1
|
Wu R, Kahl DM, Kloberdanz R, Rohilla KJ, Balasubramanian S. Demonstration of a robust high cell density transient CHO platform yielding mAb titers of up to 2 g/L without medium exchange. Biotechnol Prog 2024; 40:e3435. [PMID: 38329375 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Biopharmaceuticals like therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and other derived proteins are popular for treating various diseases. Transient gene expression (TGE) is typically used as a fast yet efficient method to generate moderate amounts of material. It has been used to support early stage research and discovery processes. Introduction of a robust high yielding and predictive TGE platform in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) is crucial. It maintains the consistency in cell lines and processes throughout the early drug discovery and downstream manufacturing processes. This helps researchers to identify the issues at an early stage for timely resolution. In this study, we have demonstrated a simple high-titer platform for TGE in CHO based on a dilution process of seeding cells. We achieved titers ranging from 0.8 to 1.9 g/L for eight model mAbs at three scales (1, 30, 100 mL) in 10 days using our new platform. The ability to seed by dilution significantly streamlined the process and dramatically enhanced platform throughput. We observed a modest reduction in titer ranging from 11% to 28% when cells were seeded using dilution compared to when cells were seeded using medium exchange. Further studies revealed that carry over of spent medium into transfection negatively affected the DNA uptake and transcription processes, while the translation and secretion was minimally impacted. In summary, our transient CHO platform using cells prepared by dilution at high densities can achieve high titers of up to 1.9 g/L, which can be further improved by targeting the bottlenecks of transfection and transcription.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rigumula Wu
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Danielle M Kahl
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Ronald Kloberdanz
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Kushal J Rohilla
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Sowmya Balasubramanian
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc, San Francisco, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sanchez-Martinez ZV, Alpuche-Lazcano SP, Stuible M, Durocher Y. CHO cells for virus-like particle and subunit vaccine manufacturing. Vaccine 2024; 42:2530-2542. [PMID: 38503664 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, employed primarily for manufacturing monoclonal antibodies and other recombinant protein (r-protein) therapeutics, are emerging as a promising host for vaccine antigen production. This is exemplified by the recently approved CHO cell-derived subunit vaccines (SUV) against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV), as well as the enveloped virus-like particle (eVLP) vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV). Here, we summarize the design, production, and immunogenicity features of these vaccine and review the most recent progress of other CHO-derived vaccines in pre-clinical and clinical development. We also discuss the challenges associated with vaccine production in CHO cells, with a focus on ensuring viral clearance for eVLP products.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zalma V Sanchez-Martinez
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Sergio P Alpuche-Lazcano
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Matthew Stuible
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Yves Durocher
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; PROTEO: The Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Structure, and Engineering, Université du Québec à Montréal, 201 Avenue du Président Kennedy, Montréal, QC H2X 3Y7, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Parthasarathy D, Pothula KR, Dam KMA, Ratnapriya S, Benet HC, Parsons R, Huang X, Sammour S, Janowska K, Harris M, Sacco S, Sodroski J, Bridges MD, Hubbell WL, Acharya P, Herschhorn A. Conformational flexibility of HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins modulates transmitted / founder sensitivity to broadly neutralizing antibodies. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.13.557082. [PMID: 37745449 PMCID: PMC10515946 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.13.557082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins (Envs) mediate viral entry and are the sole target of neutralizing antibodies. Envs of most primary HIV-1 strains exist in a closed conformation and occasionally sample more open states. Thus, current knowledge guides immunogen design to mimic the closed Env conformation as the preferred target for eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) to block HIV-1 entry. Here we show that Env-preferred conformations of 6 out of 13 (46%) transmitted/founder (T/F) strains tested are incompletely closed. As a result, entry of these T/Fs into target cells is sensitive to antibodies that recognize internal epitopes exposed on open Env conformations. A cryo-electron microscopy structure of unliganded, incompletely