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Sam G, Plain K, Chen S, Islam A, Westman ME, Marsh I, Stenos J, Graves SR, Rehm BHA. Synthetic Particulate Subunit Vaccines for the Prevention of Q Fever. Adv Healthc Mater 2024; 13:e2302351. [PMID: 38198823 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202302351] [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: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Coxiella burnetti is an intracellular bacterium that causes Q fever, a disease of worldwide importance. Q-VAX® , the approved human Q fever vaccine, is a whole cell vaccine associated with safety concerns. Here a safe particulate subunit vaccine candidate is developed that is ambient-temperature stable and can be cost-effectively manufactured. Endotoxin-free Escherichia coli is bioengineered to efficiently self-assemble biopolymer particles (BPs) that are densely coated with either strings of 18 T-cell epitopes (COX-BP) or two full-length immunodominant antigens (YbgF-BP-Com1) all derived from C. burnetii. BP vaccine candidates are ambient-temperature stable. Safety and immunogenicity are confirmed in mice and guinea pig (GP) models. YbgF-BP-Com1 elicits specific and strong humoral immune responses in GPs with IgG titers that are at least 1 000 times higher than those induced by Q-VAX® . BP vaccine candidates are not reactogenic. After challenge with C. burnetii, YbgF-BP-Com1 vaccine leads to reduced fever responses and pathogen burden in the liver and the induction of proinflammatory cytokines IL-12 and IFN-γ inducible protein (IP-10) when compared to negative control groups. These data suggest that YbgF-BP-Com1 induces functional immune responses reducing infection by C. burnetii. Collectively, these findings illustrate the potential of BPs as effective antigen carrier for Q fever vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayathri Sam
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia
| | - Karren Plain
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW, 2568, Australia
| | - Shuxiong Chen
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia
| | - Aminul Islam
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia
| | - Mark E Westman
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW, 2568, Australia
| | - Ian Marsh
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW, 2568, Australia
| | - John Stenos
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia
| | - Stephen R Graves
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW, 2568, Australia
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia
| | - Bernd H A Rehm
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia
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2
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Kodori M, Amani J, Ahmadi A. Unveiling promising immunogenic targets in Coxiella burnetii through in silico analysis: paving the way for novel vaccine strategies. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:902. [PMID: 38129801 PMCID: PMC10740251 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08904-7] [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: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coxiella burnetii, an intracellular pathogen, serves as the causative agent of zoonotic Q fever. This pathogen presents a significant threat due to its potential for airborne transmission, environmental persistence, and pathogenicity. The current whole-cell vaccine (WCV) utilized in Australia to combat Q fever exhibits notable limitations, including severe adverse reactions and limited regulatory approval for human use. This research employed the reverse vaccinology (RV) approach to uncover antigenic proteins and epitopes of C. burnetii, facilitating the development of more potent vaccine candidates. METHODS The potential immunogenic proteins derived from C. burnetii RSA493/Nine Mile phase I (NMI) were extracted through manual, automated RV, and virulence factor database (VFDB) methods. Web tools and bioinformatics were used to evaluate physiochemical attributes, subcellular localization, antigenicity, allergenicity, human homology, B-cell epitopes, MHC I and II binding ratios, functional class scores, adhesion probabilities, protein-protein interactions, and molecular docking. RESULTS Out of the 1850 proteins encoded by RSA493/NMI, a subset of 178 demonstrated the potential for surface or membrane localization. Following a series of analytical iterations, 14 putative immunogenic proteins emerged. This collection included nine proteins (57.1%) intricately involved in cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis processes (CBU_0197 (Q83EW1), CBU_0311 (Q83EK8), CBU_0489 (Q83E43), CBU_0939 (Q83D08), CBU_1190 (P39917), CBU_1829 (Q83AQ2), CBU_1412 (Q83BU0), CBU_1414 (Q83BT8), and CBU_1600 (Q83BB2)). The CBU_1627 (Q83B86 ) (7.1%) implicated in intracellular trafficking, secretion, and vesicular transport, and CBU_0092 (Q83F57) (7.1%) contributing to cell division. Additionally, three proteins (21.4%) displayed uncharacterized functions (CBU_0736 (Q83DJ4), CBU_1095 (Q83CL9), and CBU_2079 (Q83A32)). The congruent results obtained from molecular docking and immune response stimulation lend support to the inclusion of all 14 putative proteins as potential vaccine candidates. Notably, seven proteins with well-defined functions stand out among these candidates. CONCLUSIONS The outcomes of this study introduce promising proteins and epitopes for the forthcoming formulation of subunit vaccines against Q fever, with a primary emphasis on cellular processes and the virulence factors of C. burnetii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoor Kodori
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Non Communicable Diseases Research Center, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran
| | - Jafar Amani
- Applied Microbiology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Ahmadi
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Redden P, Parker K, Henderson S, Fourie P, Agnew L, Stenos J, Graves S, Govan B, Norton R, Ketheesan N. Q fever - immune responses and novel vaccine strategies. Future Microbiol 2023; 18:1185-1196. [PMID: 37850346 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2023-0117] [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: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. It is an occupational risk for employees of animal industries and is associated with contact with wildlife and domestic animals. Although Q fever infection may be asymptomatic, chronic sequelae such as endocarditis occur in 5% of symptomatic individuals. Disease outcomes may be predicted through measurement of immune correlates. Vaccination is the most efficient method to prevent Q fever. Currently, Q-VAX is the only licenced human vaccine. Q-VAX is highly effective; however, individuals previously exposed to C. burnetii are at risk of adverse reactions. This review examines the immunological responses of acute and chronic Q fever and the efforts to provide a safer and cost-effective Q fever vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Redden
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - Kaitland Parker
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - Sinead Henderson
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - Phillip Fourie
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - Linda Agnew
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
- Griffith Health Group, Griffith University, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - John Stenos
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, 3220, Australia
| | - Stephen Graves
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, 3220, Australia
| | - Brenda Govan
- College of Public Health, Medicine & Vet Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, 4811, Australia
| | - Robert Norton
- Pathology Queensland, Queensland Health, Townsville Hospital, Queensland, 4814, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Natkunam Ketheesan
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
- Griffith Health Group, Griffith University, Queensland, 4222, Australia
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4
