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Giri-Rachman EA, Irasonia Tan M, Ramesh A, Fajar PA, Nurul Ilmi A, Retnoningrum DS, Hertadi R, Irawan A, Wojciechowska GEP, Yuan L. Development of Chimeric Hepatitis B (HBV) - Norovirus (NoV) P particle as candidate vaccine against Hepatitis B and norovirus infection. Vaccine X 2023; 14:100354. [PMID: 37519778 PMCID: PMC10372314 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2023.100354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hepatitis B remains a global problem with no effective treatment. Here, a mucosal vaccine candidate was developed with HBsAg and HBcAg, to provide both prophylactic and therapeutic protection against hepatitis B. The antigens were presented using the P particle of human norovirus (HuNov). As a result, the chimeric HBV - HuNoV P particle can act as a dual vaccine for hepatitis B and HuNoV. Methods The vaccine candidate was expressed and purified from Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells. HBV-HuNoV chimeric P particles were successfully expressed and isolated, with sizes of approximately 25.64 nm. Then, the HBV-HuNoV chimeric P particles were evaluated for safety and immunogenicity in mice and gnotobiotic (Gn) pigs. After three doses (5 µg/dose in mice and 200 µg/dose in Gn pigs) of intranasal immunization, humoral and cellular immune responses, as well as toxicity, were evaluated. Results The vaccine candidate induced strong HBV-HuNoV specific IFN-γ producing T-cell responses in the ileum, spleen, and blood of Gn pigs. Serum IgG and IgA antibodies against HBV-HuNoV chimeric P particles also increased significantly in Gn pigs. Increased HBsAg- and HuNoV-specific serum IgG responses were observed in mice and Gn pigs, although not statistically significant. The vaccine candidate did not show any toxicity in mice. Conclusions In summary, the chimeric HBV-HuNoV P particle vaccine given intranasally was safe and induced strong cellular and humoral immune responses in Gn pig. Modifications to the vaccine structure and dosage need to be evaluated in future studies to further enhance immunogenicity and induce more balanced humoral and cellular responses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marselina Irasonia Tan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Bandung, Indonesia
| | - Ashwin Ramesh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Putri Ayu Fajar
- School of Life Science and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Bandung, Indonesia
| | - Annisa Nurul Ilmi
- School of Life Science and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Bandung, Indonesia
| | | | - Rukman Hertadi
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Bandung, Indonesia
| | - Apriliani Irawan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Bandung, Indonesia
| | - Gladys Emmanuella Putri Wojciechowska
- School of Life Science and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Bandung, Indonesia
- Clinical Research Centre, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
| | - Lijuan Yuan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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Ganesan M, Wang W, Mathews S, Makarov E, New-Aaron M, Dagur RS, Malo A, Protzer U, Kharbanda KK, Casey CA, Poluektova LY, Osna NA. Ethanol attenuates presentation of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte epitopes on hepatocytes of HBV-infected humanized mice. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:40-51. [PMID: 34773268 PMCID: PMC8799491 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Approximately 3.5% of the global population is chronically infected with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), which puts them at high risk of end-stage liver disease, with the risk of persistent infection potentiated by alcohol consumption. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of alcohol on HBV persistence remain unclear. Here, we aimed to establish in vivo/ex vivo evidence that alcohol suppresses HBV peptides-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigen display on primary human hepatocytes (PHH), which diminishes the recognition and clearance of HBV-infected hepatocytes by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs). METHODS We used fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (Fah)-/-, Rag2-/-, common cytokine receptor gamma chain knock-out (FRG-KO) humanized mice transplanted with human leukocyte antigen-A2 (HLA-A2)-positive hepatocytes. The mice were HBV-infected and fed control and alcohol diets. Isolated hepatocytes were exposed ex vivo to HBV 18-27-HLA-A2-restricted CTLs to quantify cytotoxicity. For mechanistic studies, we measured proteasome activities, unfolded protein response (UPR), and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in hepatocytes from HBV-infected humanized mouse livers. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS We found that alcohol feeding attenuated HBV core 18-27-HLA-A2 complex presentation on infected hepatocytes due to the suppression of proteasome function and ER stress induction, which diminished both the processing of HBV peptides and trafficking of HBV-MHC class I complexes to the hepatocyte surface. This alcohol-mediated decrease in MHC class I-restricted antigen presentation of the CTL epitope on target hepatocytes reduced the CTL-specific elimination of infected cells, potentially leading to HBV-infection persistence, which promotes end-stage liver disease outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murali Ganesan
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
| | - Weimin Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
| | - Saumi Mathews
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
| | - Edward Makarov
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
| | - Moses New-Aaron
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Occupational Health and Toxicology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68105, USA
| | - Raghubendra Singh Dagur
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
| | - Antje Malo
- Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
| | - Ulrike Protzer
- Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich, Hamburg, and Heidelberg partner sites, Germany
| | - Kusum K. Kharbanda
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
| | - Carol A Casey
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
| | - Larisa Y. Poluektova
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
