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja 150003, Colombia; (A.F.C.); (L.L.D.); (A.F.A.); (M.K.P.); (Y.R.M.)
| | - Marcela Katherine Peñaloza
- Grupo de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica de Colombia (GRECO), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja 150003, Colombia; (A.F.C.); (L.L.D.); (A.F.A.); (M.K.P.); (Y.R.M.)
| | - Yardany Rafael Méndez
- Grupo de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica de Colombia (GRECO), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja 150003, Colombia; (A.F.C.); (L.L.D.); (A.F.A.); (M.K.P.); (Y.R.M.)
| | - Diana Carolina Clavijo
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali, Santiago de Cali 760031, Colombia;
| | - Juvenal Yosa Reyes
- Laboratorio de Simulación Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Biomédicas, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Correspondence:
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Long-Term Antitumor CD8 + T Cell Immunity Induced by Endogenously Engineered Extracellular Vesicles. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13092263. [PMID: 34066801 PMCID: PMC8125873 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13092263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The induction of an effective immune response against tumor cells is of a great benefit in the battle against cancers. We recently characterized a novel, safe, and cost-effective strategy to induce an efficient CD8+ T cell immune response against potentially whatever antigen. This technique is based on in vivo engineering of exosomes/extracellular vesicles (EVs), i.e., nanovesicles constitutively released by all healthy cells. Immunogenic EVs are generated by intramuscular injection of a DNA vector expressing an EV-anchoring protein fused with the antigen of interest. In this paper, we applied our vaccine platform to counteract the growth of tumors expressing antigens of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). We demonstrated that this method is instrumental in curing mice already developing HPV-related tumors. In addition, cured mice were shown to resist a second tumor cell implantation. These results could be of relevance for a possible translation into the clinic of our technology. Abstract We developed an innovative method to induce antigen-specific CD8+ T cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) immunity based on in vivo engineering of extracellular vesicles (EVs). This approach employs a DNA vector expressing a mutated HIV-1 Nef protein (Nefmut) deprived of the anti-cellular effects typical of the wild-type isoform, meanwhile showing an unusual efficiency of incorporation into EVs. This function persists even when foreign antigens are fused to its C-terminus. In this way, Nefmut traffics large amounts of antigens fused to it into EVs spontaneously released by the recipient cells. We previously provided evidence that mice injected with a DNA vector expressing the Nefmut/HPV16-E7 fusion protein developed an E7-specific CTL immune response as detected 2 weeks after the second immunization. Here, we extended and optimized the anti-HPV16 CD8+ T cell immune response induced by the endogenously engineered EVs, and evaluated the therapeutic antitumor efficacy over time. We found that the co-injection of DNA vectors expressing Nefmut fused with E6 and E7 generated a stronger anti-HPV16 immune response compared to that observed in mice injected with the single vectors. When HPV16-E6 and -E7 co-expressing tumor cells were implanted before immunization, all mice survived at day 44, whereas no mice injected with either void or Nefmut-expressing vectors survived until day 32 after tumor implantation. A substantial part of immunized mice (7 out of 12) cleared the tumor. When the cured mice were re-challenged with a second tumor cell implantation, none of them developed tumors. Both E6- and E7-specific CD8+ T immunities were still detectable at the end of the observation time. We concluded that the immunity elicited by engineered EVs, besides counteracting and curing already developed tumors, was strong enough to guarantee the resistance to additional tumor attacks. These results can be of relevance for the therapy of both metastatic and relapsing tumors.
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Chiozzini C, Manfredi F, Ferrantelli F, Leone P, Giovannelli A, Olivetta E, Federico M. The C-Terminal Domain of Nef mut Is Dispensable for the CD8 + T Cell Immunogenicity of In Vivo Engineered Extracellular Vesicles. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9040373. [PMID: 33921215 PMCID: PMC8068889 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9040373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Intramuscular injection of DNA vectors expressing the extracellular vesicle (EV)-anchoring protein Nefmut fused at its C-terminus to viral and tumor antigens elicit a potent, effective, and anti-tolerogenic CD8+ T cell immunity against the heterologous antigen. The immune response is induced through the production of EVs incorporating Nefmut-derivatives released by muscle cells. In the perspective of a possible translation into the clinic of the Nefmut-based vaccine platform, we aimed at increasing its safety profile by identifying the minimal part of Nefmut retaining the EV-anchoring protein property. We found that a C-terminal deletion of 29-amino acids did not affect the ability of Nefmut to associate with EVs. The EV-anchoring function was also preserved when antigens from both HPV16 (i.e., E6 and E7) and SARS-CoV-2 (i.e., S1 and S2) were fused to its C-terminus. Most important, the Nefmut C-terminal deletion did not affect levels, quality, and diffusion at distal sites of the antigen-specific CD8+ T immunity. We concluded that the C-terminal Nefmut truncation does not influence stability, EV-anchoring, and CD8+ T cell immunogenicity of the fused antigen. Hence, the C-terminal deleted Nefmut may represent a safer alternative to the full-length isoform for vaccines in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Chiozzini
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
| | - Francesco Manfredi
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
| | - Flavia Ferrantelli
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
| | - Patrizia Leone
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
| | - Andrea Giovannelli
- National Center for Animal Experimentation and Welfare, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Eleonora Olivetta
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
| | - Maurizio Federico
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (P.L.); (E.O.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-06-4990-6016; Fax: +39-06-49903210
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13
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Ferrantelli F, Chiozzini C, Manfredi F, Giovannelli A, Leone P, Federico M. Simultaneous CD8 + T-Cell Immune Response against SARS-Cov-2 S, M, and N Induced by Endogenously Engineered Extracellular Vesicles in Both Spleen and Lungs. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:240. [PMID: 33801926 PMCID: PMC7999804 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9030240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Most advanced vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 are designed to induce antibodies against spike (S) protein. Differently, we developed an original strategy to induce CD8+ T cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) immunity based on in vivo engineering of extracellular vesicles (EVs). This is a new vaccination approach based on intramuscular injection of DNA expression vectors coding for a biologically inactive HIV-1 Nef protein (Nefmut) with an unusually high efficiency of incorporation into EVs, even when foreign polypeptides are fused to its C-terminus. Nanovesicles containing Nefmut-fused antigens released by muscle cells can freely circulate into the body and are internalized by antigen-presenting cells. Therefore, EV-associated antigens can be cross-presented to prime antigen-specific CD8+ T-cells. To apply this technology to a strategy of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, we designed DNA vectors expressing the products of fusion between Nefmut and different viral antigens, namely N- and C-terminal moieties of S (referred to as S1 and S2), M, and N. We provided evidence that all fusion products are efficiently uploaded in EVs. When the respective DNA vectors were injected in mice, a strong antigen-specific CD8+ T cell immunity became detectable in spleens and, most important, in lung airways. Co-injection of DNA vectors expressing the diverse SARS-CoV-2 antigens resulted in additive immune responses in both spleen and lungs. Hence, DNA vectors expressing Nefmut-based fusion proteins can be proposed for new anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Ferrantelli
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.F.); (C.C.); (F.M.); (P.L.)
