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Felgner J, Clarke E, Hernandez-Davies JE, Jan S, Wirchnianski AS, Jain A, Nakajima R, Jasinskas A, Strahsburger E, Chandran K, Bradfute S, Davies DH. Broad antibody and T cell responses to Ebola, Sudan, and Bundibugyo ebolaviruses using mono- and multi-valent adjuvanted glycoprotein vaccines. Antiviral Res 2024; 225:105851. [PMID: 38458540 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2024.105851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Currently, there are two approved vaccine regimens designed to prevent Ebola virus (EBOV) disease (EVD). Both are virus-vectored, and concerns about cold-chain storage and pre-existing immunity to the vectors warrant investigating additional vaccine strategies. Here, we have explored the utility of adjuvanted recombinant glycoproteins (GPs) from ebolaviruses Zaire (EBOV), Sudan (SUDV), and Bundibugyo (BDBV) for inducing antibody (Ab) and T cell cross-reactivity. Glycoproteins expressed in insect cells were administered to C57BL/6 mice as free protein or bound to the surface of liposomes, and formulated with toll-like receptor agonists CpG and MPLA (agonists for TLR 9 and 4, respectively), with or without the emulsions AddaVax or TiterMax. The magnitude of Ab cross-reactivity in binding and neutralization assays, and T cell cross-reactivity in antigen recall assays, correlated with phylogenetic relatedness. While most adjuvants screened induced IgG responses, a combination of CpG, MPLA and AddaVax emulsion ("IVAX-1") was the most potent and polarized in an IgG2c (Th1) direction. Breadth was also achieved by combining GPs into a trivalent (Tri-GP) cocktail with IVAX-1, which did not compromise antibody responses to individual components in binding and neutralizing assays. Th1 signature cytokines in T cell recall assays were undetectable after Tri-GP/IVAX-1 administration, despite a robust IgG2c response, although administration of Tri-GP on lipid nanoparticles in IVAX-1 elevated Th1 cytokines to detectable levels. Overall, the data indicate an adjuvanted trivalent recombinant GP approach may represent a path toward a broadly reactive, deployable vaccine against EVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiin Felgner
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, University of California Irvine, USA
| | - Elizabeth Clarke
- Center for Global Health, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, USA
| | | | - Sharon Jan
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, University of California Irvine, USA
| | - Ariel S Wirchnianski
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
| | - Aarti Jain
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, University of California Irvine, USA
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, University of California Irvine, USA
| | | | - Erwin Strahsburger
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, University of California Irvine, USA
| | - Kartik Chandran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
| | - Steven Bradfute
- Center for Global Health, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, USA
| | - D Huw Davies
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, University of California Irvine, USA.
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Cardenas-Garcia S, Cáceres CJ, Jain A, Geiger G, Mo JS, Gay LC, Seibert B, Jasinskas A, Nakajima R, Rajao DS, Davies DH, Perez DR. Impact of sex on humoral immunity with live influenza B virus vaccines in mice. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:45. [PMID: 38409236 PMCID: PMC10897209 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00827-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Influenza B virus (FLUBV) poses a significant infectious threat, with frequent vaccine mismatch limiting its effectiveness. Our previous work investigated the safety and efficacy of modified live attenuated FLUBV vaccines with rearranged genomes (FluB-RAM and FluB-RANS) or a temperature-sensitive PB1 segment with a C-terminal HA tag (FluB-att). In this study, we compared the immune responses of female and male DBA/2J mice vaccinated with these vaccines, including versions containing a chimeric HA segment with an N-terminal IgA-inducing peptide (IGIP). Importantly, both recombinant viruses with and without IGIP remained genetically stable during egg passage. We found that introducing IGIP strengthened vaccine attenuation, particularly for FluB-RAM/IGIP. Prime-boost vaccination completely protected mice against lethal challenge with a homologous FLUBV strain. Notably, recombinant viruses induced robust neutralizing antibody responses (hemagglutination inhibition titers ≥40) alongside antibodies against NA and NP. Interestingly, female mice displayed a consistent trend of enhanced humoral and cross-reactive IgG and IgA responses against HA, NA, and NP compared to male counterparts, regardless of the vaccine used. However, the presence of IGIP generally led to lower anti-HA responses but higher anti-NA and anti-NP responses, particularly of the IgA isotype. These trends were further reflected in mucosal and serological responses two weeks after challenge, with clear distinctions based on sex, vaccine backbone, and IGIP inclusion. These findings hold significant promise for advancing the development of universal influenza vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stivalis Cardenas-Garcia
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - C Joaquín Cáceres
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Ginger Geiger
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Jong-Suk Mo
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - L Claire Gay
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Brittany Seibert
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Daniela S Rajao
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - D Huw Davies
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Daniel R Perez
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
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3
