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Dickson A, Geerling E, Stone ET, Hassert M, Steffen TL, Makkena T, Smither M, Schwetye KE, Zhang J, Georges B, Roberts MS, Suschak JJ, Pinto AK, Brien JD. The role of vaccination route with an adenovirus-vectored vaccine in protection, viral control, and transmission in the SARS-CoV-2/K18-hACE2 mouse infection model. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1188392. [PMID: 37662899 PMCID: PMC10469340 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1188392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Vaccination is the most effective mechanism to prevent severe COVID-19. However, breakthrough infections and subsequent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 remain a significant problem. Intranasal vaccination has the potential to be more effective in preventing disease and limiting transmission between individuals as it induces potent responses at mucosal sites. Methods Utilizing a replication-deficient adenovirus serotype 5-vectored vaccine expressing the SARS-CoV-2 RBD (AdCOVID) in homozygous and heterozygous transgenic K18-hACE2, we investigated the impact of the route of administration on vaccine immunogenicity, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and survival. Results Mice vaccinated with AdCOVID via the intramuscular or intranasal route and subsequently challenged with SARS-CoV-2 showed that animals vaccinated intranasally had improved cellular and mucosal antibody responses. Additionally, intranasally vaccinated animals had significantly better viremic control, and protection from lethal infection compared to intramuscularly vaccinated animals. Notably, in a novel transmission model, intranasal vaccination reduced viral transmission to naïve co-housed mice compared to intramuscular vaccination. Discussion Our data provide convincing evidence for the use of intranasal vaccination in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria Dickson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Elizabeth Geerling
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - E. Taylor Stone
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Mariah Hassert
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Tara L. Steffen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Taneesh Makkena
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Madeleine Smither
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Katherine E. Schwetye
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Amelia K. Pinto
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - James D. Brien
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
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2
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Karger AB, Brien JD, Christen JM, Dhakal S, Kemp TJ, Klein SL, Pinto LA, Premkumar L, Roback JD, Binder RA, Boehme KW, Boppana S, Cordon-Cardo C, Crawford JM, Daiss JL, Dupuis AP, Espino AM, Firpo-Betancourt A, Forconi C, Forrest JC, Girardin RC, Granger DA, Granger SW, Haddad NS, Heaney CD, Hunt DT, Kennedy JL, King CL, Krammer F, Kruczynski K, LaBaer J, Lee FEH, Lee WT, Liu SL, Lozanski G, Lucas T, Mendu DR, Moormann AM, Murugan V, Okoye NC, Pantoja P, Payne AF, Park J, Pinninti S, Pinto AK, Pisanic N, Qiu J, Sariol CA, Simon V, Song L, Steffen TL, Stone ET, Styer LM, Suthar MS, Thomas SN, Thyagarajan B, Wajnberg A, Yates JL, Sobhani K. The Serological Sciences Network (SeroNet) for COVID-19: Depth and Breadth of Serology Assays and Plans for Assay Harmonization. medRxiv 2022:2022.02.27.22271399. [PMID: 35262095 PMCID: PMC8902887 DOI: 10.1101/2022.02.27.22271399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Background In October 2020, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Serological Sciences Network (SeroNet) was established to study the immune response to COVID-19, and "to develop, validate, improve, and implement serological testing and associated technologies." SeroNet is comprised of 25 participating research institutions partnering with the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) and the SeroNet Coordinating Center. Since its inception, SeroNet has supported collaborative development and sharing of COVID-19 serological assay procedures and has set forth plans for assay harmonization. Methods To facilitate collaboration and procedure sharing, a detailed survey was sent to collate comprehensive assay details and performance metrics on COVID-19 serological assays within SeroNet. In addition, FNLCR established a protocol to calibrate SeroNet serological assays to reference standards, such as the U.S. SARS-CoV-2 serology standard reference material and First WHO International Standard (IS) for anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (20/136), to facilitate harmonization of assay reporting units and cross-comparison of study data. Results SeroNet institutions reported development of a total of 27 ELISA methods, 13 multiplex assays, 9 neutralization assays, and use of 12 different commercial serological methods. FNLCR developed a standardized protocol for SeroNet institutions to calibrate these diverse serological assays to reference standards. Conclusions SeroNet institutions have established a diverse array of COVID-19 serological assays to study the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 virus and vaccines. Calibration of SeroNet serological assays to harmonize results reporting will facilitate future pooled data analyses and study cross-comparisons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy B. Karger
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - James D. Brien
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Jayne M. Christen
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Santosh Dhakal
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Troy J. Kemp
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Sabra L. Klein
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ligia A. Pinto
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Lakshmanane Premkumar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - John D. Roback
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Raquel A. Binder
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - Karl W. Boehme
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - Suresh Boppana
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Carlos Cordon-Cardo
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - James M. Crawford
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, New York
| | | | - Alan P. Dupuis
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
| | - Ana M. Espino
- Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | | | - Catherine Forconi
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - J. Craig Forrest
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - Roxie C. Girardin
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
| | | | | | - Natalie S. Haddad
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Christopher D. Heaney
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Danielle T. Hunt
