1
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DeJong MA, Wolf MA, Bitzer GJ, Hall JM, Fitzgerald NA, Pyles GM, Huckaby AB, Petty JE, Lee K, Barbier M, Bevere JR, Ernst RK, Damron FH. BECC438b TLR4 agonist supports unique immune response profiles from nasal and muscular DTaP pertussis vaccines in murine challenge models. Infect Immun 2024; 92:e0022323. [PMID: 38323817 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00223-23] [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: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The protection afforded by acellular pertussis vaccines wanes over time, and there is a need to develop improved vaccine formulations. Options to improve the vaccines involve the utilization of different adjuvants and administration via different routes. While intramuscular (IM) vaccination provides a robust systemic immune response, intranasal (IN) vaccination theoretically induces a localized immune response within the nasal cavity. In the case of a Bordetella pertussis infection, IN vaccination results in an immune response that is similar to natural infection, which provides the longest duration of protection. Current acellular formulations utilize an alum adjuvant, and antibody levels wane over time. To overcome the current limitations with the acellular vaccine, we incorporated a novel TLR4 agonist, BECC438b, into both IM and IN acellular formulations to determine its ability to protect against infection in a murine airway challenge model. Following immunization and challenge, we observed that DTaP + BECC438b reduced bacterial burden within the lung and trachea for both administration routes when compared with mock-vaccinated and challenged (MVC) mice. Interestingly, IN administration of DTaP + BECC438b induced a Th1-polarized immune response, while IM vaccination polarized toward a Th2 immune response. RNA sequencing analysis of the lung demonstrated that DTaP + BECC438b activates biological pathways similar to natural infection. Additionally, IN administration of DTaP + BECC438b activated the expression of genes involved in a multitude of pathways associated with the immune system. Overall, these data suggest that BECC438b adjuvant and the IN vaccination route can impact efficacy and responses of pertussis vaccines in pre-clinical mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan A DeJong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - M Allison Wolf
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Graham J Bitzer
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Jesse M Hall
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Nicholas A Fitzgerald
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Gage M Pyles
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Annalisa B Huckaby
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Jonathan E Petty
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Katherine Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Justin R Bevere
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Robert K Ernst
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
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2
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Weaver KL, Bitzer GJ, Wolf MA, Pyles GM, DeJong MA, Dublin SR, Huckaby AB, Gutierrez MDLP, Hall JM, Wong TY, Warden M, Petty JE, Witt WT, Cunningham C, Sen-Kilic E, Damron FH, Barbier M. Intranasal challenge with B. pertussis leads to more severe disease manifestations in mice than aerosol challenge. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286925. [PMID: 37917623 PMCID: PMC10621807 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286925] [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: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The murine Bordetella pertussis challenge model has been utilized in preclinical research for decades. Currently, inconsistent methodologies are employed by researchers across the globe, making it difficult to compare findings. The objective of this work was to utilize the CD-1 mouse model with two routes of challenge, intranasal and aerosol administration of B. pertussis, to understand the differences in disease manifestation elicited via each route. We observed that both routes of B. pertussis challenge result in dose-dependent colonization of the respiratory tract, but overall, intranasal challenge led to higher bacterial burden in the nasal lavage, trachea, and lung. Furthermore, high dose intranasal challenge results in induction of leukocytosis and pro-inflammatory cytokine responses compared to aerosol challenge. These data highlight crucial differences in B. pertussis challenge routes that should be considered during experimental design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly L. Weaver
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Graham J. Bitzer
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - M. Allison Wolf
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Gage M. Pyles
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Megan A. DeJong
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Spencer R. Dublin
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Annalisa B. Huckaby
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Maria de la Paz Gutierrez
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Jesse M. Hall
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Ting Y. Wong
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Matthew Warden
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Jonathan E. Petty
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - William T. Witt
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Casey Cunningham
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Emel Sen-Kilic
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Vaccine Development Center in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
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3
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Ma T, Suryawanshi RK, Miller SR, Ly KK, Thomas R, Elphick N, Yin K, Luo X, Kaliss N, Chen IP, Montano M, Sreekumar B, Standker L, Münch J, Heath Damron F, Palop JJ, Ott M, Roan NR. Post-acute immunological and behavioral sequelae in mice after Omicron infection. bioRxiv 2023:2023.06.05.543758. [PMID: 37333294 PMCID: PMC10274741 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.05.543758] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Progress in understanding long COVID and developing effective therapeutics is hampered in part by the lack of suitable animal models. Here we used ACE2-transgenic mice recovered from Omicron (BA.1) infection to test for pulmonary and behavioral post-acute sequelae. Through in-depth phenotyping by CyTOF, we demonstrate that naïve mice experiencing a first Omicron infection exhibit profound immune perturbations in the lung after resolving acute infection. This is not observed if mice were first vaccinated with spike-encoding mRNA. The protective effects of vaccination against post-acute sequelae were associated with a highly polyfunctional SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell response that was recalled upon BA.1 breakthrough infection but not seen with BA.1 infection alone. Without vaccination, the chemokine receptor CXCR4 was uniquely upregulated on multiple pulmonary immune subsets in the BA.1 convalescent mice, a process previously connected to severe COVID-19. Taking advantage of recent developments in machine learning and computer vision, we demonstrate that BA.1 convalescent mice exhibited spontaneous behavioral changes, emotional alterations, and cognitive-related deficits in context habituation. Collectively, our data identify immunological and behavioral post-acute sequelae after Omicron infection and uncover a protective effect of vaccination against post-acute pulmonary immune perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongcui Ma
- Gladstone Institutes of Virology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | | | - Stephanie R. Miller
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Katie K. Ly
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Reuben Thomas
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Natalie Elphick
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kailin Yin
- Gladstone Institutes of Virology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Xiaoyu Luo
- Gladstone Institutes of Virology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Nick Kaliss
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Irene P Chen
- Gladstone Institutes of Virology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco; San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco; San Francisco, CA, USA
- Core Facility Functional Peptidomics, Ulm University Medical Center, Meyerhofstrasse 1, Ulm, Germany
| | | | | | - Ludger Standker
- Core Facility Functional Peptidomics, Ulm University Medical Center, Meyerhofstrasse 1, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jan Münch
- Core Facility Functional Peptidomics, Ulm University Medical Center, Meyerhofstrasse 1, Ulm, Germany
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown WV, USA
| | - Jorge J. Palop
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Melanie Ott
- Gladstone Institutes of Virology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco; San Francisco, CA, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nadia R. Roan
- Gladstone Institutes of Virology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
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4
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Lee KS, Rader NA, Miller-Stump OA, Cooper M, Wong TY, Shahrier Amin M, Barbier M, Bevere JR, Ernst RK, Heath Damron F. Intranasal VLP-RBD vaccine adjuvanted with BECC470 confers immunity against Delta SARS-CoV-2 challenge in K18-hACE2-mice. Vaccine 2023; 41:5003-5017. [PMID: 37407405 PMCID: PMC10300285 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.06.080] [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: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
As the COVID-19 pandemic transitions into endemicity, seasonal boosters are a plausible reality across the globe. We hypothesize that intranasal vaccines can provide better protection against asymptomatic infections and more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2. To formulate a protective intranasal vaccine, we utilized a VLP-based platform. Hepatitis B surface antigen-based virus like particles (VLP) linked with receptor binding domain (RBD) antigen were paired with the TLR4-based agonist adjuvant, BECC 470. K18-hACE2 mice were primed and boosted at four-week intervals with either VLP-RBD-BECC or mRNA-1273. Both VLP-RBD-BECC and mRNA-1273 vaccination resulted in production of RBD-specific IgA antibodies in serum. RBD-specific IgA was also detected in the nasal wash and lung supernatants and were highest in VLP-RBD-BECC vaccinated mice. Interestingly, VLP-RBD-BECC vaccinated mice showed slightly lower levels of pre-challenge IgG responses, decreased RBD-ACE2 binding inhibition, and lower neutralizing activity in vitro than mRNA-1273 vaccinated mice. Both VLP-RBD-BECC and mRNA-1273 vaccinated mice were protected against challenge with a lethal dose of Delta variant SARS-CoV-2. Both vaccines limited viral replication and viral RNA burden in the lungs of mice. CXCL10 is a biomarker of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and we observed both vaccines limited expression of serum and lung CXCL10. Strikingly, VLP-RBD-BECC when administered intranasally, limited lung inflammation at early timepoints that mRNA-1273 vaccination did not. VLP-RBD-BECC immunization elicited antibodies that do recognize SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. However, VLP-RBD-BECC immunized mice were protected from Omicron challenge with low viral burden. Conversely, mRNA-1273 immunized mice had low to no detectable virus in the lungs at day 2. Together, these data suggest that VLP-based vaccines paired with BECC adjuvant can be used to induce protective mucosal and systemic responses against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine S Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Nathaniel A Rader
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Olivia A Miller-Stump
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Melissa Cooper
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Ting Y Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Md Shahrier Amin
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Justin R Bevere
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Robert K Ernst
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA.