| | - Natalia A. Osna
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
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Combining Well-Tempered Metadynamics Simulation and SPR Assays to Characterize the Binding Mechanism of the Universal T-Lymphocyte Tetanus Toxin Epitope TT830-843. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:5568980. [PMID: 34285916 PMCID: PMC8275407 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5568980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Peptide TT830-843 from the tetanus toxin is a universal T-cell epitope. It helps in vaccination and induces T-cell activation. However, the fine molecular interaction between this antigen and the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) remains unknown. Molecular analysis of its interaction with murine MHC (H-2) was proposed to explore its immune response efficiency. Molecular dynamics simulations are important mechanisms for understanding the basis of protein-ligand interactions, and metadynamics is a useful technique for enhancing sampling in molecular dynamics. SPR (surface plasmon resonance) assays were used to validate whether the metadynamics results are in accordance with the experimental results. The peptide TT830-843 unbinding process was simulated, and the free energy surface reconstruction revealed a detailed conformational landscape. The simulation described the exiting path as a stepwise mechanism between progressive detachment states. We pointed out how the terminus regions act as anchors for binding and how the detachment mechanism includes the opening of α-helices to permit the peptide's central region dissociation. The results indicated the peptide/H-2 receptor encounter occurs within a distance lesser than 27.5 Å, and the encounter can evolve to form a stable complex. SPR assays confirmed the complex peptide/H-2 as a thermodynamically stable system, exhibiting enough free energy to interact with TCR on the antigen-presenting cell surface. Therefore, combining in silico and in vitro assays provided significant evidence to support the peptide/H-2 complex formation.
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4
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Identification of CTL Epitopes on Efflux Pumps of the ATP-Binding Cassette and the Major Facilitator Superfamily of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. J Immunol Res 2021; 2021:8899674. [PMID: 33490292 PMCID: PMC7803423 DOI: 10.1155/2021/8899674] [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: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis is the world's most deadly infectious disease, with 10 million people falling ill and 1.5 million people dying from the disease every year. With the increasing number of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains and prevalence of coinfection of MTB with human immunodeficiency virus, many challenges remain in the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis. Therefore, the development of safe and effective tuberculosis vaccines is an urgent issue. In this study, we identified cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes on drug resistance-associated membrane protein efflux pumps of MTB, the ATP-binding cassette and the major facilitator superfamilies. First, three online software were used to predict HLA-A2-restricted epitopes. Then, the candidate epitopes were confirmed with the T2A2 cell binding affinity and peptide/MHC (pMHC) complex stability assays and in vitro immune activity experiments. Two drug-resistant T lymphocyte epitopes, designated Rv1218c-p24 and Rv2477c-p182, were selected, and their immunogenic activities studied in vivo in genetically engineered mice. The immune activities of these two epitopes were improved with the help of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The epitopes identified here provide a foundation for the diagnosis and treatment of patients infected with drug resistant and the future development of a multiepitope vaccine.
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Choga WT, Anderson M, Zumbika E, Phinius BB, Mbangiwa T, Bhebhe LN, Baruti K, Kimathi PO, Seatla KK, Musonda RM, Bell TG, Moyo S, Blackard JT, Gaseitsiwe S. In Silico Prediction of Human Leukocytes Antigen (HLA) Class II Binding Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Peptides in Botswana. Viruses 2020; 12:E731. [PMID: 32640609 PMCID: PMC7412261 DOI: 10.3390/v12070731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the primary cause of liver-related malignancies worldwide, and there is no effective cure for chronic HBV infection (CHB) currently. Strong immunological responses induced by T cells are associated with HBV clearance during acute infection; however, the repertoire of epitopes (epi) presented by major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs) to elicit these responses in various African populations is not well understood. In silico approaches were used to map and investigate 15-mers HBV peptides restricted to 9 HLA class II alleles with high population coverage in Botswana. Sequences from 44 HBV genotype A and 48 genotype D surface genes (PreS/S) from Botswana were used. Of the 1819 epi bindings predicted, 20.2% were strong binders (SB), and none of the putative epi bind to all the 9 alleles suggesting that multi-epitope, genotype-based, population-based vaccines will be more effective against HBV infections as opposed to previously proposed broad potency epitope-vaccines which were assumed to work for all alleles. In total, there were 297 unique epi predicted from the 3 proteins and amongst, S regions had the highest number of epi (n = 186). Epitope-densities (Depi) between genotypes A and D were similar. A number of mutations that hindered HLA-peptide binding were observed. We also identified antigenic and genotype-specific peptides with characteristics that are well suited for the development of sensitive diagnostic kits. This study identified candidate peptides that can be used for developing multi-epitope vaccines and highly sensitive diagnostic kits against HBV infection in an African population. Our results suggest that viral variability may hinder HBV peptide-MHC binding, required to initiate a cascade of immunological responses against infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonderful Tatenda Choga
- Research Laboratory, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone 0000, Botswana; (W.T.C.); (M.A.); (B.B.P.); (T.M.); (L.N.B.); (K.B.); (K.K.S.); (R.M.M.); (S.M.)
