1
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Xu H, Chen Y, Li J, Li M, Sun M, Chen J, Li L, Xue Q, Ma H. Altering the competitive environment of B cell epitopes significantly extends the duration of antibody production. Int Immunol 2024; 36:517-528. [PMID: 38708774 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxae027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Persistent immunoglobulin G (IgG) production (PIP) provides long-term vaccine protection. While variations in the duration of protection have been observed with vaccines prepared from different pathogens, little is known about the factors that determine PIP. Here, we investigated the impact of three parameters on the duration of anti-peptide IgG production, namely amino acid sequences, protein carriers, and immunization programs. We show that anti-peptide IgG production can be transformed from transient IgG production (TIP) to PIP, by placing short peptides (Pi) containing linear B cell epitopes in different competitive environments using bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugates instead of the original viral particles. When goats were immunized with the peste des petits ruminants (PPR) live-attenuated vaccine (containing Pi as the constitutive component) and BSA-Pi conjugate, anti-Pi IgG production exhibited TIP (duration < 60 days) and PIP (duration > 368 days), respectively. Further, this PIP was unaffected by subsequent immunization with the PPR live-attenuated vaccine in the same goat. When goats were coimmunized with PPR live-attenuated vaccine and BSA-Pi, the induced anti-Pi IgG production showed a slightly extended TIP (from ~60 days to ~100 days). This discovery provides new perspectives for studying the fate of plasma cells in humoral immune responses and developing peptide vaccines related to linear neutralizing epitopes from various viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongke Xu
- Division of Nanobiomedicine, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yanfei Chen
- China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Jingzhi Li
- Division of Nanobiomedicine, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Mengyu Li
- Division of Nanobiomedicine, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123, China
- School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Miao Sun
- China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Jian Chen
- China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Ling Li
- China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Qinghong Xue
- China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Hongwei Ma
- Division of Nanobiomedicine, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123, China
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2
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Chen Z, Zhang Y, Wu J, Xu J, Hu Z, Fan XY. A multistage protein subunit vaccine as BCG-booster confers protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in murine models. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 139:112811. [PMID: 39068754 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
The eradication of tuberculosis remains a global challenge. Despite being the only licensed vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) confers limited protective efficacy in adults and individuals with latent tuberculosis infections (LTBI). There is an urgent need to develop novel vaccines that can enhance the protective effect of BCG. Protein subunit vaccines have garnered significant research interest due to their safety and plasticity. Based on previous studies, we selected three antigens associated with LTBI (Rv2028c, Rv2029c, Rv3126c) and fused them with an immunodominant antigen Ag85A, resulting in the construction of a multistage protein subunit vaccine named A986. We evaluated the protective effect of recombinant protein A986 adjuvanted with MPL/QS21 as a booster vaccine for BCG against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection in mice. The A986 + MPL/QS21 induced the secretion of antigen-specific Th1 (IL-2+, IFN-γ+ and TNF-α+) and Th17 (IL-17A+) cytokines in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells within the lung and spleen of mice, while also increased the frequency of central memory and effector memory T cells. Additionally, it also induced the enhanced production of IgG antibodies. Compared to BCG alone, A986 + MPL/QS21 boosting significantly augmented the proliferation of antigen-specific multifunctional T cells and effectively reduced bacterial load in infected mice. Taken together, A986 + MPL/QS21 formulation induced robust antigen-specific immune responses and provided enhanced protection against Mtb infection as a booster of BCG vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyan Chen
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China; National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital & The Second Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518112, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Juan Wu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Jinchuan Xu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Zhidong Hu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China.
| | - Xiao-Yong Fan
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China; National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital & The Second Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518112, Guangdong Province, China.
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3
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Kwon KW, Choi HG, Choi HH, Choi E, Kim H, Kim HJ, Shin SJ. Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of RipA, a peptidoglycan hydrolase, against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing outbreak strains. Vaccine 2024; 42:1941-1952. [PMID: 38368223 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.02.039] [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: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Given that individuals with latent tuberculosis (TB) infection represent the major reservoir of TB infection, latency-associated antigens may be promising options for development of improved multi-antigenic TB subunit vaccine. Thus, we selected RipA, a peptidoglycan hydrolase required for efficient cell division of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), as vaccine candidate. We found that RipA elicited activation of dendritic cells (DCs) by induction of phenotypic maturation, increased production of inflammatory cytokines, and prompt stimulation of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. In addition, RipA-treated DCs promoted Th1-polarzied immune responses of naïve CD4+ T cells with increased proliferation and activated T cells from Mtb-infected mice, which conferred enhanced control of mycobacterial growth inside macrophages. Moreover, mice immunized with RipA formulated in GLA-SE adjuvant displayed remarkable generation of Ag-specific polyfunctional CD4+ T cells in both lung and spleen. Following an either conventional or ultra-low dose aerosol challenges with 2 Mtb Beijing clinical strains, RipA/GLA-SE-immunization was not inferior to BCG by mediating protection as single Ag. Collectively, our findings highlighted that RipA could be a novel candidate as a component of multi-antigenic TB subunit vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kee Woong Kwon
- Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, South Korea; Institute for Immunology and Immunological Disease, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, South Korea; Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52727, South Korea
| | - Han-Gyu Choi
- Department of Microbiology, and Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, South Korea
| | - Hong-Hee Choi
- Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, South Korea
| | - Eunsol Choi
- Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, South Korea
| | - Hagyu Kim
- Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, South Korea
| | - Hwa-Jung Kim
- Department of Microbiology, and Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, South Korea
| | - Sung Jae Shin
- Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, South Korea; Institute for Immunology and Immunological Disease, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, South Korea.