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5
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Kang J, Mateu-Borrás M, Monroe HL, Sen-Kilic E, Miller SJ, Dublin SR, Huckaby AB, Yang E, Pyles GM, Nunley MA, Chapman JA, Amin MS, Damron FH, Barbier M. Monoclonal antibodies against lipopolysaccharide protect against Pseudomonas aeruginosa challenge in mice. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1191806. [PMID: 37424774 PMCID: PMC10326049 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1191806] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common cause of hospital-acquired infections, including central line-associated bloodstream infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Unfortunately, effective control of these infections can be difficult, in part due to the prevalence of multi-drug resistant strains of P. aeruginosa. There remains a need for novel therapeutic interventions against P. aeruginosa, and the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) is a promising alternative strategy to current standard of care treatments such as antibiotics. To develop mAbs against P. aeruginosa, we utilized ammonium metavanadate, which induces cell envelope stress responses and upregulates polysaccharide expression. Mice were immunized with P. aeruginosa grown with ammonium metavanadate and we developed two IgG2b mAbs, WVDC-0357 and WVDC-0496, directed against the O-antigen lipopolysaccharide of P. aeruginosa. Functional assays revealed that WVDC-0357 and WVDC-0496 directly reduced the viability of P. aeruginosa and mediated bacterial agglutination. In a lethal sepsis model of infection, prophylactic treatment of mice with WVDC-0357 and WVDC-0496 at doses as low as 15 mg/kg conferred 100% survival against challenge. In both sepsis and acute pneumonia models of infection, treatment with WVDC-0357 and WVDC-0496 significantly reduced bacterial burden and inflammatory cytokine production post-challenge. Furthermore, histopathological examination of the lungs revealed that WVDC-0357 and WVDC-0496 reduced inflammatory cell infiltration. Overall, our results indicate that mAbs directed against lipopolysaccharide are a promising therapy for the treatment and prevention of P. aeruginosa infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Kang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Margalida Mateu-Borrás
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Hunter L. Monroe
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Emel Sen-Kilic
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Sarah Jo Miller
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Spencer R. Dublin
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Annalisa B. Huckaby
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Evita Yang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Gage M. Pyles
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Mason A. Nunley
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Josh A. Chapman
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Md Shahrier Amin
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
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6
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Diallo BK, Chasaide CN, Wong TY, Schmitt P, Lee KS, Weaver K, Miller O, Cooper M, Jazayeri SD, Damron FH, Mills KHG. Intranasal COVID-19 vaccine induces respiratory memory T cells and protects K18-hACE mice against SARS-CoV-2 infection. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:68. [PMID: 37179389 PMCID: PMC10182552 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00665-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Current COVID-19 vaccines prevent severe disease, but do not induce mucosal immunity or prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2, especially with recent variants. Furthermore, serum antibody responses wane soon after immunization. We assessed the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine based on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike trimer formulated with a novel adjuvant LP-GMP, comprising TLR2 and STING agonists. We demonstrated that immunization of mice twice by the intranasal (i.n.) route or by heterologous intramuscular (i.m.) prime and i.n. boost with the Spike-LP-GMP vaccine generated potent Spike-specific IgG, IgA and tissue-resident memory (TRM) T cells in the lungs and nasal mucosa that persisted for at least 3 months. Furthermore, Spike-LP-GMP vaccine delivered by i.n./i.n., i.m./i.n., or i.m./i.m. routes protected human ACE-2 transgenic mice against respiratory infection and COVID-19-like disease following lethal challenge with ancestral or Delta strains of SARS-CoV-2. Our findings underscore the potential for nasal vaccines in preventing infection with SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Béré K Diallo
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Caitlín Ní Chasaide
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Ting Y Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology and Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University, Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Pauline Schmitt
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Katherine S Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology and Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University, Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Kelly Weaver
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology and Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University, Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Olivia Miller
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology and Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University, Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Melissa Cooper
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology and Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University, Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Seyed D Jazayeri
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology and Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University, Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Kingston H G Mills
- Immune Regulation Research Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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7
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Bitzer G, Weaver K, Barbier M, Damron FH. Protocol for aerosolization challenge of mice with Bordetella pertussis. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:101979. [PMID: 36598856 PMCID: PMC9826968 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101979] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Bordetella pertussis causes whooping cough and is transmitted via respiratory droplets. Here, we present a protocol to challenge mice with Bordetella pertussis. We describe bacteria preparation and long-term storage, followed by manufacturing a challenge dose for use in a commercial exposure chamber with controlled nebulization of B. pertussis into aerosols. We then detail the aerosol challenge of mice through a more natural administration than intranasal instillation and post-challenge data collection. This protocol allows for better comparisons between preclinical pertussis studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham Bitzer
- Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Kelly Weaver
- Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
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8
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Rodriguez-Aponte SA, Dalvie NC, Wong TY, Johnston RS, Naranjo CA, Bajoria S, Kumru OS, Kaur K, Russ BP, Lee KS, Cyphert HA, Barbier M, Rao HD, Rajurkar MP, Lothe RR, Shaligram US, Batwal S, Chandrasekaran R, Nagar G, Kleanthous H, Biswas S, Bevere JR, Joshi SB, Volkin DB, Damron FH, Love JC. Molecular engineering of a cryptic epitope in Spike RBD improves manufacturability and neutralizing breadth against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Vaccine 2023; 41:1108-1118. [PMID: 36610932 PMCID: PMC9797419 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.12.062] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
There is a continued need for sarbecovirus vaccines that can be manufactured and distributed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Subunit protein vaccines are manufactured at large scales at low costs, have less stringent temperature requirements for distribution in LMICs, and several candidates have shown protection against SARS-CoV-2. We previously reported an engineered variant of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein receptor binding domain antigen (RBD-L452K-F490W; RBD-J) with enhanced manufacturability and immunogenicity compared to the ancestral RBD. Here, we report a second-generation engineered RBD antigen (RBD-J6) with two additional mutations to a hydrophobic cryptic epitope in the RBD core, S383D and L518D, that further improved expression titers and biophysical stability. RBD-J6 retained binding affinity to human convalescent sera and to all tested neutralizing antibodies except antibodies that target the class IV epitope on the RBD core. K18-hACE2 transgenic mice immunized with three doses of a Beta variant of RBD-J6 displayed on a virus-like particle (VLP) generated neutralizing antibodies (nAb) to nine SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern at similar levels as two doses of Comirnaty. The vaccinated mice were also protected from challenge with Alpha or Beta SARS-CoV-2. This engineered antigen could be useful for modular RBD-based subunit vaccines to enhance manufacturability and global access, or for further development of variant-specific or broadly acting booster vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio A Rodriguez-Aponte
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Neil C Dalvie
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ting Y Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Ryan S Johnston
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Christopher A Naranjo
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sakshi Bajoria
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| | - Ozan S Kumru
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| | - Kawaljit Kaur
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| | - Brynnan P Russ
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Katherine S Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Holly A Cyphert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 26506, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Harish D Rao
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Pune 411028, India
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Gaurav Nagar
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Pune 411028, India
| | | | - Sumi Biswas
- SpyBiotech Limited, Oxford Business Park North, Oxford OX4 2JZ, UK
| | - Justin R Bevere
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Sangeeta B Joshi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| | - David B Volkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - J Christopher Love
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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9
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Horspool AM, Sen-Kilic E, Malkowski AC, Breslow SL, Mateu-Borras M, Hudson MS, Nunley MA, Elliott S, Ray K, Snyder GA, Miller SJ, Kang J, Blackwood CB, Weaver KL, Witt WT, Huckaby AB, Pyles GM, Clark T, Al Qatarneh S, Lewis GK, Damron FH, Barbier M. Development of an anti- Pseudomonas aeruginosa therapeutic monoclonal antibody WVDC-5244. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1117844. [PMID: 37124031 PMCID: PMC10140502 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1117844] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The rise of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections is a crucial health concern in the 21st century. In particular, antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes difficult-to-treat infections associated with high morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, the number of effective therapeutic interventions against antimicrobial-resistant P. aeruginosa infections continues to decline. Therefore, discovery and development of alternative treatments are necessary. Here, we present pre-clinical efficacy studies on an anti-P. aeruginosa therapeutic monoclonal antibody. Using hybridoma technology, we generated a monoclonal antibody and characterized its binding to P. aeruginosa in vitro using ELISA and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. We also characterized its function in vitro and in vivo against P. aeruginosa. The anti-P. aeruginosa antibody (WVDC-5244) bound P. aeruginosa clinical strains of various serotypes in vitro, even in the presence of alginate exopolysaccharide. In addition, WVDC-5244 induced opsonophagocytic killing of P. aeruginosa in vitro in J774.1 murine macrophage, and complement-mediated killing. In a mouse model of acute pneumonia, prophylactic administration of WVDC-5244 resulted in an improvement of clinical disease manifestations and reduction of P. aeruginosa burden in the respiratory tract compared to the control groups. This study provides promising pre-clinical efficacy data on a new monoclonal antibody with therapeutic potential for P. aeruginosa infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M. Horspool
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Emel Sen-Kilic
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Aaron C. Malkowski
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Scott L. Breslow
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Margalida Mateu-Borras
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Matthew S. Hudson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Mason A. Nunley
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Sean Elliott
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Krishanu Ray
- University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Medicine, Division of Vaccine Research, Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Greg A. Snyder
- University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Medicine, Division of Vaccine Research, Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Sarah Jo Miller
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Jason Kang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Catherine B. Blackwood
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Kelly L. Weaver
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - William T. Witt
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Annalisa B. Huckaby
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Gage M. Pyles
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Tammy Clark
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cystic Fibrosis, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Saif Al Qatarneh
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cystic Fibrosis, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - George K. Lewis
- University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Medicine, Division of Vaccine Research, Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
- *Correspondence: Mariette Barbier,
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10
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Blackwood CB, Mateu-Borrás M, Sen-Kilic E, Pyles GM, Miller SJ, Weaver KL, Witt WT, Huckaby AB, Kang J, Chandler CE, Ernst RK, Heath Damron F, Barbier M. Bordetella pertussis whole cell immunization protects against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. NPJ Vaccines 2022; 7:143. [PMID: 36357402 PMCID: PMC9649022 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-022-00562-1] [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: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Whole cell vaccines are complex mixtures of antigens, immunogens, and sometimes adjuvants that can trigger potent and protective immune responses. In some instances, such as whole cell Bordetella pertussis vaccination, the immune response to vaccination extends beyond the pathogen the vaccine was intended for and contributes to protection against other clinically significant pathogens. In this study, we describe how B. pertussis whole cell vaccination protects mice against acute pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Using ELISA and western blot, we identified that B. pertussis whole cell vaccination induces production of antibodies that bind to lab-adapted and clinical strains of P. aeruginosa, regardless of immunization route or adjuvant used. The cross-reactive antigens were identified using immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, and subsequent immunoblotting. We determined that B. pertussis GroEL and OmpA present in the B. pertussis whole cell vaccine led to production of antibodies against P. aeruginosa GroEL and OprF, respectively. Finally, we showed that recombinant B. pertussis OmpA was sufficient to induce protection against P. aeruginosa acute murine pneumonia. This study highlights the potential for use of B. pertussis OmpA as a vaccine antigen for prevention of P. aeruginosa infection, and the potential of broadly protective antigens for vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine B. Blackwood
- grid.268154.c0000 0001 2156 6140West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
| | - Margalida Mateu-Borrás
- grid.268154.c0000 0001 2156 6140West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
| | - Emel Sen-Kilic
- grid.268154.c0000 0001 2156 6140West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
| | - Gage M. Pyles
- grid.268154.c0000 0001 2156 6140West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
| | - Sarah Jo Miller
- grid.268154.c0000 0001 2156 6140West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
| | - Kelly L. Weaver
- grid.268154.c0000 0001 2156 6140West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
| | - William T. Witt
- grid.268154.c0000 0001 2156 6140West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
| | - Annalisa B. Huckaby
- grid.268154.c0000 0001 2156 6140West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
| | - Jason Kang
- grid.268154.c0000 0001 2156 6140West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
| | - Courtney E. Chandler
- grid.411024.20000 0001 2175 4264University of Maryland, Baltimore Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, School of Dentistry, 650 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Robert K. Ernst
- grid.411024.20000 0001 2175 4264University of Maryland, Baltimore Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, School of Dentistry, 650 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - F. Heath Damron
- grid.268154.c0000 0001 2156 6140West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- West Virginia University Vaccine Development Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA.
