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Samri A, Bandeira AC, Gois LL, Silva CGR, Rousseau A, Corneau A, Tarantino N, Maucourant C, Queiroz GAN, Vieillard V, Yssel H, Campos GS, Sardi S, Autran B, Rios Grassi MF. Comprehensive analysis of early T cell responses to acute Zika Virus infection during the first epidemic in Bahia, Brazil. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302684. [PMID: 38722858 PMCID: PMC11081376 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In most cases, Zika virus (ZIKV) causes a self-limited acute illness in adults, characterized by mild clinical symptoms that resolve within a few days. Immune responses, both innate and adaptive, play a central role in controlling and eliminating virus-infected cells during the early stages of infection. AIM To test the hypothesis that circulating T cells exhibit phenotypic and functional activation characteristics during the viremic phase of ZIKV infection. METHODS A comprehensive analysis using mass cytometry was performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from patients with acute ZIKV infection (as confirmed by RT-PCR) and compared with that from healthy donors (HD). The frequency of IFN-γ-producing T cells in response to peptide pools covering immunogenic regions of structural and nonstructural ZIKV proteins was quantified using an ELISpot assay. RESULTS Circulating CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes from ZIKV-infected patients expressed higher levels of IFN-γ and pSTAT-5, as well as cell surface markers associated with proliferation (Ki-67), activation ((HLA-DR, CD38) or exhaustion (PD1 and CTLA-4), compared to those from HD. Activation of CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cell subsets, including Transitional Memory T Cells (TTM), Effector Memory T cells (TEM), and Effector Memory T cells Re-expressing CD45RA (TEMRA), was prominent among CD4+ T cell subset of ZIKV-infected patients and was associated with increased levels of IFN-γ, pSTAT-5, Ki-67, CTLA-4, and PD1, as compared to HD. Additionally, approximately 30% of ZIKV-infected patients exhibited a T cell response primarily directed against the ZIKV NS5 protein. CONCLUSION Circulating T lymphocytes spontaneously produce IFN-γ and express elevated levels of pSTAT-5 during the early phase of ZIKV infection whereas recognition of ZIKV antigen results in the generation of virus-specific IFN-γ-producing T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assia Samri
- Sorbonne-Université, Inserm 1135, CNRS ERL8255, Centre d’immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, Cimi, Paris, France
| | - Antonio Carlos Bandeira
- Secretaria de Saúde da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Brazil
| | - Luana Leandro Gois
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Brazil
- Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública (EBMSP), Salvador, Brazil
- Departamento de Biointeração, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | | | - Alice Rousseau
- Sorbonne-Université, Inserm 1135, CNRS ERL8255, Centre d’immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, Cimi, Paris, France
| | - Aurelien Corneau
- Faculté de Médecine Pierre et Marie Curie, Plateforme de Cytométrie (CyPS), UMS30–LUMIC, Paris, France
| | - Nadine Tarantino
- Sorbonne-Université, Inserm 1135, CNRS ERL8255, Centre d’immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, Cimi, Paris, France
| | - Christopher Maucourant
- Sorbonne-Université, Inserm 1135, CNRS ERL8255, Centre d’immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, Cimi, Paris, France
| | - Gabriel Andrade Nonato Queiroz
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Brazil
- Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública (EBMSP), Salvador, Brazil
| | - Vincent Vieillard
- Sorbonne-Université, Inserm 1135, CNRS ERL8255, Centre d’immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, Cimi, Paris, France
| | - Hans Yssel
- Sorbonne-Université, Inserm 1135, CNRS ERL8255, Centre d’immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, Cimi, Paris, France
| | - Gubio Soares Campos
- Departamento de Biointeração, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Silvia Sardi
- Departamento de Biointeração, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Brigitte Autran
- Sorbonne-Université, Inserm 1135, CNRS ERL8255, Centre d’immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, Cimi, Paris, France
| | - Maria Fernanda Rios Grassi
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Brazil
- Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública (EBMSP), Salvador, Brazil
