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Josi R, Ogrina A, Rothen D, Balke I, Casaramona AS, de Brot S, Mohsen MO. Intranodal Injection of Immune Activator Demonstrates Antitumor Efficacy in an Adjuvant Approach. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:355. [PMID: 38675737 PMCID: PMC11054762 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12040355] [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: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The tumor-draining lymph nodes (tdLN) are the initial site of metastases and are the prime site for generating robust antitumor responses. In this study, we explored the efficacy of a universal immune activator (ImmAct) targeted to the tdLN. This approach can be viewed as an attempt to turn a cold, unresponsive tdLN into a hot, responsive site. The adjuvant antitumor efficacy of our novel intranodal injection was evaluated in an aggressive metastatic mammary carcinoma murine model. The cancer cells were inoculated subcutaneously in the lower quadrant of the mouse to provoke the tdLN (inguinal lymph node). The study encompasses a range of methodologies, including in vivo and in vitro assays and high-dimensional flow cytometry analysis. Our findings demonstrated that intranodal administration of ImmAct following the dissection of the primary tumor led to improved tumor-free survival and minimized weight loss. ImmAct led to both local and systemic alterations in the cellular and humoral immunity. Additionally, after ImmAct treatment, non-responders showed a higher rate of exhausted CD8+ T cells compared to responders. Indeed, our innovative approach surpassed the gold standard surgery of sentinel lymph node excision. Overall, intranodal administration of ImmAct yielded a robust antitumor immune response, offering protection against micrometastases and relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romano Josi
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland (M.O.M.)
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology RIA, University Hospital Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anete Ogrina
- Plant Virology Laboratory, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia (I.B.)
| | - Dominik Rothen
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland (M.O.M.)
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology RIA, University Hospital Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ina Balke
- Plant Virology Laboratory, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia (I.B.)
| | - Arnau Solé Casaramona
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland (M.O.M.)
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology RIA, University Hospital Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Simone de Brot
- COMPATH, Institute of Animal Pathology, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland;
| | - Mona O. Mohsen
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland (M.O.M.)
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology RIA, University Hospital Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Tajarub Research & Development, Doha P.O. Box 12627, Qatar
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Ogrina A, Balke I, Kalnciema I, Skrastina D, Jansons J, Bachmann MF, Zeltins A. Bacterial expression systems based on Tymovirus-like particles for the presentation of vaccine antigens. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1154990. [PMID: 37032851 PMCID: PMC10076540 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1154990] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are virus-derived artificial nanostructures that resemble a native virus-stimulating immune system through highly repetitive surface structures. Improved safety profiles, flexibility in vaccine construction, and the ease of VLP production and purification have highlighted VLPs as attractive candidates for universal vaccine platform generation, although exploration of different types of expression systems for their development is needed. Here, we demonstrate the construction of several simple Escherichia coli expression systems for the generation of eggplant mosaic virus (EMV) VLP-derived vaccines. We used different principles of antigen incorporation, including direct fusion of EMV coat protein (CP) with major cat allergen Feld1, coexpression of antigen containing and unmodified (mosaic) EMV CPs, and two coexpression variants of EMV VLPs and antigen using synthetic zipper pair 18/17 (SYNZIP 18/17), and coiled-coil forming peptides E and K (Ecoil/Kcoil). Recombinant Fel d 1 chemically coupled to EMV VLPs was included as control experiments. All EMV-Feld1 variants were expressed in E. coli, formed Tymovirus-like VLPs, and were used for immunological evaluation in healthy mice. The immunogenicity of these newly developed vaccine candidates demonstrated high titers of Feld1-specific Ab production; however, a comparably high immune response against carrier EMV was also observed. Antibody avidity tests revealed very specific Ab production (more than 50% specificity) for four out of the five vaccine candidates. Native Feld1 recognition and subclass-specific antibody tests suggested that the EMV-SZ18/17-Feld1 complex and chemically coupled EMV-Feld1 vaccines may possess characteristics for further development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anete Ogrina
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, Latvia
| | - Ina Balke
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, Latvia
| | - Ieva Kalnciema
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, Latvia
| | - Dace Skrastina
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, Latvia
| | - Juris Jansons
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, Latvia
| | - Martin F. Bachmann
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andris Zeltins
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, Latvia
- *Correspondence: Andris Zeltins,
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Ogrina A, Skrastina D, Balke I, Kalnciema I, Jansons J, Bachmann MF, Zeltins A. Comparison of Bacterial Expression Systems Based on Potato Virus Y-like Particles for Vaccine Generation. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10040485. [PMID: 35455234 PMCID: PMC9030781 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10040485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant-based virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines have been studied for years, demonstrating their potential as antigen-presenting platforms. In this paper, we describe the development of, and compare between, simple Escherichia coli-based antigen display platforms for the generation of potato virus Y (PVY) VLP-derived vaccines, thus allowing the production of vaccines from a single bacterial cell culture. We constructed four systems with the major cat allergen Fel d 1; namely, direct fusion with plant virus PVY coat protein (CP), mosaic PVY VLPs, and two coexpression variants of conjugates (SpyTag/SpyCatcher) allowing coexpression and conjugation directly in E. coli cells. For control experiments, we included PVY VLPs chemically coupled with Fel d 1. All constructed PVY-Fel d 1 variants were well expressed and soluble, formed PVY-like filamentous particles, and were recognized by monoclonal Fel d 1 antibodies. Our results indicate that all vaccine variants induced high titers of anti-Fel d 1 antibodies in murine models. Mice that were immunized with the chemically coupled Fel d 1 antigen exhibited the highest antibody titers and antibody-antigen interaction specificity, as detected by binding avidity and recognition of native Fel d 1. IgG1 subclass antibodies were found to be the dominant IgG class against PVY-Fel d 1. PVY CP-derived VLPs represent an efficient platform for the comparison of various antigen presentation systems to help evaluate different vaccine designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anete Ogrina
- Plant Virology Laboratory, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; (A.O.); (D.S.); (I.B.); (I.K.); (J.J.)