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Ramirez A, Felgner J, Jain A, Jan S, Albin TJ, Badten AJ, Gregory AE, Nakajima R, Jasinskas A, Felgner PL, Burkhardt AM, Davies DH, Wang SW. Engineering Protein Nanoparticles Functionalized with an Immunodominant Coxiella burnetii Antigen to Generate a Q Fever Vaccine. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:1653-1666. [PMID: 37682243 PMCID: PMC10515490 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever, for which there is yet to be an FDA-approved vaccine. This bacterial pathogen has both extra- and intracellular stages in its life cycle, and therefore both a cell-mediated (i.e., T lymphocyte) and humoral (i.e., antibody) immune response are necessary for effective eradication of this pathogen. However, most proposed vaccines elicit strong responses to only one mechanism of adaptive immunity, and some can either cause reactogenicity or lack sufficient immunogenicity. In this work, we aim to apply a nanoparticle-based platform toward producing both antibody and T cell immune responses against C. burnetii. We investigated three approaches for conjugation of the immunodominant outer membrane protein antigen (CBU1910) to the E2 nanoparticle to obtain a consistent antigen orientation: direct genetic fusion, high affinity tris-NTA-Ni conjugation to polyhistidine-tagged CBU1910, and the SpyTag/SpyCatcher (ST/SC) system. Overall, we found that the ST/SC approach yielded nanoparticles loaded with the highest number of antigens while maintaining stability, enabling formulations that could simultaneously co-deliver the protein antigen (CBU1910) and adjuvant (CpG1826) on one nanoparticle (CBU1910-CpG-E2). Using protein microarray analyses, we found that after immunization, antigen-bound nanoparticle formulations elicited significantly higher antigen-specific IgG responses than soluble CBU1910 alone and produced more balanced IgG1/IgG2c ratios. Although T cell recall assays from these protein antigen formulations did not show significant increases in antigen-specific IFN-γ production compared to soluble CBU1910 alone, nanoparticles conjugated with a CD4 peptide epitope from CBU1910 generated elevated T cell responses in mice to both the CBU1910 peptide epitope and whole CBU1910 protein. These investigations highlight the feasibility of conjugating antigens to nanoparticles for tuning and improving both humoral- and cell-mediated adaptive immunity against C. burnetii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Ramirez
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Jiin Felgner
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Sharon Jan
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Tyler J. Albin
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Alexander J. Badten
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Anthony E. Gregory
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Philip L. Felgner
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Amanda M. Burkhardt
- Department
of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - D. Huw Davies
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Szu-Wen Wang
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vaccine Research and Development
Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical
Engineering, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
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4
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Kastenschmidt JM, Sureshchandra S, Jain A, Hernandez-Davies JE, de Assis R, Wagoner ZW, Sorn AM, Mitul MT, Benchorin AI, Levendosky E, Ahuja G, Zhong Q, Trask D, Boeckmann J, Nakajima R, Jasinskas A, Saligrama N, Davies DH, Wagar LE. Influenza vaccine format mediates distinct cellular and antibody responses in human immune organoids. Immunity 2023; 56:1910-1926.e7. [PMID: 37478854 PMCID: PMC10433940 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
Highly effective vaccines elicit specific, robust, and durable adaptive immune responses. To advance informed vaccine design, it is critical that we understand the cellular dynamics underlying responses to different antigen formats. Here, we sought to understand how antigen-specific B and T cells were activated and participated in adaptive immune responses within the mucosal site. Using a human tonsil organoid model, we tracked the differentiation and kinetics of the adaptive immune response to influenza vaccine and virus modalities. Each antigen format elicited distinct B and T cell responses, including differences in their magnitude, diversity, phenotype, function, and breadth. These differences culminated in substantial changes in the corresponding antibody response. A major source of antigen format-related variability was the ability to recruit naive vs. memory B and T cells to the response. These findings have important implications for vaccine design and the generation of protective immune responses in the upper respiratory tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna M Kastenschmidt
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Center for Virus Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Suhas Sureshchandra
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Center for Virus Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Jenny E Hernandez-Davies
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Center for Virus Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Rafael de Assis
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Zachary W Wagoner
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Center for Virus Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Andrew M Sorn
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Center for Virus Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Mahina Tabassum Mitul
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Center for Virus Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Aviv I Benchorin
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Center for Virus Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Elizabeth Levendosky
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63112, USA
| | - Gurpreet Ahuja
- Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, CA 92868, USA; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA 92868, USA
| | - Qiu Zhong
- Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, CA 92868, USA; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA 92868, USA
| | - Douglas Trask
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA 92868, USA
| | - Jacob Boeckmann
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA 92868, USA
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Naresha Saligrama
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63112, USA; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63112, USA; Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63112, USA
| | - D Huw Davies
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Center for Virus Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Lisa E Wagar
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Center for Virus Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA.
