1
|
Dumonteil E, Tu W, Desale H, Goff K, Marx P, Ortega-Lopez J, Herrera C. Immunoglobulin and T cell receptor repertoire changes induced by a prototype vaccine against Chagas disease in naïve rhesus macaques. J Biomed Sci 2024; 31:58. [PMID: 38824576 PMCID: PMC11143712 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-024-01050-5] [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: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A vaccine against Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease, would be an excellent additional tool for disease control. A recombinant vaccine based on Tc24 and TSA1 parasite antigens was found to be safe and immunogenic in naïve macaques. METHODS We used RNA-sequencing and performed a transcriptomic analysis of PBMC responses to vaccination of naïve macaques after each vaccine dose, to shed light on the immunogenicity of this vaccine and guide the optimization of doses and formulation. We identified differentially expressed genes and pathways and characterized immunoglobulin and T cell receptor repertoires. RESULTS RNA-sequencing analysis indicated a clear transcriptomic response of PBMCs after three vaccine doses, with the up-regulation of several immune cell activation pathways and a broad non-polarized immune profile. Analysis of the IgG repertoire showed that it had a rapid turnover with novel IgGs produced following each vaccine dose, while the TCR repertoire presented several persisting clones that were expanded after each vaccine dose. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that three vaccine doses may be needed for optimum immunogenicity and support the further evaluation of the protective efficacy of this vaccine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Dumonteil
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, 1440 Canal St, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA.
| | - Weihong Tu
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, 1440 Canal St, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Hans Desale
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, 1440 Canal St, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Kelly Goff
- Division of Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, LA, USA
| | - Preston Marx
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, 1440 Canal St, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
- Division of Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, LA, USA
| | - Jaime Ortega-Lopez
- Departamento de Biotecnología y Bioingeniería, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de Mexico, México
| | - Claudia Herrera
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, 1440 Canal St, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dumonteil E, Herrera C. The Case for the Development of a Chagas Disease Vaccine: Why? How? When? Trop Med Infect Dis 2021; 6:tropicalmed6010016. [PMID: 33530605 PMCID: PMC7851737 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease is a major neglected tropical disease, transmitted predominantly by triatomine insect vectors, but also through congenital and oral routes. While endemic in the Americas, it has turned into a global disease. Because of the current drug treatment limitations, a vaccine would represent a major advancement for better control of the disease. Here, we review some of the rationale, advances, and challenges for the ongoing development of a vaccine against Chagas disease. Recent pre-clinical studies in murine models have further expanded (i) the range of vaccine platforms and formulations tested; (ii) our understanding of the immune correlates for protection; and (iii) the extent of vaccine effects on cardiac function, beyond survival and parasite burden. We further discuss outstanding issues and opportunities to move Chagas disease development forward in the near future.
Collapse
|
3
|
Dumonteil E, Herrera C, Tu W, Goff K, Fahlberg M, Haupt E, Kaur A, Marx PA, Ortega-Lopez J, Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME. Safety and immunogenicity of a recombinant vaccine against Trypanosoma cruzi in Rhesus macaques. Vaccine 2020; 38:4584-4591. [PMID: 32417142 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is one of the most important neglected parasitic diseases in the Americas. Vaccines represent an attractive complementary strategy for the control of T. cruzi infection and pre-clinical studies in mice demonstrated that trypomastigote surface antigen (TSA-1) and the flagellar calcium-binding (Tc24) parasite antigens are promising candidates for vaccine development. We performed here the first evaluation of the safety and immunogenicity of two recombinant vaccine antigens (named TSA1-C4 and Tc24-C4) in naïve non-human primates. Three rhesus macaques received 3 doses of each recombinant protein, formulated with E6020 (Eisai Co., Ltd.), a novel Toll-like receptor-4 agonist, in a stable emulsion. All parameters from blood chemistry and blood cell counts were stable over the course of the study and unaffected by the vaccine. A specific IgG response against both antigens was detectable after the first vaccine dose, and increased with the second dose. After three vaccine doses, stimulation of PBMCs with a peptide pool derived from TSA1-C4 resulted in the induction of TSA1-C4-specific TNFα-, IL-2- and IFNγ-producing CD4+ in one or two animals while stimulation with a peptide pool derived from Tc24-C4 only activated IFNγ-producing CD4+T cells in one animal. In two animals there was also activation of TSA1-C4-specific IL2-producing CD8+ T cells. This is the first report of the immunogenicity of T. cruzi-derived recombinant antigens formulated as an emulsion with a TLR4 agonist in a non-human primate model. Our results strongly support the need for further evaluation of the preventive efficacy of this type of vaccine in non-human primates and explore the effect of the vaccine in a therapeutic model of naturally-infected Chagasic non-human primates, which would strengthen the rationale for the clinical development as a human vaccine against Chagas disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Dumonteil
- Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
| | - Claudia Herrera
- Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Weihong Tu
- Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Kelly Goff
- Division of Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, LA, USA
| | - Marissa Fahlberg
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, LA, USA
| | - Erin Haupt
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, LA, USA
| | - Amitinder Kaur
- Division of Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, LA, USA
| | - Preston A Marx
- Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; Division of Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, LA, USA
| | - Jaime Ortega-Lopez
- Departmento de Biotecnología y Bioingeniería, CINVESTAV, Mexico, D.F., Mexico
| | - Peter J Hotez
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics and National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics and National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Gunter SM, Versteeg L, Jones KM, Keegan BP, Strych U, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Brown EL. Covalent vaccination with Trypanosoma cruzi Tc24 induces catalytic antibody production. Parasite Immunol 2018; 40:e12585. [PMID: 30132929 DOI: 10.1111/pim.12585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Revised: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi 24 (Tc24) is a recently described B-cell superantigen (BC-SAg) expressed by all developmental stages of T. cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. BC-SAgs are immunoevasins that interfere with the catalytic response available to a subset of natural antibodies comprising the preimmune (innate) repertoire. Electrophilic modifications of BC-SAgs facilitate the formation of highly energetic covalent reactions favouring B-cell differentiation instead of B-cell downregulation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to convert the inhibitory signals delivered to B-cells with specificity for Tc24 into activating signals after conjugating electrophilic phosphonate groups to recombinant Tc24 (eTc24). Covalent immunization with eTc24 increased the binding affinity between eTc24 and naturally nucleophilic immunoglobulins with specificity for this BC-SAg. Flow cytometric analyses demonstrated that eTc24 but not Tc24 or other electrophilically modified control proteins bound Tc24-specific IgM+ B-cells covalently. In addition, immunization of mice with eTc24 adjuvanted with ISA720 induced the production of catalytic responses specific for Tc24 compared to the abrogation of this response in mice immunized with Tc24/ISA720. eTc24-immunized mice also produced IgMs that bound recombinant Tc24 compared to the binding observed for IgMs purified from non eTc24-immunized controls. These data suggest that eTc24 immunization overrides the immunosuppressive properties of this BC-SAg.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Gunter
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Pediatric Tropical Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Leroy Versteeg
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Pediatric Tropical Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Kathryn M Jones
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Pediatric Tropical Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Brian P Keegan
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Pediatric Tropical Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Ulrich Strych
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Pediatric Tropical Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Pediatric Tropical Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas
| | - Peter J Hotez
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Pediatric Tropical Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Eric L Brown
- Center for Infectious Disease, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, Texas
| |
Collapse
|