closed T/F Envs (1059-SOSIP) at 3.6 Å resolution exhibits an asymmetric configuration of Env protomers with increased sampling of states with incompletely closed trimer apex. Double electron-electron resonance spectroscopy provided further evidence for enriched occupancy of more open Env conformations. Consistent with conformational flexibility, 1059 Envs were associated with resistance to most bnAbs that exhibit reduced potency against functional Env intermediates. To follow the fate of incompletely closed Env in patients, we reconstructed de novo the post-transmission evolutionary pathway of a second T/F Env (CH040), which is sensitive to the V3-targeting antibody 19b and highly resistant to most bnAbs. Evolved viruses exhibited increased resistance to cold, soluble CD4 and 19b, all of which correlate with closing of the adapted Env trimer. Lastly, we show a correlation between efficient neutralization of multiple Env conformations and increased antiviral breadth of CD4-binding site (CD4bs) bnAbs. In particular, N6 bnAb, which uniquely recognizes different Env conformations, efficiently neutralizes 50% of the HIV-1 strains that were resistant to VRC01 and transmitted during the first-in-humans antibody-mediated prevention trial (HVTN 704). VRC01-resistant Envs are incompletely closed based on their sensitivity to cold and on partial sensitivity to antibodies targeting internal, typically occluded, epitopes. Most VRC01-resistant Envs retain the VRC01 epitope according to VRC01 binding to their gp120 subunit at concentrations that have no significant effect on virus entry, and they exhibit cross resistance to other CD4bs bnAbs that poorly recognize functional Env intermediates. Our findings refine current knowledge of Env conformational states and provide guidance for developing new strategies for bnAb immunotherapy and Env-based immunogen design.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Durgadevi Parthasarathy
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- These authors contributed equally: Durgadevi Parthasarathy and Karunakar Reddy Pothula
| | - Karunakar Reddy Pothula
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, USA
- These authors contributed equally: Durgadevi Parthasarathy and Karunakar Reddy Pothula
| | - Kim-Marie A. Dam
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Sneha Ratnapriya
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Héctor Cervera Benet
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | | | - Xiao Huang
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Miranda Harris
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Samuel Sacco
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Present address: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Joseph Sodroski
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael D. Bridges
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Wayne L. Hubbell
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Priyamvada Acharya
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Surgery, and Department of Biochemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Alon Herschhorn
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Institute for Molecular Virology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology Graduate Program; The College of Veterinary Medicine Graduate Program; and the Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Roshani A, Mohammadi M, Bahadori T, Ahmadi Zare H, Judaki MA, Mobini M, Golsaz-Shirazi F, Jeddi-Tehrani M, Amiri MM, Shokri F. Comparison of different transient gene expression systems for the production of a new humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody (Hersintuzumab). Daru 2023; 31:221-231. [PMID: 37695454 PMCID: PMC10624790 DOI: 10.1007/s40199-023-00477-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Producing therapeutic proteins can be done quickly and on a large scale through Transient Gene Expression (TGE). Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines are commonly used to achieve this. Although there are few comparative studies, TGE has been observed in suspension-adapted CHO cells. OBJECTIVES We tested TGE's effectiveness in DG-44, CHO-S, and ExpiCHO-S cell lines with four transfection reagents. METHODS A design of experiments (DoE) was followed to optimize transfection using a recombinant monoclonal antibody (mAb) construct. To evaluate the efficacy, flow cytometry and ELISA were used. Feeding strategies and temperature shifts were implemented to enhance transfection effectiveness. The quality of the mAb was assessed through ELISA, SDS-PAGE, and proliferation inhibition assays. RESULTS We adapted all cell lines to grow in suspension using a serum-free medium. Our findings from flow cytometry and ELISA tests indicate that PEI and Pmax reagents had a higher rate of transfection and mAb production than the ExpiCHO commercial transfection reagent. While DG-44 cells had better transfection efficiency than CHO-S and ExpiCHO-S, there was no significant difference between CHO-S and ExpiCHO-S. Our TGE system was more productive at 32 °C than at 37 °C. In the optimized TGE of Pmax-based transfection in DG-44 at 37 and 32 °C, the production level of mAb was more than half of the amount of the commercial ExpiCHO-S expression system. Still, the number of transfected cells was three times higher, making it more efficient. The purified mAb from all transfected cell lines had similar structural and functional properties under different conditions. CONCLUSION Our research shows that using Pmax and DG-44 cells in the TGE system is a cost-effective and efficient way to produce humanized monoclonal antibodies. We discovered that this method outperforms the ExpiCHO-S kit.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ali Roshani