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
| | - Motswedi Anderson
- Research Laboratory, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone 0000, Botswana; (W.T.C.); (M.A.); (B.B.P.); (T.M.); (L.N.B.); (K.B.); (K.K.S.); (R.M.M.); (S.M.)
| | - Edward Zumbika
- Department of Applied Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo 0000, Zimbabwe;
| | - Bonolo B. Phinius
- Research Laboratory, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone 0000, Botswana; (W.T.C.); (M.A.); (B.B.P.); (T.M.); (L.N.B.); (K.B.); (K.K.S.); (R.M.M.); (S.M.)
| | - Tshepiso Mbangiwa
- Research Laboratory, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone 0000, Botswana; (W.T.C.); (M.A.); (B.B.P.); (T.M.); (L.N.B.); (K.B.); (K.K.S.); (R.M.M.); (S.M.)
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
| | - Lynnette N. Bhebhe
- Research Laboratory, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone 0000, Botswana; (W.T.C.); (M.A.); (B.B.P.); (T.M.); (L.N.B.); (K.B.); (K.K.S.); (R.M.M.); (S.M.)
| | - Kabo Baruti
- Research Laboratory, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone 0000, Botswana; (W.T.C.); (M.A.); (B.B.P.); (T.M.); (L.N.B.); (K.B.); (K.K.S.); (R.M.M.); (S.M.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Gaborone 0000, Botswana
| | | | - Kaelo K. Seatla
- Research Laboratory, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone 0000, Botswana; (W.T.C.); (M.A.); (B.B.P.); (T.M.); (L.N.B.); (K.B.); (K.K.S.); (R.M.M.); (S.M.)
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone 0000, Botswana
| | - Rosemary M. Musonda
- Research Laboratory, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone 0000, Botswana; (W.T.C.); (M.A.); (B.B.P.); (T.M.); (L.N.B.); (K.B.); (K.K.S.); (R.M.M.); (S.M.)
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Trevor Graham Bell
- Independent Researcher, P.O. Box 497, Wits, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa;
| | - Sikhulile Moyo
- Research Laboratory, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone 0000, Botswana; (W.T.C.); (M.A.); (B.B.P.); (T.M.); (L.N.B.); (K.B.); (K.K.S.); (R.M.M.); (S.M.)
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jason T. Blackard
- Division of Digestive Diseases, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA;
| | - Simani Gaseitsiwe
- Research Laboratory, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone 0000, Botswana; (W.T.C.); (M.A.); (B.B.P.); (T.M.); (L.N.B.); (K.B.); (K.K.S.); (R.M.M.); (S.M.)
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Ganesan M, Krutik VM, Makarov E, Mathews S, Kharbanda KK, Poluektova LY, Casey CA, Osna NA. Acetaldehyde suppresses the display of HBV-MHC class I complexes on HBV-expressing hepatocytes. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2019; 317:G127-G140. [PMID: 31141391 PMCID: PMC6734374 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00064.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and alcoholism are major public health problems worldwide, contributing to the development of end-stage liver disease. Alcohol intake affects HBV infection pathogenesis and treatment outcomes. HBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play an important role in HBV clearance. Many previous studies have focused on alcohol-induced impairments of the immune response. However, it is not clear whether alcohol alters the presentation of HBV peptide-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I complexes on infected hepatocytes resulting in escape of its recognition by CTLs. Hence, the focus of this study was to investigate the mechanisms by which ethanol metabolism affects the presentation of CTL epitope on HBV-infected hepatocytes. As demonstrated here, although continuous cell exposure to acetaldehyde-generating system (AGS) increased HBV load in HepG2.2.15 cells, it decreased the expression of HBV core peptide 18-27-human leukocyte antigen-A2complex (CTL epitope) on the cell surface. Moreover, we observed AGS-induced suppression of chymotrypsin- and trypsin-like proteasome activities necessary for peptide processing by proteasome as well as a decline in IFNγ-stimulated immunoproteasome (IPR) function and expression of PA28 activator and immunoproteasome subunits LMP7 and LMP2. Furthermore, IFNγ-induced activation of peptide-loading complex (PLC) components, such as transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP1) and tapasin, were suppressed by AGS. The attenuation of IPR and PLC activation was attributed to AGS-triggered impairment of IFNγ signaling in HepG2.2.15 cells. Collectively, all these downstream events reduced the display of HBV peptide-MHC class I complexes on the hepatocyte surface, which may suppress CTL activation and the recognition of CTL epitopes on HBV-expressing hepatocytes by immune cells, thereby leading to persistence of liver inflammation.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our study shows that in HBV-expressing HepG2.2.15 cells, acetaldehyde alters HBV peptide processing by suppressing chymotrypsin- and trypsin-like proteasome activities and decreases IFNγ-stimulated immunoproteasome function and expression of PA28 activator and immunoproteasome subunits. It also suppresses IFNγ-induced activation of peptide-loading complex (PLC) components due to impairment of IFNγ signaling via the JAK-STAT1 pathway. These acetaldehyde-induced dysfunctions reduced the display of HBV peptide-MHC class I complexes on the hepatocyte surface, thereby leading to persistence of HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murali Ganesan
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, Nebraska
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Vjaceslav M Krutik
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Edward Makarov
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Saumi Mathews
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Kusum K Kharbanda
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, Nebraska