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4
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Kwon KW, Choi HG, Kim KS, Park SA, Kim HJ, Shin SJ. BCG-booster vaccination with HSP90-ESAT-6-HspX-RipA multivalent subunit vaccine confers durable protection against hypervirulent Mtb in mice. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:55. [PMID: 38459038 PMCID: PMC10923817 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00847-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The quest for effective and enhanced multiantigenic tuberculosis (TB) subunit vaccine necessitates the induction of a protective pathogen-specific immune response while circumventing detrimental inflammation within the lung milieu. In line with this goal, we engineered a modified iteration of the quadrivalent vaccine, namely HSP90-ESAT-6-HspX-RipA (HEHR), which was coupled with the TLR4 adjuvant, CIA09A. The ensuing formulation was subjected to comprehensive assessment to gauge its protective efficacy against the hypervirulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) Haarlem clinical strain M2, following a BCG-prime boost regimen. Regardless of vaccination route, both intramuscular and subcutaneous administration with the HEHR vaccine exhibited remarkable protective efficacy in significantly reducing the Mtb bacterial burden and pulmonary inflammation. This underscores its notably superior protective potential compared to the BCG vaccine alone or a former prototype, the HSP90-E6 subunit vaccine. In addition, this superior protective efficacy was confirmed when testing a tag-free version of the HEHR vaccine. Furthermore, the protective immune determinant, represented by durable antigen-specific CD4+IFN-γ+IL-17A+ T-cells expressing a CXCR3+KLRG1- cell surface phenotype in the lung, was robustly induced in HEHR-boosted mice at 12 weeks post-challenge. Collectively, our data suggest that the BCG-prime HEHR boost vaccine regimen conferred improved and long-term protection against hypervirulent Mtb strain with robust antigen-specific Th1/Th17 responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kee Woong Kwon
- Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, South Korea
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52727, South Korea
| | - Han-Gyu Choi
- Department of Microbiology, and Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 35015, South Korea
| | | | - Shin Ae Park
- R&D Center, EyeGene Inc., Goyang, 10551, South Korea
| | - Hwa-Jung Kim
- Department of Microbiology, and Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 35015, South Korea.
| | - Sung Jae Shin
- Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, South Korea.
- Institute for Immunology and Immunological Disease, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, South Korea.
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5
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Feola S, Chiaro J, Fusciello M, Russo S, Kleino I, Ylösmäki L, Kekäläinen E, Hästbacka J, Pekkarinen PT, Ylösmäki E, Capone S, Folgori A, Raggioli A, Boni C, Tiezzi C, Vecchi A, Gelzo M, Kared H, Nardin A, Fehlings M, Barban V, Ahokas P, Viitala T, Castaldo G, Pastore L, Porter P, Pesonen S, Cerullo V. PeptiVAX: A new adaptable peptides-delivery platform for development of CTL-based, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 262:129926. [PMID: 38331062 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129926] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) posed a threat to public health and the global economy, necessitating the development of various vaccination strategies. Mutations in the SPIKE protein gene, a crucial component of mRNA and adenovirus-based vaccines, raised concerns about vaccine efficacy, prompting the need for rapid vaccine updates. To address this, we leveraged PeptiCRAd, an oncolytic vaccine based on tumor antigen decorated oncolytic adenoviruses, creating a vaccine platform called PeptiVAX. First, we identified multiple CD8 T-cell epitopes from highly conserved regions across coronaviruses, expanding the range of T-cell responses to non-SPIKE proteins. We designed short segments containing the predicted epitopes presented by common HLA-Is in the global population. Testing the immunogenicity, we characterized T-cell responses to candidate peptides in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from pre-pandemic healthy donors and ICU patients. As a proof of concept in mice, we selected a peptide with epitopes predicted to bind to murine MHC-I haplotypes. Our technology successfully elicited peptide-specific T-cell responses, unaffected by the use of unarmed adenoviral vectors or adeno-based vaccines encoding SPIKE. In conclusion, PeptiVAX represents a fast and adaptable SARS-CoV-2 vaccine delivery system that broadens T-cell responses beyond the SPIKE protein, offering potential benefits for vaccine effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Feola
- Drug Research Program (DRP) ImmunoViroTherapy Lab (IVT), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Viikinkaari 5E, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), Fabianinkatu 33, University of Helsinki, 00710 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Program (TRIMM), Faculty of Medicine Helsinki University, postal code Haartmaninkatu 8, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship (iCAN), University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jacopo Chiaro
- Drug Research Program (DRP) ImmunoViroTherapy Lab (IVT), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Viikinkaari 5E, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), Fabianinkatu 33, University of Helsinki, 00710 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Program (TRIMM), Faculty of Medicine Helsinki University, postal code Haartmaninkatu 8, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship (iCAN), University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Manlio Fusciello
- Drug Research Program (DRP) ImmunoViroTherapy Lab (IVT), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Viikinkaari 5E, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), Fabianinkatu 33, University of Helsinki, 00710 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Program (TRIMM), Faculty of Medicine Helsinki University, postal code Haartmaninkatu 8, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship (iCAN), University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Salvatore Russo
- Drug Research Program (DRP) ImmunoViroTherapy Lab (IVT), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Viikinkaari 5E, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), Fabianinkatu 33, University of Helsinki, 00710 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Program (TRIMM), Faculty of Medicine Helsinki University, postal code Haartmaninkatu 8, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship (iCAN), University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Iivari Kleino
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University Turku, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Eliisa Kekäläinen
- Translational Immunology Program (TRIMM), Faculty of Medicine Helsinki University, postal code Haartmaninkatu 8, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; HUSLAB Clinical Microbiology, HUS Diagnostic Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johanna Hästbacka
- HUSLAB Clinical Microbiology, HUS Diagnostic Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pirkka T Pekkarinen
- Translational Immunology Program (TRIMM), Faculty of Medicine Helsinki University, postal code Haartmaninkatu 8, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Division of Intensive Care Medicine, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Finland
| | - Erkko Ylösmäki
- Drug Research Program (DRP) ImmunoViroTherapy Lab (IVT), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Viikinkaari 5E, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), Fabianinkatu 33, University of Helsinki, 00710 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Program (TRIMM), Faculty of Medicine Helsinki University, postal code Haartmaninkatu 8, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship (iCAN), University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | | | | | | | - Carolina Boni
- Laboratory of Viral Immunopathology, Unit of Infectious Disease and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Camilla Tiezzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Andrea Vecchi
- Laboratory of Viral Immunopathology, Unit of Infectious Disease and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Monica Gelzo
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy; Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Tapani Viitala
- Pharmaceutical Biophysics Research Group, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Giuseppe Castaldo
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy; Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Lucio Pastore
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy; Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy; Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Naples University "Federico II", S. Pansini 5, Italy
| | - Paul Porter
- Valo Therapeutics Oy, Helsinki, Finland; School of Nursing, Curtin University, GPO Box U 1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
| | | | - Vincenzo Cerullo
- Drug Research Program (DRP) ImmunoViroTherapy Lab (IVT), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Viikinkaari 5E, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), Fabianinkatu 33, University of Helsinki, 00710 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Program (TRIMM), Faculty of Medicine Helsinki University, postal code Haartmaninkatu 8, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship (iCAN), University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland; Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, FIMM, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland; Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Naples University "Federico II", S. Pansini 5, Italy.