| | - Chiara Chiozzini
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.F.); (C.C.); (F.M.); (P.L.)
| | - Francesco Manfredi
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.F.); (C.C.); (F.M.); (P.L.)
| | - Andrea Giovannelli
- National Center for Animal Experimentation and Welfare, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Patrizia Leone
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.F.); (C.C.); (F.M.); (P.L.)
| | - Maurizio Federico
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.F.); (C.C.); (F.M.); (P.L.)
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14
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Zhao X, Yang F, Mariz F, Osen W, Bolchi A, Ottonello S, Müller M. Combined prophylactic and therapeutic immune responses against human papillomaviruses induced by a thioredoxin-based L2-E7 nanoparticle vaccine. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008827. [PMID: 32886721 PMCID: PMC7498061 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Global burden of cervical cancer, the most common cause of mortality caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), is expected to increase during the next decade, mainly because current alternatives for HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening programs are costly to be established in low-and-middle income countries. Recently, we described the development of the broadly protective, thermostable vaccine antigen Trx-8mer-OVX313 based on the insertion of eight different minor capsid protein L2 neutralization epitopes into a thioredoxin scaffold from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus and conversion of the resulting antigen into a nanoparticle format (median radius ~9 nm) upon fusion with the heptamerizing OVX313 module. Here we evaluated whether the engineered thioredoxin scaffold, in addition to humoral immune responses, can induce CD8+ T-cell responses upon incorporation of MHC-I-restricted epitopes. By systematically examining the contribution of individual antigen modules, we demonstrated that B-cell and T-cell epitopes can be combined into a single antigen construct without compromising either immunogenicity. While CD8+ T-cell epitopes had no influence on B-cell responses, the L2 polytope (8mer) and OVX313-mediated heptamerization of the final antigen significantly increased CD8+ T-cell responses. In a proof-of-concept experiment, we found that vaccinated mice remained tumor-free even after two consecutive tumor challenges, while unvaccinated mice developed tumors. A cost-effective, broadly protective vaccine with both prophylactic and therapeutic properties represents a promising option to overcome the challenges associated with prevention and treatment of HPV-caused diseases. Currently, there are three licensed prophylactic vaccines available against HPV, but none of them shows a therapeutic effect on pre-existing infections. Thus, a prophylactic vaccine also endowed with a therapeutic activity presents application potentials to individuals regardless of their HPV-infection status. Such a dual-purpose vaccine would be particularly valuable for post-exposure prophylaxis and shields population from recurrent HPV infections. Here, we constructed a combined vaccine relying on L2- and E7-specific epitopes grafted onto the surface of a hyper-stable thioredoxin scaffold. The resulting antigen was converted into a nanoparticle format with the use of a heptamerization domain. Our data document that the modular design of the antigen allows combination of B-cell and T-cell epitopes in one antigen without compromising either’s immunogenicity. The antigen retains its ability to provide broad protection against different HPV types but also presents strong therapeutic effects in a mouse tumor model. Therefore, the vaccine is potentially capable of resolving productive infection as well as HPV-related malignancies, and thus benefitting both uninfected and already infected individuals. Moreover, our vaccine utilizes E. coli as protein producer and distribution does not require cold-chain, which reduces costs making it applicable to less-affluent countries.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigens, Neoplasm/chemistry
- Antigens, Neoplasm/pharmacology
- Antigens, Viral/chemistry
- Antigens, Viral/pharmacology
- Archaeal Proteins/chemistry
- Archaeal Proteins/pharmacology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/pathology
- Cancer Vaccines/chemistry
- Cancer Vaccines/pharmacology
- Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte/chemistry
- Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte/pharmacology
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/chemistry
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/pharmacology
- Female
- Humans
- Immunity, Cellular/drug effects
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Nanoparticles/chemistry
- Nanoparticles/therapeutic use
- Papillomaviridae/chemistry
- Papillomaviridae/immunology
- Papillomavirus Vaccines/chemistry
- Papillomavirus Vaccines/pharmacology
- Pyrococcus furiosus/chemistry
- Thioredoxins/chemistry
- Thioredoxins/pharmacology
- Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/immunology
- Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/virology
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueer Zhao
- German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Fan Yang
- German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Filipe Mariz
- German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfram Osen
- German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Angelo Bolchi
- Department of Chemical Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Simone Ottonello
- Department of Chemical Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Martin Müller
- German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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15
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Harnessing Bioinformatic Approaches to Design Novel Multi-epitope Subunit Vaccine Against Leishmania infantum. Int J Pept Res Ther 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-019-09949-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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16
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Kardani K, Bolhassani A, Namvar A. An overview of in silico vaccine design against different pathogens and cancer. Expert Rev Vaccines 2020; 19:699-726. [PMID: 32648830 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2020.1794832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Due to overcome the hardness of the vaccine design, computational vaccinology is emerging widely. Prediction of T cell and B cell epitopes, antigen processing analysis, antigenicity analysis, population coverage, conservancy analysis, allergenicity assessment, toxicity prediction, and protein-peptide docking are important steps in the process of designing and developing potent vaccines against various viruses and cancers. In order to perform all of the analyses, several bioinformatics tools and online web servers have been developed. Scientists must take the decision to apply more suitable and precise servers for each part based on their accuracy. AREAS COVERED In this review, a wide-range list of different bioinformatics tools and online web servers has been provided. Moreover, some studies were proposed to show the importance of various bioinformatics tools for predicting and developing efficient vaccines against different pathogens including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi as well as cancer. EXPERT OPINION Immunoinformatics is the best way to find potential vaccine candidates against different pathogens. Thus, the selection of the most accurate tools is necessary to predict and develop potent preventive and therapeutic vaccines. To further evaluation of the computational and in silico vaccine design, in vitro/in vivo analyses are required to develop vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimia Kardani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran.,Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran , Tehran, Iran