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | | | - Carol A Casey
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, Nebraska
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Natalia A Osna
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, Nebraska
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
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Rajčáni J, Szathmary S. Peptide Vaccines: New Trends for Avoiding the Autoimmune Response. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.2174/1874279301810010047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Background:Several marketed antiviral vaccines (such as that against hepatitis virus A and/or B, influenza virus, human papillomavirus, yellow fever virus, measles, rubella and mumps viruses) may elicit various autoimmune reactions.Results:The cause of autoimmune response due to vaccination may be: 1. the adjuvant which is regularly added to the vaccine (especially in the case of various oil substrates), 2. the specific viral component itself (a protein or glycoprotein potentially possessing cross-reactive epitopes) and/or 3. contamination of the vaccine with traces of non-viral proteins mostly cellular in origin. Believing that peptide vaccines might represent an optimal solution for avoiding the above-mentioned problems, we discuss the principles of rational design of a typical peptide vaccine which should contain oligopeptides coming either from the selected structural virion components (i.e.capsid proteins and/or envelop glycoproteins or both) or from the virus-coded non-structural polypeptides. The latter should be equally immunogenic as the structural virus proteins. Describing the feasibility of identification and design of immunogenic epitopes, our paper also deals with possible problems of peptide vaccine manufacturing. The presented data are in part based on the experience of our own, in part, they are coming from the results published by others.Conclusion:Any peptide vaccine should be able to elicit relevant and specific antibody formation, as well as an efficient cell-mediated immune response. Consequently, the properly designed peptide vaccine is expected to consist of carefully selected viral peptides, which should stimulate the receptors of helper T/CD4 cells as well as of cytotoxic (T/CD8) lymphocytes.
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Li J, Bao M, Ge J, Ren S, Zhou T, Qi F, Pu X, Dou J. Research progress of therapeutic vaccines for treating chronic hepatitis B. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:986-997. [PMID: 28118084 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2016.1276125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a member of Hepadnavirus family, which leads to chronic infection in around 5% of patients with a high risk of developing liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. 1 Despite the availability of prophylactic vaccines against hepatitis B for over 3 decades, there are still more than 2 billion people have been infected and 240 million of them were chronic. Antiviral therapies currently used in the treatment of CHB (chronic hepatitis B) infection include peg-interferon, standard α-interferon and nucleos/tide analogs (NAs), but none of them can provide sustained control of viral replication. As an alternative strategy, therapeutic vaccines for CHB patients have been widely studied and showed some promising efficacies in dozens of preclinical and clinical trials. In this article, we review current research progress in several types of therapeutic vaccines for CHB treatment, including protein-based vaccines, DNA-based vaccines, live vector-based vaccines, peptide-based vaccines and cell-based therapies. These researches may provide some clues for developing new treatments in CHB infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianqiang Li
- a Jiangsu Theravac Bio-pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. , Nanjing , China
| | - Mengru Bao
- a Jiangsu Theravac Bio-pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. , Nanjing , China
| | - Jun Ge
- a Jiangsu Theravac Bio-pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. , Nanjing , China
| | - Sulin Ren
- a Jiangsu Theravac Bio-pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. , Nanjing , China
| | - Tong Zhou
- a Jiangsu Theravac Bio-pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. , Nanjing , China
| | - Fengchun Qi
- a Jiangsu Theravac Bio-pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. , Nanjing , China
| | - Xiuying Pu
- b School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology , Lanzhou , China
| | - Jia Dou
- c Dalian Institute for Drug Control , Dalian , China
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Yang FQ, Rao GR, Wang GQ, Li YQ, Xie Y, Zhang ZQ, Deng CL, Mao Q, Li J, Zhao W, Wang MR, Han T, Chen SJ, Pan C, Tan DM, Shang J, Zhang MX, Zhang YX, Yang JM, Chen GM. Phase IIb trial of in vivo electroporation mediated dual-plasmid hepatitis B virus DNA vaccine in chronic hepatitis B patients under lamivudine therapy. World J Gastroenterol 2017; 23:306-317. [PMID: 28127204 PMCID: PMC5236510 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i2.306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM To assess the efficacy and safety of in vivo electroporation (EP)-mediated dual-plasmid hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA vaccine vs placebo for sequential combination therapy with lamivudine (LAM) in patients with chronic hepatitis B.
METHODS Two hundred and twenty-five patients were randomized to receive either LAM + vaccine (vaccine group, n = 109) or LAM + placebo (control group, n = 116). LAM treatment lasted 72 wk. Patients received the DNA vaccine or placebo by intramuscular injection mediated by EP at weeks 12 (start of treatment with vaccine or placebo, SOT), 16, 24, and 36 (end of treatment with vaccine or placebo, EOT).
