1
|
Haltaufderhyde K, Roberts BJ, Khan S, Terry F, Boyle CM, McAllister M, Martin W, Rosenberg A, De Groot AS. Immunoinformatic Risk Assessment of Host Cell Proteins During Process Development for Biologic Therapeutics. AAPS J 2023; 25:87. [PMID: 37697150 DOI: 10.1208/s12248-023-00852-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The identification and removal of host cell proteins (HCPs) from biologic products is a critical step in drug development. Despite recent improvements to purification processes, biologics such as monoclonal antibodies, enzyme replacement therapies, and vaccines that are manufactured in a range of cell lines and purified using diverse processes may contain HCP impurities, making it necessary for developers to identify and quantify impurities during process development for each drug product. HCPs that contain sequences that are less conserved with human homologs may be more immunogenic than those that are more conserved. We have developed a computational tool, ISPRI-HCP, that estimates the immunogenic potential of HCP sequences by evaluating and quantifying T cell epitope density and relative conservation with similar T cell epitopes in the human proteome. Here we describe several case studies that support the use of this method for classifying candidate HCP impurities according to their immunogenicity risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian J Roberts
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Sundos Khan
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Frances Terry
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | | | | | - William Martin
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Amy Rosenberg
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Anne S De Groot
- EpiVax, Inc, 188 Valley St #424, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rattan A, White CL, Nelson S, Eismann M, Padilla-Quirarte H, Glover MA, Dileepan T, Marathe BM, Govorkova EA, Webby RJ, Richards KA, Sant AJ. Development of a Mouse Model to Explore CD4 T Cell Specificity, Phenotype, and Recruitment to the Lung after Influenza B Infection. Pathogens 2022; 11:251. [PMID: 35215193 PMCID: PMC8875387 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11020251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The adaptive T cell response to influenza B virus is understudied, relative to influenza A virus, for which there has been considerable attention and progress for many decades. Here, we have developed and utilized the C57BL/6 mouse model of intranasal infection with influenza B (B/Brisbane/60/2008) virus and, using an iterative peptide discovery strategy, have identified a series of robustly elicited individual CD4 T cell peptide specificities. The CD4 T cell repertoire encompassed at least eleven major epitopes distributed across hemagglutinin, nucleoprotein, neuraminidase, and non-structural protein 1 and are readily detected in the draining lymph node, spleen, and lung. Within the lung, the CD4 T cells are localized to both lung vasculature and tissue but are highly enriched in the lung tissue after infection. When studied by flow cytometry and MHC class II: peptide tetramers, CD4 T cells express prototypical markers of tissue residency including CD69, CD103, and high surface levels of CD11a. Collectively, our studies will enable more sophisticated analyses of influenza B virus infection, where the fate and function of the influenza B-specific CD4 T cells elicited by infection and vaccination can be studied as well as the impact of anti-viral reagents and candidate vaccines on the abundance, functionality, and localization of the elicited CD4 T cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ajitanuj Rattan
- David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; (A.R.); (C.L.W.); (S.N.); (M.E.); (M.A.G.); (K.A.R.)
| | - Chantelle L. White
- David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; (A.R.); (C.L.W.); (S.N.); (M.E.); (M.A.G.); (K.A.R.)
| | - Sean Nelson
- David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; (A.R.); (C.L.W.); (S.N.); (M.E.); (M.A.G.); (K.A.R.)
| | - Max Eismann
- David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; (A.R.); (C.L.W.); (S.N.); (M.E.); (M.A.G.); (K.A.R.)
| | - Herbey Padilla-Quirarte
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;
| | - Maryah A. Glover
- David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; (A.R.); (C.L.W.); (S.N.); (M.E.); (M.A.G.); (K.A.R.)
| | - Thamotharampillai Dileepan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA;
| | - Bindumadhav M. Marathe
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; (B.M.M.); (E.A.G.); (R.J.W.)
| | - Elena A. Govorkova
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; (B.M.M.); (E.A.G.); (R.J.W.)
| | - Richard J. Webby
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; (B.M.M.); (E.A.G.); (R.J.W.)
| | - Katherine A. Richards
- David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; (A.R.); (C.L.W.); (S.N.); (M.E.); (M.A.G.); (K.A.R.)
- Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Response (CIDER), University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Andrea J. Sant
- David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; (A.R.); (C.L.W.); (S.N.); (M.E.); (M.A.G.); (K.A.R.)
- Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Response (CIDER), University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Advances in Transgenic Mouse Models to Study Infections by Human Pathogenic Viruses. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21239289. [PMID: 33291453 PMCID: PMC7730764 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21239289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Medical research is changing into direction of precision therapy, thus, sophisticated preclinical models are urgently needed. In human pathogenic virus research, the major technical hurdle is not only to translate discoveries from animals to treatments of humans, but also to overcome the problem of interspecies differences with regard to productive infections and comparable disease development. Transgenic mice provide a basis for research of disease pathogenesis after infection with human-specific viruses. Today, humanized mice can be found at the very heart of this forefront of medical research allowing for recapitulation of disease pathogenesis and drug mechanisms in humans. This review discusses progress in the development and use of transgenic mice for the study of virus-induced human diseases towards identification of new drug innovations to treat and control human pathogenic infectious diseases.