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11
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Lee KS, Russ BP, Wong TY, Horspool AM, Winters MT, Barbier M, Bevere JR, Martinez I, Damron FH, Cyphert HA. Obesity and metabolic dysfunction drive sex-associated differential disease profiles in hACE2-mice challenged with SARS-CoV-2. iScience 2022; 25:105038. [PMID: 36068847 PMCID: PMC9436780 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105038] [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: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe outcomes from SARS-CoV-2 infection are highly associated with preexisting comorbid conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. We utilized the diet-induced obesity (DIO) model of metabolic dysfunction in K18-hACE2 transgenic mice to model obesity as a COVID-19 comorbidity. Female DIO, but not male DIO mice challenged with SARS-CoV-2 were observed to have shortened time to morbidity compared to controls. Increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 in female DIO was associated with increased viral RNA burden and interferon production compared to males. Transcriptomic analysis of the lungs from all mouse cohorts revealed sex- and DIO-associated differential gene expression profiles. Male DIO mice after challenge had decreased expression of antibody-related genes compared to controls, suggesting antibody producing cell localization in the lung. Collectively, this study establishes a preclinical comorbidity model of COVID-19 in mice where we observed sex- and diet-specific responses that begin explaining the effects of obesity and metabolic disease on COVID-19 pathology. Transcriptomic analysis of infected lungs revealed unique sex-dependent differences Obese female mice have high viral RNA burden and interferon production in the lung Male mice have altered antibody and T cell response gene profiles after viral challenge Metabolic dysfunction comorbidity can be studied in the hACE2 mouse model of COVID-19
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine S. Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Brynnan P. Russ
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Ting Y. Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Alexander M. Horspool
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Michael T. Winters
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Justin R. Bevere
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Ivan Martinez
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- West Virginia University Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Holly A. Cyphert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA
- Corresponding author
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12
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Lee KS, Wong TY, Russ BP, Horspool AM, Miller OA, Rader NA, Givi JP, Winters MT, Wong ZYA, Cyphert HA, Denvir J, Stoilov P, Barbier M, Roan NR, Amin MS, Martinez I, Bevere JR, Damron FH. SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant induces enhanced pathology and inflammatory responses in K18-hACE2 mice. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273430. [PMID: 36037222 PMCID: PMC9423646 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has been fueled by SARS-CoV-2 novel variants of concern (VOC) that have increased transmissibility, receptor binding affinity, and other properties that enhance disease. The goal of this study is to characterize unique pathogenesis of the Delta VOC strain in the K18-hACE2-mouse challenge model. Challenge studies suggested that the lethal dose of Delta was higher than Alpha or Beta strains. To characterize the differences in the Delta strain's pathogenesis, a time-course experiment was performed to evaluate the overall host response to Alpha or Delta variant challenge. qRT-PCR analysis of Alpha- or Delta-challenged mice revealed no significant difference between viral RNA burden in the lung, nasal wash or brain. However, histopathological analysis revealed high lung tissue inflammation and cell infiltration following Delta- but not Alpha-challenge at day 6. Additionally, pro-inflammatory cytokines were highest at day 6 in Delta-challenged mice suggesting enhanced pneumonia. Total RNA-sequencing analysis of lungs comparing challenged to no challenge mice revealed that Alpha-challenged mice have more total genes differentially activated. Conversely, Delta-challenged mice have a higher magnitude of differential gene expression. Delta-challenged mice have increased interferon-dependent gene expression and IFN-γ production compared to Alpha. Analysis of TCR clonotypes suggested that Delta challenged mice have increased T-cell infiltration compared to Alpha challenged. Our data suggest that Delta has evolved to engage interferon responses in a manner that may enhance pathogenesis. The in vivo and in silico observations of this study underscore the need to conduct experiments with VOC strains to best model COVID-19 when evaluating therapeutics and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine S. Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Ting Y. Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Brynnan P. Russ
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Alexander M. Horspool
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Olivia A. Miller
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel A. Rader
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Jerome P. Givi
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Michael T. Winters
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Zeriel Y. A. Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Holly A. Cyphert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, United States of America
| | - James Denvir
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, United States of America
| | - Peter Stoilov
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, West Virginia University Morgantown, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Nadia R. Roan
- Department or Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- Gladstone Institute of Virology, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Md. Shahrier Amin
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Ivan Martinez
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- West Virginia University Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Justin R. Bevere
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
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13
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Barbier M, Lee KS, Vikharankar MS, Rajpathak SN, Kadam N, Wong TY, Russ BP, Cyphert HA, Miller OA, Rader NA, Cooper M, Kang J, Sen-Kilic E, Wong ZY, Winters MT, Bevere JR, Martinez I, Devarumath R, Shaligram US, Damron FH. Passive immunization with equine RBD-specific Fab protects K18-hACE2-mice against Alpha or Beta variants of SARS-CoV-2. Front Immunol 2022; 13:948431. [PMID: 36091051 PMCID: PMC9450042 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.948431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Emergence of variants of concern (VOC) during the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the decreased efficacy of therapeutic monoclonal antibody treatments for severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, the cost of creating these therapeutic treatments is high, making their implementation in low- to middle-income countries devastated by the pandemic very difficult. Here, we explored the use of polyclonal EpF(ab’)2 antibodies generated through the immunization of horses with SARS-CoV-2 WA-1 RBD conjugated to HBsAg nanoparticles as a low-cost therapeutic treatment for severe cases of disease. We determined that the equine EpF(ab’)2 bind RBD and neutralize ACE2 receptor binding by virus for all VOC strains tested except Omicron. Despite its relatively quick clearance from peripheral circulation, a 100μg dose of EpF(ab’)2 was able to fully protect mice against severe disease phenotypes following intranasal SARS-CoV-2 challenge with Alpha and Beta variants. EpF(ab’)2 administration increased survival while subsequently lowering disease scores and viral RNA burden in disease-relevant tissues. No significant improvement in survival outcomes or disease scores was observed in EpF(ab’)2-treated mice challenged using the Delta variant at 10μg or 100µg doses. Overall, the data presented here provide a proof of concept for the use of EpF(ab’)2 in the prevention of severe SARS-CoV-2 infections and underscore the need for either variant-specific treatments or variant-independent therapeutics for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Katherine S. Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Mayur S. Vikharankar
- Research and Development Department, Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India
- Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
| | - Shriram N. Rajpathak
- Research and Development Department, Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India
| | - Nandkumar Kadam
- Research and Development Department, Isera Biological Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India
| | - Ting Y. Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Brynnan P. Russ
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Holly A. Cyphert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, United States
| | - Olivia A. Miller
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Nathaniel A. Rader
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Melissa Cooper
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Jason Kang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Emel Sen-Kilic
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Zeriel Y. Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Michael T. Winters
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, United States
| | - Justin R. Bevere
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Ivan Martinez
- School of Medicine, West Virginia University Cancer Institute, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Rachayya Devarumath
- Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, Vasantdada Sugar Institute, Pune, India
- *Correspondence: F. Heath Damron, ; Umesh S. Shaligram, ; Rachayya Devarumath,
| | - Umesh S. Shaligram
- Research and Development Department, Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India
- *Correspondence: F. Heath Damron, ; Umesh S. Shaligram, ; Rachayya Devarumath,
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
- *Correspondence: F. Heath Damron, ; Umesh S. Shaligram, ; Rachayya Devarumath,
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14
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DeJong MA, Wolf MA, Bitzer GJ, Hall JM, Sen-Kilic E, Blake JM, Petty JE, Wong TY, Barbier M, Campbell JD, Bevere JR, Damron FH. CpG 1018® adjuvant enhances Tdap immune responses against Bordetella pertussis in mice. Vaccine 2022; 40:5229-5240. [PMID: 35927132 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.07.030] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Bordetella pertussis is the causative agent of whooping cough (pertussis), a severe respiratory disease that can be fatal, particularly in infants. Despite high vaccine coverage, pertussis remains a problem because the currently used DTaP and Tdap vaccines do not completely prevent infection or transmission. It is well established that the alum adjuvant is a potential weakness of the acellular vaccines because the immunity provided by it is short-term. We aimed to evaluate the potential of CpG 1018® adjuvant to improve antibody responses and enhance protection against B. pertussis challenge in a murine model. A titrated range of Tdap vaccine doses were evaluated in order to best identify the adjuvant capability of CpG 1018. Antibody responses to pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), or the whole bacterium were increased due to the inclusion of CpG 1018. In B. pertussis intranasal challenge studies, we observed improved protection and bacterial clearance from the lower respiratory tract due to adding CpG 1018 to 1/20th the human dose of Tdap. Further, we determined that Tdap and Tdap + CpG 1018 were both capable of facilitating clearance of strains that do not express pertactin (PRN-), which are rising in prevalence. Functional phenotyping of antibodies revealed that the inclusion of CpG 1018 induced more bacterial opsonization and antibodies of the Th1 phenotype (IgG2a and IgG2b). This study demonstrates the potential of adding CpG 1018 to Tdap to improve immunogenicity and protection against B. pertussis compared to the conventional, alum-only adjuvanted Tdap vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan A DeJong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - M Allison Wolf
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Graham J Bitzer
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Jesse M Hall
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Emel Sen-Kilic
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Jeanna M Blake
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Jonathan E Petty
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Ting Y Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | | | - Justin R Bevere
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA.
