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Evaluation of potential MHC-I allele-specific epitopes in Zika virus proteins and the effects of mutations on peptide-MHC-I interaction studied using in silico approaches. Comput Biol Chem 2021; 92:107459. [PMID: 33636637 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2021.107459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is a global health concern due to its association with microcephaly and neurological complications. The development of a T-cell vaccine is important to combat this disease. In this study, we propose ZIKV major histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I) epitopes based on in silico screening consensus followed by molecular docking, PRODIGY, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation analyses. The effects of the reported mutations on peptide-MHC-I (pMHC-I) complexes were also evaluated. In general, our data indicate an allele-specific peptide-binding human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and potential epitopes. For HLA-B44, we showed that the absence of acidic residue Glu at P2, due to the loss of the electrostatic interaction with Lys45, has a negative impact on the pMHC-I complex stability and explains the low free energy estimated for the immunodominant peptide E-4 (IGVSNRDFV). Our MD data also suggest the deleterious effects of acidic residue Asp at P1 on the pMHC-I stability of HLA-B8 due to destabilization of the α-helix and β-strand. Free energy estimation further indicated that the mutation from Val to Ala at P9 of peptide E-247 (DAHAKRQTV), which was found exclusively in microcephaly samples, did not reduce HLA-B8 affinity. In contrast, the mutation from Thr to Pro at P2 of the peptide NS5-832 (VTKWTDIPY) decreased the interaction energy, number of intermolecular interactions, and adversely affected its binding mode with HLA-A1. Overall, our findings are important with regard to the design of T-cell peptide vaccines and for understanding how ZIKV escapes recognition by CD8 + T-cells.
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Pereyra F, Heckerman D, Carlson JM, Kadie C, Soghoian DZ, Karel D, Goldenthal A, Davis OB, DeZiel CE, Lin T, Peng J, Piechocka A, Carrington M, Walker BD. HIV control is mediated in part by CD8+ T-cell targeting of specific epitopes. J Virol 2014; 88:12937-48. [PMID: 25165115 PMCID: PMC4249072 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01004-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2014] [Accepted: 08/19/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED We investigated the hypothesis that the correlation between the class I HLA types of an individual and whether that individual spontaneously controls HIV-1 is mediated by the targeting of specific epitopes by CD8(+) T cells. By measuring gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) assay responses to a panel of 257 optimally defined epitopes in 341 untreated HIV-infected persons, including persons who spontaneously control viremia, we found that the correlation between HLA types and control is mediated by the targeting of specific epitopes. Moreover, we performed a graphical model-based analysis that suggested that the targeting of specific epitopes is a cause of such control--that is, some epitopes are protective rather than merely associated with control--and identified eight epitopes that are significantly protective. In addition, we use an in silico analysis to identify protein regions where mutations are likely to affect the stability of a protein, and we found that the protective epitopes identified by the ELISPOT analysis correspond almost perfectly to such regions. This in silico analysis thus suggests a possible mechanism for control and could be used to identify protective epitopes that are not often targeted in natural infection but that may be potentially useful in a vaccine. Our analyses thus argue for the inclusion (and exclusion) of specific epitopes in an HIV vaccine. IMPORTANCE Some individuals naturally control HIV replication in the absence of antiretroviral therapy, and this ability to control is strongly correlated with the HLA class I alleles that they express. Here, in a large-scale experimental study, we provide evidence that this correlation is mediated largely by the targeting of specific CD8(+) T-cell epitopes, and we identify eight epitopes that are likely to cause control. In addition, we provide an in silico analysis indicating that control occurs because mutations within these epitopes change the stability of the protein structures. This in silico analysis also identified additional epitopes that are not typically targeted in natural infection but may lead to control when included in a vaccine, provided that other epitopes that would otherwise distract the immune system from targeting them are excluded from the vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florencia Pereyra
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | | - Carl Kadie
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington, USA
| | | | - Daniel Karel
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ariel Goldenthal
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Oliver B Davis
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Tienho Lin
- Microsoft Research, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jian Peng
- Microsoft Research, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Alicja Piechocka
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mary Carrington
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Cancer and Inflammation Program, Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Bruce D Walker
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
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Osuna CE, Gonzalez AM, Chang HH, Hung AS, Ehlinger E, Anasti K, Alam SM, Letvin NL. TCR affinity associated with functional differences between dominant and subdominant SIV epitope-specific CD8+ T cells in Mamu-A*01+ rhesus monkeys. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1004069. [PMID: 24743648 PMCID: PMC3990730 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Accepted: 02/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Many of the factors that contribute to CD8+ T cell immunodominance hierarchies during viral infection are known. However, the functional differences that exist between dominant and subdominant epitope-specific CD8+ T cells remain poorly understood. In this study, we characterized the phenotypic and functional differences between dominant and subdominant simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) epitope-specific CD8+ T cells restricted by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I allele Mamu-A*01 during acute and chronic SIV infection. Whole genome expression analyses during acute infection revealed that dominant SIV epitope-specific CD8+ T cells had a gene expression profile consistent with greater maturity and higher cytotoxic potential than subdominant epitope-specific CD8+ T cells. Flow-cytometric measurements of protein expression and anti-viral functionality during chronic infection confirmed these phenotypic and functional differences. Expression analyses of exhaustion-associated genes indicated that LAG-3 and CTLA-4 were more highly expressed in the dominant epitope-specific cells during acute SIV infection. Interestingly, only LAG-3 expression remained high during chronic infection in dominant epitope-specific cells. We also explored the binding interaction between peptide:MHC (pMHC) complexes and their cognate TCRs to determine their role in the establishment of immunodominance hierarchies. We found that epitope dominance was associated with higher TCR:pMHC affinity. These studies demonstrate that significant functional differences exist between dominant and subdominant epitope-specific CD8+ T cells within MHC-restricted immunodominance hierarchies and suggest that TCR:pMHC affinity may play an important role in determining the frequency and functionality of these cell populations. These findings advance our understanding of the regulation of T cell immunodominance and will aid HIV vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa E. Osuna