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
| | - Joshua L. Kennedy
- Departments of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
- Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - Christopher L. King
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Florian Krammer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Kate Kruczynski
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Joshua LaBaer
- Virginia G Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Arizona State University Biodesign Institute, Tempe, Arizona
| | - F. Eun-Hyung Lee
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - William T. Lee
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, Albany, New York
| | - Shan-Lu Liu
- Center for Retrovirus Research, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, Viruses and Emerging Pathogens Program, Infectious Disease Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Gerard Lozanski
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Todd Lucas
- Division of Public Health and Department of Epidemiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Damodara Rao Mendu
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Ann M. Moormann
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - Vel Murugan
- Virginia G Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Arizona State University Biodesign Institute, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Nkemakonam C. Okoye
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, New York
| | - Petraleigh Pantoja
- Unit of Comparative Medicine, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Anne F. Payne
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
| | - Jin Park
- Virginia G Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Arizona State University Biodesign Institute, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Swetha Pinninti
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Amelia K. Pinto
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Nora Pisanic
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ji Qiu
- Virginia G Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Arizona State University Biodesign Institute, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Carlos A. Sariol
- Unit of Comparative Medicine, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Viviana Simon
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Lusheng Song
- Virginia G Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Arizona State University Biodesign Institute, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Tara L. Steffen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - E. Taylor Stone
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Linda M. Styer
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, Albany, New York
| | - Mehul S. Suthar
- Center for Childhood Infections and Vaccines of Children’s Healthcare Atlanta, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory Vaccine Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Stefani N. Thomas
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Bharat Thyagarajan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Ania Wajnberg
- Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Jennifer L. Yates
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, Albany, New York
| | - Kimia Sobhani
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
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3
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Pinski AN, Steffen TL, Zulu MZ, George SL, Dickson A, Tifrea D, Maroney KJ, Tedeschi N, Zhang Y, Scheuermann RH, Pinto AK, Brien JD, Messaoudi I. Corticosteroid treatment in COVID-19 modulates host inflammatory responses and transcriptional signatures of immune dysregulation. J Leukoc Biol 2021; 110:1225-1239. [PMID: 34730254 PMCID: PMC8667650 DOI: 10.1002/jlb.4cova0121-084rr] [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: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory disease that varies in severity from mild to severe/fatal. Several risk factors for severe disease have been identified, notably age, male sex, and pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Several advancements in clinical care have been achieved over the past year, including the use of corticosteroids (e.g., corticosteroids) and other immune-modulatory treatments that have now become standard of care for patients with acute severe COVID-19. While the understanding of the mechanisms that underlie increased disease severity with age has improved over the past few months, it remains incomplete. Furthermore, the molecular impact of corticosteroid treatment on host response to acute SARS-CoV-2 infection has not been investigated. In this study, a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of Ab, soluble immune mediators, and transcriptional responses in young (65 ≤ years) and aged (≥ 65 years) diabetic males with obesity hospitalized with acute severe COVID-19 was conducted. Additionally, the transcriptional profiles in samples obtained before and after corticosteroids became standard of care were compared. The analysis indicates that severe COVID-19 is characterized by robust Ab responses, heightened systemic inflammation, increased expression of genes related to inflammatory and pro-apoptotic processes, and reduced expression of those important for adaptive immunity regardless of age. In contrast, COVID-19 patients receiving steroids did not show high levels of systemic immune mediators and lacked transcriptional indicators of heightened inflammatory and apoptotic responses. Overall, these data suggest that inflammation and cell death are key drivers of severe COVID-19 pathogenesis in the absence of corticosteroid therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda N Pinski
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
- Center for Virus Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
- Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Tara L Steffen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael Z Zulu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
- Center for Virus Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
- Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Sarah L George
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Alexandria Dickson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Delia Tifrea
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Kevin J Maroney
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Neil Tedeschi
- J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Yun Zhang
- J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | - Amelia K Pinto
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - James D Brien
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Ilhem Messaoudi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
- Center for Virus Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
- Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