Collapse
|
4
|
Self-Replicating RNAs Drive Protective Anti-tumor T Cell Responses to Neoantigen Vaccine Targets in a Combinatorial Approach. Mol Ther 2020; 29:1186-1198. [PMID: 33278563 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically poor clinical results of tumor vaccines have been attributed to weakly immunogenic antigen targets, limited specificity, and vaccine platforms that fail to induce high-quality polyfunctional T cells, central to mediating cellular immunity. We show here that the combination of antigen selection, construct design, and a robust vaccine platform based on the Synthetically Modified Alpha Replicon RNA Technology (SMARRT), a self-replicating RNA, leads to control of tumor growth in mice. Therapeutic immunization with SMARRT replicon-based vaccines expressing tumor-specific neoantigens or tumor-associated antigen were able to generate polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in mice. Additionally, checkpoint inhibitors, or co-administration of cytokine also expressed from the SMARRT platform, synergized to enhance responses further. Lastly, SMARRT-based immunization of non-human primates was able to elicit high-quality T cell responses, demonstrating translatability and clinical feasibility of synthetic replicon technology for therapeutic oncology vaccines.
Collapse
|
5
|
Reeves PM, Raju Paul S, Baeten L, Korek SE, Yi Y, Hess J, Sobell D, Scholzen A, Garritsen A, De Groot AS, Moise L, Brauns T, Bowen R, Sluder AE, Poznansky MC. Novel multiparameter correlates of Coxiella burnetii infection and vaccination identified by longitudinal deep immune profiling. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13311. [PMID: 32770104 PMCID: PMC7414860 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69327-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Q-fever is a flu-like illness caused by Coxiella burnetii (Cb), a highly infectious intracellular bacterium. There is an unmet need for a safe and effective vaccine for Q-fever. Correlates of immune protection to Cb infection are limited. We proposed that analysis by longitudinal high dimensional immune (HDI) profiling using mass cytometry combined with other measures of vaccination and protection could be used to identify novel correlates of effective vaccination and control of Cb infection. Using a vaccine-challenge model in HLA-DR transgenic mice, we demonstrated significant alterations in circulating T-cell and innate immune populations that distinguished vaccinated from naïve mice within 10 days, and persisted until at least 35 days post-vaccination. Following challenge, vaccinated mice exhibited reduced bacterial burden and splenomegaly, along with distinct effector T-cell and monocyte profiles. Correlation of HDI data to serological and pathological measurements was performed. Our data indicate a Th1-biased response to Cb, consistent with previous reports, and identify Ly6C, CD73, and T-bet expression in T-cell, NK-cell, and monocytic populations as distinguishing features between vaccinated and naïve mice. This study refines the understanding of the integrated immune response to Cb vaccine and challenge, which can inform the assessment of candidate vaccines for Cb.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P M Reeves
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - S Raju Paul
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - L Baeten
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - S E Korek
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Y Yi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J Hess
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - D Sobell
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - A Scholzen
- InnatOss Laboratories B.V, Oss, The Netherlands
| | - A Garritsen
- InnatOss Laboratories B.V, Oss, The Netherlands
| | - A S De Groot
- EpiVax, Inc, Providence, RI, USA.,Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - L Moise
- EpiVax, Inc, Providence, RI, USA.,Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, USA
| | - T Brauns
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - R Bowen
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - A E Sluder
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - M C Poznansky
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
De Groot AS, Moise L, Terry F, Gutierrez AH, Hindocha P, Richard G, Hoft DF, Ross TM, Noe AR, Takahashi Y, Kotraiah V, Silk SE, Nielsen CM, Minassian AM, Ashfield R, Ardito M, Draper SJ, Martin WD. Better Epitope Discovery, Precision Immune Engineering, and Accelerated Vaccine Design Using Immunoinformatics Tools. Front Immunol 2020; 11:442. [PMID: 32318055 PMCID: PMC7154102 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Computational vaccinology includes epitope mapping, antigen selection, and immunogen design using computational tools. Tools that facilitate the in silico prediction of immune response to biothreats, emerging infectious diseases, and cancers can accelerate the design of novel and next generation vaccines and their delivery to the clinic. Over the past 20 years, vaccinologists, bioinformatics experts, and advanced programmers based in Providence, Rhode Island, USA have advanced the development of an integrated toolkit for vaccine design called iVAX, that is secure and user-accessible by internet. This integrated set of immunoinformatic tools comprises algorithms for scoring and triaging candidate antigens, selecting immunogenic and conserved T cell epitopes, re-engineering or eliminating regulatory T cell epitopes, and re-designing antigens to induce immunogenicity and protection against disease for humans and livestock. Commercial and academic applications of iVAX have included identifying immunogenic T cell epitopes in the development of a T-cell based human multi-epitope Q fever vaccine, designing novel influenza vaccines, identifying cross-conserved T cell epitopes for a malaria vaccine, and analyzing immune responses in clinical vaccine studies. Animal vaccine applications to date have included viral infections of pigs such as swine influenza A, PCV2, and African Swine Fever. “Rapid-Fire” applications for biodefense have included a demonstration project for Lassa Fever and Q fever. As recent infectious disease outbreaks underscore the significance of vaccine-driven preparedness, the integrated set of tools available on the iVAX toolkit stand ready to help vaccine developers deliver genome-derived, epitope-driven vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne S De Groot
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, United States.,Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Leonard Moise
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, United States.,Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Providence, RI, United States
| | | | - Andres H Gutierrez
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, United States.,Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Providence, RI, United States
| | | | | | - Daniel Fredric Hoft
- Departments of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology and Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy & Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Ted M Ross
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Amy R Noe
- Leidos Life Sciences, Frederick, MD, United States
| | | | | | - Sarah E Silk
- Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | - Simon J Draper
- Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Knowlden ZAG, Richards KA, Moritzky SA, Sant AJ. Peptide Epitope Hot Spots of CD4 T Cell Recognition Within Influenza Hemagglutinin During the Primary Response to Infection. Pathogens 2019; 8:pathogens8040220. [PMID: 31694141 PMCID: PMC6963931 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8040220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibodies specific for the hemagglutinin (HA) protein of influenza virus are critical for protective immunity to infection. Our studies show that CD4 T cells specific for epitopes derived from HA are the most effective in providing help for the HA-specific B cell responses to infection and vaccination. In this study, we asked whether HA epitopes recognized by CD4 T cells in the primary response to infection are equally distributed across the HA protein or if certain segments are enriched in CD4 T cell epitopes. Mice that collectively expressed eight alternative MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) class II molecules, that would each have different peptide binding specificities, were infected with an H1N1 influenza virus. CD4 T cell peptide epitope specificities were identified by cytokine EliSpots. These studies revealed that the HA-specific CD4 T cell epitopes cluster in two distinct regions of HA and that some segments of HA are completely devoid of CD4 T cell epitopes. When located on the HA structure, it appears that the regions that most poorly recruit CD4 T cells are sequestered within the interior of the HA trimer, perhaps inaccessible to the proteolytic machinery inside the endosomal compartments of antigen presenting cells.