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Mohammadi
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tannaz Bahadori
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hengameh Ahmadi Zare
- Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Judaki
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Mobini
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Forough Golsaz-Shirazi
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahmood Jeddi-Tehrani
- Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Mehdi Amiri
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Fazel Shokri
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Dam KMA, Fan C, Yang Z, Bjorkman PJ. Intermediate conformations of CD4-bound HIV-1 Env heterotrimers. Nature 2023; 623:1017-1025. [PMID: 37993719 PMCID: PMC10686819 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06639-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
HIV-1 envelope (Env) exhibits distinct conformational changes in response to host receptor (CD4) engagement. Env, a trimer of gp120 and gp41 heterodimers, has been structurally characterized in a closed, prefusion conformation with closely associated gp120s and coreceptor binding sites on gp120 V3 hidden by V1V2 loops1-4 and in fully saturated CD4-bound open Env conformations with changes including outwardly rotated gp120s and displaced V1V2 loops3-9. To investigate changes resulting from substoichiometric CD4 binding, we solved single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of soluble, native-like heterotrimeric Envs bound to one or two CD4 molecules. Most of the Env trimers bound to one CD4 adopted the closed, prefusion Env state, with a minority exhibiting a heterogeneous partially open Env conformation. When bound to two CD4s, the CD4-bound gp120s exhibited an open Env conformation including a four-stranded gp120 bridging sheet and displaced gp120 V1V2 loops that expose the coreceptor sites on V3. The third gp120 adopted an intermediate, occluded-open state10 that showed gp120 outward rotation but maintained the prefusion three-stranded gp120 bridging sheet with only partial V1V2 displacement and V3 exposure. We conclude that most of the engagements with one CD4 molecule were insufficient to stimulate CD4-induced conformational changes, whereas binding two CD4 molecules led to Env opening in CD4-bound protomers only. The substoichiometric CD4-bound soluble Env heterotrimer structures resembled counterparts derived from a cryo-electron tomography study of complexes between virion-bound Envs and membrane-anchored CD4 (ref. 11), validating their physiological relevance. Together, these results illuminate intermediate conformations of HIV-1 Env and illustrate its structural plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kim-Marie A Dam
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Chengcheng Fan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Zhi Yang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Pamela J Bjorkman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
He W, Ou T, Skamangas N, Bailey CC, Bronkema N, Guo Y, Yin Y, Kobzarenko V, Zhang X, Pan A, Liu X, Xu J, Zhang L, Allwardt AE, Mitra D, Quinlan B, Sanders RW, Choe H, Farzan M. Heavy-chain CDR3-engineered B cells facilitate in vivo evaluation of HIV-1 vaccine candidates. Immunity 2023; 56:2408-2424.e6. [PMID: 37531955 PMCID: PMC11092302 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
V2-glycan/apex broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) recognize a closed quaternary epitope of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env). This closed structure is necessary to elicit apex antibodies and useful to guide the maturation of other bnAb classes. To compare antigens designed to maintain this conformation, we evaluated apex-specific responses in mice engrafted with a diverse repertoire of B cells expressing the HCDR3 of the apex bnAb VRC26.25. Engineered B cells affinity matured, guiding the improvement of VRC26.25 itself. We found that soluble Env (SOSIP) variants differed significantly in their ability to raise anti-apex responses. A transmembrane SOSIP (SOSIP-TM) delivered as an mRNA-lipid nanoparticle elicited more potent neutralizing responses than multimerized SOSIP proteins. Importantly, SOSIP-TM elicited neutralizing sera from B cells engineered with the predicted VRC26.25-HCDR3 progenitor, which also affinity matured. Our data show that HCDR3-edited B cells facilitate efficient in vivo comparisons of Env antigens and highlight the potential of an HCDR3-focused vaccine approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenhui He
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; The Center for Integrated Solutions to Infectious Diseases, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Tianling Ou