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5
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Jan S, Fratzke AP, Felgner J, Hernandez-Davies JE, Liang L, Nakajima R, Jasinskas A, Supnet M, Jain A, Felgner PL, Davies DH, Gregory AE. Multivalent vaccines demonstrate immunogenicity and protect against Coxiella burnetii aerosol challenge. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1192821. [PMID: 37533862 PMCID: PMC10390735 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1192821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccines are among the most cost-effective public health measures for controlling infectious diseases. Coxiella burnetii is the etiological agent of Q fever, a disease with a wide clinical spectrum that ranges from mild symptoms, such as fever and fatigue, to more severe disease, such as pneumonia and endocarditis. The formalin-inactivated whole-cell vaccine Q-VAX® contains hundreds of antigens and confers lifelong protection in humans, but prior sensitization from infection or vaccination can result in deleterious reactogenic responses to vaccination. Consequently, there is great interest in developing non-reactogenic alternatives based on adjuvanted recombinant proteins. In this study, we aimed to develop a multivalent vaccine that conferred protection with reduced reactogenicity. We hypothesized that a multivalent vaccine consisting of multiple antigens would be more immunogenic and protective than a monovalent vaccine owing to the large number of potential protective antigens in the C. burnetii proteome. To address this, we identified immunogenic T and B cell antigens, and selected proteins were purified to evaluate with a combination adjuvant (IVAX-1), with or without C. burnetii lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in immunogenicity studies in vivo in mice and in a Hartley guinea pig intratracheal aerosol challenge model using C. burnetii strain NMI RSA 493. The data showed that multivalent vaccines are more immunogenic than monovalent vaccines and more closely emulate the protection achieved by Q-VAX. Although six antigens were the most immunogenic, we also discovered that multiplexing beyond four antigens introduces detectable reactogenicity, indicating that there is an upper limit to the number of antigens that can be safely included in a multivalent Q-fever vaccine. C. burnetii LPS also demonstrates efficacy as a vaccine antigen in conferring protection in an otherwise monovalent vaccine formulation, suggesting that its addition in multivalent vaccines, as demonstrated by a quadrivalent formulation, would improve protective responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Jan
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Alycia P. Fratzke
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, United States
- Department of Pathology, Charles River Laboratories, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Jiin Felgner
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jenny E. Hernandez-Davies
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Li Liang
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Medalyn Supnet
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Aarti Jain
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Philip L. Felgner
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - D. Huw Davies
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Anthony E. Gregory
- Vaccine Research & Development Center, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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6
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Schubl SD, Figueroa C, Palma AM, de Assis RR, Jain A, Nakajima R, Jasinskas A, Brabender D, Hosseinian S, Naaseh A, Hernandez Dominguez O, Runge A, Skochko S, Chinn J, Kelsey AJ, Lai KT, Zhao W, Horvath P, Tifrea D, Grigorian A, Gonzales A, Adelsohn S, Zaldivar F, Edwards R, Amin AN, Stamos MJ, Barie PS, Felgner PL, Khan S. Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in a health care worker population during the early pandemic. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:330. [PMID: 37194021 PMCID: PMC10186297 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08284-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While others have reported severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence studies in health care workers (HCWs), we leverage the use of a highly sensitive coronavirus antigen microarray to identify a group of seropositive health care workers who were missed by daily symptom screening that was instituted prior to any epidemiologically significant local outbreak. Given that most health care facilities rely on daily symptom screening as the primary method to identify SARS-CoV-2 among health care workers, here, we aim to determine how demographic, occupational, and clinical variables influence SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity among health care workers. METHODS We designed a cross-sectional survey of HCWs for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity conducted from May 15th to June 30th 2020 at a 418-bed academic hospital in Orange County, California. From an eligible population of 5,349 HCWs, study participants were recruited in two ways: an open cohort, and a targeted cohort. The open cohort was open to anyone, whereas the targeted cohort that recruited HCWs previously screened for COVID-19 or work in high-risk units. A total of 1,557 HCWs completed the survey and provided specimens, including 1,044 in the open cohort and 513 in the targeted cohort. Demographic, occupational, and clinical variables were surveyed electronically. SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was assessed using a coronavirus antigen microarray (CoVAM), which measures antibodies against eleven viral antigens to identify prior infection with 98% specificity and 93% sensitivity. RESULTS Among tested HCWs (n = 1,557), SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was 10.8%, and risk factors included male gender (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.05-2.06), exposure to COVID-19 outside of work (2.29, 1.14-4.29), working in food or environmental services (4.85, 1.51-14.85), and working in COVID-19 units (ICU: 2.28, 1.29-3.96; ward: 1.59, 1.01-2.48). Amongst 1,103 HCWs not previously screened, seropositivity was 8.0%, and additional risk factors included younger age (1.57, 1.00-2.45) and working in administration (2.69, 1.10-7.10). CONCLUSION SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity is significantly higher than reported case counts even among HCWs who are meticulously screened. Seropositive HCWs missed by screening were more likely to be younger, work outside direct patient care, or have exposure outside of work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian D Schubl
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Cesar Figueroa
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Anton M Palma
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Rafael R de Assis
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Danielle Brabender
- Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sina Hosseinian
- School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Ariana Naaseh