Collapse
|
8
|
Eickhoff CS, Terry FE, Peng L, Meza KA, Sakala IG, Van Aartsen D, Moise L, Martin WD, Schriewer J, Buller RM, De Groot AS, Hoft DF. Highly conserved influenza T cell epitopes induce broadly protective immunity. Vaccine 2019; 37:5371-5381. [PMID: 31331771 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.07.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Influenza world-wide causes significant morbidity and mortality annually, and more severe pandemics when novel strains evolve to which humans are immunologically naïve. Because of the high viral mutation rate, new vaccines must be generated based on the prevalence of circulating strains every year. New approaches to induce more broadly protective immunity are urgently needed. Previous research has demonstrated that influenza-specific T cells can provide broadly heterotypic protective immunity in both mice and humans, supporting the rationale for developing a T cell-targeted universal influenza vaccine. We used state-of-the art immunoinformatic tools to identify putative pan-HLA-DR and HLA-A2 supertype-restricted T cell epitopes highly conserved among > 50 widely diverse influenza A strains (representing hemagglutinin types 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9). We found influenza peptides that are highly conserved across influenza subtypes that were also predicted to be class I epitopes restricted by HLA-A2. These peptides were found to be immunoreactive in HLA-A2 positive but not HLA-A2 negative individuals. Class II-restricted T cell epitopes that were highly conserved across influenza subtypes were identified. Human CD4+ T cells were reactive with these conserved CD4 epitopes, and epitope expanded T cells were responsive to both H1N1 and H3N2 viruses. Dendritic cell vaccines pulsed with conserved epitopes and DNA vaccines encoding these epitopes were developed and tested in HLA transgenic mice. These vaccines were highly immunogenic, and more importantly, vaccine-induced immunity was protective against both H1N1 and H3N2 influenza challenges. These results demonstrate proof-of-principle that conserved T cell epitopes expressed by widely diverse influenza strains can induce broadly protective, heterotypic influenza immunity, providing strong support for further development of universally relevant multi-epitope T cell-targeting influenza vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher S Eickhoff
- Saint Louis University, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, 1100 S. Grand Blvd., Edward A. Doisy Research Center - 8th Floor, Saint Louis, MO 63104, United States
| | - Frances E Terry
- EpiVax, Inc., 188 Valley Street, Suite 424, Providence, RI 02909, United States
| | - Linda Peng
- Saint Louis University, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, 1100 S. Grand Blvd., Edward A. Doisy Research Center - 8th Floor, Saint Louis, MO 63104, United States
| | - Krystal A Meza
- Saint Louis University, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, 1100 S. Grand Blvd., Edward A. Doisy Research Center - 8th Floor, Saint Louis, MO 63104, United States
| | - Isaac G Sakala
- Saint Louis University, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, 1100 S. Grand Blvd., Edward A. Doisy Research Center - 8th Floor, Saint Louis, MO 63104, United States
| | - Daniel Van Aartsen
- Saint Louis University, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, 1100 S. Grand Blvd., Edward A. Doisy Research Center - 8th Floor, Saint Louis, MO 63104, United States
| | - Leonard Moise
- EpiVax, Inc., 188 Valley Street, Suite 424, Providence, RI 02909, United States; University of Rhode Island, Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, 80 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903, United States
| | - William D Martin
- EpiVax, Inc., 188 Valley Street, Suite 424, Providence, RI 02909, United States
| | - Jill Schriewer
- Saint Louis University, Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, 1100 S. Grand Blvd., Edward A. Doisy Research Center - 8th Floor, Saint Louis, MO 63104, United States
| | - R Mark Buller
- Saint Louis University, Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, 1100 S. Grand Blvd., Edward A. Doisy Research Center - 8th Floor, Saint Louis, MO 63104, United States
| | - Anne S De Groot
- EpiVax, Inc., 188 Valley Street, Suite 424, Providence, RI 02909, United States; University of Rhode Island, Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, 80 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903, United States
| | - Daniel F Hoft
- Saint Louis University, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, 1100 S. Grand Blvd., Edward A. Doisy Research Center - 8th Floor, Saint Louis, MO 63104, United States; Saint Louis University, Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, 1100 S. Grand Blvd., Edward A. Doisy Research Center - 8th Floor, Saint Louis, MO 63104, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Nieto-Gómez R, Angulo C, Monreal-Escalante E, Govea-Alonso DO, De Groot AS, Rosales-Mendoza S. Design of a multiepitopic Zaire ebolavirus protein and its expression in plant cells. J Biotechnol 2019; 295:41-48. [PMID: 30826446 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The recent Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks make the development of efficacious and low cost vaccines against Ebola virus (EBOV) an urgent goal. Multiepitopic vaccines allow a rational design rendering vaccines able to induce proper immune responses in terms of polarization and potency. In addition, the pathogen variants can be easily covered by including epitopes conserved among relevant isolates. Other important aspects to consider in vaccination are the costs associated to production, distribution, and administration of the vaccine. Plants provide an advantageous platform for this purpose, since they yield biomass at very low costs and some species can be used to formulate purification-free oral vaccines. In the present study, a multiepitopic protein called Zerola, which carries epitopes from the EBOV glycoprotein (GP), was designed based on immunoinformatic approaches and current experimental evidence on B cell protective GP epitopes. Moreover, expression studies performed in nuclear-transformed tobacco lines confirmed the capacity of the plant cell to synthetize the Zerola antigenic protein. The generation of this plant-based candidate vaccine is a step forward in the development of highly efficient and low cost EBOV vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Nieto-Gómez
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, SLP, 78210, Mexico; Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª Sección, San Luis Potosí, 78210, Mexico
| | - Carlos Angulo
- Grupo de Inmunología & Vacunología, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, SC., Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, B.C.S., C.P. 23096, Mexico
| | - Elizabeth Monreal-Escalante
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, SLP, 78210, Mexico; Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª Sección, San Luis Potosí, 78210, Mexico