| | - Dace Skrastina
- Plant Virology Laboratory, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; (A.O.); (D.S.); (I.B.); (I.K.); (J.J.)
| | - Ina Balke
- Plant Virology Laboratory, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; (A.O.); (D.S.); (I.B.); (I.K.); (J.J.)
| | - Ieva Kalnciema
- Plant Virology Laboratory, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; (A.O.); (D.S.); (I.B.); (I.K.); (J.J.)
| | - Juris Jansons
- Plant Virology Laboratory, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; (A.O.); (D.S.); (I.B.); (I.K.); (J.J.)
| | - Martin F. Bachmann
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland;
| | - Andris Zeltins
- Plant Virology Laboratory, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; (A.O.); (D.S.); (I.B.); (I.K.); (J.J.)
- Correspondence:
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Zinkhan S, Ogrina A, Balke I, Reseviča G, Zeltins A, de Brot S, Lipp C, Chang X, Zha L, Vogel M, Bachmann MF, Mohsen MO. The impact of size on particle drainage dynamics and antibody response. J Control Release 2021; 331:296-308. [PMID: 33450322 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Vaccine-induced immune response can be greatly enhanced by mimicking pathogen properties. The size and the repetitive geometric shape of virus-like particles (VLPs) influence their immunogenicity by facilitating drainage to secondary lymphoid organs and enhancing interaction with and activation of B cells and innate humoral immune components. VLPs derived from the plant Bromovirus genus, specifically cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV), are T = 3 icosahedral particles. (T) is the triangulation number that refers to the number and arrangements of the subunits (pentamers and hexamers) of the VLPs. CCMV-VLPs can be easily expressed in an E. coli host system and package ssRNA during the expression process. Recently, we have engineered CCMV-VLPs by incorporating the universal tetanus toxin (TT) epitope at the N-terminus. The modified CCMVTT-VLPs successfully form icosahedral particles T = 3, with a diameter of ~30 nm analogous to the parental VLPs. Interestingly, incorporating TT epitope at the C-terminus of CCMVTT-VLPs results in the formation of Rod-shaped VLPs, ~1 μm in length and ~ 30 nm in width. In this study, we have investigated the draining kinetics and immunogenicity of both engineered forms (termed as Round-shaped CCMVTT-VLPs and Rod-shaped CCMVTT-VLPs) as potential B cell immunogens using different in vitro and in vivo assays. Our results reveal that Round-shaped CCMVTT-VLPs are more efficient in draining to secondary lymphoid organs to charge professional antigen-presenting cells as well as B cells. Furthermore, compared to Rod-shaped CCMVTT-VLPs, Round-shaped CCMVTT-VLPs led to more than 100-fold increased systemic IgG and IgA responses accompanied by prominent formation of splenic germinal centers. Round-shaped CCMVTT-VLPs could also polarize the induced T cell response toward Th1. To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating and comparing the draining kinetics and immunogenicity of one and the same VLP monomer forming nano-sized icosahedra or rods in the micrometer size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Zinkhan
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Immunology RIA, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anete Ogrina
- Latvian Biomedical Research & Study Centre, Ratsupites iela 1, Riga, LV 1067, Latvia
| | - Ina Balke
- Latvian Biomedical Research & Study Centre, Ratsupites iela 1, Riga, LV 1067, Latvia
| | - Gunta Reseviča
- Latvian Biomedical Research & Study Centre, Ratsupites iela 1, Riga, LV 1067, Latvia
| | - Andris Zeltins
- Latvian Biomedical Research & Study Centre, Ratsupites iela 1, Riga, LV 1067, Latvia
| | - Simone de Brot
- COMPATH, Institute of Animal Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Cyrill Lipp
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Immunology RIA, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Xinyue Chang
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Immunology RIA, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lisha Zha
- International Immunology Center, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Monique Vogel
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Immunology RIA, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Martin F Bachmann
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Immunology RIA, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Mona O Mohsen
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Immunology RIA, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Interim Translational Research Institute "iTRI", National Center for Cancer Care & Research Doha, Qatar.
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