- School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | - Ava Runge
- School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Shannon Skochko
- School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Justine Chinn
- School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Adam J Kelsey
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kieu T Lai
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Weian Zhao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Peter Horvath
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Delia Tifrea
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Areg Grigorian
- Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Abran Gonzales
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Suzanne Adelsohn
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Frank Zaldivar
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Robert Edwards
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Alpesh N Amin
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Michael J Stamos
- School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Philip S Barie
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Philip L Felgner
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Saahir Khan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1520 San Pablo St., Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
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7
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Hernandez-Davies JE, Dollinger EP, Pone EJ, Felgner J, Liang L, Strohmeier S, Jan S, Albin TJ, Jain A, Nakajima R, Jasinskas A, Krammer F, Esser-Kahn A, Felgner PL, Nie Q, Davies DH. Magnitude and breadth of antibody cross-reactivity induced by recombinant influenza hemagglutinin trimer vaccine is enhanced by combination adjuvants. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9198. [PMID: 35654904 PMCID: PMC9163070 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12727-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of adjuvants for increasing the immunogenicity of influenza vaccines are well known. However, the effect of adjuvants on increasing the breadth of cross-reactivity is less well understood. In this study we have performed a systematic screen of different toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, with and without a squalene-in-water emulsion on the immunogenicity of a recombinant trimerized hemagglutinin (HA) vaccine in mice after single-dose administration. Antibody (Ab) cross-reactivity for other variants within and outside the immunizing subtype (homosubtypic and heterosubtypic cross-reactivity, respectively) was assessed using a protein microarray approach. Most adjuvants induced broad IgG profiles, although the response to a combination of CpG, MPLA and AddaVax (termed 'IVAX-1') appeared more quickly and reached a greater magnitude than the other formulations tested. Antigen-specific plasma cell labeling experiments show the components of IVAX-1 are synergistic. This adjuvant preferentially stimulates CD4 T cells to produce Th1>Th2 type (IgG2c>IgG1) antibodies and cytokine responses. Moreover, IVAX-1 induces identical homo- and heterosubtypic IgG and IgA cross-reactivity profiles when administered intranasally. Consistent with these observations, a single-cell transcriptomics analysis demonstrated significant increases in expression of IgG1, IgG2b and IgG2c genes of B cells in H5/IVAX-1 immunized mice relative to naïve mice, as well as significant increases in expression of the IFNγ gene of both CD4 and CD8 T cells. These data support the use of adjuvants for enhancing the breath and durability of antibody responses of influenza virus vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny E. Hernandez-Davies
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Emmanuel P. Dollinger
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Mathematics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Egest J. Pone
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Jiin Felgner
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Li Liang
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Shirin Strohmeier
- grid.59734.3c0000 0001 0670 2351Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Sharon Jan
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Tyler J. Albin
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA ,Present Address: Avidity Biosciences, San Diego, CA 92121 USA
| | - Aarti Jain
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Rie Nakajima
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Florian Krammer
- grid.59734.3c0000 0001 0670 2351Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 USA ,grid.59734.3c0000 0001 0670 2351Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Aaron Esser-Kahn
- grid.170205.10000 0004 1936 7822Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 USA
| | - Philip L. Felgner
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Qing Nie
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Mathematics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - D. Huw Davies
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
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8
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Cardenas-Garcia S, Cáceres CJ, Jain A, Geiger G, Mo JS, Jasinskas A, Nakajima R, Rajao DS, Davies DH, Perez DR. FluB-RAM and FluB-RANS: Genome Rearrangement as Safe and Efficacious Live Attenuated Influenza B Virus Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9080897. [PMID: 34452022 PMCID: PMC8402576 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9080897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza B virus (IBV) is considered a major respiratory pathogen responsible for seasonal respiratory disease in humans, particularly severe in children and the elderly. Seasonal influenza vaccination is considered the most efficient strategy to prevent and control IBV infections. Live attenuated influenza virus vaccines (LAIVs) are thought to induce both humoral and cellular immune responses by mimicking a natural infection, but their effectiveness has recently come into question. Thus, the opportunity exists to find alternative approaches to improve overall influenza vaccine effectiveness. Two alternative IBV backbones were developed with rearranged genomes, rearranged M (FluB-RAM) and a rearranged NS (FluB-RANS). Both rearranged viruses showed temperature sensitivity in vitro compared with the WT type B/Bris strain, were genetically stable over multiple passages in embryonated chicken eggs and were attenuated in vivo in mice. In a prime-boost regime in naïve mice, both rearranged viruses induced antibodies against HA with hemagglutination inhibition titers considered of protective value. In addition, antibodies against NA and NP were readily detected with potential protective value. Upon lethal IBV challenge, mice previously vaccinated with either FluB-RAM or FluB-RANS were completely protected against clinical disease and mortality. In conclusion, genome re-arrangement renders efficacious LAIV candidates to protect mice against IBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stivalis Cardenas-Garcia
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (S.C.-G.); (C.J.C.); (G.G.); (J.-S.M.); (D.S.R.)