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6
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Poria R, Kala D, Nagraik R, Dhir Y, Dhir S, Singh B, Kaushik NK, Noorani MS, Kaushal A, Gupta S. Vaccine development: Current trends and technologies. Life Sci 2024; 336:122331. [PMID: 38070863 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.122331] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Despite the effectiveness of vaccination in reducing or eradicating diseases caused by pathogens, there remain certain diseases and emerging infections for which developing effective vaccines is inherently challenging. Additionally, developing vaccines for individuals with compromised immune systems or underlying medical conditions presents significant difficulties. As well as traditional vaccine different methods such as inactivated or live attenuated vaccines, viral vector vaccines, and subunit vaccines, emerging non-viral vaccine technologies, including viral-like particle and nanoparticle vaccines, DNA/RNA vaccines, and rational vaccine design, offer new strategies to address the existing challenges in vaccine development. These advancements have also greatly enhanced our understanding of vaccine immunology, which will guide future vaccine development for a broad range of diseases, including rapidly emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19 and diseases that have historically proven resistant to vaccination. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of emerging non-viral vaccine production methods and their application in addressing the fundamental and current challenges in vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renu Poria
- Department of Bio-Sciences and Technology, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to Be) University, Mullana, Ambala 134003, India
| | - Deepak Kala
- Centera Laboratories, Institute of High Pressure Physics PAS, 01-142 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Rupak Nagraik
- School of Bioengineering and Food Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Yashika Dhir
- Department of Bio-Sciences and Technology, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to Be) University, Mullana, Ambala 134003, India
| | - Sunny Dhir
- Department of Bio-Sciences and Technology, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to Be) University, Mullana, Ambala 134003, India
| | - Bharat Singh
- Department of Bio-Sciences and Technology, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to Be) University, Mullana, Ambala 134003, India
| | - Naveen Kumar Kaushik
- Amity Institute of Virology and Immunology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Sector-125, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Md Salik Noorani
- Department of Botany, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India
| | - Ankur Kaushal
- Department of Bio-Sciences and Technology, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to Be) University, Mullana, Ambala 134003, India.
| | - Shagun Gupta
- Department of Bio-Sciences and Technology, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to Be) University, Mullana, Ambala 134003, India.
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7
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Zhou F, Zhang D. Recent advance in the development of tuberculosis vaccines in clinical trials and virus-like particle-based vaccine candidates. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1238649. [PMID: 38022657 PMCID: PMC10652786 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1238649] [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: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious public health threat around the world. An effective vaccine is urgently required for cost-effective, long-term control of TB. However, the only licensed vaccine Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is limited to prevent TB for its highly variable efficacy. Substantial progress has been made in research and development (R&D) of TB vaccines in the past decades, and a dozen vaccine candidates, including live attenuated mycobacterial vaccines, killed mycobacterial vaccines, adjuvanted subunit vaccines, viral vector vaccines, and messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines were developed in clinical trials to date. Nevertheless, many challenges to the successful authorization for the use and deployment of an effective tuberculosis vaccine remain. Therefore, it is still necessary and urgent to continue exploring new vaccine construction approaches. Virus-like particles (VLPs) present excellent prospects in the field of vaccine development because of their helpful immunological features such as being safe templates without containing viral nucleic acid, repetitive surface geometry, conformational epitopes similar to natural viruses, and enhancing both innate and adaptive immune responses. The marketization process of VLP vaccines has never stopped despite VLP vaccines face several shortcomings such as their complex and slow development process and high production cost, and several VLP-based vaccines, including vaccines against Human papillomavirus (HPV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and malaria, are successfully licensed for use at the market. In this review, we provide an update on the current progress regarding the development of TB vaccines in clinical trials and seek to give an overview of VLP-based TB vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangbin Zhou
- Department of Tropical Diseases, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dongmei Zhang
- Department of Tropical Diseases, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
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8
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Bellini C, Vergara E, Bencs F, Fodor K, Bősze S, Krivić D, Bacsa B, Surguta SE, Tóvári J, Reljic R, Horváti K. Design and Characterization of a Multistage Peptide-Based Vaccine Platform to Target Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:1738-1753. [PMID: 37606258 PMCID: PMC10587871 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
The complex immunopathology ofMycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb) is one of the main challenges in developing a novel vaccine against this pathogen, particularly regarding eliciting protection against both active and latent stages. Multistage vaccines, which contain antigens expressed in both phases, represent a promising strategy for addressing this issue, as testified by the tuberculosis vaccine clinical pipeline. Given this approach, we designed and characterized a multistage peptide-based vaccine platform containing CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes previously validated for inducing a relevant T cell response against Mtb. After preliminary screening, CFP10 (32-39), GlfT2 (4-12), HBHA (185-194), and PPE15 (1-15) were selected as promising candidates, and we proved that the PM1 pool of these peptides triggered a T cell response in Mtb-sensitized human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Taking advantage of the use of thiol-maleimide chemoselective ligation, we synthesized a multiepitope conjugate (Ac-CGHP). Our results showed a structure-activity relationship between the conjugation and a higher tendency to fold and assume an ordered secondary structure. Moreover, the palmitoylated conjugate (Pal-CGHP) comprising the same peptide antigens was associated with an enhanced cellular uptake in human and murine antigen-presenting cells and a better immunogenicity profile. Immunization study, conducted in BALB/c mice, showed that Pal-CGHP induced a significantly higher T cell proliferation and production of IFNγ and TNFα over PM1 formulated in the Sigma Adjuvant System.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Bellini
- MTA-TTK
Lendület “Momentum” Peptide-Based Vaccines Research
Group, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary
- Hevesy
György PhD School of Chemistry, Eötvös
Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - Emil Vergara
- Institute
for Infection and Immunity, St. George’s,
University of London, London SW17 0RE, U.K.