| | - Dania O Govea-Alonso
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, SLP, 78210, Mexico; Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª Sección, San Luis Potosí, 78210, Mexico
| | | | - Sergio Rosales-Mendoza
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, SLP, 78210, Mexico; Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª Sección, San Luis Potosí, 78210, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Krishnakumar V, Durairajan SSK, Alagarasu K, Li M, Dash AP. Recent Updates on Mouse Models for Human Immunodeficiency, Influenza, and Dengue Viral Infections. Viruses 2019; 11:E252. [PMID: 30871179 PMCID: PMC6466164 DOI: 10.3390/v11030252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 02/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Well-developed mouse models are important for understanding the pathogenesis and progression of immunological response to viral infections in humans. Moreover, to test vaccines, anti-viral drugs and therapeutic agents, mouse models are fundamental for preclinical investigations. Human viruses, however, seldom infect mice due to differences in the cellular receptors used by the viruses for entry, as well as in the innate immune responses in mice and humans. In other words, a species barrier exists when using mouse models for investigating human viral infections. Developing transgenic (Tg) mice models expressing the human genes coding for viral entry receptors and knock-out (KO) mice models devoid of components involved in the innate immune response have, to some extent, overcome this barrier. Humanized mouse models are a third approach, developed by engrafting functional human cells and tissues into immunodeficient mice. They are becoming indispensable for analyzing human viral diseases since they nearly recapitulate the human disease. These mouse models also serve to test the efficacy of vaccines and antiviral agents. This review provides an update on the Tg, KO, and humanized mouse models that are used in studies investigating the pathogenesis of three important human-specific viruses, namely human immunodeficiency (HIV) virus 1, influenza, and dengue.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vinodhini Krishnakumar
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Tamilnadu, Tiruvarur 610 005, India.
| | | | - Kalichamy Alagarasu
- Dengue/Chikungunya Group, ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune 411001, India.
| | - Min Li
- Neuroscience Research Laboratory, Mr. & Mrs. Ko Chi-Ming Centre for Parkinson's Disease Research, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, HKSAR, China.
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Scholzen A, Richard G, Moise L, Baeten LA, Reeves PM, Martin WD, Brauns TA, Boyle CM, Raju Paul S, Bucala R, Bowen RA, Garritsen A, De Groot AS, Sluder AE, Poznansky MC. Promiscuous Coxiella burnetii CD4 Epitope Clusters Associated With Human Recall Responses Are Candidates for a Novel T-Cell Targeted Multi-Epitope Q Fever Vaccine. Front Immunol 2019; 10:207. [PMID: 30828331 PMCID: PMC6384241 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium transmitted via aerosol. Regulatory approval of the Australian whole-cell vaccine Q-VAX® in the US and Europe is hindered by reactogenicity in previously exposed individuals. The aim of this study was to identify and rationally select C. burnetii epitopes for design of a safe, effective, and less reactogenic T-cell targeted human Q fever vaccine. Immunoinformatic methods were used to predict 65 HLA class I epitopes and 50 promiscuous HLA class II C. burnetii epitope clusters, which are conserved across strains of C. burnetii. HLA binding assays confirmed 89% of class I and 75% of class II predictions, and 11 HLA class II epitopes elicited IFNγ responses following heterologous DNA/DNA/peptide/peptide prime-boost immunizations of HLA-DR3 transgenic mice. Human immune responses to the predicted epitopes were characterized in individuals naturally exposed to C. burnetii during the 2007–2010 Dutch Q fever outbreak. Subjects were divided into three groups: controls with no immunological evidence of previous infection and individuals with responses to heat-killed C. burnetii in a whole blood IFNγ release assay (IGRA) who remained asymptomatic or who experienced clinical Q fever during the outbreak. Recall responses to C. burnetii epitopes were assessed by cultured IFNγ ELISpot. While HLA class I epitope responses were sparse in this cohort, we identified 21 HLA class II epitopes that recalled T-cell IFNγ responses in 10–28% of IGRA+ subjects. IGRA+ individuals with past asymptomatic and symptomatic C. burnetii infection showed a comparable response pattern and cumulative peptide response which correlated with IGRA responses. None of the peptides elicited reactogenicity in a C. burnetii exposure-primed guinea pig model. These data demonstrate that a substantial proportion of immunoinformatically identified HLA class II epitopes show long-lived immunoreactivity in naturally infected individuals, making them desirable candidates for a novel human multi-epitope Q fever vaccine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Leonard Moise
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, United States.,Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute for Immunology and Informatics, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Laurie A Baeten
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Patrick M Reeves
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Timothy A Brauns
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Susan Raju Paul
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Richard Bucala
- Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Richard A Bowen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | | | - Anne S De Groot
- EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, United States.,Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute for Immunology and Informatics, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Ann E Sluder
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mark C Poznansky
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Influenza and sudden unexpected death: the possible role of peptide cross-reactivity. INFECTION INTERNATIONAL 2018. [DOI: 10.2478/ii-2018-0023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
This study investigates the hypothesis that cross-reactions may occur between human cardiac proteins and influenza antigens, thus possibly representing the molecular mechanism underlying influenzaassociated sudden unexpected death (SUD). Using titin protein as a research model, data were obtained on (1) the occurrence of the titin octapeptide AELLVLLE or its mimic AELLVALE in influenza A virus hemagglutinin (HA) sequences; (2) the immunological potential of AELLVLLE and its mimic AELLVALE; (3) the possible role of the flanking amino acid aa) context of the two octapeptide determinants in eliciting cross-reactivity between the human cardiac titin protein and HA antigens.
