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Ledesma-Feliciano C, Hagen S, Troyer R, Zheng X, Musselman E, Slavkovic Lukic D, Franke AM, Maeda D, Zielonka J, Münk C, Wei G, VandeWoude S, Löchelt M. Replacement of feline foamy virus bet by feline immunodeficiency virus vif yields replicative virus with novel vaccine candidate potential. Retrovirology 2018; 15:38. [PMID: 29769087 PMCID: PMC5956581 DOI: 10.1186/s12977-018-0419-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hosts are able to restrict viral replication to contain virus spread before adaptive immunity is fully initiated. Many viruses have acquired genes directly counteracting intrinsic restriction mechanisms. This phenomenon has led to a co-evolutionary signature for both the virus and host which often provides a barrier against interspecies transmission events. Through different mechanisms of action, but with similar consequences, spumaviral feline foamy virus (FFV) Bet and lentiviral feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) Vif counteract feline APOBEC3 (feA3) restriction factors that lead to hypermutation and degradation of retroviral DNA genomes. Here we examine the capacity of vif to substitute for bet function in a chimeric FFV to assess the transferability of anti-feA3 factors to allow viral replication. RESULTS We show that vif can replace bet to yield replication-competent chimeric foamy viruses. An in vitro selection screen revealed that an engineered Bet-Vif fusion protein yields suboptimal protection against feA3. After multiple passages through feA3-expressing cells, however, variants with optimized replication competence emerged. In these variants, Vif was expressed independently from an N-terminal Bet moiety and was stably maintained. Experimental infection of immunocompetent domestic cats with one of the functional chimeras resulted in seroconversion against the FFV backbone and the heterologous FIV Vif protein, but virus could not be detected unambiguously by PCR. Inoculation with chimeric virus followed by wild-type FFV revealed that repeated administration of FVs allowed superinfections with enhanced antiviral antibody production and detection of low level viral genomes, indicating that chimeric virus did not induce protective immunity against wild-type FFV. CONCLUSIONS Unrelated viral antagonists of feA3 cellular restriction factors can be exchanged in FFV, resulting in replication competence in vitro that was attenuated in vivo. Bet therefore may have additional functions other than A3 antagonism that are essential for successful in vivo replication. Immune reactivity was mounted against the heterologous Vif protein. We conclude that Vif-expressing FV vaccine vectors may be an attractive tool to prevent or modulate lentivirus infections with the potential option to induce immunity against additional lentivirus antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Ledesma-Feliciano
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sarah Hagen
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics of Oncogenic Infections, Research Program Infection, Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center, (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg, DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 242, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ryan Troyer
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Xin Zheng
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Esther Musselman
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Dragana Slavkovic Lukic
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics of Oncogenic Infections, Research Program Infection, Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center, (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg, DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 242, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine II, Division of Hematology, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ann-Mareen Franke
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics of Oncogenic Infections, Research Program Infection, Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center, (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg, DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 242, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.,Roche Pharma AG, Grenzach-Wyhlen, Germany
| | - Daniel Maeda
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics of Oncogenic Infections, Research Program Infection, Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center, (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg, DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 242, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.,University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Jörg Zielonka
- Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Roche Glycart AG, Schlieren, 8952, Switzerland
| | - Carsten Münk
- Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Guochao Wei
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics of Oncogenic Infections, Research Program Infection, Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center, (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg, DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 242, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.,Division of Infectious Disease, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, USA
| | - Sue VandeWoude
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Martin Löchelt
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics of Oncogenic Infections, Research Program Infection, Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center, (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg, DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 242, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Abstract
The feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) shares genomic organization, receptor usage, lymphocyte tropism, and induction of immunodeficiency and increased susceptibility to cancer with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Global distribution, marked heterogeneity and variable host adaptation are also properties of both viruses. These features render the FIV-cat model suitable to explore many aspects of lentivirus-host interaction and adaptation, and to explore treatment and prevention of infection. Examples of fundamental discoveries that have emerged from study in the FIV-cat model concern two-receptor entrance strategies that target memory T-lymphocytes, host factors that restrict retroviral infection, viral strategies for replication in non-dividing cells, and identification of correlates of immunity to the virus. This article provides a brief overview of strengths and limitations of the FIV-cat model for comparative biology and medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothee Bienzle
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
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Pistello M, Conti F, Vannucci L, Freer G. Novel approaches to vaccination against the feline immunodeficiency virus. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2010; 134:48-53. [PMID: 19896725 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2009.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Inadequate antigen presentation and/or suboptimal immunogenicity are considered major causes in the failure of human immunodeficiency vaccine to adequately protect against wild-type virus. Several approaches have been attempted to circumvent these hurdles. Here we reviewed some recent vaccinal strategies tested against the feline immunodeficiency virus and focused on: (i) improving antigen presentation by taking advantage of the exquisite ability of dendritic cells to process and present immunogens to the immune system; (ii) boosting immune responses with vaccinal antigens presented in a truly native conformation by the natural target cells of infection. Significance of the studies, possible correlates of protection involved, and implications for developing anti-human immunodeficiency virus vaccines are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Pistello
- Retrovirus Center and Virology Section, Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
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Env-expressing autologous T lymphocytes induce neutralizing antibody and afford marked protection against feline immunodeficiency virus. J Virol 2010; 84:3845-56. [PMID: 20130057 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02638-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The envelope (Env) glycoproteins of HIV and other lentiviruses possess neutralization and other protective epitopes, yet all attempts to induce protective immunity using Env as the only immunogen have either failed or afforded minimal levels of protection. In a novel prime-boost approach, specific-pathogen-free cats were primed with a plasmid expressing Env of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and then boosted with their own T lymphocytes transduced ex vivo to produce the same Env and interleukin 15 (3 x 10(6) to 10 x 10(6) viable cells/cat). After the boost, the vaccinees developed elevated immune responses, including virus-neutralizing antibodies (NA). Challenge with an ex vivo preparation of FIV readily infected all eight control cats (four mock vaccinated and four naïve) and produced a marked decline in the proportion of peripheral CD4 T cells. In contrast, five of seven vaccinees showed little or no traces of infection, and the remaining two had reduced viral loads and underwent no changes in proportions of CD4 T cells. Interestingly, the viral loads of the vaccinees were inversely correlated to the titers of NA. The findings support the concept that Env is a valuable immunogen but needs to be administered in a way that permits the expression of its full protective potential.
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Choi SY, Suh YS, Cho JH, Jin HT, Chang J, Sung YC. Enhancement of DNA Vaccine-induced Immune Responses by Influenza Virus NP Gene. Immune Netw 2009; 9:169-78. [PMID: 20157605 PMCID: PMC2816951 DOI: 10.4110/in.2009.9.5.169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2009] [Revised: 08/24/2009] [Accepted: 09/02/2009] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA immunization induces B and T cell responses to various pathogens and tumors. However, these responses are known to be relatively weak and often transient. Thus, novel strategies are necessary for enhancing immune responses induced by DNA immunization. Here, we demonstrated that co-immunization of influenza virus nucleoprotein (NP) gene significantly enhances humoral and cell-mediated responses to codelivered antigens in mice. We also found that NP DNA coimmunization augments in vivo proliferation of adoptively transferred antigen-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells, which enhanced protective immunity against tumor challenge. Our results suggest that NP DNA can serve as a novel genetic adjuvant in cocktail DNA vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Young Choi
- Research Institute, Genexine Co. Ltd., Pohang, Korea
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