| | - Fruzsina Bencs
- Hevesy
György PhD School of Chemistry, Eötvös
Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
- Laboratory
of Structural Chemistry and Biology, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - Kinga Fodor
- Department
of Laboratory Animal Science and Animal Protection, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest 1078, Hungary
| | - Szilvia Bősze
- ELKH-ELTE
Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd
Research Network (ELKH), Eötvös
Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - Denis Krivić
- Division
of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Gottfried Schatz Research Center, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Bernadett Bacsa
- Division
of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Gottfried Schatz Research Center, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Sára Eszter Surguta
- Department
of Experimental Pharmacology and National Tumor Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest 1122, Hungary
| | - József Tóvári
- Department
of Experimental Pharmacology and National Tumor Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest 1122, Hungary
| | - Rajko Reljic
- Institute
for Infection and Immunity, St. George’s,
University of London, London SW17 0RE, U.K.
| | - Kata Horváti
- MTA-TTK
Lendület “Momentum” Peptide-Based Vaccines Research
Group, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary
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9
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Krishnananthasivam S, Li H, Bouzeyen R, Shunmuganathan B, Purushotorman K, Liao X, Du F, Friis CGK, Crawshay-Williams F, Boon LH, Xinlei Q, Chan CEZ, Sobota R, Kozma M, Barcelli V, Wang G, Huang H, Floto A, Bifani P, Javid B, MacAry PA. An anti-LpqH human monoclonal antibody from an asymptomatic individual mediates protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:127. [PMID: 37626082 PMCID: PMC10457302 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00710-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Whilst a functional role for humoral immunity in Mtb protection remains poorly defined, previous studies have suggested that antibodies can contribute towards host defense. Thus, identifying the critical components in the antibody repertoires from immune, chronically exposed, healthy individuals represents an approach for identifying new determinants for natural protection. In this study, we performed a thorough analysis of the IgG/IgA memory B cell repertoire from occupationally exposed, immune volunteers. We detail the identification and selection of a human monoclonal antibody that exhibits protective activity in vivo and show that it targets a virulence factor LpqH. Intriguingly, protection in both human ex vivo and murine challenge experiments was isotype dependent, with most robust protection being mediated via IgG2 and IgA. These data have important implications for our understanding of natural mucosal immunity for Mtb and highlight a new target for future vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivankari Krishnananthasivam
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hao Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Rania Bouzeyen
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | | | - Kiren Purushotorman
- Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xinlei Liao
- National Clinical Laboratory on Tuberculosis, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Institute, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Fengjiao Du
- National Clinical Laboratory on Tuberculosis, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Institute, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Claudia Guldager Kring Friis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Felicity Crawshay-Williams
- Molecular Immunity Unit, University of Cambridge, Department of Medicine, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Low Heng Boon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Qian Xinlei
- Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Conrad En Zuo Chan
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Defence Medical and Environmental Research Institute, DSO National Laboratories, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Radoslaw Sobota
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mary Kozma
- Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Valeria Barcelli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Guirong Wang
- National Clinical Laboratory on Tuberculosis, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Institute, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Hairong Huang
- National Clinical Laboratory on Tuberculosis, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Institute, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Andreas Floto
- Molecular Immunity Unit, University of Cambridge, Department of Medicine, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Pablo Bifani
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Babak Javid
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Division of Experimental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
| | - Paul A MacAry
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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10
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Anes E, Pires D, Mandal M, Azevedo-Pereira JM. ESAT-6 a Major Virulence Factor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Biomolecules 2023; 13:968. [PMID: 37371548 DOI: 10.3390/biom13060968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of human tuberculosis (TB), is one of the most successfully adapted human pathogens. Human-to-human transmission occurs at high rates through aerosols containing bacteria, but the pathogen evolved prior to the establishment of crowded populations. Mtb has developed a particular strategy to ensure persistence in the host until an opportunity for transmission arises. It has refined its lifestyle to obviate the need for virulence factors such as capsules, flagella, pili, or toxins to circumvent mucosal barriers. Instead, the pathogen uses host macrophages, where it establishes intracellular niches for its migration into the lung parenchyma and other tissues and for the induction of long-lived latency in granulomas. Finally, at the end of the infection cycle, Mtb induces necrotic cell death in macrophages to escape to the extracellular milieu and instructs a strong inflammatory response that is required for the progression from latency to disease and transmission. Common to all these events is ESAT-6, one of the major virulence factors secreted by the pathogen. This narrative review highlights the recent advances in understanding the role of ESAT-6 in hijacking macrophage function to establish successful infection and transmission and its use as a target for the development of diagnostic tools and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Anes