Collapse
|
13
|
Gutiérrez AH, Rapp-Gabrielson VJ, Terry FE, Loving CL, Moise L, Martin WD, De Groot AS. T-cell epitope content comparison (EpiCC) of swine H1 influenza A virus hemagglutinin. Influenza Other Respir Viruses 2018; 11:531-542. [PMID: 29054116 PMCID: PMC5705686 DOI: 10.1111/irv.12513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Predicting vaccine efficacy against emerging pathogen strains is a significant problem in human and animal vaccine design. T‐cell epitope cross‐conservation may play an important role in cross‐strain vaccine efficacy. While influenza A virus (IAV) hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titers are widely used to predict protective efficacy of 1 IAV vaccine against new strains, no similar correlate of protection has been identified for T‐cell epitopes. Objective We developed a computational method (EpiCC) that facilitates pairwise comparison of protein sequences based on an immunological property—T‐cell epitope content—rather than sequence identity, and evaluated its ability to classify swine IAV strain relatedness to estimate cross‐protective potential of a vaccine strain for circulating viruses. Methods T‐cell epitope relatedness scores were assessed for 23 IAV HA sequences representing the major H1 swine IAV phylo‐clusters circulating in North American swine and HA sequences in a commercial inactivated vaccine (FluSure XP®). Scores were compared to experimental data from previous efficacy studies. Results Higher EpiCC scores were associated with greater protection by the vaccine against strains for 23 field IAV strain vaccine comparisons. A threshold for EpiCC relatedness associated with full or partial protection in the absence of cross‐reactive HI antibodies was identified. EpiCC scores for field strains for which FluSure protective efficacy is not yet available were also calculated. Conclusion EpiCC thresholds can be evaluated for predictive accuracy of protection in future efficacy studies. EpiCC may also complement HI cross‐reactivity and phylogeny for selection of influenza strains in vaccine development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andres H Gutiérrez
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute for Immunology and Informatics, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, USA
| | | | | | - Crystal L Loving
- Virus and Prion Diseases Research Unit, NADC, USDA ARS, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Leonard Moise
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute for Immunology and Informatics, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, USA.,EpiVax Inc., Providence, RI, USA
| | | | - Anne S De Groot
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute for Immunology and Informatics, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, USA.,EpiVax Inc., Providence, RI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Bounds CE, Terry FE, Moise L, Hannaman D, Martin WD, De Groot AS, Suschak JJ, Dupuy LC, Schmaljohn CS. An immunoinformatics-derived DNA vaccine encoding human class II T cell epitopes of Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus is immunogenic in HLA transgenic mice. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:2824-2836. [PMID: 28575582 PMCID: PMC5718811 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1329788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunoinformatics tools were used to predict human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II-restricted T cell epitopes within the envelope glycoproteins and nucleocapsid proteins of Ebola virus (EBOV) and Sudan virus (SUDV) and the structural proteins of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV). Selected epitopes were tested for binding to soluble HLA molecules representing 5 class II alleles (DRB1*0101, DRB1*0301, DRB1*0401, DRB1*0701, and DRB1*1501). All but one of the 25 tested peptides bound to at least one of the DRB1 alleles, and 4 of the peptides bound at least moderately or weakly to all 5 DRB1 alleles. Additional algorithms were used to design a single "string-of-beads" expression construct with 44 selected epitopes arranged to avoid creation of spurious junctional epitopes. Seventeen of these 44 predicted epitopes were conserved between the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of humans and mice, allowing initial testing in mice. BALB/c mice vaccinated with the multi-epitope construct developed statistically significant cellular immune responses to EBOV, SUDV, and VEEV peptides as measured by interferon (IFN)-γ ELISpot assays. Significant levels of antibodies to VEEV, but not EBOV, were also detected in vaccinated BALB/c mice. To assess immunogenicity in the context of a human MHC, HLA-DR3 transgenic mice were vaccinated with the multi-epitope construct and boosted with a mixture of the 25 peptides used in the binding assays. The vaccinated HLA-DR3 mice developed significant cellular immune responses to 4 of the 25 (16%) tested individual class II peptides as measured by IFN-γ ELISpot assays. In addition, these mice developed antibodies against EBOV and VEEV as measured by ELISA. While a low but significant level of protection was observed in vaccinated transgenic mice after aerosol exposure to VEEV, no protection was observed after intraperitoneal challenge with mouse-adapted EBOV. These studies provide proof of concept for the use of an informatics approach to design a multi-agent, multi-epitope immunogen and provide a basis for further testing aimed at focusing immune responses toward desired protective T cell epitopes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Callie E Bounds
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | | | - Leonard Moise
- b EpiVax, Inc. , Providence , RI , USA.,c Institute for Immunology and Informatics , University of Rhode Island , Providence , RI , USA
| | - Drew Hannaman
- d Ichor Medical Systems, Inc. , San Diego , CA , USA
| | | | - Anne S De Groot
- b EpiVax, Inc. , Providence , RI , USA.,c Institute for Immunology and Informatics , University of Rhode Island , Providence , RI , USA