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; The Center for Integrated Solutions to Infectious Diseases, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Nickolas Skamangas
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Charles C Bailey
- The Center for Integrated Solutions to Infectious Diseases, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Naomi Bronkema
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; The Center for Integrated Solutions to Infectious Diseases, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Skaggs Graduate School, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Yan Guo
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Yiming Yin
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Valerie Kobzarenko
- Department of Computer Engineering and Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA
| | - Xia Zhang
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Andi Pan
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; The Center for Integrated Solutions to Infectious Diseases, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Skaggs Graduate School, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Xin Liu
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; The Center for Integrated Solutions to Infectious Diseases, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jinge Xu
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; The Center for Integrated Solutions to Infectious Diseases, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lizhou Zhang
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Ava E Allwardt
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Debasis Mitra
- Department of Computer Engineering and Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA
| | - Brian Quinlan
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Rogier W Sanders
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hyeryun Choe
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Michael Farzan
- Division of Infectious Disease, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; The Center for Integrated Solutions to Infectious Diseases, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Skaggs Graduate School, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Dam KMA, Fan C, Yang Z, Bjorkman PJ. Structural characterization of HIV-1 Env heterotrimers bound to one or two CD4 receptors reveals intermediate Env conformations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.27.525985. [PMID: 36747804 PMCID: PMC9900888 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.27.525985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
HIV-1 envelope (Env) exhibits distinct conformational changes in response to host receptor (CD4) engagement. Env, a trimer of gp120/gp41 heterodimers, has been structurally characterized in a closed, prefusion conformation with closely associated gp120s and coreceptor binding sites on gp120 V3 hidden by V1V2 loops, and in fully-saturated CD4-bound open Env conformations with changes including outwardly rotated gp120s and displaced V1V2 loops. To investigate changes resulting from sub-stoichiometric CD4 binding, we solved 3.4Å and 3.9Å single-particle cryo-EM structures of soluble, native-like Envs bound to one or two CD4 molecules. Env trimer bound to one CD4 adopted the closed, prefusion Env state. When bound to two CD4s, the CD4-bound gp120s exhibited an open Env conformation including a four-stranded gp120 bridging sheet and displaced gp120 V1V2 loops that expose the coreceptor sites on V3. The third gp120 adopted an intermediate, occluded-open state that included gp120 outward rotation but maintained the prefusion, three-stranded gp120 bridging sheet and showed only partial V1V2 displacement and V3 exposure. We conclude that engagement of one CD4 molecule was insufficient to stimulate CD4-induced conformational changes, while binding two CD4 molecules led to Env opening in CD4-bound protomers only. Together, these results illuminate HIV-1 Env intermediate conformations and illustrate the structural plasticity of HIV-1 Env.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kim-Marie A Dam
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Chengcheng Fan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Zhi Yang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Present address: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, 13 Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Pamela J Bjorkman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Dam KMA, Barnes CO, Gristick HB, Schoofs T, Gnanapragasam PNP, Nussenzweig MC, Bjorkman PJ. HIV-1 CD4-binding site germline antibody-Env structures inform vaccine design. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6123. [PMID: 36253376 PMCID: PMC9576718 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33860-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BG24, a VRC01-class broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) against HIV-1 Env with relatively few somatic hypermutations (SHMs), represents a promising target for vaccine strategies to elicit CD4-binding site (CD4bs) bNAbs. To understand how SHMs correlate with BG24 neutralization of HIV-1, we report 4.1 Å and 3.4 Å single-particle cryo-EM structures of two inferred germline (iGL) BG24 precursors complexed with engineered Env-based immunogens lacking CD4bs N-glycans. Structures reveal critical Env contacts by BG24iGL and identify antibody light chain structural features that impede Env recognition. In addition, biochemical data and cryo-EM structures of BG24iGL variants bound to Envs with CD4bs glycans present provide insights into N-glycan accommodation, including structural modes of light chain adaptations in the presence of the N276gp120 glycan. Together, these findings reveal Env regions critical for germline antibody recognition and potential sites to alter in immunogen design.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kim-Marie A Dam
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Christopher O Barnes
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Harry B Gristick
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Till Schoofs
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines, 1330, Rixensart, Belgium
| | | | - Michel C Nussenzweig
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Pamela J Bjorkman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Comparing methods for immobilizing HIV-1 SOSIPs in ELISAs that evaluate antibody binding. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11172. [PMID: 35778473 PMCID: PMC9247892 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15506-x] [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: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are used to evaluate binding of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) and polyclonal sera to native-like HIV-1 Env SOSIPs. Methods for immobilizing SOSIPs on plates differ, which can lead to variable or, in some cases, misleading results. Three methods used to immobilize SOSIPs were compared to determine how antigen immobilization methods affect Env conformation and ELISA results. HIV-1 SOSIPs were directly coated on polystyrene plates, captured by a monoclonal antibody against a C-terminal affinity tag, or randomly biotinylated and coated on a streptavidin plate. Binding of bNAbs with known epitopes were compared for each immobilization method. Binding of bNAbs targeting the V1V2, V3, CD4 binding site, and gp120/gp41 interface was comparable for all antigen immobilization methods. However, directly coated HIV-1 SOSIP ELISAs showed detectable binding of 17b, a CD4-induced antibody that binds a V3 epitope that is concealed on closed prefusion Env trimers in the absence of added CD4, whereas antibody-immobilized and randomly biotinylated Env-coated ELISAs did not show detectable binding of 17b in the absence of CD4. We conclude direct coating of HIV-1 SOSIPs on ELISA plates can result in exposure of CD4-induced antibody epitopes, suggesting disruption of Env structure and exposure of epitopes that are hidden in the closed, prefusion trimer.
Collapse
|
10
|
Duggan NN, Weisgrau KL, Magnani DM, Rakasz EG, Desrosiers RC, Martinez-Navio JM. SOSIP Trimer-Specific Antibodies Isolated from a Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Monkey with versus without a Pre-blocking Step with gp41. J Virol 2022; 96:e0158221. [PMID: 34730398 PMCID: PMC8791287 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01582-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BG505 SOSIP.664 (hereafter referred to as SOSIP), a stabilized trimeric mimic of the HIV-1 envelope spike resembling the native viral spike, is a useful tool for isolating anti-HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies. We screened long-term SHIV-AD8 infected rhesus monkeys for potency and breadth of serum neutralizing activity against autologous and heterologous viruses: SHIV-AD8, HIV-1 YU2, HIV-1 JR-CSF, and HIV-1 NL4-3. Monkey rh2436 neutralized all viruses tested and showed strong reactivity to the SOSIP trimer, suggesting this was a promising candidate for attempts at monoclonal antibody (MAb) isolation. MAbs were isolated by performing single B-cell sorts from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by FACS using the SOSIP trimer as a probe. An initial round of sorted cells revealed the majority of isolated MAbs were directed to the gp41 external domain portion of the SOSIP trimer and were mostly non-neutralizing against tested isolates. A second sort was performed, introducing a gp41 blocking step prior to PBMC staining and FACS sorting. These isolated MAbs bound SOSIP trimer but were no longer directed to the gp41 external domain portion. A significantly higher proportion of MAbs with neutralizing activity were obtained with this strategy. Our data show this pre-blocking step with gp41 greatly increases the yield of non-gp41-reactive, SOSIP-specific MAbs and increases the likelihood of isolating MAbs with neutralizing activity. IMPORTANCE Recent advancements in the field have focused on the isolation and use of broadly neutralizing antibodies for both prophylaxis and therapy. Finding a useful probe to isolate broad potent neutralizing antibodies while avoiding non-neutralizing antibodies is important. The SOSIP trimer has been shown to be a great tool for this purpose because it binds known broadly neutralizing antibodies. However, the SOSIP trimer can isolate non-neutralizing antibodies as well, including gp41-specific MAbs. Introducing a pre-blocking step with gp41 recombinant protein decreased the percent of gp41-specific antibodies isolated with SOSIP probe, as well as increased the number of neutralizing antibodies isolated. This method can be used as a tool to increase the chances of isolating neutralizing antibodies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natasha N. Duggan
