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Nagashima KA, Dzimianski JV, Yang M, Abendroth J, Sautto GA, Ross TM, DuBois RM, Edwards TE, Mousa JJ. Structural basis for the broad antigenicity of the computationally optimized influenza hemagglutinin X6. Structure 2024:S0969-2126(24)00178-3. [PMID: 38810648 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.05.001] [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: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality. As an alternative approach to current seasonal vaccines, the computationally optimized broadly reactive antigen (COBRA) platform has been previously applied to hemagglutinin (HA). This approach integrates wild-type HA sequences into a single immunogen to expand the breadth of accessible antibody epitopes. Adding to previous studies of H1, H3, and H5 COBRA HAs, we define the structural features of another H1 subtype COBRA, X6, that incorporates HA sequences from before and after the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. We determined structures of this antigen alone and in complex with COBRA-specific as well as broadly reactive and functional antibodies, analyzing its antigenicity. We found that X6 possesses features representing both historic and recent H1 HA strains, enabling binding to both head- and stem-reactive antibodies. Overall, these data confirm the integrity of broadly reactive antibody epitopes of X6 and contribute to design efforts for a next-generation vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaito A Nagashima
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - John V Dzimianski
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Meng Yang
- UCB BioSciences, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA; Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Diseases (SSGCID), Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jan Abendroth
- UCB BioSciences, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA; Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Diseases (SSGCID), Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Giuseppe A Sautto
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA
| | - Ted M Ross
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA
| | - Rebecca M DuBois
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Thomas E Edwards
- UCB BioSciences, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA; Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Diseases (SSGCID), Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jarrod J Mousa
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
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Allen JD, Ross TM. mRNA vaccines encoding computationally optimized hemagglutinin elicit protective antibodies against future antigenically drifted H1N1 and H3N2 influenza viruses isolated between 2018-2020. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1334670. [PMID: 38533508 PMCID: PMC10963417 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1334670] [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: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The implementation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 has successfully validated the safety and efficacy of the platform, while at the same time revealing the potential for their applications against other infectious diseases. Traditional seasonal influenza vaccines often induce strain specific antibody responses that offer limited protection against antigenically drifted viruses, leading to reduced vaccine efficacy. Modern advances in viral surveillance and sequencing have led to the development of in-silico methodologies for generating computationally optimized broadly reactive antigens (COBRAs) to improve seasonal influenza vaccines. Methods In this study, immunologically naïve mice were intramuscularly vaccinated with mRNA encoding H1 and H3 COBRA hemagglutinins (HA) or wild-type (WT) influenza HAs encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). Results Mice vaccinated with H1 and H3 COBRA HA-encoding mRNA vaccines generated robust neutralizing serum antibody responses against more antigenically distinct contemporary and future drifted H1N1 and H3N2 influenza strains than those vaccinated with WT H1 and H3 HA-encoding mRNA vaccines. The H1 and H3 COBRA HA-encoding mRNA vaccines also prevented influenza illness, including severe disease in the mouse model against H1N1 and H3N2 viruses. Conclusions This study highlights the potential benefits of combining universal influenza antigen design technology with modern vaccine delivery platforms and exhibits how these vaccines can be advantageous over traditional WT vaccine antigens at eliciting superior protective antibody responses against a broader number of influenza virus isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Allen
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL, United States
| | - Ted M Ross
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL, United States
- Department of Infection Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
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Hendy DA, Lifshits LM, Batty CJ, Carlock MA, Ross TM, Mousa JJ, Bachelder EM, Ainslie KM. Zinc Carnosine Metal-Organic Coordination Polymer as a Potent Broadly Active Influenza Vaccine Platform with In Vitro Shelf-Stability. Mol Pharm 2023; 20:4687-4697. [PMID: 37603310 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00424] [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] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Current seasonal influenza vaccines are limited in that they need to be reformulated every year in order to account for the constant mutation of the virus. Hemagglutinin (HA) immunogens have been developed using a computationally optimized broadly reactive antigen (COBRA) methodology, which are able to elicit an antibody response that neutralizes antigenically distinct influenza strains; however, subunit proteins are not immunogenic enough on their own to generate a substantial immune response. Due to this, different delivery strategies and adjuvants can be used to improve immunogenicity. Recently, we reported a new coordination polymer composed of the dipeptide carnosine and zinc (ZnCar) that is able to deliver protein antigens along with CpG to generate a potent immune response. In the present work, ZnCar was used to deliver the COBRA HA immunogen Y2 and the adjuvant CpG. We incorporated Y2 into ZnCar using two different methods to assess which would be the most immunogenic. Mice vaccinated with Y2 and CpG complexed with ZnCar showed an improved humoral and cellular response when compared to mice vaccinated with soluble Y2 and CpG. Further, we demonstrate in vitro that when Y2 and CpG are coordinated with ZnCar, they are protected from degradation at 40 °C for 3 months or 24 °C for 6 months. Overall, ZnCar shows promise as a delivery vehicle for subunit vaccines, given its superior immunogenicity and in vitro storage stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan A Hendy