| | - C. Joaquín Cáceres
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (S.C.-G.); (C.J.C.); (G.G.); (J.-S.M.); (D.S.R.)
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; (A.J.); (A.J.); (R.N.); (D.H.D.)
| | - Ginger Geiger
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (S.C.-G.); (C.J.C.); (G.G.); (J.-S.M.); (D.S.R.)
| | - Jong-Suk Mo
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (S.C.-G.); (C.J.C.); (G.G.); (J.-S.M.); (D.S.R.)
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; (A.J.); (A.J.); (R.N.); (D.H.D.)
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; (A.J.); (A.J.); (R.N.); (D.H.D.)
| | - Daniela S. Rajao
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (S.C.-G.); (C.J.C.); (G.G.); (J.-S.M.); (D.S.R.)
| | - D. Huw Davies
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; (A.J.); (A.J.); (R.N.); (D.H.D.)
| | - Daniel R. Perez
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (S.C.-G.); (C.J.C.); (G.G.); (J.-S.M.); (D.S.R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(706)-542-5506
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9
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Hernandez-Davies JE, Felgner J, Strohmeier S, Pone EJ, Jain A, Jan S, Nakajima R, Jasinskas A, Strahsburger E, Krammer F, Felgner PL, Davies DH. Administration of Multivalent Influenza Virus Recombinant Hemagglutinin Vaccine in Combination-Adjuvant Elicits Broad Reactivity Beyond the Vaccine Components. Front Immunol 2021; 12:692151. [PMID: 34335601 PMCID: PMC8318558 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.692151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Combining variant antigens into a multivalent vaccine is a traditional approach used to provide broad coverage against antigenically variable pathogens, such as polio, human papilloma and influenza viruses. However, strategies for increasing the breadth of antibody coverage beyond the vaccine are not well understood, but may provide more anticipatory protection. Influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) is a prototypic variant antigen. Vaccines that induce HA-specific neutralizing antibodies lose efficacy as amino acid substitutions accumulate in neutralizing epitopes during influenza virus evolution. Here we studied the effect of a potent combination adjuvant (CpG/MPLA/squalene-in-water emulsion) on the breadth and maturation of the antibody response to a representative variant of HA subtypes H1, H5 and H7. Using HA protein microarrays and antigen-specific B cell labelling, we show when administered individually, each HA elicits a cross-reactive antibody profile for multiple variants within the same subtype and other closely-related subtypes (homosubtypic and heterosubtypic cross-reactivity, respectively). Despite a capacity for each subtype to induce heterosubtypic cross-reactivity, broader coverage was elicited by simply combining the subtypes into a multivalent vaccine. Importantly, multiplexing did not compromise antibody avidity or affinity maturation to the individual HA constituents. The use of adjuvants to increase the breadth of antibody coverage beyond the vaccine antigens may help future-proof vaccines against newly-emerging variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny E. Hernandez-Davies
- Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jiin Felgner
- Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Shirin Strohmeier
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Egest James Pone
- Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Aarti Jain
- Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Sharon Jan
- Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Rie Nakajima
- Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Erwin Strahsburger
- Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Florian Krammer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Philip L. Felgner
- Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - D. Huw Davies
- Vaccine Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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10
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Pūkienė S, Karaliūnas M, Jasinskas A, Dudutienė E, Čechavičius B, Devenson J, Butkutė R, Udal A, Valušis G. Enhancement of photoluminescence of GaAsBi quantum wells by parabolic design of AlGaAs barriers. Nanotechnology 2019; 30:455001. [PMID: 31362278 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ab36f3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Influence of barrier material and structure on carrier quantum confinement in GaAsBi quantum wells (QWs) is studied comprehensively. Single- and multi-QW structures were grown using solid-state molecular beam epitaxy with conventional rectangular, step-like and parabolically graded AlGaAs barrier designs. It was discovered that room temperature photoluminescence is increased by more than 50 times in the GaAsBi QWs with parabolically graded barriers (PGBs) if compared to standard rectangular and step-like structures. The enhancement of photoluminescence was reproducible within the range of growth parameters. The carrier localization and increase of trapping efficiency in GaAsBi QWs is responsible for observed enhancement in radiative properties of PGB structures. The random potential field fluctuations for carriers were increased up to 44 meV due to the blurred well-barrier interface causing the conditions for Bi content and/or well width variations. Due to the impact of self-organizing effects on the reproducibility of optical properties, the GaAsBi QWs with AlGaAs PGBs open the window for fabrication of 1.0-1.55 μm wavelength emission lasers based on GaAsBi quantum structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Pūkienė
- Department of Optoelectronics, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Saulėtekio Av. 3, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
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11