| | - Azam Bolhassani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran , Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Namvar
- Iranian Comprehensive Hemophilia Care Center , Tehran, Iran
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17
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A Canine-Directed Chimeric Multi-Epitope Vaccine Induced Protective Immune Responses in BALB/c Mice Infected with Leishmania infantum. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8030350. [PMID: 32629975 PMCID: PMC7563305 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8030350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniases are complex vector-borne diseases caused by intracellular parasites of the genus Leishmania. The visceral form of the disease affects both humans and canids in tropical, subtropical, and Mediterranean regions. One health approach has suggested that controlling zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) could have an impact on the reduction of the human incidence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Despite the fact that a preventive vaccination could help with leishmaniasis elimination, effective vaccines that are able to elicit protective immune responses are currently lacking. In the present study, we designed a chimeric multi-epitope protein composed of multiple CD8+ and CD4+ T cell epitopes which were obtained from six highly immunogenic proteins previously identified by an immunoproteomics approach, and the N-termini of the heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis served as an adjuvant. A preclinical evaluation of the candidate vaccine in BALB/c mice showed that when it was given along with the adjuvant Addavax it was able to induce strong immune responses. Cellular responses were dominated by the presence of central and effector multifunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T memory cells. Importantly, the vaccination reduced the parasite burden in both short-term and long-term vaccinated mice challenged with Leishmania infantum. Protection was characterized by the continuing presence of IFN-γ+TNFα+-producing CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and increased NO levels. The depletion of CD8+ T cells in short-term vaccinated mice conferred a significant loss of protection in both target organs of the parasite, indicating a significant involvement of this population in the protection against L. infantum challenge. Thus, the overall data could be considered to be a proof-of-concept that the design of efficacious T cell vaccines with the help of reverse vaccinology approaches is possible.
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18
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HPV16-E7 Protein T Cell Epitope Prediction and Global Therapeutic Peptide Vaccine Design Based on Human Leukocyte Antigen Frequency: An In-Silico Study. Int J Pept Res Ther 2020; 27:365-378. [PMID: 32837456 PMCID: PMC7320846 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-020-10089-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cervical cancer is the second most common leading cause of women's death due to cancer worldwide, about 528,000 patients’ cases and 266,000 deaths per year, related to human papillomavirus (HPV). Peptide-based vaccines being safe, stable, and easy to produce have demonstrated great potential to develop therapeutic HPV vaccine. In this study, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I, class II T cell epitopes of HPV16-E7 were predicted. Therefore, we designed a plan to find the most effective peptides to prompt appropriate immune responses. For this purpose, retrieving protein sequences, conserved region identification, phylogenic tree construction, T cell epitope prediction, epitope-predicted population coverage calculation, and molecular docking were performed consecutively and most effective immune response prompting peptides were selected. Based on different tools index, six CD8+ T cells and six CD4+ epitopes were chosen. This combination of 12 epitopes created a putative global vaccine with a 95.06% population coverage. These identified peptides can be employed further for peptide analysis and can be used as a peptide or poly-epitope candidates for therapeutic vaccine studies to treat HPV-associated cancers.
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19
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Triggered Immune Response Induced by Antigenic Epitopes Covalently Linked with Immunoadjuvant-Pulsed Dendritic Cells as a Promising Cancer Vaccine. J Immunol Res 2020; 2020:3965061. [PMID: 32322595 PMCID: PMC7160722 DOI: 10.1155/2020/3965061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The success of peptide-based dendritic cell (DC) cancer vaccines mainly depends on the utilized peptides and selection of an appropriate adjuvant. Herein, we aimed to evoke a broad immune response against multiple epitopes concurrently in the presence of immunoadjuvant. Three synthetic HLA-A∗0201-restricted peptides were separately linked with HMGB1-derived peptide (SAFFLFCSE, denoted as HB100-108) as immunoadjuvant via double arginine (RR) linker and loaded onto human monocyte-derived DCs. Peptide uptake was detected by immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. The maturation and activation status of pulsed DCs were monitored by detection of the expression of specific markers and released cytokines. The ability of peptide-pulsed DCs to activate allogeneic T cells has been assessed by a degranulation assay and detection of secreted cytokines. The lytic activity of effector T cells against cancer cells in vitro was analyzed by a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. Results revealed that DCs efficiently take up peptides+HB100-108 and expressed higher levels of surface markers (HLA-ABC, HLA-DR, CD80, CD86, CD83, CD40, and CCR7) and proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-12) than control DCs, free peptide-pulsed DCs, and free HB100-108-pulsed DC groups. Moreover, peptides+HB100-108/pulsed DCs were capable of activating allogeneic T cells and enhance their lytic activity against a pancreatic cancer cell line (PANC-1) in vitro. These findings suggest that antigenic peptides covalently linked with HB100-108/pulsed DCs could be a promising strategy to improve the current DC-based cancer vaccines.