- Department of Pathology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Kim L. Weisgrau
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Diogo M. Magnani
- Department of Pathology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Eva G. Rakasz
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Ronald C. Desrosiers
- Department of Pathology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Jose M. Martinez-Navio
- Department of Pathology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Gulla K, Cibelli N, Cooper JW, Fuller HC, Schneiderman Z, Witter S, Zhang Y, Changela A, Geng H, Hatcher C, Narpala S, Tsybovsky Y, Zhang B, Vrc Production Program, McDermott AB, Kwong PD, Gowetski DB. A non-affinity purification process for GMP production of prefusion-closed HIV-1 envelope trimers from clades A and C for clinical evaluation. Vaccine 2021; 39:3379-3387. [PMID: 34020817 PMCID: PMC8243839 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.04.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Metastable glycosylated immunogens present challenges for GMP manufacturing. The HIV-1 envelope (Env) glycoprotein trimer is covered by N-linked glycan comprising half its mass and requires both trimer assembly and subunit cleavage to fold into a prefusion-closed conformation. This conformation, the vaccine-desired antigenic state, is both metastable to structural rearrangement and labile to subunit dissociation. Prior reported GMP manufacturing for a soluble trimer stabilized in a near-native state by disulfide (SOS) and Ile-to-Pro (IP) mutations has employed affinity methods based on antibody 2G12, which recognizes only ~30% of circulating HIV strains. Here, we develop a scalable manufacturing process based on commercially available, non-affinity resins, and we apply the process to current GMP (cGMP) production of trimers from clades A and C, which have been found to boost cross-clade neutralizing responses in vaccine-test species. The clade A trimer, which we named "BG505 DS-SOSIP.664", contained an engineered disulfide (201C-433C; DS) within gp120, which further stabilized this trimer in a prefusion-closed conformation resistant to CD4-induced triggering. BG505 DS-SOSIP.664 was expressed in a CHO-DG44 stable cell line and purified with initial and final tangential flow filtration steps, three commercially available resin-based chromatography steps, and two orthogonal viral clearance steps. The non-affinity purification enabled efficient scale-up, with a 250 L-scale cGMP run yielding 9.6 g of purified BG505 DS-SOSIP.664. Antigenic analysis indicated retention of a prefusion-closed conformation, including recognition by apex-directed and fusion peptide-directed antibodies. The developed manufacturing process was suitable for 50 L-scale production of a second prefusion-stabilized Env trimer vaccine candidate, ConC-FP8v2 RnS-3mut-2G-SOSIP.664, yielding 7.8 g of this consensus clade C trimer. The successful process development and purification scale-up of HIV-1 Env trimers from different clades by using commercially available materials provide experimental demonstration for cGMP manufacturing of trimeric HIV-Env vaccine immunogens, in an antigenically desired conformation, without the use of costly affinity resins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Krishana Gulla
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Nicole Cibelli
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jonathan W Cooper
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Haley C Fuller
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Zachary Schneiderman
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sara Witter
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yaqiu Zhang
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Anita Changela
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hui Geng
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Christian Hatcher
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sandeep Narpala
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yaroslav Tsybovsky
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Baoshan Zhang
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Vrc Production Program
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Adrian B McDermott
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Peter D Kwong
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Daniel B Gowetski