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15
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Sen-Kilic E, Huckaby AB, Damron FH, Barbier M. P. aeruginosa type III and type VI secretion systems modulate early response gene expression in type II pneumocytes in vitro. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:345. [PMID: 35508983 PMCID: PMC9068226 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08554-0] [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: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lung airway epithelial cells are part of innate immunity and the frontline of defense against bacterial infections. During infection, airway epithelial cells secrete proinflammatory mediators that participate in the recruitment of immune cells. Virulence factors expressed by bacterial pathogens can alter epithelial cell gene expression and modulate this response. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen, expresses numerous virulence factors to facilitate establishment of infection and evade the host immune response. This study focused on identifying the role of two major P. aeruginosa virulence factors, type III (T3SS) and type VI (T6SS) secretion systems, on the early transcriptome response of airway epithelial cells in vitro. RESULTS We performed RNA-seq analysis of the transcriptome response of type II pneumocytes during infection with P. aeruginosa in vitro. We observed that P. aeruginosa differentially upregulates immediate-early response genes and transcription factors that induce proinflammatory responses in type II pneumocytes. P. aeruginosa infection of type II pneumocytes was characterized by up-regulation of proinflammatory networks, including MAPK, TNF, and IL-17 signaling pathways. We also identified early response genes and proinflammatory signaling pathways whose expression change in response to infection with P. aeruginosa T3SS and T6SS mutants in type II pneumocytes. We determined that T3SS and T6SS modulate the expression of EGR1, FOS, and numerous genes that are involved in proinflammatory responses in epithelial cells during infection. T3SS and T6SS were associated with two distinct transcriptomic signatures related to the activation of transcription factors such as AP1, STAT1, and SP1, and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-8. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, transcriptomic analysis of epithelial cells indicates that the expression of immediate-early response genes quickly changes upon infection with P. aeruginosa and this response varies depending on bacterial viability and injectosomes. These data shed light on how P. aeruginosa modulates host epithelial transcriptome response during infection using T3SS and T6SS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emel Sen-Kilic
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA.,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Annalisa B Huckaby
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA.,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA.,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA. .,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA.
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16
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Wong TY, Horspool AM, Russ BP, Ye C, Lee KS, Winters MT, Bevere JR, Miller OA, Rader NA, Cooper M, Kieffer T, Sourimant J, Greninger AL, Plemper RK, Denvir J, Cyphert HA, Barbier M, Torrelles JB, Martinez I, Martinez-Sobrido L, Damron FH. Evaluating Antibody Mediated Protection against Alpha, Beta, and Delta SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in K18-hACE2 Transgenic Mice. J Virol 2022; 96:e0218421. [PMID: 35080423 PMCID: PMC8941865 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02184-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [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: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoC) are impacting responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we utilized passive immunization using human convalescent plasma (HCP) obtained from a critically ill COVID-19 patient in the early pandemic to study the efficacy of polyclonal antibodies generated to ancestral SARS-CoV-2 against the Alpha, Beta, and Delta VoC in the K18 human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) transgenic mouse model. HCP protected mice from challenge with the original WA-1 SARS-CoV-2 strain; however, only partially protected mice challenged with the Alpha VoC (60% survival) and failed to save Beta challenged mice from succumbing to disease. HCP treatment groups had elevated receptor binding domain (RBD) and nucleocapsid IgG titers in the serum; however, Beta VoC viral RNA burden in the lung and brain was not decreased due to HCP treatment. While mice could be protected from WA-1 or Alpha challenge with a single dose of HCP, six doses of HCP could not decrease mortality of Delta challenged mice. Overall, these data demonstrate that VoC have enhanced immune evasion and this work underscores the need for in vivo models to evaluate future emerging strains. IMPORTANCE Emerging SARS-CoV-2 VoC are posing new problems regarding vaccine and monoclonal antibody efficacy. To better understand immune evasion tactics of the VoC, we utilized passive immunization to study the effect of early-pandemic SARS-CoV-2 HCP against, Alpha, Beta, and Delta VoC. We observed that HCP from a human infected with the original SARS-CoV-2 was unable to control lethality of Alpha, Beta, or Delta VoC in the K18-hACE2 transgenic mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings demonstrate that passive immunization can be used as a model to evaluate immune evasion of emerging VoC strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Y. Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West, Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Alexander M. Horspool
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West, Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Brynnan P. Russ
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West, Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Chengjin Ye
- Host-Pathogen Interactions and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Katherine S. Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West, Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Michael T. Winters
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Justin R. Bevere
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West, Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Olivia A. Miller
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West, Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Nathaniel A. Rader
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West, Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Melissa Cooper
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West, Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Theodore Kieffer
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Julien Sourimant
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Alexander L. Greninger
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Richard K. Plemper
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - James Denvir
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, USA
| | - Holly A. Cyphert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West, Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Jordi B. Torrelles
- Host-Pathogen Interactions and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Ivan Martinez
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- West Virginia University Cancer Institute, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Luis Martinez-Sobrido
- Host-Pathogen Interactions and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West, Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
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17
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Weaver KL, Blackwood CB, Horspool AM, Pyles GM, Sen-Kilic E, Grayson EM, Huckaby AB, Witt WT, DeJong MA, Wolf MA, Damron FH, Barbier M. Long-Term Analysis of Pertussis Vaccine Immunity to Identify Potential Markers of Vaccine-Induced Memory Associated With Whole Cell But Not Acellular Pertussis Immunization in Mice. Front Immunol 2022; 13:838504. [PMID: 35211125 PMCID: PMC8861382 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.838504] [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: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Over two decades ago acellular pertussis vaccines (aP) replaced whole cell pertussis vaccines (wP) in several countries. Since then, a resurgence in pertussis has been observed, which is hypothesized to be linked, in part, to waning immunity. To better understand why waning immunity occurs, we developed a long-term outbred CD1 mouse model to conduct the longest murine pertussis vaccine studies to date, spanning out to 532 days post primary immunization. Vaccine-induced memory results from follicular responses and germinal center formation; therefore, cell populations and cytokines involved with memory were measured alongside protection from challenge. Both aP and wP immunization elicit protection from intranasal challenge by decreasing bacterial burden in both the upper and lower airways, and by generation of pertussis specific antibody responses in mice. Responses to wP vaccination were characterized by a significant increase in T follicular helper cells in the draining lymph nodes and CXCL13 levels in sera compared to aP mice. In addition, a population of B. pertussis+ memory B cells was found to be unique to wP vaccinated mice. This population peaked post-boost, and was measurable out to day 365 post-vaccination. Anti-B. pertussis and anti-pertussis toxoid antibody secreting cells increased one day after boost and remained high at day 532. The data suggest that follicular responses, and in particular CXCL13 levels in sera, could be monitored in pre-clinical and clinical studies for the development of the next-generation pertussis vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly L. Weaver
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Catherine B. Blackwood
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Alexander M. Horspool
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Gage M. Pyles
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Emel Sen-Kilic
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Emily M. Grayson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Annalisa B. Huckaby
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - William T. Witt
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Megan A. DeJong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - M. Allison Wolf
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States,Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States,*Correspondence: Mariette Barbier,
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18
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Horspool AM, Russ BP, Wolf MA, Kang J, Blackwood CB, Hall JM, Wong TY, DeJong MA, Bitzer G, Bevere JR, Eggleston R, Stewart A, Costello L, Welch S, Kieffer T, Hodder S, Damron FH. Serological survey of SARS-CoV-2 incidence conducted at a rural West Virginia hospital. medRxiv 2021:2021.08.16.21262128. [PMID: 34426815 PMCID: PMC8382132 DOI: 10.1101/2021.08.16.21262128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected all types of global communities. Differences in urban and rural environments have led to varying levels of transmission within these subsets of the population. To fully understand the prevalence and impact of SARS-CoV-2 it is critical to survey both types of community. This study establishes the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in a rural community: Montgomery, West Virginia. Approximately 10% of participants exhibited serological or PCR-based results indicating exposure to SARS-CoV-2 within 6 months of the sampling date. Quantitative analysis of IgG levels against SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) was used to stratify individuals based on antibody response to SARS-CoV-2. A significant negative correlation between date of exposure and degree of anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD IgG (R 2 = 0.9006) was discovered in addition to a correlation between neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (R 2 = 0.8880) and days post exposure. Participants were confirmed to have normal immunogenic profiles by determining serum reactivity B. pertussis antigens commonly used in standardized vaccines. No significant associations were determined between anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD IgG and age or biological sex. Reporting of viral-like illness symptoms was similar in SARS-CoV-2 exposed participants greater than 30 years old (100% reporting symptoms 30-60 years old, 75% reporting symptoms >60 years old) in contrast to participants under 30 years old (25% reporting symptoms). Overall, this axnalysis of a rural population provides important information about the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in small rural communities. The study also underscores the fact that prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 results in antibody responses that wane over time which highlights the need for vaccine mediated protection in the absence of lasting protection.
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19
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Horspool AM, Ye C, Wong TY, Russ BP, Lee KS, Winters MT, Bevere JR, Kieffer T, Martinez I, Sourimant J, Greninger A, Plemper RK, Denvir J, Cyphert HA, Torrelles J, Martinez-Sobrido L, Damron FH. SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants of concern induce lethal disease in K18-hACE2 transgenic mice despite convalescent plasma therapy. bioRxiv 2021:2021.05.05.442784. [PMID: 33972945 PMCID: PMC8109207 DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.05.442784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) are impacting responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we present a comparison of the SARS-CoV-2 USA-WA1/2020 (WA-1) strain with B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 VoCs and identify significant differences in viral propagation in vitro and pathogenicity in vivo using K18-hACE2 transgenic mice. Passive immunization with plasma from an early pandemic SARS-CoV-2 patient resulted in significant differences in the outcome of VoC-infected mice. WA-1-infected mice were protected by plasma, B.1.1.7-infected mice were partially protected, and B.1.351-infected mice were not protected. Serological correlates of disease were different between VoC-infected mice, with B.1.351 triggering significantly altered cytokine profiles than other strains. In this study, we defined infectivity and immune responses triggered by VoCs and observed that early 2020 SARS-CoV-2 human immune plasma was insufficient to protect against challenge with B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 in the mouse model.