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Impact of Micropolymorphism Outside the Peptide Binding Groove in the Clinically Relevant Allele HLA-C*14 on T Cell Responses in HIV-1 Infection. J Virol 2022; 96:e0043222. [PMID: 35475667 PMCID: PMC9131871 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00432-22] [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] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence for the importance of human leukocyte antigen C (HLA-C)-restricted CD8+ T cells in HIV-1 control, but these responses are relatively poorly investigated. The number of HLA-C-restricted HIV-1 epitopes identified is much smaller than those of HLA-A-restricted or HLA-B-restricted ones. Here, we utilized a mass spectrometry-based approach to identify HIV-1 peptides presented by HLA-C*14:03 protective and HLA-C*14:02 nonprotective alleles. We identified 25 8- to 11-mer HLA-I-bound HIV-1 peptides from HIV-1-infected HLA-C*14:02+/14:03+ cells. Analysis of T cell responses to these peptides identified novel 6 T cell epitopes targeted in HIV-1-infected HLA-C*14:02+/14:03+ subjects. Analyses using HLA stabilization assays demonstrated that all 6 epitope peptides exhibited higher binding to and greater cell surface stabilization of HLA-C*14:02 than HLA-C*14:03. T cell response magnitudes were typically higher in HLA-C*14:02+ than HLA-C*14:03+ individuals, with responses to the Pol KM9 and Nef epitopes being significantly higher. The results show that HLA-C*14:02 can elicit stronger T cell responses to HIV-1 than HLA-C*14:03 and suggest that the single amino acid difference between these HLA-C14 subtypes at position 21, outside the peptide-binding groove, indirectly influences the stability of peptide-HLA-C*14 complexes and induction/expansion of HIV-specific T cells. Taken together with a previous finding that KIR2DL2+ NK cells recognized HLA-C*14:03+ HIV-1-infected cells more than HLA-C*14:02+ ones, the present study indicates that these HLA-C*14 subtypes differentially impact HIV-1 control by T cells and NK cells. IMPORTANCE Some human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles are associated with good clinical outcomes in HIV-1 infection and are called protective HLA alleles. Identification of T cell epitopes restricted by protective HLA alleles can give important insight into virus-immune system interactions and inform design of immune-based prophylactic/therapeutic strategies. Although epitopes restricted by many protective HLA-A/B alleles have been identified, protective HLA-C alleles are relatively understudied. Here, we identified 6 novel T cell epitopes presented by both HLA-C*14:02 (no association with protection) and HLA-C*14:03 (protective) using a mass spectrometry-based immunopeptidome profiling approach. We found that these peptides bound to and stabilized HLA-C*14:02 better than HLA-C*14:03 and observed differences in induction/expansion of epitope-specific T cell responses in HIV-infected HLA-C*14:02+ versus HLA-C*14:03+ individuals. These results enhance understanding of how the microstructural difference at position 21 between these HLA-C*14 subtypes may influence cellular immune responses involved in viral control in HIV-1 infection.
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Lim HX, Lim J, Poh CL. Identification and selection of immunodominant B and T cell epitopes for dengue multi-epitope-based vaccine. Med Microbiol Immunol 2021; 210:1-11. [PMID: 33515283 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-021-00700-x] [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: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) comprises four serotypes (DENV1-4) which cause 390 million global infections with 500,000 hospitalizations and 25,000 fatalities annually. Currently, the only FDA approved DENV vaccine is the chimeric live-attenuated vaccine, Dengvaxia®, which is based on the yellow fever virus (YFV) genome that carries the prM and E genes of the respective DENV 1, 2, 3, and 4 serotypes. However, it has lower efficacies against serotypes DENV1 (51%) and DENV2 (34%) when compared with DENV3 (75%) and DENV4 (77%). The absence of T cell epitopes from non-structural (NS) and capsid (C) proteins of the yellow fever vaccine strain might have prevented Dengvaxia® to elicit robust cellular immune responses, as CD8+ T cell epitopes are mainly localized in the NS3 and NS5 regions. Multi-epitope-based peptide vaccines carrying CD4+, CD8+ T cell and B cell epitopes represent a novel approach to generate specific immune responses. Therefore, assessing and selecting epitopes that can induce robust B and T cell responses is a prerequisite for constructing an efficient multi-epitope peptide vaccine. Potent B and T cell epitopes can be identified by utilizing immunoinformatic analysis, but the immunogenicity of the epitopes have to be experimentally validated. In this review, we presented T cell epitopes that have been predicted by bioinformatic approaches as well as recent experimental validations of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes by ex-vivo stimulation of PBMCs with specific peptides. Immunoproteomic analysis could be utilized to uncover HLA-specific epitopes presented by DENV-infected cells. Based on various approaches, immunodominant epitopes capable of inducing strong immune responses could be selected and incorporated to form a universally applicable multi-epitope-based peptide dengue vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Xuan Lim
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Jianhua Lim
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Chit Laa Poh
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia.