- Host-Pathogen Interactions Unit, Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - David Pires
- Host-Pathogen Interactions Unit, Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, Católica Medical School, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Estrada Octávio Pato, 2635-631 Rio de Mouro, Portugal
| | - Manoj Mandal
- Host-Pathogen Interactions Unit, Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - José Miguel Azevedo-Pereira
- Host-Pathogen Interactions Unit, Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
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11
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Wang R, Fan X, Jiang Y, Li G, Li M, Zhao X, Luan X, Deng Y, Chen Z, Liu H, Wan K. Immunogenicity and efficacy analyses of EPC002, ECA006, and EPCP009 protein subunit combinations as tuberculosis vaccine candidates. Vaccine 2023:S0264-410X(23)00385-7. [PMID: 37225573 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from infectious diseases worldwide, and developing a new TB vaccine is a priority for TB control. Combining multiple immunodominant antigens to form a novel multicomponent vaccine with broad-spectrum antigens to induce protective immune responses is a trend in TB vaccine development. In this study, we used T-cell epitope-rich protein subunits to construct three antigenic combinations: EPC002, ECA006, and EPCP009. Fusion expression of purified protein EPC002f (CFP-10-linker-ESAT-6-linker-nPPE18), ECA006f (CFP-10-linker-ESAT-6-linker-Ag85B), and EPCP009f (CFP-10-linker-ESAT-6-linker-nPPE18-linker-nPstS1) and recombinant purified protein mixtures EPC002m (mix of CFP-10, ESAT-6, and nPPE18), ECA006m (mix of CFP-10, ESAT-6, and Ag85B), and EPCP009m (mix of CFP-10, ESAT-6, nPPE18, and nPstS1) were used as antigens, formulated with alum adjuvant, and the immunogenicity and efficacy were analyzed using immunity experiments with BALB/c mice. All protein-immunized groups elicited higher levels of humoral immunity, including IgG and IgG1. The IgG2a/IgG1 ratio of the EPCP009m-immunized group was the highest, followed by that of the EPCP009f-immunized group, which was significantly higher than the ratios of the other four groups. The multiplex microsphere-based cytokine immunoassay revealed that EPCP009f and EPCP009m induced the production of a wider range of cytokines than EPC002f, EPC002m, ECA006f, and ECA006m, which included Th1-type (IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α), Th2-type (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10), Th17-type (IL-17), and other proinflammatory cytokines (GM-CSF, IL-12). The enzyme-linked immunospot assays demonstrated that the EPCP009f- and EPCP009m-immunized groups had significantly higher amounts of IFN-γ than the other four groups. The in vitro mycobacterial growth inhibition assay demonstrated that EPCP009m inhibited Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) growth most strongly, followed by EPCP009f, which was significantly better than that of the other four vaccine candidates. These results indicated that EPCP009m containing four immunodominant antigens exhibited better immunogenicity and Mtb growth inhibition in vitro and may be a promising candidate vaccine for the control of TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruihuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xueting Fan
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Guilian Li
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Machao Li
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuqin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuli Luan
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yunli Deng
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Community Health Management Service Center, Longgang District People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zixin Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Department of Infection Control, Longgang District People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Haican Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
| | - Kanglin Wan
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
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12
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A Multistage Antigen Complex Epera013 Promotes Efficient and Comprehensive Immune Responses in BALB/c Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11030609. [PMID: 36992193 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11030609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious global health problem. Despite the widespread use of the Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, the primary factor for the TB pandemic and deaths is adult TB, which mainly result from endogenous reactivation of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. Improved new TB vaccines with eligible safety and long-lasting protective efficacy remains a crucial step toward the prevention and control of TB. In this study, five immunodominant antigens, including three early secreted antigens and two latency associated antigens, were used to construct a single recombinant fusion protein (Epera013f) and a protein mixture (Epera013m). When formulated with aluminum adjuvant, the two subunit vaccines Epera013m and Epera013f were administered to BALB/c mice. The humoral immune responses, cellular responses and MTB growth inhibiting capacity elicited after Epera013m and Epera013f immunization were analyzed. In the present study, we demonstrated that both the Epera013f and Epera013m were capable of inducing a considerable immune response and protective efficacy against H37Rv infection compared with BCG groups. In addition, Epera013f generated a more comprehensive and balanced immune status, including Th1, Th2 and innate immune response, over Epera013f and BCG. The multistage antigen complex Epera013f possesses considerable immunogenicity and protective efficacy against MTB infection ex vivo indicating its potential and promising applications in further TB vaccine development.