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20
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Pol JG, Bridle BW, Lichty BD. Detection of Tumor Antigen-Specific T-Cell Responses After Oncolytic Vaccination. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2058:191-211. [PMID: 31486039 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9794-7_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Oncolytic vaccines, which consist of recombinant oncolytic viruses (OV) encoding tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), have demonstrated potent antitumor efficacy in preclinical models and are currently evaluated in phase I/II clinical trials. On one hand, oncolysis of OV-infected malignant entities reinstates cancer immunosurveillance. On the other hand, overexpression of TAAs in infected cells further stimulates the adaptive arm of antitumor immunity. Particularly, the presence of tumor-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes within the tumor microenvironment, as well as in the periphery, has demonstrated prognostic value for cancer treatments. These effector CD8+ T cells can be detected through their production of the prototypical Tc1 cytokine: IFN-γ. The quantitative and qualitative assessment of this immune cell subset remains critical in the development process of efficient cancer vaccines, including oncolytic vaccines. The present chapter will describe a single-cell immunological assay, namely the intracellular cytokine staining (ICS), that allows the enumeration of IFN-γ-producing TAA-specific CD8+ T cells in various tissues (tumor, blood, lymphoid organs) following oncolytic vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan G Pol
- Gustave Roussy Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Villejuif, France. .,INSERM, U1138, Paris, France. .,Equipe 11 Labellisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Paris, France. .,Université de Paris, Paris, France. .,Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
| | - Byram W Bridle
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Brian D Lichty
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster Immunology Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. .,Turnstone Biologics, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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21
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Hancock G, Blight J, Lopez-Camacho C, Kopycinski J, Pocock M, Byrne W, Price MJ, Kemlo P, Evans RI, Bloss A, Saunders K, Kirton R, Andersson M, Hellner K, Reyes-Sandoval A, Dorrell L. A multi-genotype therapeutic human papillomavirus vaccine elicits potent T cell responses to conserved regions of early proteins. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18713. [PMID: 31822717 PMCID: PMC6904585 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55014-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite an efficacious prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine there is still a considerable global burden of HPV-related disease. Therapeutic vaccines that could prevent cancers in at-risk women are urgently needed. Most candidate therapeutic vaccines have focused on two high-risk (hr) HPV genotypes, 16 and 18, and two viral targets, E6 and E7, which may limit global coverage and efficacy. We designed the synthetic gene '5GHPV3' by selecting conserved regions from each of the six early proteins and generating consensus sequences to represent five hrHPV genotypes. 5GHPV3 was delivered by plasmid DNA, chimpanzee adenovirus (ChAdOx1) and modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vectors in prime-boost regimens to mice. ChAdOx1-5GHPV3 / MVA-5GHPV3 induced higher magnitude and more durable HPV-specific T cell responses than other regimens. Vaccine-induced T cells were polyfunctional and persisted at high frequencies for at least six weeks. Importantly, HPV-specific effector CD8 + T cells were detected in the cervix following systemic administration of ChAdOx1-5GHPV3 / MVA-5GHPV3 and increased in frequency over time, indicating continued trafficking of T cells to the cervix. Finally, T cells specific for 5GHPV3 encoded antigens were detected by IFN-γ Elispot in women with current or past hrHPV infections, confirming the presence of epitopes relevant to natural immune control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Hancock
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford and Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, NDM Research Building, Old Road Campus, Oxford, UK.
| | - Joshua Blight
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Molecular Physiology, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Cesar Lopez-Camacho
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Molecular Physiology, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Jakub Kopycinski
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford and Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, NDM Research Building, Old Road Campus, Oxford, UK
| | - Mamatha Pocock
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford and Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, NDM Research Building, Old Road Campus, Oxford, UK
| | - Wendy Byrne
- Direct Delivery Team, NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Block 8, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Michael J Price
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford and Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, NDM Research Building, Old Road Campus, Oxford, UK
| | - Phillip Kemlo
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Molecular Physiology, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Ranoromanana Ionitiana Evans
- Direct Delivery Team, NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Block 8, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Angela Bloss
- Direct Delivery Team, NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Block 8, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Kathryn Saunders
- Direct Delivery Team, NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Block 8, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Richard Kirton
- Microbiology Department, Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Monique Andersson
- Microbiology Department, Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Karin Hellner
- Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Oxford, Women's Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Arturo Reyes-Sandoval
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Molecular Physiology, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Lucy Dorrell
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford and Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, NDM Research Building, Old Road Campus, Oxford, UK
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22
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Bahramabadi R, Dabiri S, Iranpour M, Kazemi Arababadi M. TLR4: An Important Molecule Participating in Either Anti-Human Papillomavirus Immune Responses or Development of Its Related Cancers. Viral Immunol 2019; 32:417-423. [PMID: 31721657 DOI: 10.1089/vim.2019.0061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been reported that human papillomavirus (HPV) is a main cause of cervical cancer. Immune system plays key roles in the HPV infection clearance. Additionally, the roles played by immune responses in development of cancers have been documented previously. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the main surface or intravesicular receptors driving innate immunity, which either participate in the fight against infectious agents or participate in the progression of cancers. Thus, it has been hypothesized that the molecules may be part of the HPV/cancers puzzle. TLR4 is a unique member of TLRs family that uses both well-known TLRs related intracellular signaling pathways. Furthermore, the roles played by TLR4 against several viruses and also their related complications, such as tumors, have been demonstrated. Thus, it has been hypothesized that TLR4 may play a key role in HPV infection and its related complications. This review article collected the information regarding the mentioned plausible roles by TLR4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Bahramabadi
- Pathology and Stem Cell Research Center, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Shahriar Dabiri
- Pathology and Stem Cell Research Center, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Maryam Iranpour