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Vigil A, Chen C, Jain A, Nakajima-Sasaki R, Jasinskas A, Pablo J, Hendrix LR, Samuel JE, Felgner PL. Profiling the humoral immune response of acute and chronic Q fever by protein microarray. Mol Cell Proteomics 2011; 10:M110.006304. [PMID: 21817167 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.m110.006304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Antigen profiling using comprehensive protein microarrays is a powerful tool for characterizing the humoral immune response to infectious pathogens. Coxiella burnetii is a CDC category B bioterrorist infectious agent with worldwide distribution. In order to assess the antibody repertoire of acute and chronic Q fever patients we have constructed a protein microarray containing 93% of the proteome of Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever. Here we report the profile of the IgG and IgM seroreactivity in 25 acute Q fever patients in longitudinal samples. We found that both early and late time points of infection have a very consistent repertoire of IgM and IgG response, with a limited number of proteins undergoing increasing or decreasing seroreactivity. We also probed a large collection of acute and chronic Q fever patient samples and identified serological markers that can differentiate between the two disease states. In this comparative analysis we confirmed the identity of numerous IgG biomarkers of acute infection, identified novel IgG biomarkers for acute and chronic infections, and profiled for the first time the IgM antibody repertoire for both acute and chronic Q fever. Using these results we were able to devise a test that can distinguish acute from chronic Q fever. These results also provide a unique perspective on isotype switch and demonstrate the utility of protein microarrays for simultaneously examining the dynamic humoral immune response against thousands of proteins from a large number of patients. The results presented here identify novel seroreactive antigens for the development of recombinant protein-based diagnostics and subunit vaccines, and provide insight into the development of the antibody response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Vigil
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
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12
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Noroozi Z, Kido H, Peytavi R, Nakajima-Sasaki R, Jasinskas A, Micic M, Felgner PL, Madou MJ. A multiplexed immunoassay system based upon reciprocating centrifugal microfluidics. Rev Sci Instrum 2011; 82:064303. [PMID: 21721711 PMCID: PMC3188650 DOI: 10.1063/1.3597578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
A novel, centrifugal disk-based micro-total analysis system (μTAS) for low cost and high throughput semi-automated immunoassay processing was developed. A key innovation in the disposable immunoassay disk design is in a fluidic structure that enables very efficient micro-mixing based on a reciprocating mechanism in which centrifugal acceleration acting upon a liquid element first generates and stores pneumatic energy that is then released by a reduction of the centrifugal acceleration, resulting in a reversal of direction of flow of the liquid. Through an alternating sequence of high and low centrifugal acceleration, the system reciprocates the flow of liquid within the disk to maximize incubation/hybridization efficiency between antibodies and antigen macromolecules during the incubation/hybridization stage of the assay. The described reciprocating mechanism results in a reduction in processing time and reagent consumption by one order of magnitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Noroozi
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Irvine, 4200 Engineering Gateway, Irvine, California 92697-3975, USA
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13
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Zhong J, Jasinskas A, Barbour AG. Antibiotic treatment of the tick vector Amblyomma americanum reduced reproductive fitness. PLoS One 2007; 2:e405. [PMID: 17476327 PMCID: PMC1852332 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2007] [Accepted: 04/05/2007] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The lone star tick Amblyomma americanum is a common pest and vector of infectious diseases for humans and other mammals in the southern and eastern United States. A Coxiella sp. bacterial endosymbiont was highly prevalent in both laboratory-reared and field-collected A. americanum. The Coxiella sp. was demonstrated in all stages of tick and in greatest densities in nymphs and adult females, while a Rickettsia sp. was less prevalent and in lower densities when present. Methodology/Principal Findings We manipulated the numbers of both bacterial species in laboratory-reared A. americanum by injecting engorged nymphs or engorged, mated females with single doses of an antibiotic (rifampin or tetracycline) or buffer alone. Burdens of the bacteria after molting or after oviposition were estimated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction with primers and probes specific for each bacterial species or, as an internal standard, the host tick. Post-molt adult ticks that had been treated with rifampin or tetracycline had lower numbers of the Coxiella sp. and Rickettsia sp. and generally weighed less than ticks that received buffer alone. Similarly, after oviposition, females treated previously with either antibiotic had lower burdens of both bacterial species in comparison to controls. Treatment of engorged females with either antibiotic was associated with prolonged time to oviposition, lower proportions of ticks that hatched, lower proportions of viable larvae among total larvae, and lower numbers of viable larvae per tick. These fitness estimators were associated with reduced numbers of the Coxiella sp. but not the Rickettsia sp. Conclusion/Significance The findings indicate that the Coxiella sp. is a primary endosymbiont, perhaps provisioning the obligately hematophagous parasites with essential nutrients. The results also suggest that antibiotics could be incorporated into an integrated pest management plan for control of these and other tick vectors of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianmin Zhong