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Bauer BU, Knittler MR, Andrack J, Berens C, Campe A, Christiansen B, Fasemore AM, Fischer SF, Ganter M, Körner S, Makert GR, Matthiesen S, Mertens-Scholz K, Rinkel S, Runge M, Schulze-Luehrmann J, Ulbert S, Winter F, Frangoulidis D, Lührmann A. Interdisciplinary studies on Coxiella burnetii: From molecular to cellular, to host, to one health research. Int J Med Microbiol 2023; 313:151590. [PMID: 38056089 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2023.151590] [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: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Q-GAPS (Q fever GermAn interdisciplinary Program for reSearch) consortium was launched in 2017 as a German consortium of more than 20 scientists with exceptional expertise, competence, and substantial knowledge in the field of the Q fever pathogen Coxiella (C.) burnetii. C. burnetii exemplifies as a zoonotic pathogen the challenges of zoonotic disease control and prophylaxis in human, animal, and environmental settings in a One Health approach. An interdisciplinary approach to studying the pathogen is essential to address unresolved questions about the epidemiology, immunology, pathogenesis, surveillance, and control of C. burnetii. In more than five years, Q-GAPS has provided new insights into pathogenicity and interaction with host defense mechanisms. The consortium has also investigated vaccine efficacy and application in animal reservoirs and identified expanded phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of C. burnetii and their epidemiological significance. In addition, conceptual principles for controlling, surveilling, and preventing zoonotic Q fever infections were developed and prepared for specific target groups. All findings have been continuously integrated into a Web-based, interactive, freely accessible knowledge and information platform (www.q-gaps.de), which also contains Q fever guidelines to support public health institutions in controlling and preventing Q fever. In this review, we will summarize our results and show an example of how an interdisciplinary consortium provides knowledge and better tools to control a zoonotic pathogen at the national level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin U Bauer
- Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael R Knittler
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Immunology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Jennifer Andrack
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Berens
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Molecular Pathogenesis, Jena, Germany
| | - Amely Campe
- Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, (IBEI), WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training for Health at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Bahne Christiansen
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Immunology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Akinyemi M Fasemore
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany; University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; ZB MED - Information Centre for Life Science, Cologne, Germany
| | - Silke F Fischer
- Landesgesundheitsamt Baden-Württemberg, Ministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit und Integration, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Martin Ganter
- Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Sophia Körner
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gustavo R Makert
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svea Matthiesen
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Immunology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Katja Mertens-Scholz
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany
| | - Sven Rinkel
- Institut für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Martin Runge
- Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES), Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jan Schulze-Luehrmann
- Institut für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Ulbert
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fenja Winter
- Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, (IBEI), WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training for Health at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Dimitrios Frangoulidis
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany; Bundeswehr Medical Service Headquarters VI-2, Medical Intelligence & Information, Munich, Germany
| | - Anja Lührmann
- Institut für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.
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Bach E, Fitzgerald SF, Williams-MacDonald SE, Mitchell M, Golde WT, Longbottom D, Nisbet AJ, Dinkla A, Sullivan E, Pinapati RS, Tan JC, Joosten LAB, Roest HJ, Østerbye T, Koets AP, Buus S, McNeilly TN. Genome-wide epitope mapping across multiple host species reveals significant diversity in antibody responses to Coxiella burnetii vaccination and infection. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1257722. [PMID: 37954609 PMCID: PMC10637584 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1257722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is an important zoonotic bacterial pathogen of global importance, causing the disease Q fever in a wide range of animal hosts. Ruminant livestock, in particular sheep and goats, are considered the main reservoir of human infection. Vaccination is a key control measure, and two commercial vaccines based on formalin-inactivated C. burnetii bacterins are currently available for use in livestock and humans. However, their deployment is limited due to significant reactogenicity in individuals previously sensitized to C. burnetii antigens. Furthermore, these vaccines interfere with available serodiagnostic tests which are also based on C. burnetii bacterin antigens. Defined subunit antigen vaccines offer significant advantages, as they can be engineered to reduce reactogenicity and co-designed with serodiagnostic tests to allow discrimination between vaccinated and infected individuals. This study aimed to investigate the diversity of antibody responses to C. burnetii vaccination and/or infection in cattle, goats, humans, and sheep through genome-wide linear epitope mapping to identify candidate vaccine and diagnostic antigens within the predicted bacterial proteome. Using high-density peptide microarrays, we analyzed the seroreactivity in 156 serum samples from vaccinated and infected individuals to peptides derived from 2,092 open-reading frames in the C. burnetii genome. We found significant diversity in the antibody responses within and between species and across different types of C. burnetii exposure. Through the implementation of three different vaccine candidate selection methods, we identified 493 candidate protein antigens for protein subunit vaccine design or serodiagnostic evaluation, of which 65 have been previously described. This is the first study to investigate multi-species seroreactivity against the entire C. burnetii proteome presented as overlapping linear peptides and provides the basis for the selection of antigen targets for next-generation Q fever vaccines and diagnostic tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil Bach
- Department of Immunology & Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Annemieke Dinkla
- Department of Bacteriology, Host-Pathogen Interaction and Diagnostic Development, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
| | - Eric Sullivan
- Nimble Therapeutics, Inc., Madison, WI, United States
| | | | - John C. Tan
- Nimble Therapeutics, Inc., Madison, WI, United States
| | - Leo A. B. Joosten
- Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Hendrik-Jan Roest
- Department of Bacteriology, Host-Pathogen Interaction and Diagnostic Development, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
- Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Den Haag, Netherlands
- Department of Infection and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Thomas Østerbye
- Department of Immunology & Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ad P. Koets
- Department of Bacteriology, Host-Pathogen Interaction and Diagnostic Development, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
| | - Søren Buus
- Department of Immunology & Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Raju Paul S, Scholzen A, Reeves PM, Shepard R, Hess JM, Dzeng RK, Korek S, Garritsen A, Poznansky MC, Sluder AE. Cytometry profiling of ex vivo recall responses to Coxiella burnetii in previously naturally exposed individuals reveals long-term changes in both adaptive and innate immune cellular compartments. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1249581. [PMID: 37885896 PMCID: PMC10598782 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1249581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Q fever, caused by the intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii, is considered an occupational and biodefense hazard and can result in debilitating long-term complications. While natural infection and vaccination induce humoral and cellular immune responses, the exact nature of cellular immune responses to C. burnetii is incompletely understood. The current study seeks to investigate more deeply the nature of long-term cellular recall responses in naturally exposed individuals by both cytokine release assessment and cytometry profiling. Methods Individuals exposed during the 2007-2010 Dutch Q fever outbreak were grouped in 2015, based on a C. burnetii-specific IFNγ release assay (IGRA), serological status, and self-reported clinical symptoms during initial infection, into asymptomatic IGRA-negative/seronegative controls, and three IGRA-positive groups (seronegative/asymptomatic; seropositive/asymptomatic and seropositive/symptomatic). Recall responses following in vitro re-stimulation with heat-inactivated C. burnetii in whole blood, were assessed in 2016/2017 by cytokine release assays (n=55) and flow cytometry (n=36), and in blood mononuclear cells by mass cytometry (n=36). Results Cytokine release analysis showed significantly elevated IL-2 responses in all seropositive individuals and elevated IL-1β responses in those recovered from symptomatic infection. Comparative flow cytometry analysis revealed significantly increased IFNγ, TNFα and IL-2 recall responses by CD4 T cells and higher IL-6 production by monocytes from symptomatic, IGRA-positive/seropositive individuals compared to controls. Mass cytometry profiling and unsupervised clustering analysis confirmed recall responses in seropositive individuals by two activated CD4 T cell subsets, one characterized by a strong Th1 cytokine profile (IFNγ+IL-2+TNFα+), and identified C. burnetii-specific activation of CD8 T cells in all IGRA-positive groups. Remarkably, increased C. burnetii-specific responses in IGRA-positive individuals were also observed in three innate cell subpopulations: one characterized by an IFNγ+IL-2+TNFα+ Th1 cytokine profile and lack of canonical marker expression, and two IL-1β-, IL-6- and IL-8-producing CD14+ monocyte subsets that could be the drivers of elevated secretion of innate cytokines in pre-exposed individuals. Discussion These data highlight that there are long-term increased responses to C. burnetii in both adaptive and innate cellular compartments, the latter being indicative of trained immunity. These findings warrant future studies into the protective role of these innate responses and may inform future Q fever vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Raju Paul
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Patrick M. Reeves
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Robert Shepard
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Joshua M. Hess
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Richard K. Dzeng
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Skylar Korek
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Mark C. Poznansky
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ann E. Sluder
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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7
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Ramirez A, Felgner J, Jain A, Jan S, Albin TJ, Badten AJ, Gregory AE, Nakajima R, Jasinskas A, Felgner PL, Burkhardt AM, Davies DH, Wang SW. Engineering Protein Nanoparticles Functionalized with an Immunodominant Coxiella burnetii Antigen to Generate a Q Fever Vaccine. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:1653-1666. [PMID: 37682243 PMCID: PMC10515490 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever, for which there is yet to be an FDA-approved vaccine. This bacterial pathogen has both extra- and intracellular stages in its life cycle, and therefore both a cell-mediated (i.e., T lymphocyte) and humoral (i.e., antibody) immune response are necessary for effective eradication of this pathogen. However, most proposed vaccines elicit strong responses to only one mechanism of adaptive immunity, and some can either cause reactogenicity or lack sufficient immunogenicity. In this work, we aim to apply a nanoparticle-based platform toward producing both antibody and T cell immune responses against C. burnetii. We investigated three approaches for conjugation of the immunodominant outer membrane protein antigen (CBU1910) to the E2 nanoparticle to obtain a consistent antigen orientation: direct genetic fusion, high affinity tris-NTA-Ni conjugation to polyhistidine-tagged CBU1910, and the SpyTag/SpyCatcher (ST/SC) system. Overall, we found that the ST/SC approach yielded nanoparticles loaded with the highest number of antigens while maintaining stability, enabling formulations that could simultaneously co-deliver the protein antigen (CBU1910) and adjuvant (CpG1826) on one nanoparticle (CBU1910-CpG-E2). Using protein microarray analyses, we found that after immunization, antigen-bound nanoparticle formulations elicited significantly higher antigen-specific IgG responses than soluble CBU1910 alone and produced more balanced IgG1/IgG2c ratios. Although T cell recall assays from these protein antigen formulations did not show significant increases in antigen-specific IFN-γ production compared to soluble CBU1910 alone, nanoparticles conjugated with a CD4 peptide epitope from CBU1910 generated elevated T cell responses in mice to both the CBU1910 peptide epitope and whole CBU1910 protein. These investigations highlight the feasibility of conjugating antigens to nanoparticles for tuning and improving both humoral- and cell-mediated adaptive immunity against C. burnetii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Ramirez
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Jiin Felgner
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Sharon Jan
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Tyler J. Albin
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Alexander J. Badten
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Anthony E. Gregory
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Philip L. Felgner
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Amanda M. Burkhardt
- Department
of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - D. Huw Davies
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Szu-Wen Wang
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
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8
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Haltaufderhyde K, Roberts BJ, Khan S, Terry F, Boyle CM, McAllister M, Martin W, Rosenberg A, De Groot AS. Immunoinformatic Risk Assessment of Host Cell Proteins During Process Development for Biologic Therapeutics. AAPS J 2023; 25:87. [PMID: 37697150 DOI: 10.1208/s12248-023-00852-z] [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: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The identification and removal of host cell proteins (HCPs) from biologic products is a critical step in drug development. Despite recent improvements to purification processes, biologics such as monoclonal antibodies, enzyme replacement therapies, and vaccines that are manufactured in a range of cell lines and purified using diverse processes may contain HCP impurities, making it necessary for developers to identify and quantify impurities during process development for each drug product. HCPs that contain sequences that are less conserved with human homologs may be more immunogenic than those that are more conserved. We have developed a computational tool, ISPRI-HCP, that estimates the immunogenic potential of HCP sequences by evaluating and quantifying T cell epitope density and relative conservation with similar T cell epitopes in the human proteome. Here we describe several case studies that support the use of this method for classifying candidate HCP impurities according to their immunogenicity risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian J Roberts
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Sundos Khan
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Frances Terry
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | | | | | - William Martin
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Amy Rosenberg
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Anne S De Groot
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
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9
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Sam G, Stenos J, Graves SR, Rehm BHA. Q fever immunology: the quest for a safe and effective vaccine. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:133. [PMID: 37679410 PMCID: PMC10484952 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00727-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Q fever is an infectious zoonotic disease, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Transmission occurs from livestock to humans through inhalation of a survival form of the bacterium, the Small Cell Variant, often via handling of animal parturition products. Q fever manifests as an acute self-limiting febrile illness or as a chronic disease with complications such as vasculitis and endocarditis. The current preventative human Q fever vaccine Q-VAX poses limitations on its worldwide implementation due to reactogenic responses in pre-sensitized individuals. Many strategies have been undertaken to develop a universal Q fever vaccine but with little success to date. The mechanisms of the underlying reactogenic responses remain only partially understood and are important factors in the development of a safe Q fever vaccine. This review provides an overview of previous and current experimental vaccines developed for use against Q fever and proposes approaches to develop a vaccine that establishes immunological memory while eliminating harmful reactogenic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayathri Sam
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia
| | - John Stenos
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia
| | - Stephen R Graves
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW, 2567, Australia
| | - Bernd H A Rehm
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia.
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia.