| | - John J Suschak
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Lesley C Dupuy
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Gutiérrez AH, Loving C, Moise L, Terry FE, Brockmeier SL, Hughes HR, Martin WD, De Groot AS. In Vivo Validation of Predicted and Conserved T Cell Epitopes in a Swine Influenza Model. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0159237. [PMID: 27411061 PMCID: PMC4943726 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Swine influenza is a highly contagious respiratory viral infection in pigs that is responsible for significant financial losses to pig farmers annually. Current measures to protect herds from infection include: inactivated whole-virus vaccines, subunit vaccines, and alpha replicon-based vaccines. As is true for influenza vaccines for humans, these strategies do not provide broad protection against the diverse strains of influenza A virus (IAV) currently circulating in U.S. swine. Improved approaches to developing swine influenza vaccines are needed. Here, we used immunoinformatics tools to identify class I and II T cell epitopes highly conserved in seven representative strains of IAV in U.S. swine and predicted to bind to Swine Leukocyte Antigen (SLA) alleles prevalent in commercial swine. Epitope-specific interferon-gamma (IFNγ) recall responses to pooled peptides and whole virus were detected in pigs immunized with multi-epitope plasmid DNA vaccines encoding strings of class I and II putative epitopes. In a retrospective analysis of the IFNγ responses to individual peptides compared to predictions specific to the SLA alleles of cohort pigs, we evaluated the predictive performance of PigMatrix and demonstrated its ability to distinguish non-immunogenic from immunogenic peptides and to identify promiscuous class II epitopes. Overall, this study confirms the capacity of PigMatrix to predict immunogenic T cell epitopes and demonstrate its potential for use in the design of epitope-driven vaccines for swine. Additional studies that match the SLA haplotype of animals with the study epitopes will be required to evaluate the degree of immune protection conferred by epitope-driven DNA vaccines in pigs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andres H. Gutiérrez
- Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, United States of America
| | - Crystal Loving
- Virus and Prion Diseases Research Unit, NADC, USDA ARS, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Leonard Moise
- Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, United States of America
- EpiVax Inc., Providence, RI, United States of America
| | | | - Susan L. Brockmeier
- Virus and Prion Diseases Research Unit, NADC, USDA ARS, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Holly R. Hughes
- Virus and Prion Diseases Research Unit, NADC, USDA ARS, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | | | - Anne S. De Groot
- Institute for Immunology and Informatics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, United States of America
- EpiVax Inc., Providence, RI, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Cox F, Baart M, Huizingh J, Tolboom J, Dekking L, Goudsmit J, Saeland E, Radošević K. Protection against H5N1 Influenza Virus Induced by Matrix-M Adjuvanted Seasonal Virosomal Vaccine in Mice Requires Both Antibodies and T Cells. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0145243. [PMID: 26696245 PMCID: PMC4687931 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It remains important to develop the next generation of influenza vaccines that can provide protection against vaccine mismatched strains and to be prepared for potential pandemic outbreaks. To achieve this, the understanding of the immunological parameters that mediate such broad protection is crucial. Method In the current study we assessed the contribution of humoral and cellular immune responses to heterosubtypic protection against H5N1 induced by a Matrix-M (MM) adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine by serum transfer and T-cell depletion studies. Results We demonstrate that the heterosubtypic protection against H5N1 induced by MM adjuvanted vaccine is partially mediated by antibodies. The serum contained both H5N1 cross-reactive hemagglutinin (HA)- and neuraminidase (NA)-specific antibodies but with limited virus neutralizing and no hemagglutination inhibiting activity. The cross-reactive antibodies induced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in vitro, suggesting a role for the Fc part of the antibodies in protection against H5N1. Besides H5N1 specific antibody responses, cross-reactive HA- and NA-specific T-cell responses were induced by the adjuvanted vaccine. T-cell depletion experiments demonstrated that both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells contribute to protection. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that cross-protection against H5N1 induced by MM adjuvanted seasonal virosomal influenza vaccine requires both the humoral and cellular arm of the immune system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Freek Cox
- Janssen Prevention Center, Center of Excellence of Janssen Research & Development, Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Matthijs Baart
- Janssen Prevention Center, Center of Excellence of Janssen Research & Development, Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Huizingh
- Janssen Prevention Center, Center of Excellence of Janssen Research & Development, Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Tolboom
- Janssen Prevention Center, Center of Excellence of Janssen Research & Development, Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Liesbeth Dekking
- Janssen Prevention Center, Center of Excellence of Janssen Research & Development, Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jaap Goudsmit
- Janssen Prevention Center, Center of Excellence of Janssen Research & Development, Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Eirikur Saeland