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13
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Biri-Kovács B, Bánóczi Z, Tummalapally A, Szabó I. Peptide Vaccines in Melanoma: Chemical Approaches towards Improved Immunotherapeutic Efficacy. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15020452. [PMID: 36839774 PMCID: PMC9963291 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer of the skin is by far the most common of all cancers. Although the incidence of melanoma is relatively low among skin cancers, it can account for a high number of skin cancer deaths. Since the start of deeper insight into the mechanisms of melanoma tumorigenesis and their strong interaction with the immune system, the development of new therapeutical strategies has been continuously rising. The high number of melanoma cell mutations provides a diverse set of antigens that the immune system can recognize and use to distinguish tumor cells from normal cells. Peptide-based synthetic anti-tumor vaccines are based on tumor antigens that elicit an immune response due to antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Although targeting APCs with peptide antigens is the most important assumption for vaccine development, peptide antigens alone are poorly immunogenic. The immunogenicity of peptide antigens can be improved not only by synthetic modifications but also by the assistance of adjuvants and/or delivery systems. The current review summarizes the different chemical approaches for the development of effective peptide-based vaccines for the immunotherapeutic treatment of advanced melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beáta Biri-Kovács
- ELKH-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Bánóczi
- ELKH-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Ildikó Szabó
- ELKH-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-TTK Lendület “Momentum” Peptide-Based Vaccines Research Group, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +36-13722500
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14
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Romano M, Squeglia F, Kramarska E, Barra G, Choi HG, Kim HJ, Ruggiero A, Berisio R. A Structural View at Vaccine Development against M. tuberculosis. Cells 2023; 12:317. [PMID: 36672252 PMCID: PMC9857197 DOI: 10.3390/cells12020317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is still the leading global cause of death from an infectious bacterial agent. Limiting tuberculosis epidemic spread is therefore an urgent global public health priority. As stated by the WHO, to stop the spread of the disease we need a new vaccine, with better coverage than the current Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccine. This vaccine was first used in 1921 and, since then, there are still no new licensed tuberculosis vaccines. However, there is extremely active research in the field, with a steep acceleration in the past decades, due to the advance of technologies and more rational vaccine design strategies. This review aims to gather latest updates in vaccine development in the various clinical phases and to underline the contribution of Structural Vaccinology (SV) to the development of safer and effective antigens. In particular, SV and the development of vaccine adjuvants is making the use of subunit vaccines, which are the safest albeit the less antigenic ones, an achievable goal. Indeed, subunit vaccines overcome safety concerns but need to be rationally re-engineered to enhance their immunostimulating effects. The larger availability of antigen structural information as well as a better understanding of the complex host immune response to TB infection is a strong premise for a further acceleration of TB vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Romano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, IBB, CNR, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Flavia Squeglia
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, IBB, CNR, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Eliza Kramarska
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, IBB, CNR, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanni Barra
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, IBB, CNR, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Han-Gyu Choi
- Department of Microbiology, and Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwa-Jung Kim
- Department of Microbiology, and Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Alessia Ruggiero
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, IBB, CNR, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Rita Berisio
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, IBB, CNR, 80131 Naples, Italy
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15
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Proteome Profile Changes Induced by Heterologous Overexpression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Derived Antigens PstS-1 (Rv0934) and Ag85B (Rv1886c) in Mycobacterium microti. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12121836. [PMID: 36551264 PMCID: PMC9775975 DOI: 10.3390/biom12121836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of new tuberculosis vaccines remains a global priority, and recombinant vaccines are a frequently investigated option. These vaccines follow a molecular strategy that may enhance protective efficacy. However, their functional differences, particularly with respect to glycosylation, remain unknown. Recent studies have shown that glycosylation plays a key role in the host-pathogen interactions during immune recognition. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in the glycosylation profiles of two recombinant strains of Mycobacterium microti, overexpressing Ag85B (Rv1886c) and PstS-1 (Rv0934) antigens of M. tuberculosis. For each strain, the glycosylation profile was determined by Western blotting with lectins. The results showed the presence of mannosylated proteins and evidence of linked sialic acid proteins. Interestingly, different proteome and glycoproteome profiles were observed between the two recombinant strains and the wild-type strain. We have shown here that the construction of the recombinant strains of M. microti has altered the proteome and glycosylation profiles of these strains, leading us to ask what impact these changes might have on the immune response.
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16
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Salaikumaran MR, Kasamuthu PS, Aathmanathan VS, Burra VLSP. An in silico approach to study the role of epitope order in the multi-epitope-based peptide (MEBP) vaccine design. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12584. [PMID: 35869117 PMCID: PMC9307121 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16445-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractWith different countries facing multiple waves, with some SARS-CoV-2 variants more deadly and virulent, the COVID-19 pandemic is becoming more dangerous by the day and the world is facing an even more dreadful extended pandemic with exponential positive cases and increasing death rates. There is an urgent need for more efficient and faster methods of vaccine development against SARS-CoV-2. Compared to experimental protocols, the opportunities to innovate are very high in immunoinformatics/in silico approaches, especially with the recent adoption of structural bioinformatics in peptide vaccine design. In recent times, multi-epitope-based peptide vaccine candidates (MEBPVCs) have shown extraordinarily high humoral and cellular responses to immunization. Most of the publications claim that respective reported MEBPVC(s) assembled using a set of in silico predicted epitopes, to be the computationally validated potent vaccine candidate(s) ready for experimental validation. However, in this article, for a given set of predicted epitopes, it is shown that the published MEBPVC is one among the many possible variants and there is high likelihood of finding more potent MEBPVCs than the published candidates. To test the same, a methodology is developed where novel MEBP variants are derived by changing the epitope order of the published MEBPVC. Further, to overcome the limitations of current qualitative methods of assessment of MEBPVC, to enable quantitative comparison and ranking for the discovery of more potent MEBPVCs, novel predictors, Percent Epitope Accessibility (PEA), Receptor specific MEBP vaccine potency (RMVP), MEBP vaccine potency (MVP) are introduced. The MEBP variants indeed showed varied MVP scores indicating varied immunogenicity. Further, the MEBP variants with IDs, SPVC_446 and SPVC_537, had the highest MVP scores indicating these variants to be more potent MEBPVCs than the published MEBPVC and hence should be preferred candidates for immediate experimental testing and validation. The method enables quicker selection and high throughput experimental validation of vaccine candidates. This study also opens the opportunity to develop new software tools for designing more potent MEBPVCs in less time.