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10
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Graves SR, Islam A, Webb LD, Marsh I, Plain K, Westman M, Conlan XA, Carbis R, Toman R, Stenos J. An O-Specific Polysaccharide/Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine Induces Protection in Guinea Pigs against Virulent Challenge with Coxiella burnetii. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10091393. [PMID: 36146471 PMCID: PMC9503072 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10091393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Q fever is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii and is spread to humans from infected animals especially goats, sheep and cattle, predominantly when giving birth. There is an effective human vaccine (Q-VAX) against Q fever, and although Q fever is a worldwide problem, the vaccine is only used in Australia due to difficulties associated with its use and the risk of adverse reactions. The desire to protect humans, particularly farmers and abattoir workers, from Q fever prompted the development of a new safe and effective human vaccine without all the difficulties associated with the current vaccine. Candidate vaccines were prepared using purified O-specific polysaccharide (OSP) extracted from the lipopolysaccharide of virulent (phase 1) C. burnetii, strain Nine Mile, which was then conjugated to a tetanus toxoid (TT) carrier protein. Two vaccines were prepared using OSP from C. burnetii grown in embryonated eggs (vaccine A) and axenic media (vaccine B). Vaccines with or without alum adjuvant were used to vaccinate guinea pigs, which were later challenged by intranasal inoculation with virulent C. burnetii. Both vaccines protected guinea pigs from fever and loss of weight post challenge. Post-mortem samples of the spleen, liver and kidney of vaccinated guinea pigs contained substantially less C. burnetii DNA as measured by PCR than those of the unvaccinated control animals. This study demonstrated that a C. burnetii OSP-TT conjugate vaccine is capable of inducing protection against virulent C. burnetii in guinea pigs. Additionally, OSP derived from C. burnetii grown in axenic media compared to OSP from embryonated eggs is equivalent in terms of providing a protective immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R. Graves
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW 2567, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | - Aminul Islam
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Lawrence D. Webb
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Ian Marsh
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Karren Plain
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Mark Westman
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Xavier A. Conlan
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Rodney Carbis
- Symbioticus Pty Ltd., Strathmore, VIC 3041, Australia
| | - Rudolf Toman
- Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - John Stenos
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
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11
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Raju Paul S, Scholzen A, Mukhtar G, Wilkinson S, Hobson P, Dzeng RK, Evans J, Robson J, Cobbold R, Graves S, Poznansky MC, Garritsen A, Sluder AE. Natural Exposure- and Vaccination-Induced Profiles of Ex Vivo Whole Blood Cytokine Responses to Coxiella burnetii. Front Immunol 2022; 13:886698. [PMID: 35812430 PMCID: PMC9259895 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.886698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the highly infectious Gram-negative coccobacillus, Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii). The Q fever vaccine Q-VAX® is characterised by high reactogenicity, requiring individuals to be pre-screened for prior exposure before vaccination. To date it remains unclear whether vaccine side effects in pre-exposed individuals are associated with pre-existing adaptive immune responses to C. burnetii or are also a function of innate responses to Q-VAX®. In the current study, we measured innate and adaptive cytokine responses to C. burnetii and compared these among individuals with different pre-exposure status. Three groups were included: n=98 Dutch blood bank donors with unknown exposure status, n=95 Dutch village inhabitants with known natural exposure status to C. burnetii during the Dutch Q fever outbreak of 2007-2010, and n=96 Australian students receiving Q-VAX® vaccination in 2021. Whole blood cytokine responses following ex vivo stimulation with heat-killed C. burnetii were assessed for IFNγ, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNFα, IL-1β, IP-10, MIP-1α and IL-8. Serological data were collected for all three cohorts, as well as data on skin test and self-reported vaccine side effects and clinical symptoms during past infection. IFNγ, IP-10 and IL-2 responses were strongly elevated in individuals with prior C. burnetii antigen exposure, whether through infection or vaccination, while IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα responses were slightly increased in naturally exposed individuals only. High dimensional analysis of the cytokine data identified four clusters of individuals with distinct cytokine response signatures. The cluster with the highest levels of adaptive cytokines and antibodies comprised solely individuals with prior exposure to C. burnetii, while another cluster was characterized by high innate cytokine production and an absence of C. burnetii-induced IP-10 production paired with high baseline IP-10 levels. Prior exposure status was partially associated with these signatures, but could not be clearly assigned to a single cytokine response signature. Overall, Q-VAX® vaccination and natural C. burnetii infection were associated with comparable cytokine response signatures, largely driven by adaptive cytokine responses. Neither individual innate and adaptive cytokine responses nor response signatures were associated retrospectively with clinical symptoms during infection or prospectively with side effects post-vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Raju Paul
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Ghazel Mukhtar
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Peter Hobson
- Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Richard K. Dzeng
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | | | - Rowland Cobbold
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, Australia
| | - Stephen Graves
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Mark C. Poznansky
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Ann E. Sluder, ; Anja Garritsen, ; Mark C. Poznansky,
| | - Anja Garritsen
- InnatOss Laboratories B.V., Oss, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Ann E. Sluder, ; Anja Garritsen, ; Mark C. Poznansky,
| | - Ann E. Sluder
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Ann E. Sluder, ; Anja Garritsen, ; Mark C. Poznansky,
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12
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Sluder AE, Raju Paul S, Moise L, Dold C, Richard G, Silva-Reyes L, Baeten LA, Scholzen A, Reeves PM, Pollard AJ, Garritsen A, Bowen RA, De Groot AS, Rollier C, Poznansky MC. Evaluation of a Human T Cell-Targeted Multi-Epitope Vaccine for Q Fever in Animal Models of Coxiella burnetii Immunity. Front Immunol 2022; 13:901372. [PMID: 35651616 PMCID: PMC9149306 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.901372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
T cell-mediated immunity plays a central role in the control and clearance of intracellular Coxiella burnetii infection, which can cause Q fever. Therefore, we aimed to develop a novel T cell-targeted vaccine that induces pathogen-specific cell-mediated immunity to protect against Q fever in humans while avoiding the reactogenicity of the current inactivated whole cell vaccine. Human HLA class II T cell epitopes from C. burnetii were previously identified and selected by immunoinformatic predictions of HLA binding, conservation in multiple C. burnetii isolates, and low potential for cross-reactivity with the human proteome or microbiome. Epitopes were selected for vaccine inclusion based on long-lived human T cell recall responses to corresponding peptides in individuals that had been naturally exposed to the bacterium during a 2007-2010 Q fever outbreak in the Netherlands. Multiple viral vector-based candidate vaccines were generated that express concatemers of selected epitope sequences arranged to minimize potential junctional neo-epitopes. The vaccine candidates caused no antigen-specific reactogenicity in a sensitized guinea pig model. A subset of the vaccine epitope peptides elicited antigenic recall responses in splenocytes from C57BL/6 mice previously infected with C. burnetii. However, immunogenicity of the vaccine candidates in C57BL/6 mice was dominated by a single epitope and this was insufficient to confer protection against an infection challenge, highlighting the limitations of assessing human-targeted vaccine candidates in murine models. The viral vector-based vaccine candidates induced antigen-specific T cell responses to a broader array of epitopes in cynomolgus macaques, establishing a foundation for future vaccine efficacy studies in this large animal model of C. burnetii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann E Sluder
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Susan Raju Paul
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Christina Dold
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Laura Silva-Reyes
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Laurie A Baeten
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | | | - Patrick M Reeves
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Andrew J Pollard
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Richard A Bowen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | | | - Christine Rollier
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mark C Poznansky
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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13