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Department of Medicine and Pacific-Southwest Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infections, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, United States of America
| | - Algimantas Jasinskas
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Department of Medicine and Pacific-Southwest Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infections, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Alan G. Barbour
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Department of Medicine and Pacific-Southwest Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infections, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
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14
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Abstract
Laboratory-reared and field-collected Amblyomma americanum ticks were hosts of a Coxiella sp. and a Rickettsia sp. While the Coxiella sp. was detected in 50 of 50 field-collected ticks, the Rickettsia sp. was absent from 32% of ticks. The Coxiella sp. showed evidence of a reduced genome and may be an obligate endosymbiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Algimantas Jasinskas
- Deparetments of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California-Irvine, Pacific-Southwest Center, 3012 Hewitt, Irvine, CA 92697-4028, USA
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15
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Jaworski DC, Jasinskas A, Metz CN, Bucala R, Barbour AG. Identification and characterization of a homologue of the pro-inflammatory cytokine Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor in the tick, Amblyomma americanum. Insect Mol Biol 2001; 10:323-31. [PMID: 11520355 DOI: 10.1046/j.0962-1075.2001.00271.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Studying tick feeding and digestion, we discovered in a cDNA library from partially fed Amblyomma americanum ticks the first known arthropod homologue of a human cytokine, the pro-inflammatory Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF). The tick origin of the MIF cDNA clone was confirmed by sequencing a genomic fragment that contained the full-length tick MIF gene with two introns. Antiserum to a tick MIF-specific peptide as well as antiserum to complete tick MIF revealed the expression of tick MIF in the salivary gland and midgut tissues of A. americanum ticks. In an in vitro functional assay, recombinant tick MIF inhibited the migration of human macrophages to the same extent that recombinant human MIF did.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Jaworski
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, B240 Med Sci I, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
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16
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Abstract
The passage of immunoglobulins in the blood meal into hemolymph prompts development of vaccines against internal antigens of ticks, but little is known about kinetics and specificity of the immunoglobulin uptake. We used capillary feeding of adult Amblyomma americanum hard ticks to introduce compounds into the midgut and then examined the hemolymph after various times for their presence and concentration. Immunoglobulins of different sources, albumin, choramphenicol acetyltransferase, inulin, and mannitol were labeled with (125)I, (14)C, or biotin. With the exception of the carbohydrate inulin, all the compounds entered the hemolymph of tick during capillary feeding. The small molecule mannitol had the highest rate of entry at 9% after 6 h. Among proteins, the entry of immunoglobulin G (IgG) of different species into the hemolymph was greater at 6% after 6 h than for the smaller proteins albumin or choramphenicol acetyltransferase at 1 and 3%, respectively. The entry of denatured IgG was equal to that of nondenatured protein. There was no evidence of degradation of the IgG or of its binding to cells once it entered the hemolymph. A monoclonal IgG antibody labeled with biotin entered the hemolymph and retained its ability to bind to its specific antigen in an immunoassay. Although different proteins entered the hemolymph after capillary feeding, there was evidence of a specific mechanism for immunoglobulin uptake.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Jasinskas
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Irvine, B240 Medical Science I, Irvine, California 92697, USA
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17
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Abstract
Nucleoprotein hybridization, a method for the purification of specific DNA sequences as chromatin, was employed to fractionate primate centromeric alpha satellite chromatin as a first step in the identification and analysis of novel centromere-enriched proteins. In order to optimize the amount of material available for further study, cultured African green monkey cells were employed because satellite DNA represents approximately 25% of the genome. Two chromatin preparations were compared for the yield and total protein content of purified material. Regardless of the preparation, alpha satellite sequences were enriched to near purity. Since intact satellite chromatin is relatively refractile to the enzymatic digestion steps in the method, the total amount of solubilized material available for purification is rather low. In contrast, nuclei treated with acidic washes to extract histone H1 provided solubilized material enriched in satellite sequences. In addition, this material is more efficiently utilized in an affinity chromatography step. However, the extraction of many non-histones at low pH resulted in very low yields of protein in the purified fraction. Two-dimensional gel comparisons of proteins associated with H1-containing satellite chromatin after iodination of total chromatin proteins revealed a number of polypeptides enriched to varying degrees in the purified fraction. The electrophoretic mobilities of a few enriched polypeptides corresponded to previously identified heterochromatin-associated proteins while many others appear to be novel. The work presented validates nucleoprotein hybridization as a purification method for highly repeated sequences as chromatin in analytical amounts. The fact that a number of the enriched proteins are visible in stained gels of bulk chromatin proteins suggests that further biochemical analysis can be carried out on these polypeptides directly.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Jasinskas