RESULTS In the modified intent-to-treat population, more patients had a decrease in HBV DNA > 2 log10 IU/mL in the vaccine group at week 12 after EOT compared with the control group. A trend toward a difference in the number of patients with undetectable HBV DNA at week 28 after EOT was obtained. Adverse events were similar. In the dynamic per-protocol set, which excluded adefovir (ADV) add-on cases at each time point instantly after ADV administration due to LAM antiviral failure, more patients had a decrease in HBV DNA > 2 log10 IU/mL in the vaccine group at week 12 and 28 after EOT compared with the control group. More patients with undetectable HBV DNA at week 28 after EOT in the vaccine group were also observed. Among patients with a viral load < 1000 copies/mL at week 12, more patients achieved HBeAg seroconversion in the vaccine group than among controls at week 36 after EOT, as well as less virological breakthrough and YMDD mutations.
CONCLUSION The primary endpoint was not achieved using the HBV DNA vaccine. The HBV DNA vaccine could only be beneficial in subjects that have achieved initial virological response under LAM chemotherapy.
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MESH Headings
- Adult
- DNA, Viral/administration & dosage
- DNA, Viral/adverse effects
- DNA, Viral/isolation & purification
- DNA, Viral/therapeutic use
- Double-Blind Method
- Drug Resistance, Viral/drug effects
- Electroporation/methods
- Female
- Hepatitis B Vaccines/administration & dosage
- Hepatitis B Vaccines/adverse effects
- Hepatitis B Vaccines/therapeutic use
- Hepatitis B virus/genetics
- Hepatitis B virus/isolation & purification
- Hepatitis B, Chronic/drug therapy
- Humans
- Injections, Intramuscular
- Lamivudine/administration & dosage
- Lamivudine/therapeutic use
- Male
- Plasmids
- Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors/administration & dosage
- Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors/therapeutic use
- Treatment Outcome
- Vaccines, DNA/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, DNA/adverse effects
- Vaccines, DNA/therapeutic use
- Viral Load
- Young Adult
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10
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Brinck-Jensen NS, Vorup-Jensen T, Leutscher PDC, Erikstrup C, Petersen E. Immunogenicity of twenty peptides representing epitopes of the hepatitis B core and surface antigens by IFN-γ response in chronic and resolved HBV. BMC Immunol 2015; 16:65. [PMID: 26526193 PMCID: PMC4630833 DOI: 10.1186/s12865-015-0127-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection (CHB) usually mount a modest T cell response against HBV epitopes. In order to determine immunogenic epitopes of HBV recognized by HBV-specific T cells, previous studies focused on previously confirmed HBV epitopes and assessed the T cell response by the number of HBV-specific T cells by IFN-γ ELISPOT. Methods We studied T cell functionality by combined in silico methods predicting HBV-specific epitopes and experimental investigations on the recognition of these epitopes. 30 chronic CHB patients and 10 patients with resolved HBV (RHB) were included in the study. We identified epitopes from the literature and by in silico analysis. These were evaluated for immunogenicity by use of synthetic peptides representing the epitopes through exposure to PBMCs from patients with CHB or RHB by IFN-γ ELISPOT. The number of IFN-γ producing cells (SFC), mean spot size (MSS) and stimulation index (SI) were recorded. Results The frequency of HBV-specific T cells producing IFN-γ after stimulation with HBV epitopes was similar in CHB and RHB patients. CHB patients had a higher MSS SI than RHB patients. Patients not carrying the HLA-A2 genotype had higher SFC SI and MSS SI. Patients with HLA-A11 had higher MSS SI compared to non- HLA-A11 allele patients. HBeAg-positive patients had a lower MSS SI, and none of the HBeAg positive patients had the HLA-A11 genotype. We found 3 immunogenic epitopes not described previously. Conclusion IFN-γ ELISPOT-determined MSS is an efficient marker for T cell recognition of epitopes. This experimental measure showed the in silico analysis for epitope prediction to be a valuable tool in future studies on HLA genotypes and HBV epitopes. This way our study now points to previously unappreciated consequences of carrying the HLA-A11 allele in terms of stronger immunity to HBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanna-Sophie Brinck-Jensen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus N, Skejby, Denmark.
| | - Thomas Vorup-Jensen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 4, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Peter Derek Christian Leutscher
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus N, Skejby, Denmark.
| | - Christian Erikstrup
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus N, Skejby, Denmark.
| | - Eskild Petersen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus N, Skejby, Denmark.