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20
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Damron FH, Barbier M, Dubey P, Edwards KM, Gu XX, Klein NP, Lu K, Mills KHG, Pasetti MF, Read RC, Rohani P, Sebo P, Harvill ET. Overcoming Waning Immunity in Pertussis Vaccines: Workshop of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. J Immunol 2021; 205:877-882. [PMID: 32769142 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Despite high vaccine coverage in many parts of the world, pertussis is resurging in a number of areas in which acellular vaccines are the primary vaccine administered to infants and young children. This is attributed in part to the suboptimal and short-lived immunity elicited by acellular pertussis vaccines and to their inability to prevent nasal colonization and transmission of the etiologic agent Bordetella pertussis In response to this escalating public health concern, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases held the workshop "Overcoming Waning Immunity in Pertussis Vaccines" in September 2019 to identify issues and possible solutions for the defects in immunity stimulated by acellular pertussis vaccines. Discussions covered aspects of the current problem, gaps in knowledge and possible paths forward. This review summarizes presentations and discussions of some of the key points that were raised by the workshop.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology and Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology and Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506
| | - Purnima Dubey
- Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Kathryn M Edwards
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232
| | - Xin-Xing Gu
- Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Washington, D.C. 20852
| | - Nicola P Klein
- Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA 94611
| | - Kristina Lu
- Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Washington, D.C. 20852
| | - Kingston H G Mills
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
| | - Marcela F Pasetti
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Robert C Read
- National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton and Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, United Kingdom
| | - Pejman Rohani
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602.,Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602; and
| | - Peter Sebo
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Eric T Harvill
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602;
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21
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Horspool AM, Kieffer T, Russ BP, DeJong MA, Wolf MA, Karakiozis JM, Hickey BJ, Fagone P, Tacker DH, Bevere JR, Martinez I, Barbier M, Perrotta PL, Damron FH. Interplay of Antibody and Cytokine Production Reveals CXCL13 as a Potential Novel Biomarker of Lethal SARS-CoV-2 Infection. mSphere 2021; 6:e01324-20. [PMID: 33472985 PMCID: PMC7845617 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.01324-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is impacting the global population. This study was designed to assess the interplay of antibodies with the cytokine response in SARS-CoV-2 patients. We demonstrate that significant levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody to receptor binding domain (RBD), nucleocapsid, and spike S1 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 develop over the first 10 to 20 days of infection. The majority of patients produced antibodies against all three antigens (219/255 SARS-CoV-2+ patient specimens, 86%), suggesting a broad response to viral proteins. Antibody levels to SARS-CoV-2 antigens were different based on patient mortality, sex, blood type, and age. Analyses of these findings may help explain variation in immunity between these populations. To better understand the systemic immune response, we analyzed the levels of 20 cytokines by SARS-CoV-2 patients throughout infection. Cytokine analysis of SARS-CoV-2+ patients exhibited increases in proinflammatory markers (interleukin 6 [IL-6], IL-8, IL-18, and gamma interferon [IFN-γ]) and chemotactic markers (IP-10 and eotaxin) relative to healthy individuals. Patients who succumbed to infection produced decreased IL-2, IL-4, IL-12, RANTES, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), GRO-α, and MIP-1α relative to patients who survived infection. We also observed that the chemokine CXCL13 was particularly elevated in patients who succumbed to infection. CXCL13 is involved in B cell activation, germinal center development, and antibody maturation, and we observed that CXCL13 levels in blood trended with anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels. Furthermore, patients who succumbed to infection produced high CXCL13 and had a higher ratio of nucleocapsid to RBD antibodies. This study provides insights into SARS-CoV-2 immunity implicating the magnitude and specificity of response in relation to patient outcomes.IMPORTANCE The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is continuing to impact the global population, and knowledge of the immune response to COVID-19 is still developing. This study assesses the interplay of different parts of the immune system during COVID-19 disease. We demonstrate that COVID-19 patients produce antibodies to three proteins of the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) and identify many other immunological proteins that are involved during infection. The data suggest that one of these proteins (CXCL13) may be a novel biomarker for severe COVID-19 that can be readily measured in blood. This information combined with our broad-scale analysis of immune activity during COVID-19 provides new information on the immunological response throughout the course of disease and identifies a novel potential marker for assessing disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Horspool
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Theodore Kieffer
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Brynnan P Russ
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Megan A DeJong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - M Allison Wolf
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Karakiozis
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Brice J Hickey
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biochemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Danyel H Tacker
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Justin R Bevere
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Ivan Martinez
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- West Virginia University Cancer Institute, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Peter L Perrotta
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Laboratory Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
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22
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Locht C, Carbonetti NH, Cherry JD, Damron FH, Edwards KM, Fernandez R, Harvill ET, Hozbor D, Mills KHG, Rodriguez ME, Mascart F. Highlights of the 12th International Bordetella Symposium. Clin Infect Dis 2020; 71:2521-2526. [PMID: 32463883 PMCID: PMC7713684 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Nobel prize being awarded to Jules Bordet, the discoverer of Bordetella pertussis, the 12th International Bordetella Symposium was held from 9 to 12 April 2019 at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, where Jules Bordet studied and was Professor of Microbiology. The symposium attracted more than 300 Bordetella experts from 34 countries. They discussed the latest epidemiologic data and clinical aspects of pertussis, Bordetella biology and pathogenesis, immunology and vaccine development, and genomics and evolution. Advanced technological and methodological tools provided novel insights into the genomic diversity of Bordetella and a better understanding of pertussis disease and vaccine performance. New molecular approaches revealed previously unrecognized complexity of virulence gene regulation. Innovative insights into the immune responses to infection by Bordetella resulted in the development of new vaccine candidates. Such discoveries will aid in the design of more effective approaches to control pertussis and other Bordetella-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Locht
- Université Lille, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inserm, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8204, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Nicholas H Carbonetti
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - James D Cherry
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Science Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Kathryn M Edwards
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Rachel Fernandez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Eric T Harvill
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Daniela Hozbor
- Laboratorio VacSal, Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Técnicas, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Kingston H G Mills
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Maria Eugenia Rodriguez
- Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Técnicas, La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Françoise Mascart
- Laboratory of Vaccinology and Mucosal Immunity, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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23
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Blackwood CB, Sen-Kilic E, Boehm DT, Hall JM, Varney ME, Wong TY, Bradford SD, Bevere JR, Witt WT, Damron FH, Barbier M. Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses against Bordetella pertussis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Murine Model of Mucosal Vaccination against Respiratory Infection. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8040647. [PMID: 33153066 PMCID: PMC7712645 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8040647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Whole cell vaccines are frequently the first generation of vaccines tested for pathogens and can inform the design of subsequent acellular or subunit vaccines. For respiratory pathogens, administration of vaccines at the mucosal surface can facilitate the generation of a localized mucosal immune response. Here, we examined the innate and vaccine-induced immune responses to infection by two respiratory pathogens: Bordetella pertussis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In a model of intranasal administration of whole cell vaccines (WCVs) with the adjuvant curdlan, we examined local and systemic immune responses following infection. These studies showed that intranasal vaccination with a WCV led to a reduction of the bacterial burden in the airways of animals infected with the respective pathogen. However, there were unique changes in the cytokines produced, cells recruited, and inflammation at the site of infection. Both mucosal vaccinations induced antibodies that bind the target pathogen, but linear regression and principal component analysis revealed that protection from these pathogens is not solely related to antibody titer. Protection from P. aeruginosa correlated to a reduction in lung weight, blood lymphocytes and neutrophils, and the cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, KC/GRO, and IL-10, and promotion of serum IgG antibodies and the cytokine IFN-γ in the lung. Protection from B. pertussis infection correlated strongly with increased anti-B-pertussis serum IgG antibodies. These findings reveal valuable correlates of protection for mucosal vaccination that can be used for further development of both B. pertussis and P. aeruginosa vaccines.
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24
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Kilic ES, Blackwood CB, Horspool AM, Huckaby AB, Weaver K, Malkowski A, Witt WT, Bevere JR, Winters MT, Damron FH, Barbier M. Identifying mechanistic correlates of protection against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an acute lung pneumonia model. The Journal of Immunology 2020. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.204.supp.168.8] [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: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen that can lead to life-threatening pulmonary infections. Several promising vaccine candidates against Pa evaluated in clinical trials. However, there is still no commercial vaccine available against this pathogen, in part due to a lack of clarity of protective correlates of vaccine–induced immunity. To elucidate correlates of protection against Pa, we used an intranasal whole–cell Pa vaccine adjuvanted with curdlan WCV in a murine vaccination and challenge model. Immunization with WCV significantly decreased the bacterial burden and lung edema after Pa challenge. We found that WCV immunization leads to a significant increase in Th17 cellular immune response and Pa–specific serum IgG and IgA titers compared to naive animals. To identify mechanistic correlates of protection, we performed anti–CD4, – CD8, and –CD20 antibody mediated depletions prior to vaccination and challenge. Depletion of these populations did not affect the response to challenge in naive animals. Interestingly, we observed that depletion of B cells but not CD8+ or CD4+ T cells during WCV priming resulted in loss of protection against Pa. Furthermore, passive immunization of WCV sera was sufficient to protect naive mice against Pa. Taken together, vaccine-mediated humoral immune response was the critical component of immunity against Pa in acute lung pneumonia model. This study suggests that adjuvants stimulating humoral immune response may be used to enhance the efficacy of vaccine candidates against Pa.
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25
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Blackwood CB, Kilic ES, Weaver K, Boehm DT, Hall J, Wong T, Malkowski A, Witt WT, Damron FH, Barbier M. Two for one: Identification of P. aeruginosa and B. pertussis Cross-species Antigens. The Journal of Immunology 2020. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.204.supp.168.7] [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: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Development of effective vaccines requires logical design and formulation of two main components: antigens and adjuvants. Some compounds, called immunogens, can assume both of these roles. Notably, Bordetella pertussis (Bp) and some of its antigenic products have been found to adjuvant immune responses to other vaccines or vaccine components. We chose to explore this ability by using B. pertussis and pertussis toxin as adjuvants for a whole cell vaccine (WCV) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa). Pa is a highly antibiotic resistant Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen for which there are no approved vaccines or immunotherapies. We formulated vaccines containing Pa with Bp or pertussis toxin to determine if these components could modulate the immune response to PaWCV, as measured by quantification of bacterial burden and immune cell response after an acute pneumonia challenge. We determined that these additions to the PaWCV were associated with increased clearance of bacteria after challenge and increased Pa-binding immunoglobulins in the blood and airway. Additionally, we determined that the BpWCV alone was sufficient to induce protection from acute Pa infection. This correlated with production of antibodies that bind Pa, indicating that there is at least one cross-reactive antigen that could be providing protection. Through utilization of immunoblotting of protein fractions of Pa and mass spectroscopy, we identified this protective antigen. It will be used to formulate a subunit vaccine and tested for efficacy in protection from Pseudomonas infection. This type of cross-protection is novel within the field and could lead to the identification of a protective antigen against P. aeruginosa in B. pertussis.