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Cross AR, Roy S, Vivoli Vega M, Rejzek M, Nepogodiev SA, Cliff M, Salmon D, Isupov MN, Field RA, Prior JL, Harmer NJ. Spinning sugars in antigen biosynthesis: characterization of the Coxiella burnetii and Streptomyces griseus TDP-sugar epimerases. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101903. [PMID: 35398092 PMCID: PMC9095892 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101903] [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: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The sugars streptose and dihydrohydroxystreptose (DHHS) are unique to the bacteria Streptomyces griseus and Coxiella burnetii, respectively. Streptose forms the central moiety of the antibiotic streptomycin, while DHHS is found in the O-antigen of the zoonotic pathogen C. burnetii. Biosynthesis of these sugars has been proposed to follow a similar path to that of TDP-rhamnose, catalyzed by the enzymes RmlA, RmlB, RmlC, and RmlD, but the exact mechanism is unclear. Streptose and DHHS biosynthesis unusually requires a ring contraction step that could be performed by orthologs of RmlC or RmlD. Genome sequencing of S. griseus and C. burnetii has identified StrM and CBU1838 proteins as RmlC orthologs in these respective species. Here, we demonstrate that both enzymes can perform the RmlC 3'',5'' double epimerization activity necessary to support TDP-rhamnose biosynthesis in vivo. This is consistent with the ring contraction step being performed on a double epimerized substrate. We further demonstrate that proton exchange is faster at the 3''-position than the 5''-position, in contrast to a previously studied ortholog. We additionally solved the crystal structures of CBU1838 and StrM in complex with TDP and show that they form an active site highly similar to those of the previously characterized enzymes RmlC, EvaD, and ChmJ. These results support the hypothesis that streptose and DHHS are biosynthesized using the TDP pathway and that an RmlD paralog most likely performs ring contraction following double epimerization. This work will support the elucidation of the full pathways for biosynthesis of these unique sugars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice R Cross
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom; Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Sumita Roy
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom; Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Mirella Vivoli Vega
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom; Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Rejzek
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Sergey A Nepogodiev
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Cliff
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Debbie Salmon
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Michail N Isupov
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Robert A Field
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich, United Kingdom; Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Joann L Prior
- Dstl, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J Harmer
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom; Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
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14
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Gregory AE, van Schaik EJ, Fratzke AP, Russell-Lodrigue KE, Farris CM, Samuel JE. Soluble antigens derived from Coxiella burnetii elicit protective immunity in three animal models without inducing hypersensitivity. Cell Rep Med 2021; 2:100461. [PMID: 35028605 PMCID: PMC8714860 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2021.100461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Q fever is caused by the intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii, for which there is no approved vaccine in the United States. A formalin-inactivated whole-cell vaccine (WCV) from virulent C. burnetii NMI provides single-dose long-lived protection, but concerns remain over vaccine reactogenicity. We therefore sought an alternate approach by purifying native C. burnetii antigens from the clonally derived avirulent NMII strain. A soluble bacterial extract, termed Sol II, elicits high-titer, high-avidity antibodies and induces a CD4 T cell response that confers protection in naive mice. In addition, Sol II protects against pulmonary C. burnetii challenge in three animal models without inducing hypersensitivity. An NMI-derived extract, Sol I, enhances protection further and outperforms the WCV gold standard. Collectively, these data represent a promising approach to design highly effective, non-reactogenic Q fever vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony E. Gregory
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Erin J. van Schaik
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Alycia P. Fratzke
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Kasi E. Russell-Lodrigue
- Tulane University, School of Medicine, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA
| | - Christina M. Farris
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - James E. Samuel
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
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15
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Richard G, Princiotta MF, Bridon D, Martin WD, Steinberg GD, De Groot AS. Neoantigen-based personalized cancer vaccines: the emergence of precision cancer immunotherapy. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 21:173-184. [PMID: 34882038 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2022.2012456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The field of cancer therapy has undergone a major transformation in less than a decade due to the introduction of checkpoint inhibitors, the advent of next generation sequencing and the discovery of neoantigens. The key observation that the breadth of each patient's immune response to the unique mutations or neoantigens present in their tumor is directly related to their survival has led oncologists to focus on driving immune responses to neoantigens through vaccination. Oncology has entered the era of precision immunotherapy, and cancer vaccine development is undergoing a paradigm shift. AREAS COVERED Neoantigens are short peptide sequences found in tumors, but not noncancerous tissues, the vast majority of which are unique to each patient. In addition to providing a description of the distinguishing features of neoantigen discovery platforms, this review will address cross-cutting personalized cancer vaccine design themes and developmental stumbling blocks. EXPERT OPINION Immunoinformatic pipelines that can rapidly scan cancer genomes and identify 'the best' neoantigens are in high demand. Despite the need for such tools, immunoinformatic methods for identifying neoepitopes in cancer genomes are diverse and have not been well-validated. Validation of 'personalized vaccine design pipelines' will bring about a revolution in neoantigen-based vaccine design and delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Gary D Steinberg
- EpiVax Therapeutics, Inc., Providence, RI, USA.,Perlmutter Cancer Center, Department of Urology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anne S De Groot
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, USA.,Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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16
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Kumaresan V, Alam S, Zhang Y, Zhang G. The Feasibility of Using Coxiella burnetii Avirulent Nine Mile Phase II Viable Bacteria as a Live Attenuated Vaccine Against Q fever. Front Immunol 2021; 12:754690. [PMID: 34795669 PMCID: PMC8594375 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.754690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to explore if viable C. burnetii avirulent Nine Mile phase II (NMII) can elicit protective immunity against virulent NM phase I (NMI) infection. Interestingly, mice immunized with viable NMII elicited significant protection against NMI infection at different time points post-immunization. Viable NMII induced a dose-dependent NMI-specific IgG response in mice, but all doses of NMII-immunized mice conferred a similar level of protection. Comparing different routes of immunization indicated that intranasally immunized mice showed significantly higher levels of protection than other immunization routes. The observation that viable NMII induced a similar level of long-term protection against NMI challenge as the formalin-inactivated NMI vaccine (PIV) suggests that viable NMII bacteria can induce a similar level of long-term protection against virulent NMI challenge as the PIV. Viable NMII also induced significant protection against challenge with virulent Priscilla and Scurry strains, suggesting that viable NMII can elicit broad protection. Immune sera and splenocytes from viable NMII-immunized mice are protective against NMI infection, but immune serum-receiving mice did not control NMI replication. Additionally, viable NMII conferred a comparable level of protection in wild-type, CD4+ T cell-deficient, and CD8+ T cell-deficient mice, and partial protection in B cell-deficient mice. However, NMII-immunized T cell-deficient mice were unable to prevent C. burnetii replication. Thus, both B cells and T cells are required for viable NMII-induced protective immunity but T cells may play a critical role. Collectively, this study demonstrates the feasibility of using avirulent NMII as a live attenuated vaccine against human Q fever.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkatesh Kumaresan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Shawkat Alam
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Guoquan Zhang
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
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17
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Viana Invenção MDC, Melo ARDS, de Macêdo LS, da Costa Neves TSP, de Melo CML, Cordeiro MN, de Aragão Batista MV, de Freitas AC. Development of synthetic antigen vaccines for COVID-19. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2021; 17:3855-3870. [PMID: 34613880 PMCID: PMC8506811 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1974288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The current pandemic called COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus brought the need for the search for fast alternatives to both control and fight the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, a race for a vaccine against COVID-19 took place, and some vaccines have been approved for emergency use in several countries in a record time. Ongoing prophylactic research has sought faster, safer, and precise alternatives by redirecting knowledge of other vaccines, and/or the development of new strategies using available tools, mainly in the areas of genomics and bioinformatics. The current review highlights the development of synthetic antigen vaccines, focusing on the usage of bioinformatics tools for the selection and construction of antigens on the different vaccine constructions under development, as well as strategies to optimize vaccines for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria da Conceição Viana Invenção