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11
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Cao W, Qiu Z, Zhu T, Li Y, Han Y, Li T. CD8+ T cell responses specific for hepatitis B virus core protein in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. J Clin Virol 2014; 61:40-6. [PMID: 25049205 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2014.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2014] [Revised: 06/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection includes a set of heterogeneous clinical patterns, and core-protein-specific T cell response is important for virus control and disease progression, yet is not well elucidated. OBJECTIVES To analyze the phenotypic and functional profiles of HBV-core-protein-specific CD8+ T cells in different clinical patterns of chronic HBV infection. STUDY DESIGN A total of 46 HBV patients were recruited and classified according to their clinical status. CD8+ T cell responses in different patterns of chronic HBV infections were tested with flow cytometry using overlapping 15-mer peptides covering HBV core protein. Meanwhile, the CCR7/CD27 phenotypes of these CD8+ T cells were also determined. RESULTS Frequencies of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) positive CD8+ T cells in inactive HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers in response to the core protein peptide pools were generally stronger than those of chronic HBV carriers and resolved individuals, especially with regards to peptide pool C13-C24. Moreover, phenotypic studies further highlighted the group of CD8+ CCR7-CD27+ T memory cells, which showed significantly higher levels of IFN-γ secretion in inactive HBsAg carriers than those in chronic hepatitis B patients, chronic HBV carriers and resolved individuals. CONCLUSIONS Core-protein-specific T cell response plays an important role in chronic HBV infection. Inactive HBsAg carriers showed a much stronger core-protein-specific cytotoxic T cell response than other types of chronically infected patients. CD8+ CCR7-CD27+ T memory lymphocytes may be crucial in the immune pathogenesis of chronic HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Cao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 1# Shuaifu Yuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Zhifeng Qiu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 1# Shuaifu Yuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Ting Zhu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 1# Shuaifu Yuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Yanling Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 1# Shuaifu Yuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Yang Han
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 1# Shuaifu Yuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Taisheng Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 1# Shuaifu Yuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100730, China.
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12
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Askari A, Hassanshahi GH, Ghalebi SR, Jafarzadeh A, Mohit M, Hajghani M, Kazemi Arababadi M. Intensity of HLA-A2 Expression Significantly Decreased in Occult Hepatitis B Infection. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2014; 7:e10298. [PMID: 25371796 PMCID: PMC4217675 DOI: 10.5812/jjm.10298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2013] [Revised: 06/26/2013] [Accepted: 06/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Occult hepatitis B infected (OBI) patients cannot eradicate hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA from their liver and peripheral blood, completely. Objectives: The main aim of this study was to investigate the rate of HLA-A2 expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with OBI. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, intensity of HLA-A2 was measured on the PBMCs of 57 OBI patients and 100 HBsAg-/anti-HBc+/HBV-DNA samples were enrolled as controls; measurements were performed using the flow cytometry technique. Results: Flow cytometric analysis indicated that 19 (33.3%) OBI patients and 28 (28%) controls expressed HLA-A2 antigen on their PBMCs. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the rate of individuals expressing HLA-A2 antigen. Statistical analyses showed that the intensity of HLA-A2 expression significantly decreased in OBI patients (3.58 ± 0.1) in comparison to healthy controls (4.21 ± 0.25; P < 0.001). Conclusions: According to these results it can be concluded that decreased intensity of HLA-A2 on the PBMCs of OBI patients may lead to resistance of HBV in the patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azam Askari
- Immunology of Infectious Diseases Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, IR Iran
| | | | - Seyed Razi Ghalebi
- Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, IR Iran
| | - Abdollah Jafarzadeh
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, IR Iran
| | - Maryam Mohit
- Department of Pathology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran
| | - Masomeh Hajghani
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, IR Iran
| | - Mohammad Kazemi Arababadi
- Immunology of Infectious Diseases Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, IR Iran
- Corresponding author: Mohammad Kazemi Arababadi, Immunology of Infectious Diseases Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, IR Iran. Tel: +98-3915234003-5, Fax: +98-3915225209, E-mail:
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13
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Immune-induced evolutionary selection focused on a single reading frame in overlapping hepatitis B virus proteins. J Virol 2011; 85:4558-66. [PMID: 21307195 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02142-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses employ various means to evade immune detection. Reduction of CD8(+) T cell epitopes is one of the common strategies used for this purpose. Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a member of the Hepadnaviridae family, has four open reading frames, with about 50% overlap between the genes they encode. We computed the CD8(+) T cell epitope density within HBV proteins and the mutations within the epitopes. Our results suggest that HBV accumulates escape mutations that reduce the number of epitopes. These mutations are not equally distributed among genes and reading frames. While the highly expressed core and X proteins are selected to have low epitope density, polymerase, which is expressed at low levels, does not undergo the same selection. In overlapping regions, mutations in one protein-coding sequence also affect the other protein-coding sequence. We show that mutations lead to the removal of epitopes in X and surface proteins even at the expense of the addition of epitopes in polymerase. The total escape mutation rate for overlapping regions is lower than that for nonoverlapping regions. The lower epitope replacement rate for overlapping regions slows the evolutionary escape rate of these regions but leads to the accumulation of mutations more robust in the transfer between hosts, such as mutations preventing proteasomal cleavage into epitopes.