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Derking R, Allen JD, Cottrell CA, Sliepen K, Seabright GE, Lee WH, Aldon Y, Rantalainen K, Antanasijevic A, Copps J, Yasmeen A, Cupo A, Cruz Portillo VM, Poniman M, Bol N, van der Woude P, de Taeye SW, van den Kerkhof TLGM, Klasse PJ, Ozorowski G, van Gils MJ, Moore JP, Ward AB, Crispin M, Sanders RW. Enhancing glycan occupancy of soluble HIV-1 envelope trimers to mimic the native viral spike. Cell Rep 2021; 35:108933. [PMID: 33826885 PMCID: PMC8804554 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Artificial glycan holes on recombinant Env-based vaccines occur when a potential N-linked glycosylation site (PNGS) is under-occupied, but not on their viral counterparts. Native-like SOSIP trimers, including clinical candidates, contain such holes in the glycan shield that induce strain-specific neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) or non-NAbs. To eliminate glycan holes and mimic the glycosylation of native BG505 Env, we replace all 12 NxS sequons on BG505 SOSIP with NxT. All PNGS, except N133 and N160, are nearly fully occupied. Occupancy of the N133 site is increased by changing N133 to NxS, whereas occupancy of the N160 site is restored by reverting the nearby N156 sequon to NxS. Hence, PNGS in close proximity, such as in the N133-N137 and N156-N160 pairs, affect each other's occupancy. We further apply this approach to improve the occupancy of several Env strains. Increasing glycan occupancy should reduce off-target immune responses to vaccine antigens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ronald Derking
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Joel D Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Christopher A Cottrell
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Kwinten Sliepen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Gemma E Seabright
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Wen-Hsin Lee
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Yoann Aldon
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Kimmo Rantalainen
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Aleksandar Antanasijevic
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jeffrey Copps
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Anila Yasmeen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Albert Cupo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Victor M Cruz Portillo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Meliawati Poniman
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Niki Bol
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Patricia van der Woude
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Steven W de Taeye
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Tom L G M van den Kerkhof
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - P J Klasse
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gabriel Ozorowski
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center and the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery (CAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Marit J van Gils
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - John P Moore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andrew B Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center and the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery (CAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Max Crispin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
| | - Rogier W Sanders
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Hariharan V, Kane RS. Glycosylation as a tool for rational vaccine design. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:2556-2570. [PMID: 32330286 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of broadly neutralizing antibodies that can neutralize multiple strains or subtypes of a pathogen has renewed interest in the development of broadly protective vaccines. To that end, there has been an interest in designing immunofocusing strategies to direct the immune response to specific, conserved regions on antigenic proteins. Modulation of glycosylation is one such immunofocusing strategy; extensive glycosylation is often exploited by pathogens for immune evasion. Masking epitopes on protein immunogens with "self" glycans can also shield the underlying protein surface from humoral immune surveillance. We review recent advances in applying glycosylation as an immunofocusing tool. We also highlight recent interesting work in the HIV-1 field involving the identification and elicitation of broadly neutralizing antibodies that incorporate glycans into their binding epitopes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Hariharan
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ravi S Kane
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Neutralizing Antibody Induction by HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein SOSIP Trimers on Iron Oxide Nanoparticles May Be Impaired by Mannose Binding Lectin. J Virol 2020; 94:JVI.01883-19. [PMID: 31852794 PMCID: PMC7158715 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01883-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