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17
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Berisio R. Molecular Immunology in Bacterial Vaccine Discovery. Cells 2022; 11:cells11233803. [PMID: 36497063 PMCID: PMC9736273 DOI: 10.3390/cells11233803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a difficult challenge, as underscored by the World Health Organization (WHO), which identifies AMR as one of the three greatest threats to human health [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Berisio
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, IBB, CNR, Via Pietri Castellino 111, I-80131 Napoli, Italy
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18
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Ghaemi A, Roshani Asl P, Zargaran H, Ahmadi D, Hashimi AA, Abdolalipour E, Bathaeian S, Miri SM. Recombinant COVID-19 vaccine based on recombinant RBD/Nucleoprotein and saponin adjuvant induces long-lasting neutralizing antibodies and cellular immunity. Front Immunol 2022; 13:974364. [PMID: 36159845 PMCID: PMC9494508 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.974364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic, infecting millions of people. An effective preventive vaccine against this virus is urgently needed. Here, we designed and developed a novel formulated recombinant receptor-binding domain (RBD) nucleocapsid (N) recombinant vaccine candidates. The RBD and N were separately expressed in E. coli and purified using column chromatography. The female Balb/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with the combination of purified RBD and N alone or formulated with saponin adjuvant in a two-week interval in three doses. Neutralization antibody (Nabs) titers against the SARS-CoV-2 were detected by a Surrogate Virus Neutralization (sVNT) Test. Also, total IgG and IgG1, and IgG2a isotypes and the balance of cytokines in the spleen (IFN-γ, Granzyme B, IL-4, and IL-12) were measured by ELISA. The percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were quantified by flow cytometry. The lymphoproliferative activity of restimulated spleen cells was also determined. The findings showed that the combination of RBD and N proteins formulated with saponin significantly promoted specific total IgG and neutralization antibodies, elicited robust specific lymphoproliferative and T cell response responses. Moreover, marked increase in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were observed in the adjuvanted RBD and N vaccine group compared with other groups. The results suggest that the formulations are able to elicit a specific long-lasting mixed Th1/Th2 balanced immune response. Our data indicate the significance of the saponin-adjuvanted RBD/N vaccine in the design of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and provide a rationale for the development of a protective long-lasting and strong vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Ghaemi
- Department of Influenza and other respiratory viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parisa Roshani Asl
- Department of Influenza and other respiratory viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Delaram Ahmadi
- Department of Influenza and other respiratory viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | | | - Sahar Bathaeian
- Department of Influenza and other respiratory viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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19
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Yu W, Shen L, Qi Q, Hu T. Conjugation with loxoribine and mannan improves the immunogenicity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis CFP10-TB10.4 fusion protein. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2022; 172:193-202. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2022.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 01/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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20
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Gong W, Pan C, Cheng P, Wang J, Zhao G, Wu X. Peptide-Based Vaccines for Tuberculosis. Front Immunol 2022; 13:830497. [PMID: 35173740 PMCID: PMC8841753 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.830497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the global TB mortality rate in 2020 is rising, making TB prevention and control more challenging. Vaccination has been considered the best approach to reduce the TB burden. Unfortunately, BCG, the only TB vaccine currently approved for use, offers some protection against childhood TB but is less effective in adults. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new TB vaccines that are more effective than BCG. Accumulating data indicated that peptides or epitopes play essential roles in bridging innate and adaptive immunity and triggering adaptive immunity. Furthermore, innovations in bioinformatics, immunoinformatics, synthetic technologies, new materials, and transgenic animal models have put wings on the research of peptide-based vaccines for TB. Hence, this review seeks to give an overview of current tools that can be used to design a peptide-based vaccine, the research status of peptide-based vaccines for TB, protein-based bacterial vaccine delivery systems, and animal models for the peptide-based vaccines. These explorations will provide approaches and strategies for developing safer and more effective peptide-based vaccines and contribute to achieving the WHO's End TB Strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenping Gong
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Cheng
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou City, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Guangyu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Xueqiong Wu
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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21
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Yuan L, Gao XD, Xia Y. Optimising the oil phases of aluminium hydrogel-stabilised emulsions for stable, safe and efficient vaccine adjuvant. Front Chem Sci Eng 2022; 16:973-984. [PMID: 35070473 PMCID: PMC8762986 DOI: 10.1007/s11705-021-2123-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To increase antibody secretion and dose sparing, squalene-in-water aluminium hydrogel (alum)-stabilised emulsions (ASEs) have been developed, which offer increased surface areas and cellular interactions for higher antigen loading and enhanced immune responses. Nevertheless, the squalene (oil) in previous attempts suffered from limited oxidation resistance, thus, safety and stability were compromised. From a clinical translational perspective, it is imperative to screen the optimal oils for enhanced emulsion adjuvants. Here, because of the varying oleic to linoleic acid ratio, soybean oil, peanut oil, and olive oil were utilised as oil phases in the preparation of aluminium hydrogel-stabilised squalene-in-water emulsions, which were then screened for their stability and immunogenicity. Additionally, the underlying mechanisms of oil phases and emulsion stability were unravelled, which showed that a higher oleic to linoleic acid ratio increased anti-oxidative capabilities but reduced the long-term storage stability owing to the relatively low zeta potential of the prepared droplets. As a result, compared with squalene-in-water ASEs, soybean-in-water ASEs exhibited comparable immune responses and enhanced stability. By optimising the oil phase of the emulsion adjuvants, this work may offer an alternative strategy for safe, stable, and effective emulsion adjuvants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122 China