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14
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Wang S, Han Q, Zhang G, Zhang N, Li Z, Chen J, Lv Y, Li N, Xing F, Tian N, Zhu Q, Liu Z. CpG oligodeoxynucleotide-adjuvanted fusion peptide derived from HBcAg epitope and HIV-Tat may elicit favorable immune response in PBMCs from patients with chronic HBV infection in the immunotolerant phase. Int Immunopharmacol 2010; 11:406-11. [PMID: 21182997 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2010.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2010] [Revised: 12/05/2010] [Accepted: 12/06/2010] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The absence or insufficiency of specific immune response results in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and immunotolerance. Therapeutic fusion peptide containing hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg)(18-27) CTL epitope and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-Tat(49-57) peptide was synthesized and the activity when adjuvanted with CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG ODN) was evaluated in PBMCs from patients with chronic HBV infection in the immunotolerant phase in this study. Results showed that the fusion peptide when adjuvanted with CpG ODN could induce significantly higher levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 in the PBMCs compared with fusion peptide or CpG ODN alone. The magnitude of augmentation to IFN-γ by the fusion peptide plus CpG ODN was much higher than that to IL-4. Cytotoxicity assay showed that the percentage of target cell lysis by effector cells stimulated by fusion peptide plus CpG ODN was higher than that in fusion peptide or CpG ODN alone at most of the E/T ratios tested. The magnitude augmented to IFN-γ by fusion peptide plus CpG ODN was also much higher than that to the percentage of target cell lysis. It is concluded that HBcAg(18-27) and HIV-Tat(49-57) fusion peptide when adjuvanted with CpG ODN may have much higher potency to induce IFN-γ than to induce IL-4 and cytotoxicity, suggesting the favorable immune response towards noncytolytic inactivation of the virus mediated by IFN-γ and the potential to break the tolerant state in chronic HBV infection.
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MESH Headings
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/adverse effects
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/chemical synthesis
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/pharmacology
- Adult
- Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins/adverse effects
- Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins/chemistry
- Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins/pharmacology
- Cell Culture Techniques
- Cell Survival/drug effects
- Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
- DNA/chemistry
- DNA/pharmacology
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
- Epitopes/chemistry
- Female
- Hep G2 Cells
- Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/chemistry
- Hepatitis B, Chronic/blood
- Hepatitis B, Chronic/immunology
- Humans
- Immune Tolerance
- Interferon-gamma/immunology
- Interferon-gamma/metabolism
- Interleukin-4/immunology
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/drug effects
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/immunology
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Oligodeoxyribonucleotides
- Peptide Fragments/chemistry
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/adverse effects
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/chemistry
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/pharmacology
- Survivin
- Th1 Cells/drug effects
- Th1 Cells/immunology
- Th2 Cells/drug effects
- Th2 Cells/immunology
- Young Adult
- tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/adverse effects
- tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/chemistry
- tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/pharmacology
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Affiliation(s)
- Suna Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi Province, The People's Republic of China
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15
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Hu XB, Yue QH, Ouyang HF, Chen YZ, Xu XQ, Yin W, Wei SH, Zhang XQ, Mu SJ. Immune response to fused core protein of hepatitis C virus and truncated tetanus toxin peptides in mice. Arch Virol 2010; 155:1097-105. [PMID: 20473626 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-010-0692-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2010] [Accepted: 05/02/2010] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Because no vaccine or effective therapy is available, thousands of people with HCV have died in recent years. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play a critical role in the host cellular immune response against HCV. CTL epitopes in HCV core protein have been identified and used in vaccine development. T helper epitopes could promote cytokine secretion and antibody production to fight HCV. Tetanus toxin, an immunogen with many T helper epitopes, was once used in HBV therapeutic vaccine design. Here, eukaryotic and prokaryotic expression vectors were constructed to express truncated fragments of tetanus toxin and core genes of HCV. HLAA2.1 transgenic mice were inoculated with a recombinant plasmid vehicle with these two heterogenic gene fragments, and this augmented the titres of antibody against HCV. Antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation, Th1 and Th2 cytokine levels and the number of lysed cells were markedly increased in the combined immunization group compared to controls. These findings provide new insights into a potential role for T helper epitopes from tetanus toxin combined with protein from the HCV core gene, which has numerous CTL epitopes. This design strategy may aid in the development of new vaccines against HCV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing-bin Hu
- Department of Blood Transfusion, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
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16
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Phillips S, Chokshi S, Riva A, Evans A, Williams R, Naoumov NV. CD8+T Cell Control of Hepatitis B Virus Replication: Direct Comparison between Cytolytic and Noncytolytic Functions. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2009; 184:287-95. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0902761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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17