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, BioSci II, University of California, Irvine, 92697-3900, USA
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18
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Abstract
Chromatin structure is highly correlated with the transcriptional activity of specific genes. For example, it has been found that the regularity of nucleosome spacing is compromised when genes are transcribed. The rRNA genes from fungi, plants, and animals give distinctly bimodal distributions of psoralen crosslinking, which has led to the suggestion that these genes might be largely devoid of nucleosomes when transcriptionally active. We investigated the chromatin structure of the multicopy rRNA and histone genes during sea urchin early embryogenesis. The rRNA genes, which are weakly expressed, give a unimodal distribution of weak psoralen crosslinking, in contrast to the situation in all other organisms studied. The early histone genes were more accessible to psoralen crosslinking when active than inactive. The pattern of crosslinking suggests that these polII genes have a homogeneous structure and are still highly protected by nucleosomes when in the active conformation, unlike the situation in polI genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Jasinskas
- Biophysics Research Division and Department of Biology, University of Michigan, 930 N. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055, USA
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19
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Jasinskas A, Kersulyte D, Langmore J, Steponaviciute D, Jasinskiene N, Gineitis A. Turnover of histone acetyl groups during sea urchin early development is not required for histone, heat shock and actin gene transcription. Biochim Biophys Acta 1997; 1351:168-80. [PMID: 9116030 DOI: 10.1016/s0167-4781(96)00193-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Histone acetylation is an extremely complex, reversible and specific process. In order to evaluate the importance of this modification for gene expression during sea urchin development, acetyl group turnover of histone lysine residues was blocked by sodium butyrate. The continuous presence of 15 Mm sodium butyrate in the incubation medium from the onset of development blocked gastrulation and resulted in chromatin containing hyperacetylated histone molecules in amounts usually not found in nature. At the mesenchyme blastula stage, the expression of the early histone genes was shut off and the expression of the late genes was switched on both in control and sodium butyrate-treated embryos. Investigation of the early histone gene chromatin structure in butyrate-treated embryos revealed a random distribution of nucleosomes when the genes were transcriptionally active as compared to regular nucleosomal packaging when genes were inactive. These changes in chromatin structure during development mimicked the chromatin structural transition of the early histone genes in control embryos. In addition, the ability of heat shock genes to be induced at elevated temperature and repressed at normal temperature was unaffected in butyrate treatment of embryos. Finally, the developmental profiles of the cytoskeletal CyIIIa actin gene expression in control and butyrate-treated embryos were very similar. The data presented suggest that turnover of histone acetyl groups and the overall level of histone acetylation are not determining factors in the up and down regulation of a number of genes during early development of sea urchin.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Jasinskas
- Department of Developmental Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, Vilnius, Lithuania
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20
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Abstract
We have used quantitative 2-D protein electrophoresis and immunoprecipitation to study the patterns of histone ubiquitination at 10 h and 36 h of embryonic development in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Variants csH2A, alpha H2A, beta H2A, gamma H2A, delta HA, H2AF./Z, alpha H2B, beta H2B, and gamma H2B showed up to sevenfold differences in level of monoubiquitination between variants, and individual variants showed up to sixfold changes during development. At 36 h of embryogenesis, the late variants were less ubiquitinated than the early variants, although the overall level of ubiquitination was appreciably greater than at 10 h. Antiubiquitin antibodies were used to precipitate formaldehyde-fixed chromatin fragments in order to estimate the degree of ubiquitination of the early histone genes. The 5' regulatory region of the active H3 gene appeared to be at least twice as ubiquitinated as the adjacent upstream spacer. However, the absolute level of ubiquitination of the early histone gene repeat seemed to be independent of transcriptional activity. These results show that variant-specific ubiquitination of histones is a part of the developmental program in sea urchin embryos, but is not clearly correlated with transcriptional activity of the early histone genes, except perhaps in the regulatory regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Jasinskiene
- Department of Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-1055, USA
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