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, North Carolina, United States
| | - Liubov M Lifshits
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, North Carolina, United States
| | - Cole J Batty
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, North Carolina, United States
| | - Michael A Carlock
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Port Saint, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Port St. Lucie 33331-3609, Florida, United States
| | - Ted M Ross
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Port Saint, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Port St. Lucie 33331-3609, Florida, United States
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-0002, Georgia, United States
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-0002, Georgia, United States
| | - Jarrod J Mousa
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-0002, Georgia, United States
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-0002, Georgia, United States
| | - Eric M Bachelder
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, North Carolina, United States
| | - Kristy M Ainslie
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, North Carolina, United States
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill 27599, North Carolina, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599, North Carolina, United States
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Dzimianski JV, Han J, Sautto GA, O'Rourke SM, Cruz JM, Pierce SR, Ecker JW, Carlock MA, Nagashima KA, Mousa JJ, Ross TM, Ward AB, DuBois RM. Structural insights into the broad protection against H1 influenza viruses by a computationally optimized hemagglutinin vaccine. Commun Biol 2023; 6:454. [PMID: 37185989 PMCID: PMC10126545 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04793-3] [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: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Influenza virus poses an ongoing human health threat with pandemic potential. Due to mutations in circulating strains, formulating effective vaccines remains a challenge. The use of computationally optimized broadly reactive antigen (COBRA) hemagglutinin (HA) proteins is a promising vaccine strategy to protect against a wide range of current and future influenza viruses. Though effective in preclinical studies, the mechanistic basis driving the broad reactivity of COBRA proteins remains to be elucidated. Here, we report the crystal structure of the COBRA HA termed P1 and identify antigenic and glycosylation properties that contribute to its immunogenicity. We further report the cryo-EM structure of the P1-elicited broadly neutralizing antibody 1F8 bound to COBRA P1, revealing 1F8 to recognize an atypical receptor binding site epitope via an unexpected mode of binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- John V Dzimianski
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Julianna Han
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Giuseppe A Sautto
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA
| | - Sara M O'Rourke
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Joseph M Cruz
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Spencer R Pierce
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jeffrey W Ecker
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Michael A Carlock
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Kaito A Nagashima
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jarrod J Mousa
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Ted M Ross
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Andrew B Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca M DuBois
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
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Nagashima K, Abbadi N, Vyas V, Roegner A, Ross TM, Mousa JJ. Adjuvant-Mediated Differences in Antibody Responses to Computationally Optimized Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase Vaccines. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020347. [PMID: 36851561 PMCID: PMC9960755 DOI: 10.3390/v15020347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Computationally optimized broadly reactive antigens (COBRAs) are a next-generation universal influenza vaccine candidate. However, how these COBRAs induce antibody responses when combined with different adjuvants has not previously been well-characterized. Therefore, we performed in vivo studies with an HA-based H1 COBRA, Y2, and an NA-based N1 COBRA, N1-I, to assess this effect for the H1N1 subtype. We tested the adjuvants AddaVax, AddaS03, CpG, and Alhydrogel. AddaS03 performed the best, eliciting high IgG titers and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) activity for Y2 immunizations. Interestingly, serum antibody epitopes were relatively similar across adjuvant groups. Moreover, following N1-I immunization with these adjuvants, AddaS03 also elicited the highest IgG and neuraminidase inhibition (NAI) titers against the 2009 pandemic virus, A/California/07/2009 (A/CA/09). These results inform adjuvant selection efforts for H1 and N1 COBRA HA and NA antigens in a mouse model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaito Nagashima
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Nada Abbadi
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Ved Vyas
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Abigail Roegner
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Ted M. Ross
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL 34987, USA
- Department of Infection Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Jarrod J. Mousa
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Correspondence:
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Nagashima K, Mousa JJ. Epitope Binning of Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies by Biolayer Interferometry. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2673:17-32. [PMID: 37258904 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3239-0_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the epitopes of antibodies elicited by infection and vaccination is often useful in immunogen design. In this chapter, we describe biolayer interferometry (BLI)-based methods to evaluate such epitopes and permit simultaneous analysis of antibodies from several sources, including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and polyclonal serum antibodies (pAbs). Using previously characterized antibodies with known epitopes as controls, the distribution of epitopes for the influenza hemagglutinin (HA) is shown for isolated human mAbs and pooled serum from HA-immunized mice. This method is versatile, high-throughput, and can be adapted to several antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaito Nagashima
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jarrod J Mousa
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
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