- Janssen Prevention Center, Center of Excellence of Janssen Research & Development, Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson, Leiden, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Katarina Radošević
- Janssen Prevention Center, Center of Excellence of Janssen Research & Development, Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson, Leiden, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Shattuck WMC, Dyer MC, Desrosiers J, Fast LD, Terry FE, Martin WD, Moise L, De Groot AS, Mather TN. Partial pathogen protection by tick-bite sensitization and epitope recognition in peptide-immunized HLA DR3 transgenic mice. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2015; 10:3048-59. [PMID: 25517089 PMCID: PMC5443055 DOI: 10.4161/21645515.2014.985498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks are notorious vectors of disease for humans, and many species of ticks transmit multiple pathogens, sometimes in the same tick bite. Accordingly, a broad-spectrum vaccine that targets vector ticks and pathogen transmission at the tick/host interface, rather than multiple vaccines against every possible tickborne pathogen, could become an important tool for resolving an emerging public health crisis. The concept for such a tick protective vaccine comes from observations of an acquired tick resistance (ATR) that can develop in non-natural hosts of ticks following sensitization to tick salivary components. Mice are commonly used as models to study immune responses to human pathogens but normal mice are natural hosts for many species of ticks and fail to develop ATR. We evaluated HLA DR3 transgenic (tg) "humanized" mice as a potential model of ATR and assessed the possibility of using this animal model for tick protective vaccine discovery studies. Serial tick infestations with pathogen-free Ixodes scapularis ticks were used to tick-bite sensitize HLA DR3 tg mice. Sensitization resulted in a cytokine skew favoring a Th2 bias as well as partial (57%) protection to infection with Lyme disease spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi) following infected tick challenge when compared to tick naïve counterparts. I. scapularis salivary gland homogenate (SGH) and a group of immunoinformatic-predicted T cell epitopes identified from the I. scapularis salivary transcriptome were used separately to vaccinate HLA DR3 tg mice, and these mice also were assessed for both pathogen protection and epitope recognition. Reduced pathogen transmission along with a Th2 skew resulted from SGH vaccination, while no significant protection and a possible T regulatory bias was seen in epitope-vaccinated mice. This study provides the first proof-of-concept for using HLA DR tg "humanized" mice for studying the potential tick protective effects of immunoinformatic- or otherwise-derived tick salivary components as tickborne disease vaccines.
Collapse
Key Words
- ATR, Acquired tick resistance
- B6, C57BL/6
- Bb, Borrelia burgdorferi; Mn, Mus musculus
- ConA, Concanavalin A
- EpiMatrix
- HLA DR3, Human leukocyte antigen, D related 3
- IFN-γ, Interferon gamma
- IL-4, Interleukin-4
- Ixodes scapularis
- LPP, Liposomal peptide pool
- Lyme disease
- NPP, Naked peptide pool
- NR, No response
- SFC, Spot forming cells
- SGH, Salivary gland homogenate
- TBD, Tickborne disease
- epitope discovery
- epitope-based vaccine
- immunization
- immunoinformatic
- salivary gland
- tg, Transgenic
- tick protective vaccine
- transgenic mouse model
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wendy M C Shattuck
- a Center for Vector-Borne Disease ; University of Rhode Island ; Kingston , RI USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Leblanc P, Moise L, Luza C, Chantaralawan K, Lezeau L, Yuan J, Field M, Richer D, Boyle C, Martin WD, Fishman JB, Berg EA, Baker D, Zeigler B, Mais DE, Taylor W, Coleman R, Warren HS, Gelfand JA, De Groot AS, Brauns T, Poznansky MC. VaxCelerate II: rapid development of a self-assembling vaccine for Lassa fever. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2015; 10:3022-38. [PMID: 25483693 DOI: 10.4161/hv.34413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of effective vaccines against emerging infectious diseases (EID) can take as much or more than a decade to progress from pathogen isolation/identification to clinical approval. As a result, conventional approaches fail to produce field-ready vaccines before the EID has spread extensively. Lassa is a prototypical emerging infectious disease endemic to West Africa for which no successful vaccine is available. We established the VaxCelerate Consortium to address the need for more rapid vaccine development by creating a platform capable of generating and pre-clinically testing a new vaccine against specific pathogen targets in less than 120 d A self-assembling vaccine is at the core of the approach. It consists of a fusion protein composed of the immunostimulatory Mycobacterium tuberculosis heat shock protein 70 (MtbHSP70) and the biotin binding protein, avidin. Mixing the resulting protein (MAV) with biotinylated pathogen-specific immunogenic peptides yields a self-assembled vaccine (SAV). To meet the time constraint imposed on this project, we used a distributed R&D model involving experts in the fields of protein engineering and production, bioinformatics, peptide synthesis/design and GMP/GLP manufacturing and testing standards. SAV immunogenicity was first tested using H1N1 influenza specific peptides and the entire VaxCelerate process was then tested in a mock live-fire exercise targeting Lassa fever virus. We demonstrated that the Lassa fever vaccine induced significantly increased class II peptide specific interferon-γ CD4(+) T cell responses in HLA-DR3 transgenic mice compared to peptide or MAV alone controls. We thereby demonstrated that our SAV in combination with a distributed development model may facilitate accelerated regulatory review by using an identical design for each vaccine and by applying safety and efficacy assessment tools that are more relevant to human vaccine responses than current animal models.