- Pathology and Stem Cell Research Center, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mohammad Kazemi Arababadi
- Immunology of Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Research Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.,Department of Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
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23
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In silico/In vivo analysis of high-risk papillomavirus L1 and L2 conserved sequences for development of cross-subtype prophylactic vaccine. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15225. [PMID: 31645650 PMCID: PMC6811573 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51679-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world and the main cause of cervical cancer. Nowadays, the virus-like particles (VLPs) based on L1 proteins have been considered as the best candidate for vaccine development against HPV infections. Two commercial HPV (Gardasil and Cervarix) are available. These HPV VLP vaccines induce genotype-limited protection. The major impediments such as economic barriers especially gaps in financing obstructed the optimal delivery of vaccines in developing countries. Thus, many efforts are underway to develop the next generation of vaccines against other types of high-risk HPV. In this study, we developed DNA constructs (based on L1 and L2 genes) that were potentially immunogenic and highly conserved among the high-risk HPV types. The framework of analysis include (1) B-cell epitope mapping, (2) T-cell epitope mapping (i.e., CD4+ and CD8+ T cells), (3) allergenicity assessment, (4) tap transport and proteasomal cleavage, (5) population coverage, (6) global and template-based docking, and (7) data collection, analysis, and design of the L1 and L2 DNA constructs. Our data indicated the 8-epitope candidates for helper T-cell and CTL in L1 and L2 sequences. For the L1 and L2 constructs, combination of these peptides in a single universal vaccine could involve all world population by the rate of 95.55% and 96.33%, respectively. In vitro studies showed high expression rates of multiepitope L1 (~57.86%) and L2 (~68.42%) DNA constructs in HEK-293T cells. Moreover, in vivo studies indicated that the combination of L1 and L2 DNA constructs without any adjuvant or delivery system induced effective immune responses, and protected mice against C3 tumor cells (the percentage of tumor-free mice: ~66.67%). Thus, the designed L1 and L2 DNA constructs would represent promising applications for HPV vaccine development.
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Westrich JA, Vermeer DW, Silva A, Bonney S, Berger JN, Cicchini L, Greer RO, Song JI, Raben D, Slansky JE, Lee JH, Spanos WC, Pyeon D. CXCL14 suppresses human papillomavirus-associated head and neck cancer through antigen-specific CD8 + T-cell responses by upregulating MHC-I expression. Oncogene 2019; 38:7166-7180. [PMID: 31417179 PMCID: PMC6856418 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-0911-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Evasion of the host immune responses is critical for both persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and associated cancer progression. We have previously shown that expression of the homeostatic chemokine CXCL14 is significantly downregulated by the HPV oncoprotein E7 during cancer progression. Restoration of CXCL14 expression in HPV-positive head and neck cancer (HNC) cells dramatically suppresses tumor growth and increases survival through an immune-dependent mechanism in mice. While CXCL14 recruits natural killer (NK) and T cells to the tumor microenvironment, the mechanism by which CXCL14 mediates tumor suppression through NK and/or T cells remained undefined. Here, we report that CD8+ T cells are required for CXCL14-mediated tumor suppression. Using a CD8+ T cell receptor transgenic model, we show that the CXCL14-mediated antitumor CD8+ T cell responses require antigen specificity. Interestingly, CXCL14 expression restores major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) expression on HPV-positive HNC cells downregulated by HPV, and knockdown of MHC-I expression in HNC cells results in loss of tumor suppression even with CXCL14 expression. These results suggest that CXCL14 enacts antitumor immunity through restoration of MHC-I expression on tumor cells and promoting antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses to suppress HPV-positive HNC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A Westrich
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Daniel W Vermeer
- Cancer Biology Research Center, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, 57104, USA
| | - Alexa Silva
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Stephanie Bonney
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Jennifer N Berger
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Louis Cicchini
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Robert O Greer
- Departments of Pathology and Dermatology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.,Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - John I Song
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - David Raben
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Jill E Slansky
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - John H Lee
- Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Medicine, El Segundo, CA, 90245, USA
| | - William C Spanos
- Cancer Biology Research Center, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, 57104, USA
| | - Dohun Pyeon
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA. .,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
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Antigenicity Identification of a Novel Recombinant Multi-Epitope Antigen Based on FlaA and UreB Antigens of Helicobacter pylori. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2019. [DOI: 10.5812/jjm.66502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
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26
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Sher YP, Lee C, Liu SY, Chen IH, Lee MH, Chiu FF, Leng CH, Liu SJ. A therapeutic vaccine targeting HPV E6/E7 with intrinsic Toll-like receptor 2 agonist activity induces antitumor immunity. Am J Cancer Res 2018; 8:2528-2537. [PMID: 30662809 PMCID: PMC6325468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The E6 and E7 oncoproteins of human papillomavirus (HPV) are ideal targets for developing immunotherapeutic approaches to treat HPV-associated tumors. Our previous studies showed that a recombinant lipidated HPV16 E7 mutant (rlipo-E7m) with inactivation of the E7 oncogenic functions can activate antigen presenting cells through Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and induce antitumor immunity. Given that some HPV-associated tumors overexpress E6 but not E7, it is necessary to include therapeutic agents containing HPV E6 in therapeutic vaccine development to broaden the utility of the vaccine. In this study, we further incorporated a mutant HPV16 E6 (E6m) into rlipo-E7m to generate rlipo-E6mE7m, which could elicit both E6- and E7-specific immune responses after immunization. The rlipo-E6mE7m immunization induced higher levels of T cell proliferation and cytotoxic T lymphocyte response than the nonlipidated recombinant E6mE7m (rE6mE7m) immunization. Accordingly, a single-dose administration of rlipo-E6mE7m at day 7 after tumor inoculation in mice showed complete inhibition of tumor growth, whereas administration of rE6mE7m did not. These results demonstrated that rlipo-E6mE7m could be used in tumors with E6 and/or E7 expression via the induction of E6- and E7-specific immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuh-Pyng Sher
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical UniversityTaichung, Taiwan
- Chinese Medicine Research Center, China Medical UniversityTaichung, Taiwan
- Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, China Medical UniversityTaichung, Taiwan
- Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University HospitalTaichung 404, Taiwan
| | - Chi Lee
- National Institute Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research InstitutesMiaoli, Taiwan
| | - Shin-Yu Liu
- National Institute Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research InstitutesMiaoli, Taiwan
| | - I-Hua Chen
- National Institute Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research InstitutesMiaoli, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hui Lee