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Geerling E, Stone ET, Steffen TL, Hassert M, Brien JD, Pinto AK. Obesity Enhances Disease Severity in Female Mice Following West Nile Virus Infection. Front Immunol 2021; 12:739025. [PMID: 34531877 PMCID: PMC8439568 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.739025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A rise in adiposity in the United States has resulted in more than 70% of adults being overweight or obese, and global obesity rates have tripled since 1975. Following the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, obesity was characterized as a risk factor that could predict severe infection outcomes to viral infection. Amidst the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, obesity has remained a significant risk factor for severe viral disease as obese patients have a higher likelihood for developing severe symptoms and requiring hospitalization. However, the mechanism by which obesity enhances viral disease is unknown. In this study, we utilized a diet-induced obesity mouse model of West Nile virus (WNV) infection, a flavivirus that cycles between birds and mosquitoes and incidentally infects both humans and mice. Likelihood for severe WNV disease is associated with risk factors such as diabetes that are comorbidities also linked to obesity. Utilizing this model, we showed that obesity-associated chronic inflammation increased viral disease severity as obese female mice displayed higher mortality rates and elevated viral titers in the central nervous system. In addition, our studies highlighted that obesity also dysregulates host acute adaptive immune responses, as obese female mice displayed significant dysfunction in neutralizing antibody function. These studies highlight that obesity-induced immunological dysfunction begins at early time points post infection and is sustained through memory phase, thus illuminating a potential for obesity to alter the differentiation landscape of adaptive immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Geerling
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - E Taylor Stone
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Tara L Steffen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Mariah Hassert
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - James D Brien
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Amelia K Pinto
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
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5
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Pinto AK, Hassert M, Han X, Barker D, Carnelley T, Branche E, Steffen TL, Stone ET, Geerling E, Viramontes KM, Nykiforuk C, Toth D, Shresta S, Kodihalli S, Brien JD. The Ability of Zika virus Intravenous Immunoglobulin to Protect From or Enhance Zika Virus Disease. Front Immunol 2021; 12:717425. [PMID: 34552587 PMCID: PMC8450494 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.717425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The closely related flaviviruses, dengue and Zika, cause significant human disease throughout the world. While cross-reactive antibodies have been demonstrated to have the capacity to potentiate disease or mediate protection during flavivirus infection, the mechanisms responsible for this dichotomy are still poorly understood. To understand how the human polyclonal antibody response can protect against, and potentiate the disease in the context of dengue and Zika virus infection we used intravenous hyperimmunoglobulin (IVIG) preparations in a mouse model of the disease. Three IVIGs (ZIKV-IG, Control-Ig and Gamunex®) were evaluated for their ability to neutralize and/or enhance Zika, dengue 2 and 3 viruses in vitro. The balance between virus neutralization and enhancement provided by the in vitro neutralization data was used to predict the IVIG concentrations which could protect or enhance Zika, and dengue 2 disease in vivo. Using this approach, we were able to define the unique in vivo dynamics of complex polyclonal antibodies, allowing for both enhancement and protection from flavivirus infection. Our results provide a novel understanding of how polyclonal antibodies interact with viruses with implications for the use of polyclonal antibody therapeutics and the development and evaluation of the next generation flavivirus vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia K. Pinto
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Mariah Hassert
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Xiaobing Han
- Emergent BioSolutions Canada Inc, Winnipeg, Canada
| | | | | | - Emilie Branche
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Tara L. Steffen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - E. Taylor Stone
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Elizabeth Geerling
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Karla M. Viramontes
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | | | - Derek Toth
- Emergent BioSolutions Canada Inc, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Sujan Shresta
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | | | - James D. Brien
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO, United States
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Steffen TL, Hassert M, Brien JD. The impact of type I interferon driven cytokines on the plasmablast response to viral pathogens. The Journal of Immunology 2021. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.206.supp.114.03] [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: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
The plasmablast B cell (PB) response to viruses provides the first wave of functional virus specific antibodies. PBs may undergo immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR), giving these antibodies a diverse array of properties and functions that contribute to their mechanisms of viral clearance. Dendritic cells (DCs) can prime a PB response through native antigen production, cell surface interactions, and soluble mediators including cytokines. Additionally, we know that type I interferon (IFN) has dynamic regulatory functions by inducing expression of interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) in addition to having potent anti-proliferative and anti-viral effects. We hypothesize that signaling of type I IFN inhibits the PB response induced by virial infection by impacting the cytokine milieu, magnitude and diversity of the PB response, and mechanisms of antibody mediated protection. As DCs are potent producers of type I IFN and mediate direct interactions with B cells, we employed a DC specific knockout of Ifnar1 from the type I IFN receptor, CD11c Cre X Ifnarfl/fl, to challenge our hypothesis. Overall, we show that ablation of type I IFN signaling followed by infection with Zika virus (ZIKV) results in an increase in PB frequency in lymphoid tissue, increase in CSR, and potent increase in the neutralization capacity of polyclonal sera. The results of these studies can be leveraged to increase immunogenicity of mRNA and attenuated vaccines while targeting for a quicker antibody response.