- Laboratory of Molecular Studies and Experimental Therapy - LEMTE, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Alanne Rayssa da Silva Melo
- Laboratory of Molecular Studies and Experimental Therapy - LEMTE, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Larissa Silva de Macêdo
- Laboratory of Molecular Studies and Experimental Therapy - LEMTE, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Thaís Souto Paula da Costa Neves
- Laboratory of Molecular Studies and Experimental Therapy - LEMTE, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Cristiane Moutinho Lagos de Melo
- Laboratory of Immunological and Antitumor Analysis, Department of Antibiotics, Bioscience Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Nazário Cordeiro
- Laboratory of Molecular Studies and Experimental Therapy - LEMTE, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Marcus Vinicius de Aragão Batista
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Department of Biology, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil
| | - Antonio Carlos de Freitas
- Laboratory of Molecular Studies and Experimental Therapy - LEMTE, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
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18
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Identification of Immunogenic Linear B-Cell Epitopes in C. burnetii Outer Membrane Proteins Using Immunoinformatics Approaches Reveals Potential Targets of Persistent Infections. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10101250. [PMID: 34684199 PMCID: PMC8540810 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10101250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is a global, highly infectious intracellular bacterium, able to infect a wide range of hosts and to persist for months in the environment. It is the etiological agent of Q fever—a zoonosis of global priority. Currently, there are no national surveillance data on C. burnetii’s seroprevalence for any South American country, reinforcing the necessity of developing novel and inexpensive serological tools to monitor the prevalence of infections among humans and animals—especially cattle, goats, and sheep. In this study, we used immunoinformatics and computational biology tools to predict specific linear B-cell epitopes in three C. burnetii outer membrane proteins: OMP-H (CBU_0612), Com-1 (CBU_1910), and OMP-P1 (CBU_0311). Furthermore, predicted epitopes were tested by ELISA, as synthetic peptides, against samples of patients reactive to C. burnetii in indirect immunofluorescence assay, in order to evaluate their natural immunogenicity. In this way, two linear B-cell epitopes were identified in each studied protein (OMP-H(51–59), OMP-H(91–106), Com-1(57–76), Com-1(191–206), OMP-P1(197–209), and OMP-P1(215–227)); all of them were confirmed as naturally immunogenic by the presence of specific antibodies in 77% of studied patients against at least one of the identified epitopes. Remarkably, a higher frequency of endocarditis cases was observed among patients who presented an intense humoral response to OMP-H and Com-1 epitopes. These data confirm that immunoinformatics applied to the identification of specific B-cell epitopes can be an effective strategy to improve and accelerate the development of surveillance tools against neglected diseases.
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Q Fever Vaccine Development: Current Strategies and Future Considerations. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10101223. [PMID: 34684172 PMCID: PMC8539696 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10101223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the intracellular pathogen Coxiella burnetii. This disease typically manifests as a self-limiting, febrile illness known as acute Q fever. Due to the aerosol transmissibility, environmental persistence, and infectivity of C. burnetii, this pathogen is a notable bioterrorism threat. Despite extensive efforts to develop next-generation human Q fever vaccines, only one vaccine, Q-Vax®, is commercially available. Q-Vax® is a phase I whole-cell vaccine, and its licensed use is limited to Australia, presumably due to the potential for a post-vaccination hypersensitivity response. Pre-clinical Q fever vaccine development is a major area of interest, and diverse approaches have been undertaken to develop an improved Q fever vaccine. Following a brief history of Q fever vaccine development, current approaches will be discussed along with future considerations for an improved Q fever vaccine.
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Scholzen A, de Vries M, Duerr HP, Roest HJ, Sluder AE, Poznansky MC, Kouwijzer MLCE, Garritsen A. Whole Blood Interferon γ Release Is a More Sensitive Marker of Prior Exposure to Coxiella burnetii Than Are Antibody Responses. Front Immunol 2021; 12:701811. [PMID: 34394097 PMCID: PMC8356048 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.701811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For the zoonotic disease Q fever, serological analysis plays a dominant role in the diagnosis of Coxiella burnetii infection and in pre-screening for past exposure prior to vaccination. A number of studies suggest that assessment of C. burnetii-specific T-cell IFNγ responses may be a more sensitive tool to assess past exposure. In this study, we assessed the performance of a whole blood C. burnetii IFNγ release assay in comparison to serological detection in an area of high Q fever incidence in 2014, up to seven years after initial exposure during the Dutch Q fever outbreak 2007-2010. In a cohort of >1500 individuals from the Dutch outbreak village of Herpen, approximately 60% had mounted IFNγ responses to C. burnetii. This proportion was independent of the Coxiella strain used for stimulation and much higher than the proportion of individuals scored sero-positive using the serological gold standard immunofluorescence assay. Moreover, C. burnetii-specific IFNγ responses were found to be more durable than antibody responses in two sub-groups of individuals known to have sero-converted as of 2007 or previously reported to the municipality as notified Q fever cases. A novel ready-to-use version of the IFNγ release assay assessed in a subgroup of pre-exposed individuals in 2021 (10-14 years post exposure) proved again to be more sensitive than serology in detecting past exposure. These data demonstrate that C. burnetii-induced IFNγ release is indeed a more sensitive and durable marker of exposure to C. burnetii than are serological responses. In combination with a simplified assay version suitable for implementation in routine diagnostic settings, this makes the assessment of IFNγ responses a valuable tool for exposure screening to obtain epidemiological data, and to identify previously exposed individuals in pre-vaccination screens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Hendrik-Jan Roest
- Department of Bacteriology and Epidemiology, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
| | - Ann E Sluder
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mark C Poznansky
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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21
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Piel LMW, Durfee CJ, White SN. Proteome-wide analysis of Coxiella burnetii for conserved T-cell epitopes with presentation across multiple host species. BMC Bioinformatics 2021; 22:296. [PMID: 34078271 PMCID: PMC8170629 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-021-04181-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Coxiella burnetii is the Gram-negative bacterium responsible for Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in domesticated agricultural animals. Previous vaccination efforts with whole cell inactivated bacteria or surface isolated proteins confer protection but can produce a reactogenic immune responses. Thereby a protective vaccine that does not cause aberrant immune reactions is required. The critical role of T-cell immunity in control of C. burnetii has been made clear, since either CD8+ or CD4+ T cells can empower clearance. The purpose of this study was to identify C. burnetii proteins bearing epitopes that interact with major histocompatibility complexes (MHC) from multiple host species (human, mouse, and cattle). Results Of the annotated 1815 proteins from the Nine Mile Phase I (RSA 493) assembly, 402 proteins were removed from analysis due to a lack of inter-isolate conservation. An additional 391 proteins were eliminated from assessment to avoid potential autoimmune responses due to the presence of host homology. We analyzed the remaining 1022 proteins for their ability to produce peptides that bind MHCI or MHCII. MHCI and MHCII predicted epitopes were filtered and compared between species yielding 777 MHCI epitopes and 453 MHCII epitopes. These epitopes were further examined for presentation by both MHCI and MHCII, and for proteins that contained multiple epitopes. There were 31 epitopes that overlapped positionally between MHCI and MHCII across host species. Of these, there were 9 epitopes represented within proteins containing ≥ 5 total epitopes, where an additional 24 proteins were also epitope dense. In all, 55 proteins were found to contain high scoring T-cell epitopes. Besides the well-studied protein Com1, most identified proteins were novel when compared to previously studied vaccine candidates. Conclusion These data represent the first proteome-wide evaluation of C. burnetii peptide epitopes. Furthermore, the inclusion of human, mouse, and bovine data capture a range of hosts for this zoonotic pathogen plus an important model organism. This work provides new vaccine targets for future vaccination efforts and enhances opportunities for selecting multiple T-cell epitope types to include within a vaccine. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12859-021-04181-w.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Codie J Durfee
- USDA-ARS Animal Disease Research Unit, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Stephen N White
- USDA-ARS Animal Disease Research Unit, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA. .,Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA. .,Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA.