- National Institute Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research InstitutesMiaoli, Taiwan
| | - Fang-Feng Chiu
- National Institute Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research InstitutesMiaoli, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Hsiang Leng
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical UniversityTaichung, Taiwan
- National Institute Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research InstitutesMiaoli, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical UniversityKaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Jen Liu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical UniversityTaichung, Taiwan
- National Institute Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research InstitutesMiaoli, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical UniversityKaohsiung, Taiwan
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Dadar M, Chakraborty S, Dhama K, Prasad M, Khandia R, Hassan S, Munjal A, Tiwari R, Karthik K, Kumar D, Iqbal HMN, Chaicumpa W. Advances in Designing and Developing Vaccines, Drugs and Therapeutic Approaches to Counter Human Papilloma Virus. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2478. [PMID: 30483247 PMCID: PMC6240620 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a viral infection with skin-to-skin based transmission mode. HPV annually caused over 500,000 cancer cases including cervical, anogenital and oropharyngeal cancer among others. HPV vaccination has become a public-health concern, worldwide, to prevent the cases of HPV infections including precancerous lesions, cervical cancers, and genital warts especially in adolescent female and male population by launching national programs with international alliances. Currently, available prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines are expensive to be used in developing countries for vaccination programs. The recent progress in immunotherapy, biotechnology, recombinant DNA technology and molecular biology along with alternative and complementary medicinal systems have paved novel ways and valuable opportunities to design and develop effective prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines, drugs and treatment approach to counter HPV effectively. Exploration and more researches on such advances could result in the gradual reduction in the incidences of HPV cases across the world. The present review presents a current global scenario and futuristic prospects of the advanced prophylactic and therapeutic approaches against HPV along with recent patents coverage of the progress and advances in drugs, vaccines and therapeutic regimens to effectively combat HPV infections and its cancerous conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Dadar
- Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Karaj, Iran
| | - Sandip Chakraborty
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, West Tripura, India
| | - Kuldeep Dhama
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, India
| | - Minakshi Prasad
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, LLR University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, India
| | - Rekha Khandia
- Department of Genetics, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, India
| | - Sameer Hassan
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Indian Council of Medical Research, Chennai, India
| | - Ashok Munjal
- Department of Genetics, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, India
| | - Ruchi Tiwari
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Sciences, U P Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalay Evum Go-Anusandhan Sansthan, Mathura, India
| | - Kumaragurubaran Karthik
- Central University Laboratory, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, India
| | - Deepak Kumar
- Division of Veterinary Biotechnology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, India
| | - Hafiz M. N. Iqbal
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey, Mexico
| | - Wanpen Chaicumpa
- Department of Parasitology, Center of Research Excellence on Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Faculty of Medicine SIriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Vakili B, Eslami M, Hatam GR, Zare B, Erfani N, Nezafat N, Ghasemi Y. Immunoinformatics-aided design of a potential multi-epitope peptide vaccine against Leishmania infantum. Int J Biol Macromol 2018; 120:1127-1139. [PMID: 30172806 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.08.125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2018] [Revised: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or kala-azar, the most severe form of the disease, is endemic in more than eighty countries across the world. To date, there is no approved vaccine against VL in the market. Recent advances in reverse vaccinology could be promising approach in designing the efficient vaccine for VL treatment. In this study, an efficient multi-epitope vaccine against Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of VL, was designed using various computational vaccinology methods. Potential immunodominant epitopes were selected from four antigenic proteins, including histone H1, sterol 24-c-methyltransferase (SMT), Leishmania-specific hypothetical protein (LiHy), and Leishmania-specific antigenic protein (LSAP). To enhance vaccine immunogenicity, two resuscitation-promoting factor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, RpfE and RpfB, were employed as adjuvants. All the aforesaid segments were joined using proper linkers. Homology modeling, followed by refinement and validation was performed to obtain a high-quality 3D structure of designed vaccine. Docking analyses and molecular dynamics (MD) studies indicated vaccine/TLR4 complex was in the stable form during simulation time. In sum, we expect our designed vaccine is able to induce humoral and cellular immune responses against L. infantum, and may be promising medication for VL, after in vitro and in vivo immunological assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahareh Vakili
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mahboobeh Eslami
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Gholam Reza Hatam
- Basic Sciences in Infectious Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Bijan Zare
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Nasrollah Erfani
- Institute for Cancer Research (ICR), School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Navid Nezafat
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Younes Ghasemi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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Atherton MJ, Stephenson KB, Nikota JK, Hu QN, Nguyen A, Wan Y, Lichty BD. Preclinical development of peptide vaccination combined with oncolytic MG1-E6E7 for HPV-associated cancer. Vaccine 2018; 36:2181-2192. [PMID: 29544689 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.02.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated cancer is a significant global health burden and despite the presence of viral transforming antigens within neoplastic cells, therapeutic vaccinations are ineffective for advanced disease. HPV positive TC1 cells are susceptible to viral oncolysis by MG1-E6E7, a custom designed oncolytic Maraba virus. Epitope mapping of mice vaccinated with MG1-E6E7 enabled the rational design of synthetic long peptide (SLP) vaccines against HPV16 and HPV18 antigens. SLPs were able to induce specific CD8+ immune responses and the magnitude of these responses significantly increased when boosted by MG1-E6E7. Logically designed vaccination induced multi-functional CD8+ T cells and provided complete sterilising immunity of mice challenged with TC1 cells. In mice bearing large HPV-positive tumours, SLP vaccination combined with MG1-E6E7 was able to clear tumours in 60% of mice and these mice were completely protected against a long term aggressive re-challenge with the TC1 tumour model. Combining conventional SLPs with the multi-functional oncolytic MG1-E6E7 represents a promising approach against advanced HPV positive neoplasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Atherton
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Andrew Nguyen
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Yonghong Wan
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Brian D Lichty
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Turnstone Biologics, Ottawa, Canada.