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Wang S, Han Q, Zhang N, Chen J, Liu Z, Zhang G, Li Z. HBcAg18-27 epitope fused to HIV-Tat 49-57 adjuvanted with CpG ODN induces immunotherapeutic effects in transgenic mice. Immunol Lett 2009; 127:143-9. [PMID: 19883689 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2009.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2009] [Revised: 10/19/2009] [Accepted: 10/23/2009] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Successful immunotherapy of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is expected to be characterized by enhanced activation of immune responses. Combining the specificity of hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope, the cell-penetrating property of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV)-Tat peptide, and the adjuvanticity of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODNs) may elicit strong immune responses and therapeutic effects in HBV infection. We synthesized a fusion peptide containing HBcAg18-27 CTL epitope and HIV-Tat(49-57) peptide. The fusion peptide was intramuscularly injected to HBV transgenic mice with CpG ODN as adjuvant at 2-week intervals three times. The percentages of CD3(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells in spleen lymphocytes and the levels of circulating interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-2 were determined for the evaluation of immune responses and the levels of serum HBV DNA and the expression of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBcAg in liver tissue were determined for the assessment of therapeutic effects. Our results showed that the synthesized fusion peptide adjuvanted with CpG ODN could induce significant increase of the percentages of CD3(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells and the levels of IFN-gamma and IL-2, indicating the strong immune responses, and reduced HBV DNA levels and decreased expression of HBsAg and HBcAg in liver tissue, suggesting the therapeutic effects. Collectively, our study supports that HBcAg18-27 CTL epitope fused to HIV-Tat(49-57) peptide adjuvanted with CpG ODN may be a promising strategy for immunotherapy of chronic HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suna Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi Province, PR China
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18
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Liu HG, Chen WW, Fan ZP, Yang HY, Shi M, Zhang Z, Luan SS, Zhang H, Lu P, Tien P, Wang FS. The high prevalence of the I27 mutant HBcAg18-27 epitope in Chinese HBV-infected patients and its cross-reactivity with the V27 prototype epitope. Clin Immunol 2007; 125:337-45. [PMID: 17900990 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2007.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2007] [Revised: 05/31/2007] [Accepted: 06/25/2007] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
HBcAg18-27 (FLPSDFFPSV, V27 epitope) is a dominant HLA-A2-restricted epitope in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients. So far, the occurrence of the epitope has not been assessed in China, where the prevalence of chronic HBV infection is high. In this report, we sequenced the HBV core gene in 105 Chinese patients with chronic HBV infection. Approximately 93.3% (98/105) of the core genes that were sequenced contained mutations with amino acid substitution at position 27 of the core protein: a mutation from a valine to an isoleucine (V27I). The mutant peptide (FLPSDFFPSI, I27) was found to bind to the HLA-A2 molecule with high affinity and elicit specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses in acutely infected hepatitis B patients. In CTL assays using I27-specific pentamer staining, the V27 epitope showed a cross-reactive T cell response specific for the I27 epitope, but not vice versa. These findings provide important insights for the design of HBcAg18-27-based vaccines in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng-Gui Liu
- Center for Molecular Virology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China
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19
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Tsutsumi Y, Kanamori H, Mori A, Tanaka J, Asaka M, Imamura M, Masauzi N. Reactivation of hepatitis B virus with rituximab. Expert Opin Drug Saf 2006; 4:599-608. [PMID: 15934864 DOI: 10.1517/14740338.4.3.599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Rituximab has become a useful drug for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and such autoimmune diseases as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and rheumatoid arthritis. When combined with cytotoxic agents, rituximab showed synergistic effects for the treatment of NHL. In such treatment, hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation is a crucial complication when patients are treated with immunosuppressive or chemotherapeutic agents. Despite its treatment efficacy, several studies have pointed out unusual viral infections after its administration that resulted in fatal hepatitis due to HBV reactivation. In the cases at the authors' institute, the authors analysed the kinetics of HBV antibodies, HBV-reactivation timing, and the prophylactic efficacy of lamivudine. The authors reviewed their cases and the previous literature to clarify the characteristics of HBV-reactivated patients who were administered rituximab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutaka Tsutsumi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hakodate Municipal Hospital, Hakodate 041-8680, Japan.
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20
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Zhang JB, Chen SY, Yang ZQ, Li TR, Chen A, Wu YZ. Comprehensive analysis of the quantity of epitope-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in chronic viral hepatitis B infection. Shijie Huaren Xiaohua Zazhi 2004; 12:1069-1072. [DOI: 10.11569/wcjd.v12.i5.1069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To investigate the function state of epitope-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in chronic hepatitis B infection
METHODS: The study was performed to quantify the HBV specific CTL directly in vitro by HLA-A2 tetrameric complexes for core 18-27 (Tc 18-27), envelope 183-191 (Te 183-191), envelope 335-343 (Te 335-343), and polymerase 575-583 (Tp 575-583) in active chronic hepatitis patients, and then the correlation of HBV epitope-specific CTL between serum HBV DNA loads or alanine aminotransmerase (ALT) levels were analyzed by multiple regression analysis.
RESULTS: It was found that there were multiple CTLs responses in active chronic hepatitis patients. The frequency of Tc18-27 response was higher than the other three epitope-specific CTLs. No significant correlation was found either between the frequency of HBV specific CD8+ T cells and the viral load, or the frequency of HBV specific CD8+ T cells and the levels of alanine transaminase.
CONCLUSION: The frequencies of HBV-specific T cells are not determinant of immune-mediated protection in HBV infection and the existence of epitope-specific HBV CTLs is not directly correlated to hepatocytic injury.
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