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Geerling E, Hassert M, Stone ET, Steffen TL, Pinto AK. Female obese mice have a higher mortality rate and altered immune responses following viral infection in comparison to wild type mice. The Journal of Immunology 2021. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.206.supp.103.25] [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: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
A rise in adiposity in the United States has resulted in >70% of adults being overweight or obese. Globally, areas that have seen a rise in obesity also have an increase in viral pathogens, resulting in a double disease burden. Studies done using influenza, hepatitis C, West Nile and dengue viruses have shown that excessive adiposity alters immune responses to vaccination. Similarly, obese individuals have a greater risk for developing COVID-19 following SARS-CoV-2 infection and a higher mortality rate than non-obese individuals. However, limited studies have been done to identify mechanisms responsible for obesity-induced impaired immune function. Based on published studies and our preliminary data, we hypothesized that obesity-associated chronic inflammation alters the immune system, enhancing susceptibility to viral diseases and hindering vaccine efficacy. To study this, we are using West Nile virus and SARS-CoV-2 in murine models of obesity. By infecting regular chow-fed (wt) and high fat diet-induced obese (ob) mice, we compared virus-specific immune responses at varying time points post infection. Results from these studies indicate that female ob mice have a higher mortality rate, dysfunctional virus-specific T cell responses and lowered efficacy of neutralizing antibodies. However, ob males do not show these differences when compared to wt males. These results demonstrate that obesity can enhance disease severity following viral infection which may have long term consequences for the generation of protective immune responses to vaccination, and sex appears to play a role in this phenomenon. Our ongoing studies are focused on determining how sex and chronic inflammation alter immune responses to these viral pathogens.
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Hassert M, Geerling E, Stone ET, Steffen TL, Dickson A, Feldman MS, Class J, Richner JM, Brien JD, Pinto AK. mRNA induced expression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in mice for the study of the adaptive immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. bioRxiv 2020. [PMID: 32793909 DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.07.241877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The novel human coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic resulting in nearly 20 million infections across the globe, as of August 2020. Critical to the rapid evaluation of vaccines and antivirals is the development of tractable animal models of infection. The use of common laboratory strains of mice to this end is hindered by significant divergence of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is the receptor required for entry of SARS-CoV-2. In the current study, we designed and utilized an mRNA-based transfection system to induce expression of the hACE2 receptor in order to confer entry of SARS-CoV-2 in otherwise non-permissive cells. By employing this expression system in an in vivo setting, we were able to interrogate the adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in type 1 interferon receptor deficient mice. In doing so, we showed that the T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 is enhanced when hACE2 is expressed during infection. Moreover, we demonstrated that these responses are preserved in memory and are boosted upon secondary infection. Interestingly, we did not observe an enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody responses with hACE2 induction. Importantly, using this system, we functionally identified the CD4+ and CD8+ peptide epitopes targeted during SARS-CoV-2 infection in H2b restricted mice. Antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in mice of this MHC haplotype primarily target peptides of the spike and membrane proteins, while the antigen-specific CD4+ T cells target peptides of the nucleocapsid, membrane, and spike proteins. The functional identification of these T cell epitopes will be critical for evaluation of vaccine efficacy in murine models of SARS-CoV-2. The use of this tractable expression system has the potential to be used in other instances of emerging infections in which the rapid development of an animal model is hindered by a lack of host susceptibility factors.
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