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26
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Gonyar LA, Gelbach PE, McDuffie DG, Koeppel AF, Chen Q, Lee G, Temple LM, Stibitz S, Hewlett EL, Papin JA, Damron FH, Eby JC. In Vivo Gene Essentiality and Metabolism in Bordetella pertussis. mSphere 2019; 4:e00694-18. [PMID: 31118307 PMCID: PMC6531889 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00694-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bordetella pertussis is the causative agent of whooping cough, a serious respiratory illness affecting children and adults, associated with prolonged cough and potential mortality. Whooping cough has reemerged in recent years, emphasizing a need for increased knowledge of basic mechanisms of B. pertussis growth and pathogenicity. While previous studies have provided insight into in vitro gene essentiality of this organism, very little is known about in vivo gene essentiality, a critical gap in knowledge, since B. pertussis has no previously identified environmental reservoir and is isolated from human respiratory tract samples. We hypothesize that the metabolic capabilities of B. pertussis are especially tailored to the respiratory tract and that many of the genes involved in B. pertussis metabolism would be required to establish infection in vivo In this study, we generated a diverse library of transposon mutants and then used it to probe gene essentiality in vivo in a murine model of infection. Using the CON-ARTIST pipeline, 117 genes were identified as conditionally essential at 1 day postinfection, and 169 genes were identified as conditionally essential at 3 days postinfection. Most of the identified genes were associated with metabolism, and we utilized two existing genome-scale metabolic network reconstructions to probe the effects of individual essential genes on biomass synthesis. This analysis suggested a critical role for glucose metabolism and lipooligosaccharide biosynthesis in vivo This is the first genome-wide evaluation of in vivo gene essentiality in B. pertussis and provides tools for future exploration.IMPORTANCE Our study describes the first in vivo transposon sequencing (Tn-seq) analysis of B. pertussis and identifies genes predicted to be essential for in vivo growth in a murine model of intranasal infection, generating key resources for future investigations into B. pertussis pathogenesis and vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Gonyar
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Patrick E Gelbach
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Dennis G McDuffie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Alexander F Koeppel
- Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Qing Chen
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Gloria Lee
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Louise M Temple
- Department of Integrated Science and Technology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Scott Stibitz
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Erik L Hewlett
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Jason A Papin
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Joshua C Eby
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
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27
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Varney ME, Boehm DT, DeRoos K, Nowak ES, Wong TY, Sen-Kilic E, Bradford SD, Elkins C, Epperly MS, Witt WT, Barbier M, Damron FH. Bordetella pertussis Whole Cell Immunization, Unlike Acellular Immunization, Mimics Naïve Infection by Driving Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Expansion in Mice. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2376. [PMID: 30405604 PMCID: PMC6200895 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) compartments are altered to direct immune responses to infection. Their roles during immunization are not well-described. To elucidate mechanisms for waning immunity following immunization with acellular vaccines (ACVs) against Bordetella pertussis (Bp), we tested the hypothesis that immunization with Bp ACVs and whole cell vaccines (WCVs) differ in directing the HSPC characteristics and immune cell development patterns that ultimately contribute to the types and quantities of cells produced to fight infection. Our data demonstrate that compared to control and ACV-immunized CD-1 mice, immunization with an efficacious WCV drives expansion of hematopoietic multipotent progenitor cells (MPPs), increases circulating white blood cells (WBCs), and alters the size and composition of lymphoid organs. In addition to MPPs, common lymphoid progenitor (CLP) proportions increase in the bone marrow of WCV-immunized mice, while B220+ cell proportions decrease. Upon subsequent infection, increases in maturing B cell populations are striking in WCV-immunized mice. RNAseq analyses of HSPCs revealed that WCV and ACV-immunized mice vastly differ in developing VDJ gene segment diversity. Moreover, gene set enrichment analyses demonstrate WCV-immunized mice exhibit unique gene signatures that suggest roles for interferon (IFN) induced gene expression. Also observed in naïve infection, these IFN stimulated gene (ISG) signatures point toward roles in cell survival, cell cycle, autophagy, and antigen processing and presentation. Taken together, these findings underscore the impact of vaccine antigen and adjuvant content on skewing and/or priming HSPC populations for immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda E Varney
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Dylan T Boehm
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Katherine DeRoos
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Evan S Nowak
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Ting Y Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Emel Sen-Kilic
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Shebly D Bradford
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Cody Elkins
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Matthew S Epperly
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - William T Witt
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, United States
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28
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Boehm DT, Hall JM, Wong TY, DiVenere AM, Sen-Kilic E, Bevere JR, Bradford SD, Blackwood CB, Elkins CM, DeRoos KA, Gray MC, Cooper CG, Varney ME, Maynard JA, Hewlett EL, Barbier M, Damron FH. Evaluation of Adenylate Cyclase Toxoid Antigen in Acellular Pertussis Vaccines by Using a Bordetella pertussis Challenge Model in Mice. Infect Immun 2018; 86:e00857-17. [PMID: 30012638 PMCID: PMC6204743 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00857-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [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: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Bordetella pertussis is the primary causative agent of pertussis (whooping cough), which is a respiratory infection that leads to a violent cough and can be fatal in infants. There is a need to develop more effective vaccines because of the resurgence of cases of pertussis in the United States since the switch from the whole-cell pertussis vaccines (wP) to the acellular pertussis vaccines (aP; diphtheria-tetanus-acellular-pertussis vaccine/tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccine). Adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT) is a major virulence factor of B. pertussis that is (i) required for establishment of infection, (ii) an effective immunogen, and (iii) a protective antigen. The C-terminal repeats-in-toxin domain (RTX) of ACT is sufficient to induce production of toxin-neutralizing antibodies. In this study, we characterized the effectiveness of vaccines containing the RTX antigen against experimental murine infection with B. pertussis RTX was not protective as a single-antigen vaccine against B. pertussis challenge, and adding RTX to 1/5 human dose of aP did not enhance protection. Since the doses of aP used in murine studies are not proportionate to mouse/human body masses, we titrated the aP from 1/20 to 1/160 of the human dose. Mice receiving 1/80 human aP dose had bacterial burden comparable to those of naive controls. Adding RTX antigen to the 1/80 aP base resulted in enhanced bacterial clearance. Inclusion of RTX induced production of antibodies recognizing RTX, enhanced production of anti-pertussis toxin, decreased secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6, and decreased recruitment of total macrophages in the lung. This study shows that adding RTX antigen to an appropriate dose of aP can enhance protection against B. pertussis challenge in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan T Boehm
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Jesse M Hall
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Ting Y Wong
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Andrea M DiVenere
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Emel Sen-Kilic
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Justin R Bevere
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Shelby D Bradford
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Catherine B Blackwood
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Cody M Elkins
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Katherine A DeRoos
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Mary C Gray
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - C Garret Cooper
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Melinda E Varney
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Jennifer A Maynard
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Erik L Hewlett
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Vaccine Development Center at West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
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McCall JL, Elliot M, Nowak E, Damron FH, Barnett JB. Prenatal exposure to cadmium alters the transciptome of regulatory T cells in C57BL/6 mice and may contribute to immunological health of the offspring. The Journal of Immunology 2018. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.200.supp.110.14] [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: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a carcinogen present at superfund sites, in battery manufacturing facilities, in and around zinc smelters, and in cigarettes (the most common exposure pathway). In humans, prenatal Cd exposure (preCd) is associated with differential DNA methylation patterns in blood leukocytes of mother-baby pairs. C57BL/6 mice chronically exposed to low doses of Cd in utero develop abnormal immune phenotypes including reduced regulatory T cell (Treg) numbers in the spleen, but not thymus, of adult animals. These data suggest that the probable immune consequences of preCd exposure are cause for alarm. To further define the mechanisms behind these phenotypic differences, we isolated Treg and CD4+ T conventional (Tconv) cells from the spleens of preCd offspring at 8 woa. Target cells were enriched using magnetic isolation prior to purification by flow cytometry. RNA-seq and Ingenuity Pathway analyses were conducted to define the Treg and Tconv transcriptomes and identify mechanisms dysregulated with preCd exposure. Treg cells exhibited more changes in gene expression than Tconv cells. In the splenic Tregs, there were 289 significantly changed genes (166 upregulated and 135 downregulated) in females and 135 (82 upregulated and 53 downregulated) in males. Of note, only 23 upregulated genes and 3 downregulated genes were shared between females and males. However, common pathways, including CREB1 signaling, were disrupted in both sexes. As CREB signaling plays an important role in TGFβ-mediated generation and maintenance of FoxP3 Tregs, inhibition of this pathway may promote Treg instability and contribute to the decrease in Treg numbers observed in the periphery of preCd-exposed mice.