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Identification of Immunodominant HIV-1 Epitopes Presented by HLA-C*12:02, a Protective Allele, Using an Immunopeptidomics Approach. J Virol 2019; 93:JVI.00634-19. [PMID: 31217245 PMCID: PMC6694829 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00634-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the fact that the cell surface expression level of HLA-C on both uninfected and HIV-infected cells is lower than those of HLA-A and -B, increasing evidence suggests an important role for HLA-C and HLA-C-restricted CD8+ T cell responses in determining the efficiency of viral control in HIV-1-infected individuals. Nonetheless, HLA-C-restricted T cell responses are much less well studied than HLA-A/B-restricted ones, and relatively few optimal HIV-1 CD8+ T cell epitopes restricted by HLA-C alleles have been defined. Recent improvements in the sensitivity of mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches for profiling the immunopeptidome present an opportunity for epitope discovery on a large scale. Here, we employed an MS-based immunopeptidomic strategy to characterize HIV-1 peptides presented by a protective allele, HLA-C*12:02. We identified a total of 10,799 unique 8- to 12-mer peptides, including 15 HIV-1 peptides. The latter included 2 previously reported immunodominant HIV-1 epitopes, and analysis of T cell responses to the other HIV-1 peptides detected revealed an additional immunodominant epitope. These findings illustrate the utility of MS-based approaches for epitope definition and emphasize the capacity of HLA-C to present immunodominant T cell epitopes in HIV-infected individuals, indicating the importance of further evaluation of HLA-C-restricted responses to identify novel targets for HIV-1 prophylactic and therapeutic strategies.IMPORTANCE Mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches are increasingly being employed for large-scale identification of HLA-bound peptides derived from pathogens, but only very limited profiling of the HIV-1 immunopeptidome has been conducted to date. Notably, a growing body of evidence has recently begun to indicate a protective role for HLA-C in HIV-1 infection, which may suggest that despite the fact that levels of HLA-C expression on both uninfected and HIV-1-infected cells are lower than those of HLA-A/B, HLA-C still presents epitopes to CD8+ T cells effectively. To explore this, we analyzed HLA-C*12:02-restricted HIV-1 peptides presented on HIV-1-infected cells expressing only HLA-C*12:02 (a protective allele) using liquid chromatography-tandem MS (LC-MS/MS). We identified a number of novel HLA-C*12:02-bound HIV-1 peptides and showed that although the majority of them did not elicit T cell responses during natural infection in a Japanese cohort, they included three immunodominant epitopes, emphasizing the contribution of HLA-C to epitope presentation on HIV-infected cells.
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Huang YW, Lee CT, Wang TC, Kao YC, Yang CH, Lin YM, Huang KS. The Development of Peptide-based Antimicrobial Agents against Dengue Virus. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2019; 19:998-1010. [PMID: 29852867 PMCID: PMC6446661 DOI: 10.2174/1389203719666180531122724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Dengue fever has become an imminent threat to international public health because of global warming and climate change. The World Health Organization proclaimed that more than 50% of the world’s population is at risk of dengue virus (DENV) infection. Therefore, developing a clinically ap-proved vaccine and effective therapeutic remedy for treating dengue fever is imperative. Peptide drug de-velopment has become a novel pharmaceutical research field. This article reviews various peptides-based antimicrobial agents targeting three pathways involved in the DENV lifecycle. Specifically, they are peptide vaccines from immunomodulation, peptide drugs that inhibit virus entry, and peptide drugs that interfere with viral replication. Many antiviral peptide studies against DENV have been conducted in animal model trials, and progression to clinical trials for these promising peptide drugs is anticipated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yen-Wei Huang
- The School of Chinese Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Department of Chinese Medicine, E-DA Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Ting Lee
- The School of Chinese Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Department of Chinese Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Ta-Chen Wang
- The School of Chinese Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Department of Chinese Medicine, E-DA Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yun-Chung Kao
- The School of Chinese Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Department of Chinese Medicine, Kuanshan Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Taitung, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Hui Yang
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Mei Lin
- The School of Chinese Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Keng-Shiang Huang