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Multi-step screening of neoantigens' HLA- and TCR-interfaces improves prediction of survival. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9983. [PMID: 33976291 PMCID: PMC8113358 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89016-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Improvement of risk stratification through prognostic biomarkers may enhance the personalization of cancer patient monitoring and treatment. We used Ancer, an immunoinformatic CD8, CD4, and regulatory T cell neoepitope screening system, to perform an advanced neoantigen analysis of genomic data derived from the urothelial cancer cohort of The Cancer Genome Atlas. Ancer demonstrated improved prognostic stratification and five-year survival prediction compared to standard analyses using tumor mutational burden or neoepitope identification using NetMHCpan and NetMHCIIpan. The superiority of Ancer, shown in both univariate and multivariate survival analyses, is attributed to the removal of neoepitopes that do not contribute to tumor immunogenicity based on their homology with self-epitopes. This analysis suggests that the presence of a higher number of unique, non-self CD8- and CD4-neoepitopes contributes to cancer survival, and that prospectively defining these neoepitopes using Ancer is a novel prognostic or predictive biomarker.
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Nooroong P, Trinachartvanit W, Baimai V, Anuracpreeda P, Ahantarig A. Partial DnaK protein expression from Coxiella-like endosymbiont of Rhipicephalus annulatus tick. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249354. [PMID: 33793664 PMCID: PMC8016282 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Q fever is one of the most important zoonotic diseases caused by the obligate intracellular bacteria, Coxiella burnetii. This bacterial infection has been frequently reported in both humans and animals, especially ruminants. Ticks are important ectoparasite and serve as reservoir hosts of Coxiella-like endosymbionts (CLEs). In this study, we have attempted to express chaperone-coding genes from CLEs of Rhipicephalus annulatus ticks collected fromcow path. The partial DnaK coding sequence has been amplified and expressed by Escherichia coli. Amino acid sequences have been analyzed by MS-MS spectrometry and the UniProt database. Despites nucleotide sequences indicating high nucleotide variation and diversity, many nucleotide substitutions are synonymous. In addition, amino acid substitutions compensate for the physicochemical properties of the original amino acids. Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource (IEDB-AR) was employed to indicate the antigenicity of the partial DnaK protein and predict the epitopes of B-and T-cells. Interestingly, some predicted HLA-A and B alleles of the MHC-I and HLA-DR alleles belonging to MHC-II were similar to T-cell responses to C. burnetii in Q fever patients. Therefore, the partial DnaK protein of CLE from R. annulatus could be considered a vaccine candidate and immunogenic marker with future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornpiroon Nooroong
- Department of Biology, Biodiversity Research Cluster, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Visut Baimai
- Department of Biology, Biodiversity Research Cluster, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Panat Anuracpreeda
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Arunee Ahantarig
- Department of Biology, Biodiversity Research Cluster, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence for Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
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Self-Replicating RNAs Drive Protective Anti-tumor T Cell Responses to Neoantigen Vaccine Targets in a Combinatorial Approach. Mol Ther 2020; 29:1186-1198. [PMID: 33278563 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.11.027] [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: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically poor clinical results of tumor vaccines have been attributed to weakly immunogenic antigen targets, limited specificity, and vaccine platforms that fail to induce high-quality polyfunctional T cells, central to mediating cellular immunity. We show here that the combination of antigen selection, construct design, and a robust vaccine platform based on the Synthetically Modified Alpha Replicon RNA Technology (SMARRT), a self-replicating RNA, leads to control of tumor growth in mice. Therapeutic immunization with SMARRT replicon-based vaccines expressing tumor-specific neoantigens or tumor-associated antigen were able to generate polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in mice. Additionally, checkpoint inhibitors, or co-administration of cytokine also expressed from the SMARRT platform, synergized to enhance responses further. Lastly, SMARRT-based immunization of non-human primates was able to elicit high-quality T cell responses, demonstrating translatability and clinical feasibility of synthetic replicon technology for therapeutic oncology vaccines.