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Little AS, Okkotsu Y, Reinhart AA, Damron FH, Barbier M, Barrett B, Oglesby-Sherrouse AG, Goldberg JB, Cody WL, Schurr MJ, Vasil ML, Schurr MJ. Pseudomonas aeruginosa AlgR Phosphorylation Status Differentially Regulates Pyocyanin and Pyoverdine Production. mBio 2018; 9:e02318-17. [PMID: 29382736 PMCID: PMC5790918 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02318-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [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: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa employs numerous, complex regulatory elements to control expression of its many virulence systems. The P. aeruginosa AlgZR two-component regulatory system controls the expression of several crucial virulence phenotypes. We recently determined, through transcriptomic profiling of a PAO1 ΔalgR mutant strain compared to wild-type PAO1, that algZR and hemCD are cotranscribed and show differential iron-dependent gene expression. Previous expression profiling was performed in strains without algR and revealed that AlgR acts as either an activator or repressor, depending on the gene. Thus, examination of P. aeruginosa gene expression from cells locked into different AlgR phosphorylation states reveals greater physiological relevance. Therefore, gene expression from strains carrying algR alleles encoding a phosphomimetic (AlgR D54E) or a phosphoablative (AlgR D54N) form were compared by microarray to PAO1. Transcriptome analyses of these strains revealed 25 differentially expressed genes associated with iron siderophore biosynthesis or heme acquisition or production. The PAO1 algR D54N mutant produced lower levels of pyoverdine but increased expression of the small RNAs prrf1 and prrf2 compared to PAO1. In contrast, the algR D54N mutant produced more pyocyanin than wild-type PAO1. On the other hand, the PAO1 algR D54E mutant produced higher levels of pyoverdine, likely due to increased expression of an iron-regulated gene encoding the sigma factor pvdS, but it had decreased pyocyanin production. AlgR specifically bound to the prrf2 and pvdS promoters in vitro AlgR-dependent pyoverdine production was additionally influenced by carbon source rather than the extracellular iron concentration per se AlgR phosphorylation effects were also examined in a Drosophila melanogaster feeding, murine acute pneumonia, and punch wound infection models. Abrogation of AlgR phosphorylation attenuated P. aeruginosa virulence in these infection models. These results show that the AlgR phosphorylation state can directly, as well as indirectly, modulate the expression of iron acquisition genes that may ultimately impact the ability of P. aeruginosa to establish and maintain an infection.IMPORTANCE Pyoverdine and pyocyanin production are well-known P. aeruginosa virulence factors that obtain extracellular iron from the environment and from host proteins in different manners. Here, we show that the AlgR phosphorylation state inversely controls pyoverdine and pyocyanin production and that this control is carbon source dependent. P. aeruginosa expressing AlgR D54N, mimicking the constitutively unphosphorylated state, produced more pyocyanin than cells expressing wild-type AlgR. In contrast, a strain expressing an AlgR phosphomimetic (AlgR D54E) produced higher levels of pyoverdine. Pyoverdine production was directly controlled through the prrf2 small regulatory RNA and the pyoverdine sigma factor, PvdS. Abrogating pyoverdine or pyocyanin gene expression has been shown to attenuate virulence in a variety of models. Moreover, the inability to phosphorylate AlgR attenuates virulence in three different models, a Drosophila melanogaster feeding model, a murine acute pneumonia model, and a wound infection model. Interestingly, AlgR-dependent pyoverdine production was responsive to carbon source, indicating that this regulation has additional complexities that merit further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S. Little
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Yuta Okkotsu
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Alexandria A. Reinhart
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Brandon Barrett
- Department of Biology, University of Dallas, Irving, Texas, USA
| | - Amanda G. Oglesby-Sherrouse
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Joanna B. Goldberg
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Center for Cystic Fibrosis and Airways Disease Research, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - William L. Cody
- Department of Biology, University of Dallas, Irving, Texas, USA
| | - Michael J. Schurr
- Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Michael L. Vasil
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Michael J. Schurr
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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Hoffman C, Eby J, Gray M, Heath Damron F, Melvin J, Cotter P, Hewlett E. Bordetella adenylate cyclase toxin interacts with filamentous haemagglutinin to inhibit biofilm formation in vitro. Mol Microbiol 2016; 103:214-228. [PMID: 27731909 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, secretes and releases adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT), which is a protein bacterial toxin that targets host cells and disarms immune defenses. ACT binds filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA), a surface-displayed adhesin, and until now, the consequences of this interaction were unknown. A B. bronchiseptica mutant lacking ACT produced more biofilm than the parental strain; leading Irie et al. to propose the ACT-FHA interaction could be responsible for biofilm inhibition. Here we characterize the physical interaction of ACT with FHA and provide evidence linking that interaction to inhibition of biofilm in vitro. Exogenous ACT inhibits biofilm formation in a concentration-dependent manner and the N-terminal catalytic domain of ACT (AC domain) is necessary and sufficient for this inhibitory effect. AC Domain interacts with the C-terminal segment of FHA with ∼650 nM affinity. ACT does not inhibit biofilm formation by Bordetella lacking the mature C-terminal domain (MCD), suggesting the direct interaction between AC domain and the MCD is required for the inhibitory effect. Additionally, AC domain disrupts preformed biofilm on abiotic surfaces. The demonstrated inhibition of biofilm formation by a host-directed protein bacterial toxin represents a novel regulatory mechanism and identifies an unprecedented role for ACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casandra Hoffman
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Joshua Eby
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Mary Gray
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Jeffrey Melvin
- School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Peggy Cotter
- School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Erik Hewlett
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Abstract
Since their discovery, fluorescent proteins have been widely used to study protein function, localization or interaction, promoter activity and regulation, drug discovery or for non-invasive imaging. They have been extensively modified to improve brightness, stability, and oligomerization state. However, only a few studies have focused on understanding the dynamics of fluorescent proteins expression in bacteria. In this work, we developed a set plasmids encoding 12 fluorescent proteins for bacterial labeling to facilitate the study of pathogen-host interactions. These broad-spectrum plasmids can be used with a wide variety of Gram-negative microorganisms including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Shigella flexneri or Klebsiella pneumoniae. For comparison, fluorescent protein expression and physical characteristics in Escherichia coli were analyzed using fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry and in vivo imaging. Fluorescent proteins derived from the Aequorea Victoria family showed high photobleaching, while proteins form the Discosoma sp. and the Fungia coccina family were more photostable for microscopy applications. Only E2-Crimson, mCherry and mKeima were successfully detected for in vivo applications. Overall, E2-Crimson was the fastest maturing protein tested in E. coli with the best overall performance in the study parameters. This study provides a unified comparison and comprehensive characterization of fluorescent protein photostability, maturation and toxicity, and offers general recommendations on the optimal fluorescent proteins for in vitro and in vivo applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariette Barbier
- West Virginia University School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - F. Heath Damron
- West Virginia University School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States of America
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Varga JJ, Barbier M, Mulet X, Bielecki P, Bartell JA, Owings JP, Martinez-Ramos I, Hittle LE, Davis MR, Damron FH, Liechti GW, Puchałka J, dos Santos VAPM, Ernst RK, Papin JA, Albertí S, Oliver A, Goldberg JB. Genotypic and phenotypic analyses of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronic bronchiectasis isolate reveal differences from cystic fibrosis and laboratory strains. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:883. [PMID: 26519161 PMCID: PMC4628258 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-2069-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an environmentally ubiquitous Gram-negative bacterium and important opportunistic human pathogen, causing severe chronic respiratory infections in patients with underlying conditions such as cystic fibrosis (CF) or bronchiectasis. In order to identify mechanisms responsible for adaptation during bronchiectasis infections, a bronchiectasis isolate, PAHM4, was phenotypically and genotypically characterized. Results This strain displays phenotypes that have been associated with chronic respiratory infections in CF including alginate over-production, rough lipopolysaccharide, quorum-sensing deficiency, loss of motility, decreased protease secretion, and hypermutation. Hypermutation is a key adaptation of this bacterium during the course of chronic respiratory infections and analysis indicates that PAHM4 encodes a mutated mutS gene responsible for a ~1,000-fold increase in mutation rate compared to wild-type laboratory strain P. aeruginosa PAO1. Antibiotic resistance profiles and sequence data indicate that this strain acquired numerous mutations associated with increased resistance levels to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones when compared to PAO1. Sequencing of PAHM4 revealed a 6.38 Mbp genome, 5.9 % of which were unrecognized in previously reported P. aeruginosa genome sequences. Transcriptome analysis suggests a general down-regulation of virulence factors, while metabolism of amino acids and lipids is up-regulated when compared to PAO1 and metabolic modeling identified further potential differences between PAO1 and PAHM4. Conclusions This work provides insights into the potential differential adaptation of this bacterium to the lung of patients with bronchiectasis compared to other clinical settings such as cystic fibrosis, findings that should aid the development of disease-appropriate treatment strategies for P. aeruginosa infections. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-2069-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Varga
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonology, Allergy/Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis and Sleep, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA. .,Emory + Children's Center for Cystic Fibrosis Research, Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA. .,Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
| | - Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. .,Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA.
| | - Xavier Mulet
- Servicio de Microbiología and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Son Espases, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Palma (IdISPa), Palma, de Mallorca, Spain.
| | - Piotr Bielecki
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany. .,Present address: Immunobiology Department, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
| | - Jennifer A Bartell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
| | - Joshua P Owings
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonology, Allergy/Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis and Sleep, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA. .,Emory + Children's Center for Cystic Fibrosis Research, Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA. .,Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
| | | | - Lauren E Hittle
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Michael R Davis
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
| | - F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. .,Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA.
| | - George W Liechti
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
| | - Jacek Puchałka
- Servicio de Microbiología and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Son Espases, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Palma (IdISPa), Palma, de Mallorca, Spain. .,Present address: Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
| | - Vitor A P Martins dos Santos
- Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands. .,Present address: Chair of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. .,Present address: LifeGlimmer GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Robert K Ernst
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Jason A Papin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
| | - Sebastian Albertí
- IUNICS, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, de Mallorca, Spain.
| | - Antonio Oliver
- Servicio de Microbiología and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Son Espases, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Palma (IdISPa), Palma, de Mallorca, Spain.
| | - Joanna B Goldberg
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonology, Allergy/Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis and Sleep, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA. .,Emory + Children's Center for Cystic Fibrosis Research, Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA. .,Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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Barbier M, Damron FH, Bielecki P, Suárez-Diez M, Puchałka J, Albertí S, dos Santos VM, Goldberg JB. From the environment to the host: re-wiring of the transcriptome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from 22°C to 37°C. PLoS One 2014; 9:e89941. [PMID: 24587139 PMCID: PMC3933690 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [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: 10/26/2013] [Accepted: 01/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a highly versatile opportunistic pathogen capable of colonizing multiple ecological niches. This bacterium is responsible for a wide range of both acute and chronic infections in a variety of hosts. The success of this microorganism relies on its ability to adapt to environmental changes and re-program its regulatory and metabolic networks. The study of P. aeruginosa adaptation to temperature is crucial to understanding the pathogenesis upon infection of its mammalian host. We examined the effects of growth temperature on the transcriptome of the P. aeruginosa PAO1. Microarray analysis of PAO1 grown in Lysogeny broth at mid-exponential phase at 22°C and 37°C revealed that temperature changes are responsible for the differential transcriptional regulation of 6.4% of the genome. Major alterations were observed in bacterial metabolism, replication, and nutrient acquisition. Quorum-sensing and exoproteins secreted by type I, II, and III secretion systems, involved in the adaptation of P. aeruginosa to the mammalian host during infection, were up-regulated at 37°C compared to 22°C. Genes encoding arginine degradation enzymes were highly up-regulated at 22°C, together with the genes involved in the synthesis of pyoverdine. However, genes involved in pyochelin biosynthesis were up-regulated at 37°C. We observed that the changes in expression of P. aeruginosa siderophores correlated to an overall increase in Fe²⁺ extracellular concentration at 37°C and a peak in Fe³⁺ extracellular concentration at 22°C. This suggests a distinct change in iron acquisition strategies when the bacterium switches from the external environment to the host. Our work identifies global changes in bacterial metabolism and nutrient acquisition induced by growth at different temperatures. Overall, this study identifies factors that are regulated in genome-wide adaptation processes and discusses how this life-threatening pathogen responds to temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariette Barbier
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - F. Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Piotr Bielecki
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - María Suárez-Diez
- Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Jacek Puchałka
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Sebastian Albertí
- IUNICS, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Vitor Martins dos Santos
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
- LifeGlimmer GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Joanna B. Goldberg
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, and Center for Cystic Fibrosis Research, Emory University School of Medicine, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: .