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Kaliamurthi S, Selvaraj G, Kaushik AC, Gu KR, Wei DQ. Designing of CD8 + and CD8 +-overlapped CD4 + epitope vaccine by targeting late and early proteins of human papillomavirus. Biologics 2018; 12:107-125. [PMID: 30323556 PMCID: PMC6174296 DOI: 10.2147/btt.s177901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an oncogenic agent that causes over 90% of cases of cervical cancer in the world. Currently available prophylactic vaccines are type specific and have less therapeutic efficiency. Therefore, we aimed to predict the potential species-specific and therapeutic epitopes from the protein sequences of HPV45 by using different immunoinformatics tools. METHODS Initially, we determined the antigenic potential of late (L1 and L2) and early (E1, E2, E4, E5, E6, and E7) proteins. Then, major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted CD8+ T-cell epitopes were selected based on their immunogenicity. In addition, epitope conservancy, population coverage (PC), and target receptor-binding affinity of the immunogenic epitopes were determined. Moreover, we predicted the possible CD8+, nested interferon gamma (IFN-γ)-producing CD4+, and linear B-cell epitopes. Further, antigenicity, allergenicity, immunogenicity, and system biology-based virtual pathway associated with cervical cancer were predicted to confirm the therapeutic efficiency of overlapped epitopes. RESULTS Twenty-seven immunogenic epitopes were found to exhibit cross-protection (≥55%) against the 15 high-risk HPV strains (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68, 69, 73, and 82). The highest PC was observed in Europe (96.30%), North America (93.98%), West Indies (90.34%), North Africa (90.14%), and East Asia (89.47%). Binding affinities of 79 docked complexes observed as global energy ranged from -10.80 to -86.71 kcal/mol. In addition, CD8+ epitope-overlapped segments in CD4+ and B-cell epitopes demonstrated that immunogenicity and IFN-γ-producing efficiency ranged from 0.0483 to 0.5941 and 0.046 to 18, respectively. Further, time core simulation revealed the overlapped epitopes involved in pRb, p53, COX-2, NF-X1, and HPV45 infection signaling pathways. CONCLUSION Even though the results of this study need to be confirmed by further experimental peptide sensitization studies, the findings on immunogenic and IFN-γ-producing CD8+ and overlapped epitopes provide new insights into HPV vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satyavani Kaliamurthi
- Centre of Interdisciplinary Science - Computational Life Sciences, College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China,
| | - Gurudeeban Selvaraj
- Centre of Interdisciplinary Science - Computational Life Sciences, College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China,
| | - Aman Chandra Kaushik
- The State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China,
| | - Ke-Ren Gu
- Centre of Interdisciplinary Science - Computational Life Sciences, College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China,
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Environment, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Dong-Qing Wei
- Centre of Interdisciplinary Science - Computational Life Sciences, College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China,
- The State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China,
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Athanasiou E, Agallou M, Tastsoglou S, Kammona O, Hatzigeorgiou A, Kiparissides C, Karagouni E. A Poly(Lactic- co-Glycolic) Acid Nanovaccine Based on Chimeric Peptides from Different Leishmania infantum Proteins Induces Dendritic Cells Maturation and Promotes Peptide-Specific IFNγ-Producing CD8 + T Cells Essential for the Protection against Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis. Front Immunol 2017; 8:684. [PMID: 28659922 PMCID: PMC5468442 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania (L.) donovani and L. infantum protozoan parasites, can provoke overwhelming and protracted epidemics, with high case-fatality rates. An effective vaccine against the disease must rely on the generation of a strong and long-lasting T cell immunity, mediated by CD4+ TH1 and CD8+ T cells. Multi-epitope peptide-based vaccine development is manifesting as the new era of vaccination strategies against Leishmania infection. In this study, we designed chimeric peptides containing HLA-restricted epitopes from three immunogenic L. infantum proteins (cysteine peptidase A, histone H1, and kinetoplastid membrane protein 11), in order to be encapsulated in poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles with or without the adjuvant monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) or surface modification with an octapeptide targeting the tumor necrosis factor receptor II. We aimed to construct differentially functionalized peptide-based nanovaccine candidates and investigate their capacity to stimulate the immunomodulatory properties of dendritic cells (DCs), which are critical regulators of adaptive immunity generated upon vaccination. According to our results, DCs stimulation with the peptide-based nanovaccine candidates with MPLA incorporation or surface modification induced an enhanced maturation profile with prominent IL-12 production, promoting allogeneic T cell proliferation and intracellular production of IFNγ by CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets. In addition, DCs stimulated with the peptide-based nanovaccine candidate with MPLA incorporation exhibited a robust transcriptional activation, characterized by upregulated genes indicative of vaccine-driven DCs differentiation toward type 1 phenotype. Immunization of HLA A2.1 transgenic mice with this peptide-based nanovaccine candidate induced peptide-specific IFNγ-producing CD8+ T cells and conferred significant protection against L. infantum infection. Concluding, our findings supported that encapsulation of more than one chimeric multi-epitope peptides from different immunogenic L. infantum proteins in a proper biocompatible delivery system with the right adjuvant is considered as an improved promising approach for the development of a vaccine against VL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evita Athanasiou