Collapse
Key Words
- 6MDP, 6-muramyl dipeptide
- CGE, Capillary Gel Electrophoresis
- CLO97, TLR7 ligand
- CTL, Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte
- CpG1826, Synthetic Oligodeoxynucleotide containing unmethylated dinucleotide sequences (Toll-like receptor 9 agonist)
- DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- EIDs, Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Flu vaccine
- GLP, Good Laboratory Practice
- GMP, Good Manufacturing Practice
- GP1, Glycoprotein-1
- GP2, Glycoprotein-2
- HLA, Human Leukocyte Antigen
- HRP, Horseradish Peroxidase
- LV, Lassa Fever Virus
- Lassa fever virus
- MAV, Mycobacterium tuberculosis Heat Shock Protein 70 – Avidin
- MtbHSP70, Mycobacterium tuberculosis Heat Shock Protein 70
- NHP, Non-human Primates
- OVA, Ovalbumin
- PAGE, Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis
- PBMC, Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell
- PEG, Polyethyleneglycol
- RVKR, Furin Cleavage Site (Arginine, Valine, Lysine, Arginine)
- SAV, Self-assembled vaccine
- SAVL; Self-assembled vaccine formulated for Lassa Fever Virus
- VaxCelerate
- arenavirus
- emerging infectious diseases
- mycobacterium tuberculosis heat shock protein 70
- peptide design
- self-assembled vaccine
- vaccine
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Leblanc
- a Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center; Massachusetts General Hospital ; Charlestown , MA USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
De Groot AS, Moise L, Liu R, Gutierrez AH, Terry F, Koita OA, Ross TM, Martin W. Cross-conservation of T-cell epitopes: now even more relevant to (H7N9) influenza vaccine design. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2014; 10:256-62. [PMID: 24525618 PMCID: PMC4185886 DOI: 10.4161/hv.28135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel avian-origin H7N9 influenza strain emerged in China in April 2013. Since its re-emergence in October-November 2013, the number of reported cases has accelerated; more than 220 laboratory-confirmed cases and 112 deaths (case fatality rate of 20-30%) have been reported. The resurgence of H7N9 has re-emphasized the importance of making faster and more effective influenza vaccines than those that are currently available. Recombinant H7 hemagglutinin (H7-HA) vaccines have been produced, addressing the first problem. Unfortunately, these recombinant subunit vaccine products appear to have failed to address the second problem, influenza vaccine efficacy. Reported unadjuvanted H7N9 vaccine seroconversion rates were between 6% and 16%, nearly 10-fold lower than rates for unadjuvanted vaccine seroconversion to standard H1N1 monovalent (recombinant) vaccine (89% to pandemic H1N1). Could this state of affairs have been predicted? As it turns out, yes, and it was. In that previous analysis of available H7-HA sequences, we found fewer T-cell epitopes per protein than expected, and predicted that H7-HA-based vaccines would be much less antigenic than recent seasonal vaccines. Novel approaches to developing a more immunogenic HA were offered for consideration at the time, and now, as the low immunogenicity of H7N9 vaccines appears to indicate, they appear to be even more relevant. More effective H7N9 influenza vaccines can be produced, provided that the role of T-cell epitopes is carefully considered, and accumulated knowledge about the importance of cross-conserved epitopes between viral subtypes is applied to the design of those vaccines.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Animals
- China/epidemiology
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/genetics
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus/genetics
- Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus/immunology
- Humans
- Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype/immunology
- Influenza Vaccines/genetics
- Influenza Vaccines/immunology
- Influenza Vaccines/isolation & purification
- Influenza, Human/epidemiology
- Influenza, Human/prevention & control
- Influenza, Human/virology
- Survival Analysis
- Treatment Outcome
- Vaccines, Subunit/genetics
- Vaccines, Subunit/immunology
- Vaccines, Subunit/isolation & purification
- Vaccines, Synthetic/genetics
- Vaccines, Synthetic/immunology
- Vaccines, Synthetic/isolation & purification
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne S De Groot
- Institute for Immunology and Informatics; University of Rhode Island; Providence, RI USA
- EpiVax, Inc.; Providence, RI USA
| | - Lenny Moise
- Institute for Immunology and Informatics; University of Rhode Island; Providence, RI USA
- EpiVax, Inc.; Providence, RI USA
| | - Rui Liu
- Institute for Immunology and Informatics; University of Rhode Island; Providence, RI USA
| | - Andres H Gutierrez
- Institute for Immunology and Informatics; University of Rhode Island; Providence, RI USA
| | | | - Ousmane A Koita
- Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology; University of Bamako; Bamako, Mali
- Project SEREFO-NIAID (Centre de Recherche et de Formation sur le VIH/Sida et la Tuberculose-Institut National des Maladies Infectieuses et Allergiques); University of Science, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako; Bamako, Mali
| | - Ted M Ross
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida; Port St. Lucie, FL USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Abstract
Neuraminidase (NA) is the second most abundant influenza surface glycoprotein and contributes to virus replication in several ways, most notably by removing sialic acids from the host and viral glycoproteins, releasing newly formed virus particles from infected cells. Antibodies that block this enzyme activity restrict virus replication in vitro. This chapter describes foundational epidemiologic and human influenza challenge studies that provide evidence of an association between NA inhibiting antibodies and resistance to disease. Mouse challenge studies show that while NA immunity is infection-permissive, NA-specific antibodies attenuate infection and prevent severe disease. NA immunity is most effective against homologous viruses but there is substantial protection against viruses with a heterologous NA (different lineage within a NA subtype). Monoclonal antibodies specific for conserved antigenic domains of subtype N1 protect against seasonal and pandemic H1N1 as well as H5N1 virus challenge. Clinical studies demonstrate that licensed seasonal vaccines contain immunogenic amounts of NA, but the contribution of this immunity to vaccine efficacy is currently not known. New types of influenza vaccines could be designed to elicit NA immunity. Because NA induces heterologous immunity, it could be an important constituent of universal influenza vaccines that aim to protect against unexpected emerging viruses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maryna C Eichelberger
- Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccine Research and Review, Center for Biologics Research and Regulation, US Food and Drug Administration, HFM445, Silver Spring, MD, 20892, USA,
| | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Ugen K, Weiner DB. DNA vaccines onward and upward! 20 years and counting! Highlights of the DNA Vaccines 2012 Meeting. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2013; 9:2038-40. [DOI: 10.4161/hv.26628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
|