- The School of Chinese Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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Reginald K, Chan Y, Plebanski M, Poh CL. Development of Peptide Vaccines in Dengue. Curr Pharm Des 2018; 24:1157-1173. [PMID: 28914200 PMCID: PMC6040172 DOI: 10.2174/1381612823666170913163904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Dengue is one of the most important arboviral infections worldwide, infecting up to 390 million people and causing 25,000 deaths annually. Although a licensed dengue vaccine is available, it is not efficacious against dengue serotypes that infect people living in South East Asia, where dengue is an endemic disease. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop an efficient dengue vaccine for this region. Data from different clinical trials indicate that a successful dengue vaccine must elicit both neutralizing antibodies and cell mediated immunity. This can be achieved by designing a multi-epitope peptide vaccine comprising B, CD8+ and CD4+ T cell epitopes. As recognition of T cell epitopes are restricted by human leukocyte antigens (HLA), T cell epitopes which are able to recognize several major HLAs will be preferentially included in the vaccine design. While peptide vaccines are safe, biocompatible and cost-effective, it is poorly immunogenic. Strategies to improve its immunogenicity by the use of long peptides, adjuvants and nanoparticle delivery mechanisms are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Chit Laa Poh
- Address correspondence to this author at the Research Centre for Biomedical Sciences, School of Science and Technology, Sunway University, 5 Jalan University, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia; Tel: +60-3-7491 8622 ext. 7338; E-mail:
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Pradhan D, Yadav M, Verma R, Khan NS, Jena L, Jain AK. Discovery of T-cell Driven Subunit Vaccines from Zika Virus Genome: An Immunoinformatics Approach. Interdiscip Sci 2017; 9:468-477. [PMID: 29094318 PMCID: PMC7091030 DOI: 10.1007/s12539-017-0238-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Revised: 02/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The recent outbreaks of Zika virus and the absence of a specific therapy have necessitated to identify T-cell-stimulating antigenic peptides as potential subunit vaccine candidates. The translated ssRNA (+) genome of Zika virus was explored in EMBOSS antigenic and VaxiJen to predict 63 peptides as potential antigens. Three MHC-II binding peptide prediction tools, viz. NetMHCIIpan, PREDIVAC and immune epitope database (IEDB) were employed in consensus on 63 antigenic peptides to propose 14 T-helper cell epitopes. Similarly, analysis on 63 antigenic peptides through NetMHC, NetCTL and IEDB MHC-I binding peptide prediction tool led to identification of 14 CTL epitopes. Seven T-cell epitopes, C:44-66, M:135-149, NS2A:124-144, NS3:421-453, NS3:540-554, NS4B:90-134 and NS4B:171-188, are observed to share overlapping MHC-I and MHC-II binding motifs and hence, are being proposed to constitute minimum T-cell antigens to elicit protective T-cell immune response against Zika. Three of them, C:44-66, NS3:421-453 and NS3:540-554 are identified to be conserved across all the selected strains of Zika virus. Moreover, the 21 T-cell epitopes are non-self to humans and exhibited good coverage in variable populations of 14 geographical locations. Therefore, 21 T-cell epitopes are proposed as potential subunit vaccines against Zika virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dibyabhaba Pradhan
- Biomedical Informatics Centre, National Institute of Pathology-ICMR, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Monika Yadav
- Biomedical Informatics Centre, National Institute of Pathology-ICMR, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Rashi Verma
- Biomedical Informatics Centre, National Institute of Pathology-ICMR, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Noor Saba Khan
- Biomedical Informatics Centre, National Institute of Pathology-ICMR, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Lingaraja Jena
- Bioinformatics Centre, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, Wardha, 442102, India
| | - Arun Kumar Jain
- Biomedical Informatics Centre, National Institute of Pathology-ICMR, New Delhi, 110029, India.
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Schumacher FR, Delamarre L, Jhunjhunwala S, Modrusan Z, Phung QT, Elias JE, Lill JR. Building proteomic tool boxes to monitor MHC class I and class II peptides. Proteomics 2017; 17. [PMID: 27928884 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201600061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Revised: 10/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Major histocompatibility complex Class I (MHCI) and Class II (MHCII) presented peptides powerfully modulate T cell immunity and play a vital role in generating effective anti-tumor and anti-viral immune responses in mammals. Characterizing these MHCI or MHCII presented peptides can help generate therapeutic treatments, afford information on T cell mediated biomarkers, provide insight into disease progression, and reduce adverse anti-drug side effects from engineered biotherapeutics. Here, we explore the tools and techniques commonly employed to discover both MHCI- and MHCII-presented peptides. We describe complementary strategies that enhance the characterization of these peptides and the informatics tools employed for both predicting and characterizing MHCI- and MHCII-presented epitopes. The evolution of methodologies for isolating MHC-presented peptides is discussed, as are the mass spectrometric workflows that can be employed for their characterization. We provide a perspective on where this field is headed, and how these tools may be applicable to the discovery and monitoring of epitopes in a variety of scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lélia Delamarre
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Suchit Jhunjhunwala
- Department of Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Zora Modrusan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Qui T Phung
- Department of Proteomics and Biological Resources, Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Joshua E Elias
- Department of Chemical & Systems Biology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jennie R Lill
- Department of Proteomics & Biological Resources, Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA
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Huang X, Karabudak A, Comber JD, Philip M, Morcol T, Philip R. A novel immunization approach for dengue infection based on conserved T cell epitopes formulated in calcium phosphate nanoparticles. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:2612-2625. [PMID: 28933657 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1369639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Dengue virus (DV) is the etiologic agent of dengue fever, the most significant mosquito-borne viral disease in humans. Most DV vaccine approaches are focused on generating antibody mediated responses; one such DV vaccine is approved for use in humans but its efficacy is limited. While it is clear that T cell responses play important role in DV infection and subsequent disease manifestations, fewer studies are aimed at developing vaccines that induce robust T cells responses. Potent T cell based vaccines require 2 critical components: the identification of specific T cell stimulating MHC associated peptides, and an optimized vaccine delivery vehicle capable of simultaneously delivering the antigens and any required adjuvants. We have previously identified and characterized DV specific HLA-A2 and -A24 binding DV serotypes conserved epitopes, and the feasibility of an epitope based vaccine for DV infection. In this study, we build on those previous studies and describe an investigational DV vaccine using T cell epitopes incorporated into a calcium phosphate nanoparticle (CaPNP) delivery system. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of functional immunogenicity of DV CaPNP/multipeptide formulations in vitro and in vivo and demonstrates the CaPNP/multipeptide vaccine is capable of inducing T cell responses against all 4 serotypes of DV. This synthetic vaccine is also cost effective, straightforward to manufacture, and stable at room temperature in a lyophilized form. This formulation may serve as an effective candidate DV vaccine that protects against all 4 serotypes as either a prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Tulin Morcol
- b Captivate Pharmaceuticals , Doylestown , PA , USA
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Sankar S, Ramamurthy M, Nandagopal B, Sridharan G. T-cell epitopes predicted from the Nucleocapsid protein of Sin Nombre virus restricted to 30 HLA alleles common to the North American population. Bioinformation 2017; 13:94-100. [PMID: 28584450 PMCID: PMC5450251 DOI: 10.6026/97320630013094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in North America is caused by Sin Nombre virus (SNV) and poses a public health problem. We identified T-cell epitopes restricted to HLA alleles commonly seen in the N. American population. Nucleocapsid (N) protein is 428 aminoacid in length and binds to RNA and functions also as a key molecule between virus and host cell processes. The predicted epitopes from N protein that bind to class I MHC were analyzed for human proteasomes cleavage, TAP efficiency, immunogenicity and antigenicity. We identified 8 epitopes through MHC binding prediction, proteasomal cleavage prediction and TAP efficiency. Epitope VMGVIGFSF had highest Vaxijen score and the epitope, TNRAYFITR had highest immunogenicity score. Epitope AAVSALETK and TIACGLFPA had 100% homology to many HCPS causing viruses. Our study focused on T-cell epitope prediction specific to restricted HLA haplotypes of racial groups in North America for the potential vaccine development. Among the candidate epitopes, FLAARCPFL was conserved in SNV, which is suitable for vaccine specific to the virus genotype. Peptide-based vaccines can be designed to include multiple determinants from several hantavirus genotypes, or multiple epitopes from the same genotype. Thereby, immune response will focus solely on relevant epitopes, avoiding non-protective responses or immune evasion. The other advantages include absence of infectious material unlike in live or attenuated vaccines. There is no risk of reversion or formation of adverse reassortants leading to virulence and no risk of genetic integration or recombination forming a rationale for vaccine design including for distinct geographical regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sathish Sankar
- Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore 632 055, Tamil Nadu,India
| | - Mageshbabu Ramamurthy
- Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore 632 055, Tamil Nadu,India
| | - Balaji Nandagopal
- Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore 632 055, Tamil Nadu,India
| | - Gopalan Sridharan
- Sri Sakthi Amma Institute of Biomedical Research, Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre, Sripuram, Vellore 632 055, Tamil Nadu,India
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Analysis of cell-mediated immune responses in support of dengue vaccine development efforts. Vaccine 2015; 33:7083-90. [PMID: 26458801 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.09.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2015] [Revised: 09/10/2015] [Accepted: 09/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Dengue vaccine development has made significant strides, but a better understanding of how vaccine-induced immune responses correlate with vaccine efficacy can greatly accelerate development, testing, and deployment as well as ameliorate potential risks and safety concerns. Advances in basic immunology knowledge and techniques have already improved our understanding of cell-mediated immunity of natural dengue virus infection and vaccination. We conclude that the evidence base is adequate to argue for inclusion of assessments of cell-mediated immunity as part of clinical trials of dengue vaccines, although further research to identify useful correlates of protective immunity is needed.
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