We covalently attached human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Env SOSIP trimers to iron oxide nanoparticles (IO-NPs) to create a particulate immunogen for neutralizing antibody (NAb) induction. The attached trimers, ∼20 per particle, retained native-like antigenicity, judged by reactivity with NAbs and non-NAbs. Bivalent (BG505 and B41) trimer IO-NPs were made, as were IO-NPs displaying B41 trimers carrying a PADRE T-cell helper epitope (TCHE). We immunized mice with B41 soluble or IO-NP trimers after PADRE peptide priming. After two immunizations, IO-NP presentation and the TCHE tag independently and substantially increased anti-trimer antibody responses, but titer differences waned after two further doses. Notable and unexpected findings were that autologous NAbs to the N289 glycan hole epitope were consistently induced in mice given soluble but not IO-NP trimers. Various recombinant mannose binding lectins (MBLs) and MBLs in sera of both murine and human origin bound to soluble and IO-NP trimers. MBL binding occluded the autologous NAb epitope on the B41 IO-NP trimers, which may contribute to its poor immunogenicity. The exposure of a subset of broadly active NAb epitopes was also impaired by MBL binding, which could have substantial implications for the utility of trimer-bearing nanoparticles in general and perhaps also for soluble Env proteins.IMPORTANCE Recombinant trimeric SOSIP proteins are vaccine components intended to induce neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) that prevent cells from infection by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). A way to increase the strength of antibody responses to these proteins is to present them on the surface of nanoparticles (NPs). We chemically attached about 20 SOSIP trimers to NPs made of iron oxide (IO). The resulting IO-NP trimers had appropriate properties when we studied them in the laboratory but, unexpectedly, were less able to induce NAbs than nonattached trimers when used to immunize mice. We found that mannose binding lectins, proteins naturally present in the serum of mice and other animals, bound strongly to the soluble and IO-NP trimers, blocking access to antibody epitopes in a way that may impede the development of NAb responses. These findings should influence how trimer-bearing NPs of various designs are made and used.
Collapse
|
15
|
Ringe RP, Colin P, Torres JL, Yasmeen A, Lee WH, Cupo A, Ward AB, Klasse PJ, Moore JP. SOS and IP Modifications Predominantly Affect the Yield but Not Other Properties of SOSIP.664 HIV-1 Env Glycoprotein Trimers. J Virol 2019; 94:e01521-19. [PMID: 31619555 PMCID: PMC6912111 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01521-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Soluble recombinant native-like (NL) envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers of various human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genotypes are being developed as vaccine candidates aimed at the induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). The prototypic design, designated BG505 SOSIP.664, incorporates an intersubunit disulfide bond (SOS) to covalently link the gp120 and gp41 ectodomain (gp41ECTO) subunits and a point substitution, I559P (IP), to further stabilize the gp41ECTO components. Without the SOS and IP changes, proteolytically cleaved trimers tend to disintegrate into their constituent gp120 and gp41ECTO subunits. We show, however, that NL trimers lacking the SOS and/or IP change can be affinity purified in amounts sufficient for analyses of their antigenicity and thermal stability. In general, these trimer variants have properties highly comparable to those of the fully stabilized SOSIP.664 version. We conclude that the major effect of the SOS and IP changes is to substantially increase trimer stability during and after the expression process, thereby allowing useful amounts to be produced. However, once the trimers have been purified, the SOS and IP changes have only subtle impacts on thermostability and the antigenicity of bNAb and other epitopes.IMPORTANCE Recombinant trimeric proteins based on HIV-1 env genes are being developed for vaccine trials in humans. A feature of these proteins is their mimicry of the envelope glycoprotein structure on virus particles that is targeted by neutralizing antibodies, i.e., antibodies that prevent cells from becoming infected. One vaccine concept under exploration is that recombinant trimers may be able to elicit virus-neutralizing antibodies when delivered as immunogens. A commonly used design is designated SOSIP.664, a term reflecting the sequence changes that are used to stabilize the trimers and allow their production in practically useful amounts. Here, we show that these stabilizing changes act to increase trimer yield during the biosynthesis process within the producer cell but have little impact on the properties of purified trimers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rajesh P Ringe
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Philippe Colin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jonathan L Torres
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Anila Yasmeen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Wen-Hsin Lee
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Albert Cupo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Andrew B Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) Neutralizing Antibody Center and the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery (CAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - P J Klasse
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - John P Moore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|