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Yin Y, Damron FH, Withers TR, Pritchett CL, Wang X, Schurr MJ, Yu HD. Expression of mucoid induction factor MucE is dependent upon the alternate sigma factor AlgU in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. BMC Microbiol 2013; 13:232. [PMID: 24138584 PMCID: PMC3819740 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-13-232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alginate overproduction in P. aeruginosa, also referred to as mucoidy, is a poor prognostic marker for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). We previously reported the construction of a unique mucoid strain which overexpresses a small envelope protein MucE leading to activation of the protease AlgW. AlgW then degrades the anti-sigma factor MucA thus releasing the alternative sigma factor AlgU/T (σ(22)) to initiate transcription of the alginate biosynthetic operon. RESULTS In the current study, we mapped the mucE transcriptional start site, and determined that P(mucE) activity was dependent on AlgU. Additionally, the presence of triclosan and sodium dodecyl sulfate was shown to cause an increase in P(mucE) activity. It was observed that mucE-mediated mucoidy in CF isolates was dependent on both the size of MucA and the genotype of algU. We also performed shotgun proteomic analysis with cell lysates from the strains PAO1, VE2 (PAO1 with constitutive expression of mucE) and VE2ΔalgU (VE2 with in-frame deletion of algU). As a result, we identified nine algU-dependent and two algU-independent proteins that were affected by overexpression of MucE. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicates there is a positive feedback regulation between MucE and AlgU. Furthermore, it seems likely that MucE may be part of the signal transduction system that senses certain types of cell wall stress to P. aeruginosa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Hongwei D Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Joan C, Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755, USA.
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Ryan Withers T, Heath Damron F, Yin Y, Yu HD. Truncation of type IV pilin induces mucoidy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO579. Microbiologyopen 2013; 2:459-70. [PMID: 23533140 PMCID: PMC3684759 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.86] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2012] [Revised: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 02/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram negative, opportunistic pathogen that uses the overproduction of alginate, a surface polysaccharide, to form biofilms in vivo. Overproduction of alginate, also known as mucoidy, affords the bacterium protection from the host's defenses and facilitates the establishment of chronic lung infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis. Expression of the alginate biosynthetic operon is primarily controlled by the alternative sigma factor AlgU (AlgT/σ22). In a nonmucoid strain, AlgU is sequestered by the transmembrane antisigma factor MucA to the cytoplasmic membrane. AlgU can be released from MucA via regulated intramembrane proteolysis by proteases AlgW and MucP causing the conversion to mucoidy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO579, a derivative of the nonmucoid strain PAO1, is mucoid due to an unidentified mutation (muc-23). Using whole genome sequencing, we identified 16 nonsynonymous and 15 synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). We then identified three tandem single point mutations in the pilA gene (PA4525), as the cause of mucoidy in PAO579. These tandem mutations generate a premature stop codon resulting in a truncated version of PilA (PilA108), with a C-terminal motif of phenylalanine-threonine-phenylalanine (FTF). Inactivation of pilA108 confirmed it was required for mucoidy. Additionally, algW and algU were also required for mucoidy of PAO579. Western blot analysis indicated that MucA was less stable in PAO579 than nonmucoid PAO1 or PAO381. The mucoid phenotype and high PalgU and PalgD promoter activities of PAO579 require pilA108, algW, algU, and rpoN encoding the alternative sigma factor σ54. We also observed that RpoN regulates expression of algW and pilA in PAO579. Together, these results suggest that truncation in type IV pilin in P. aeruginosa strain PAO579 can induce mucoidy through an AlgW/AlgU-dependent pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Ryan Withers
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia 25755-9320, USA
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Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacterium, is a significant opportunistic pathogen associated with skin and soft tissue infections, nosocomial pneumonia and sepsis. In addition, it can chronically colonize the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Overproduction of the exopolysaccharide called alginate provides P. aeruginosa with a selective advantage and facilitates survival in the CF lung. The in vitro phenotype of alginate overproduction observed on solid culture media is referred to as mucoid. Expression of the alginate machinery and biosynthetic enzymes are controlled by the extracytoplasmic sigma factor, σ(22) (AlgU/T). The key negative regulator of both σ(22) activity and the mucoid phenotype is the cognate anti-sigma factor MucA. MucA sequesters σ(22) to the inner membrane inhibiting the sigma factor's transcriptional activity. The well-studied mechanism for transition to the mucoid phenotype is mutation of mucA, leading to loss of MucA function and therefore activation of σ(22) . Recently, regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP) has been recognized as a mechanism whereby proteolysis of the anti-sigma factor MucA leads to active σ(22) allowing P. aeruginosa to respond to environmental stress conditions by overproduction of alginate. The goal of this review is to illuminate the pathways leading to RIP that have been identified and proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Heath Damron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Rao J, Damron FH, Basler M, Digiandomenico A, Sherman NE, Fox JW, Mekalanos JJ, Goldberg JB. Comparisons of Two Proteomic Analyses of Non-Mucoid and Mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clinical Isolates from a Cystic Fibrosis Patient. Front Microbiol 2011; 2:162. [PMID: 21863142 PMCID: PMC3149151 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [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: 03/09/2011] [Accepted: 07/14/2011] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronically infects the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. The conditions in the CF lung appear to select for P. aeruginosa with advantageous phenotypes for chronic infection. However, the mechanisms that allow the establishment of this chronic infection have not been fully characterized. We have previously reported the transcriptional analysis of two CF isolates strains 383 and 2192. Strain 2192 is a mucoid, alginate overproducing strain whereas strain 383 is non-mucoid. Mucoid strains are associated with chronic infection of the CF lung and non-mucoid strains are the typical initially infecting isolates. To elucidate novel differences between these two strains, we employed two methods of shotgun proteomics: isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). iTRAQ compares the amount of protein between samples and relies on protein abundance, while 2-DE gel electrophoresis depends on selection of separated protein spots. For both these methods, mass spectrometry was then used to identify proteins differentially expressed between the two strains. The compilation of these two proteomic methods along with Western blot analysis revealed proteins of the HSI-I operon of the type 6 secretion system, showed increased expression in 383 compared to 2192, confirming the our previous transcriptional analysis. Proteomic analysis of other proteins did not fully correlate with the transcriptome but other differentially expressed proteins are discussed. Also, differences were noted between the results obtained for the two proteomic techniques. These shotgun proteomic analyses identified proteins that had been predicted only through gene identification; we now refer to these as "proteins of unknown functions" since their existence has now been established however their functional characterization remains to be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayasimha Rao
- Department of Microbiology, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Damron FH, Davis MR, Withers TR, Ernst RK, Goldberg JB, Yu G, Yu HD. Vanadate and triclosan synergistically induce alginate production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1. Mol Microbiol 2011; 81:554-70. [PMID: 21631603 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07715.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Alginate overproduction by P. aeruginosa strains, also known as mucoidy, is associated with chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF). It is not clear how alginate induction occurs in the wild-type (wt) mucA strains. When grown on Pseudomonas isolation agar (PIA), P. aeruginosa strains PAO1 and PA14 are non-mucoid, producing minimal amounts of alginate. Here we report the addition of ammonium metavanadate (AMV), a phosphatase inhibitor, to PIA (PIA-AMV) induced mucoidy in both these laboratory strains and early lung colonizing non-mucoid isolates with a wt mucA. This phenotypic switch was reversible depending on the availability of vanadate salts and triclosan, a component of PIA. Alginate induction in PAO1 on PIA-AMV was correlated with increased proteolytic degradation of MucA, and required envelope proteases AlgW or MucP, and a two-component phosphate regulator, PhoP. Other changes included the addition of palmitate to lipid A, a phenotype also observed in chronic CF isolates. Proteomic analysis revealed the upregulation of stress chaperones, which was confirmed by increased expression of the chaperone/protease MucD. Altogether, these findings suggest a model of alginate induction and the PIA-AMV medium may be suitable for examining early lung colonization phenotypes in CF before the selection of the mucA mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Heath Damron
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755-9320, USA
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Damron FH, Napper J, Teter MA, Yu HD. Lipotoxin F of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an AlgU-dependent and alginate-independent outer membrane protein involved in resistance to oxidative stress and adhesion to A549 human lung epithelia. Microbiology (Reading) 2009; 155:1028-1038. [PMID: 19332805 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.025833-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Chronic lung infection with P. aeruginosa and excessive neutrophil-associated inflammation are major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Overproduction of an exopolysaccharide known as alginate leads to the formation of mucoid biofilms that are resistant to antibiotics and host defences. Alginate overproduction or mucoidy is controlled by a stress-related ECF sigma factor AlgU/T. Mutation in the anti-sigma factor MucA is a known mechanism for conversion to mucoidy. Recently, we showed that inactivation of a kinase (KinB) in nonmucoid strain PAO1 results in overproduction of alginate. Here, we report the initial characterization of lipotoxin F (LptF, PA3692), an OmpA-like outer membrane protein that exhibited increased expression in the mucoid PAO1kinB mutant. The lipotoxin family of proteins has been previously shown to induce inflammation in lung epithelia, which may play a role in CF disease progression. Expression of LptF was observed to be AlgU-dependent and upregulated in CF isolates. Deletion of lptF from the kinB mutant had no effect on alginate production. Deletion of lptF from PAO1 caused a differential susceptibility to oxidants that can be generated by phagocytes. The lptF and algU mutants were more sensitive to hypochlorite than PAO1. However, the lptF mutant displayed increased resistance to hydrogen peroxide. LptF also contributed to adhesion to A549 human lung epithelial cells. Our data suggest that LptF is an outer membrane protein that may be important for P. aeruginosa survival in harsh environments, including lung colonization in CF.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Heath Damron
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755-9320, USA
| | - Jennifer Napper
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755-9320, USA
| | - M Allison Teter
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, WV 26201, USA
| | - Hongwei D Yu
- Progenesis Technologies, LLC, Bldg 740, Rm 4136, Dow Technology Park, 3200 Kanawha Turnpike, South Charleston, WV 25303, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701-3655, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755-9320, USA
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