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25
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Sahu R, Rawool DB, Vinod VK, Malik SVS, Barbuddhe SB. Current approaches for the detection of Coxiella burnetii infection in humans and animals. J Microbiol Methods 2020; 179:106087. [PMID: 33086105 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2020.106087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Q fever (coxiellosis), caused by Coxiella burnetii, is an emerging or re-emerging zoonotic disease of public health significance and with worldwide distribution. As a causal agent of the one among the 13 global priority zoonoses, having the infectious dose as low as one bacterium, C. burnetii has been regarded as an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen. The agent has been classified as a Group B bioterrorism agent by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the disease is included in the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) list of notifiable diseases. It is mainly transmitted through airborne route in humans and animals. Isolation of C. burnetii, using standard routine laboratory culture techniques was impossible until formulation of axenic-based medium. However, it is still to be included among routinely isolated laboratory pathogen, accounting prolonged incubation period (~7 days) and requirement of specific oxygen concentration (2.5% O2). Therefore, indirect diagnostic tools have been mainly used for its diagnosis. So far serology has been mostly used for testing for C. burnetii infection. The detection of C. burnetii DNA by PCR in various clinical samples have also been widely used. The disease has remained largely under-reported, underdiagnosed and as a masked zoonosis; and therefore, needs to be explored through well-planned scientific studies for knowing its true status and likely it impact in humans and animals by employing state-of-the-art diagnostics, identifying its diverse and new host range, as well as risk factors involved in different geo-climatic, behavioural and social settings as well as risk groups. Here, we reviewed the current approaches used for the detection of C. burnetii infection in humans and animals at the population and individual level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radhakrishna Sahu
- Division of Veterinary Public Health, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar 243 122, India
| | - Deepak B Rawool
- ICAR- National Research Centre on Meat, Hyderabad 500 092, India
| | - Valil Kunjukunju Vinod
- Division of Veterinary Public Health, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar 243 122, India
| | - S V S Malik
- Division of Veterinary Public Health, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar 243 122, India
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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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De Groot AS, Moise L, Terry F, Gutierrez AH, Hindocha P, Richard G, Hoft DF, Ross TM, Noe AR, Takahashi Y, Kotraiah V, Silk SE, Nielsen CM, Minassian AM, Ashfield R, Ardito M, Draper SJ, Martin WD. Better Epitope Discovery, Precision Immune Engineering, and Accelerated Vaccine Design Using Immunoinformatics Tools. Front Immunol 2020; 11:442. [PMID: 32318055 PMCID: PMC7154102 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Computational vaccinology includes epitope mapping, antigen selection, and immunogen design using computational tools. Tools that facilitate the in silico prediction of immune response to biothreats, emerging infectious diseases, and cancers can accelerate the design of novel and next generation vaccines and their delivery to the clinic. Over the past 20 years, vaccinologists, bioinformatics experts, and advanced programmers based in Providence, Rhode Island, USA have advanced the development of an integrated toolkit for vaccine design called iVAX, that is secure and user-accessible by internet. This integrated set of immunoinformatic tools comprises algorithms for scoring and triaging candidate antigens, selecting immunogenic and conserved T cell epitopes, re-engineering or eliminating regulatory T cell epitopes, and re-designing antigens to induce immunogenicity and protection against disease for humans and livestock. Commercial and academic applications of iVAX have included identifying immunogenic T cell epitopes in the development of a T-cell based human multi-epitope Q fever vaccine, designing novel influenza vaccines, identifying cross-conserved T cell epitopes for a malaria vaccine, and analyzing immune responses in clinical vaccine studies. Animal vaccine applications to date have included viral infections of pigs such as swine influenza A, PCV2, and African Swine Fever. “Rapid-Fire” applications for biodefense have included a demonstration project for Lassa Fever and Q fever. As recent infectious disease outbreaks underscore the significance of vaccine-driven preparedness, the integrated set of tools available on the iVAX toolkit stand ready to help vaccine developers deliver genome-derived, epitope-driven vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne S De Groot
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, United States.,Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Leonard Moise
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, United States.,Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Providence, RI, United States
| | | | - Andres H Gutierrez
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, United States.,Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Providence, RI, United States
| | | | | | - Daniel Fredric Hoft
- Departments of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology and Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy & Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Ted M Ross
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Amy R Noe
- Leidos Life Sciences, Frederick, MD, United States
| | | | | | - Sarah E Silk
- Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | - Simon J Draper
- Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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A Multiple Antigen Peptide Vaccine Containing CD4 + T Cell Epitopes Enhances Humoral Immunity against Trichinella spiralis Infection in Mice. J Immunol Res 2020; 2020:2074803. [PMID: 32377530 PMCID: PMC7199560 DOI: 10.1155/2020/2074803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 10/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiepitope peptide vaccine has some advantages over traditional recombinant protein vaccine due to its easy and fast production and possible inclusion of multiple protective epitopes of pathogens. However, it is usually poorly immunogenic and needs to conjugate to a large carrier protein. Peptides conjugated to a central lysine core to form multiple antigen peptides (MAPs) will increase the immunogenicity of peptide vaccine. In this study, we constructed a MAP consisting of CD4+ T cell and B cell epitopes of paramyosin (Pmy) of Trichinella spiralis (Ts-Pmy), which has been proved to be a good vaccine candidate in our previous work. The immunogenicity and induced protective immunity of MAP against Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) infection were evaluated in mice. We demonstrated that mice immunized with MAP containing CD4+ T cell and B cell epitopes (MAP-TB) induced significantly higher protection against the challenge of T. spiralis larvae (35.5% muscle larva reduction) compared to the MAP containing B cell epitope alone (MAP-B) with a 12.4% muscle larva reduction. The better protection induced by immunization of MAP-TB was correlated with boosted antibody titers (both IgG1 and IgG2a) and mixed Th1/Th2 cytokine production secreted by the splenocytes of immunized mice. Further flow cytometry analysis of lymphocytes in spleens and draining lymph nodes demonstrated that mice immunized with MAP-TB specifically enhanced the generation of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and germinal center (GC) B cells, while inhibiting follicular regulatory CD4+ T (Tfr) cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells. Immunofluorescence staining of spleen sections also confirmed that MAP-TB vaccination enhanced the formation of GCs. Our results suggest that CD4+ T cell epitope of Ts-Pmy is crucial in vaccine component for inducing better protection against T. spiralis infection.
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Coxiella burnetii Epitope-Specific T-Cell Responses in Patients with Chronic Q Fever. Infect Immun 2019; 87:IAI.00213-19. [PMID: 31331958 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00213-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection with Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, can result in life-threatening persistent infection. Reactogenicity hinders worldwide implementation of the only licensed human Q fever vaccine. We previously demonstrated long-lived immunoreactivity in individuals with past symptomatic and asymptomatic Coxiella infection (convalescents) to promiscuous HLA class II C. burnetii epitopes, providing the basis for a novel T-cell targeted subunit vaccine. In this study, we investigated in a cohort of 22 individuals treated for persistent infection (chronic Q fever) whether they recognize the same set of epitopes or distinct epitopes that could be candidates for a therapeutic vaccine or aid in the diagnosis of persistent infection. In cultured enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISpot) assays, individuals with chronic Q fever showed strong class II epitope-specific responses that were largely overlapping with the peptide repertoire identified previously for convalescents. Five additional peptides were recognized more frequently by chronic subjects, but there was no combination of epitopes uniquely recognized by or nonreactive in subjects with chronic Q fever. Consistent with more recent/prolonged exposure, we found, however, stronger ex vivo responses by direct ELISpot to both whole-cell C. burnetii and individual peptides in chronic patients than in convalescents. In conclusion, we have validated and expanded a previously published set of candidate epitopes for a novel T-cell targeted subunit Q fever vaccine in treated patients with chronic Q fever and demonstrated that they successfully mounted a T-cell response comparable to that of convalescents. Finally, we demonstrated that individuals treated for chronic Q fever mount a broader ex vivo response to class II epitopes than convalescents, which could be explored for diagnostic purposes.
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