| | - Xiao-Dong Gao
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122 China
| | - Yufei Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
- Innovation Academy for Green Manufacture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China
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22
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Design of a peptide-based vaccine from late stage specific immunogenic cross-reactive antigens of PE/PPE proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Eur J Pharm Sci 2021; 168:106051. [PMID: 34744006 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2021.106051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Since decades now, Tuberculosis (TB) is among the leading cause of death globally. Innovative and extensive research strategies are necessary to lower TB incidence and achieve the End TB Strategy milestone. Epitope-based vaccine designing and development provides a promising solution with high efficacy and effectiveness. Mining of less studied genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is crucial for recognizing potential antigenic peptide epitopes which can mount protective immune response in host. Many proteins from ESX associated Proline-Glutamate (PE)/ Proline-Proline-Glutamate (PPE) family are virulence factors and alter host mediated immune response against the pathogen. In the present study, we have targeted 34 late stage expressing (being expressed at 90 days) PE/PPE proteins of Mtb for prediction and identification of promiscuous, immunogenic and cross-reactive CD4+ T cell specific epitopes. We found a total of 149 promiscuous and cross-reactive epitopes out of which 42 were antigenic as well. Further, we shortlisted top 10 Promiscuous, Cross-reactive CD4+ T cell specific, Antigenic Peptide Epitopes (PCAPEs) which were characterized to be non-allergenic and pro-inflammatory cytokine inducing in nature. These epitopes also showed strong binding affinity for CD8+ T cell restricted Major Histo-compatibility Complex (MHC) class I alleles. Additionally, these PCAPEs showed wide population coverage of 99.6% globally for both MHC class I and class II alleles. Molecular docking studies were conducted to confirm the affinity of these shortlisted peptides for widely occurring MHC alleles. Additionally, we performed codon adaptation and in silico cloning of the recombinant vaccine construct incorporating EsxA (ESAT-6) as an adjuvant and the 10 selected PCAPEs joined by linkers. The recombinant vaccine construct showed strong affinity for Toll-like receptor2 (TLR2) immune receptor in docking studies. In silico prediction based study using C-ImmSim server shows significant population of Th1 type immune cells with memory cells lasting for months in response to our vaccine administration. Since, majority of TB vaccines under clinical trials are antigens expressed at early stages; a combinatorial approach inclusive of peptide epitopes derived from proteins being expressed at all stages could be a promising strategy to design and develop effective TB vaccine. Synthesis and experimental validation of this multi-epitopic recombinant TB vaccine construct may result in an effective vaccine to confer protection against Mtb.
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23
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Madan R, Pandit K, Bhati L, Kumar H, Kumari N, Singh S. Mining the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome for identification of potential T-cell epitope based vaccine candidates. Microb Pathog 2021; 157:104996. [PMID: 34044044 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.104996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Identification of protective antigens for designing a high-efficacy tuberculosis vaccine is the need of the hour. Till date only 7% of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome has been explored for discovering antigens capable of activating T-cell responses. Therefore, it becomes crucial to screen the remaining Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome for more immunodominant T-cell epitopes. An extensive knowledge of the epitopes recognized by our immune system can aid this process of finding potential T cell antigens for development of a better TB vaccine. In the present in-silico study, 237 proteins belonging to the 'virulence, detoxification, and adaptation' category of Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome were targeted for T-cell epitope screening. 50825 MHC Class I and 49357 MHC Class II epitopes were generated using NetMHC3.4 and IEDB servers respectively and tested for their antigenicity and cytokine stimulation. The highest antigenic epitopes were analyzed for their world population coverage and epitope conservancy. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies were performed to corroborate the binding affinities and structural stability of the peptide-MHC complexes. We predicted a total of 3 MHC Class I (ILLKMCWPA, FAVGMNVYV, and SLAGNSAKV) and 7 MHC Class II (DLTIGFFLHIPFPPV, RPDLTIGFFLHIPFP, LTIGFFLHIPFPPVE, VLVFALVVALVYLQF, LVFALVVALVYLQFR, PNLVAARFIQLTPVY, and LVLVFALVVALVYLQ) epitopes that can be promising vaccine candidates. These predicted epitopes belong to 6 distinct proteins: Rv0169 (mce1a), Rv3490 (ostA), Rv3496 (mce4D), Rv1085c, Rv0563 (HtpX), Rv3497c (mce4C). All these proteins are expressed at different stages in the life cycle of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and thus, the predicted epitopes could be employed as candidates for designing a multistage-multiepitopic vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riya Madan
- Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, India.
| | - Kushankur Pandit
- Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, India.
| | - Lavi Bhati
- Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, India.
| | - Hindesh Kumar
- Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, India.
| | - Neha Kumari
- Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, India.
| | - Swati Singh
- Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, India.
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Use of a Novel Peptide Welding Technology Platform for the Development of B- and T-Cell Epitope-Based Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9050526. [PMID: 34069535 PMCID: PMC8160815 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9050526] [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: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide vaccines incorporating B- and T-cell epitopes have shown promise in the context of various cancers and infections. These vaccines are relatively simple to manufacture, but more immunogenic formulations are considered a priority. We developed tetrabranched derivatives for this purpose based on a novel peptide welding technology (PWT). PWTs provide molecular scaffolds for the efficient synthesis of ultrapure peptide dendrimers, which allow the delivery of multiple ligands within a single macromolecular structure. Peptide vaccines incorporating T-cell epitopes derived from melanoma and B-cell epitopes derived from human immunodeficiency virus, synthesized using this approach, elicited primary immune responses in vitro and in vivo. Subcutaneous administration of the B-cell epitope-based vaccines also elicited more potent humoral responses than subcutaneous administration of the corresponding peptides alone. Highly immunogenic peptide epitope-based vaccines can therefore be generated quickly and easily using a novel PWT.
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