- Laboratory of Cellular Immunology, Department of Microbiology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Agallou
- Laboratory of Cellular Immunology, Department of Microbiology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Olga Kammona
- Laboratory of Polymer Reaction Engineering, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | - Costas Kiparissides
- Laboratory of Polymer Reaction Engineering, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece.,Laboratory of Chemical Engineering B, Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Evdokia Karagouni
- Laboratory of Cellular Immunology, Department of Microbiology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
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Expression, Polyubiquitination, and Therapeutic Potential of Recombinant E6E7 from HPV16 Antigens Fused to Ubiquitin. Mol Biotechnol 2017; 59:46-56. [PMID: 28025776 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-016-9990-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Ubiquitin-proteasome system plays an essential role in the immune response due to its involvement in the antigen generation and presentation to CD8+ T cells. Hereby, ubiquitin fused to antigens has been explored as an immunotherapeutic strategy that requires the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Here we propose to apply this ubiquitin fusion approach to a recombinant vaccine against human papillomavirus 16-infected cells. E6E7 multi-epitope antigen was fused genetically at its N- or C-terminal end to ubiquitin and expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies. The antigens were solubilized using urea and purified by nickel affinity chromatography in denatured condition. Fusion of ubiquitin to E6E7 resulted in marked polyubiquitination in vitro mainly when fused to the E6E7 N-terminal. When tested in a therapeutic scenario, the fusion of ubiquitin to E6E7 reinforced the anti-tumor protection and increased the E6/E7-specific cellular immune responses. Present results encourage the investigation of the adjuvant potential of the ubiquitin fusion to recombinant vaccines requiring CD8+ T cells.
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Baidya S, Das R, Kabir MG, Arifuzzaman M. Epitope design of L1 protein for vaccine production against Human Papilloma Virus types 16 and 18. Bioinformation 2017; 13:86-93. [PMID: 28584449 PMCID: PMC5450250 DOI: 10.6026/97320630013086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cervical cancer accounts for about two-thirds of all cancer cases linked etiologically to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). 15 oncogenic HPV types can cause cervical cancer, of which HPV16 and HPV18 combinedly account for about 70% of it. So, effective epitope design for the clinically relevant HPV types 16 and 18 would be of major medical benefit. Here, a comprehensive analysis is carried out to predict the epitopes against HPV types 16 and 18 through "reverse vaccinology" approach. We attempted to identify the evolutionarily conserved regions of major capsid protein (L1) as well as minor capsid protein (L2) of HPV and designed epitopes within these regions. In this study, we analyzed about 49 and 27 sequences of HPV L2 and L1 proteins respectively. Since we found that the intertype variability of L2 is higher than for L1 proteins, our analysis was emphasized on epitopes of L1 of HPV types 16 and 18. We had selected HLA-A*0201, DRB1*1501, DQB1*0602, DRB1*0401 and DQB1*0301 alleles for the prediction of T cell epitopes of L1 of HPV 16 and 18. Finally, we reported that predicted epitope sequences EEYDLQFIFQLCKITLTA, and RHGEEYDLQFIFQLCKITLTA of L1 protein of HPV 16, and LPDPNKF, PETQRLVWAC, PVPGQYDA, YNPETQRLVWAC, DTGYGAMD, PVPGQYDATK, KQDIPKVSAYQYRVFRV, RDNVSVDYKQTQLCI and YSRHVEEYDLQFIF of L1 protein of HPV 18 could be therapeutic tools for vaccine design against HPV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunanda Baidya
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh
| | - Rasel Das
- Leibniz Institute for Surface Modification, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Md. Golam Kabir
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Arifuzzaman
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC), Foy’s Lake, Chittagong 4202, Bangladesh
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Wu M, Li M, Yue Y, Xu W. DNA vaccine with discontinuous T-cell epitope insertions into HSP65 scaffold as a potential means to improve immunogenicity of multi-epitope Mycobacterium tuberculosis
vaccine. Microbiol Immunol 2016; 60:634-45. [DOI: 10.1111/1348-0421.12410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Manli Wu
- Institute of Biology and Medical Sciences; Soochow University; Building 703, 199 Ren-ai Road Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Min Li
- Institute of Biology and Medical Sciences; Soochow University; Building 703, 199 Ren-ai Road Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Yan Yue
- Institute of Biology and Medical Sciences; Soochow University; Building 703, 199 Ren-ai Road Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Wei Xu
- Institute of Biology and Medical Sciences; Soochow University; Building 703, 199 Ren-ai Road Suzhou 215123 China
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Gao J, Fan L, Ma W, Xiao H. Synergistic antitumor effect of a human papillomavirus DNA vaccine harboring E6E7 fusion gene and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 gene. Microbiol Immunol 2016; 60:626-33. [PMID: 27515281 DOI: 10.1111/1348-0421.12408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Gao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Beijing LuHe Hospital; Capital Medical University; 82 Xinhua South Road Beijing 101199 China
| | - Lei Fan
- Department of General Surgery; Aerospace 731 Hospital; 3 Gang Nan Li Beijing 100074 China
| | - Wei Ma
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Beijing LuHe Hospital; Capital Medical University; 82 Xinhua South Road Beijing 101199 China
| | - Huan Xiao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Beijing LuHe Hospital; Capital Medical University; 82 Xinhua South Road Beijing 101199 China
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