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Ana Maria Gonzalez
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hsun-Hsien Chang
- Children's Hospital Informatics Program, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Amy Shi Hung
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Ehlinger
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Kara Anasti
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - S. Munir Alam
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Duke University of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Norman L. Letvin
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Carlson JM, Brumme CJ, Martin E, Listgarten J, Brockman MA, Le AQ, Chui CKS, Cotton LA, Knapp DJHF, Riddler SA, Haubrich R, Nelson G, Pfeifer N, DeZiel CE, Heckerman D, Apps R, Carrington M, Mallal S, Harrigan PR, John M, Brumme ZL. Correlates of protective cellular immunity revealed by analysis of population-level immune escape pathways in HIV-1. J Virol 2012; 86:13202-16. [PMID: 23055555 PMCID: PMC3503140 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01998-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2012] [Accepted: 10/02/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
HLA class I-associated polymorphisms identified at the population level mark viral sites under immune pressure by individual HLA alleles. As such, analysis of their distribution, frequency, location, statistical strength, sequence conservation, and other properties offers a unique perspective from which to identify correlates of protective cellular immunity. We analyzed HLA-associated HIV-1 subtype B polymorphisms in 1,888 treatment-naïve, chronically infected individuals using phylogenetically informed methods and identified characteristics of HLA-associated immune pressures that differentiate protective and nonprotective alleles. Over 2,100 HLA-associated HIV-1 polymorphisms were identified, approximately one-third of which occurred inside or within 3 residues of an optimally defined cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitope. Differential CTL escape patterns between closely related HLA alleles were common and increased with greater evolutionary distance between allele group members. Among 9-mer epitopes, mutations at HLA-specific anchor residues represented the most frequently detected escape type: these occurred nearly 2-fold more frequently than expected by chance and were computationally predicted to reduce peptide-HLA binding nearly 10-fold on average. Characteristics associated with protective HLA alleles (defined using hazard ratios for progression to AIDS from natural history cohorts) included the potential to mount broad immune selection pressures across all HIV-1 proteins except Nef, the tendency to drive multisite and/or anchor residue escape mutations within known CTL epitopes, and the ability to strongly select mutations in conserved regions within HIV's structural and functional proteins. Thus, the factors defining protective cellular immune responses may be more complex than simply targeting conserved viral regions. The results provide new information to guide vaccine design and immunogenicity studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chanson J. Brumme
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Eric Martin
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Mark A. Brockman
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Anh Q. Le
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Celia K. S. Chui
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Laura A. Cotton
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Sharon A. Riddler
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Richard Haubrich
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - George Nelson
- Basic Research Program, Center for Cancer Research Genetics Core, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Nico Pfeifer
- Microsoft Research, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | | | - Richard Apps
- Cancer and Inflammation Program, Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA, and Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mary Carrington
- Cancer and Inflammation Program, Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA, and Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Simon Mallal
- Centre for Clinical Immunology and Biomedical Statistics, Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Mina John
- Centre for Clinical Immunology and Biomedical Statistics, Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Zabrina L. Brumme
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - the International HIV Adaptation Collaborative
- Microsoft Research, Los Angeles, California, USA
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
- Basic Research Program, Center for Cancer Research Genetics Core, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA
- Cancer and Inflammation Program, Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA, and Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Centre for Clinical Immunology and Biomedical Statistics, Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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van de Sandt CE, Kreijtz JHCM, Rimmelzwaan GF. Evasion of influenza A viruses from innate and adaptive immune responses. Viruses 2012; 4:1438-76. [PMID: 23170167 PMCID: PMC3499814 DOI: 10.3390/v4091438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Revised: 08/10/2012] [Accepted: 08/22/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The influenza A virus is one of the leading causes of respiratory tract infections in humans. Upon infection with an influenza A virus, both innate and adaptive immune responses are induced. Here we discuss various strategies used by influenza A viruses to evade innate immune responses and recognition by components of the humoral and cellular immune response, which consequently may result in reduced clearing of the virus and virus-infected cells. Finally, we discuss how the current knowledge about immune evasion can be used to improve influenza A vaccination strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolien E van de Sandt
- Department of Virology, ErasmusMC, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, 3015 GE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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