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Kuse N, Gatanaga H, Zhang Y, Chikata T, Oka S, Takiguchi M. Epitope-dependent effect of long-term cART on maintenance and recovery of HIV-1-specific CD8 + T cells. J Virol 2023; 97:e0102423. [PMID: 37877716 PMCID: PMC10688310 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01024-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cells are anticipated to become effector cells for curative treatment using the "shock and kill" approach in people living with HIV-1 (PLWH) under combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). Previous studies demonstrated that the frequency of HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cells is reduced under cART and their functional ability remains impaired. These studies analyzed T-cell responses to a small number of HIV-1 epitopes or overlapping HIV-1 peptides. Therefore, the features of CD8+ T cells specific for HIV-1 epitopes under cART remain only partially clarified. Here, we analyzed CD8+ T cells specific for 63 well-characterized epitopes in 90 PLWH. We demonstrated that CD8+ T cells specific for large numbers of HIV-1 epitopes were maintained in an epitope-dependent fashion under long-term cART and that long-term cART enhanced or restored the ability of HIV-1-specific T cells to proliferate in vitro. This study implies that some HIV-1-specific T cells would be useful as effector cells for curative treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nozomi Kuse
- Division of International Collaboration Research and Tokyo Joint Laboratory, Department of Frontier Research, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
- AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Gatanaga
- AIDS Clinical Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yu Zhang
- Division of International Collaboration Research and Tokyo Joint Laboratory, Department of Frontier Research, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Takayuki Chikata
- Division of International Collaboration Research and Tokyo Joint Laboratory, Department of Frontier Research, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Shinichi Oka
- AIDS Clinical Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masafumi Takiguchi
- Division of International Collaboration Research and Tokyo Joint Laboratory, Department of Frontier Research, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
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Chikata T, Gatanaga H, Nguyen HT, Mizushima D, Zhang Y, Kuse N, Oka S, Takiguchi M. HIV-1 protective epitope-specific CD8 + T cells in HIV-1-exposed seronegative individuals. iScience 2023; 26:108089. [PMID: 37867946 PMCID: PMC10589889 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Although previous studies have reported HIV-1-specific T cell responses in HIV-1-exposed seronegative (HESN) individuals, there has been no detailed analysis of these T cells against HIV-1 infection. We investigated HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell responses in 200 Japanese HESN men who have sex with men (MSM). T cell responses to 143 well-characterized HIV-1 epitope peptides were analyzed by intracellular cytokine staining assay consisting of 3-week cultures of PBMCs stimulated with peptides. HLA-B∗51:01-restricted Pol TI8-specific and HLA-A∗02:06-restricted Pol SV9-specific CD8+ T cells were identified in two and one individuals, respectively, whereas CD8+ T cells specific for other HLA-A∗02:06-restricted or HLA-B∗51:01 epitopes were not present in these individuals. These epitope-specific T cells recognized HIV-1-infected cells. Because these two epitopes were previously reported to be protective in HIV-1-infected individuals, these protective epitope-specific T cells might suppress HIV-1 replication in HESN-MSM individuals. The present study suggests the contribution of protective epitope-specific T cells to protection against HIV-1 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Chikata
- Tokyo Laboratory and Division of International Collaboration Research, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 162-0052, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Gatanaga
- AIDS Clinical Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
| | - Hung The Nguyen
- Tokyo Laboratory and Division of International Collaboration Research, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 162-0052, Japan
| | - Daisuke Mizushima
- AIDS Clinical Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
| | - Yu Zhang
- Tokyo Laboratory and Division of International Collaboration Research, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 162-0052, Japan
| | - Nozomi Kuse
- Tokyo Laboratory and Division of International Collaboration Research, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 162-0052, Japan
| | - Shinichi Oka
- AIDS Clinical Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
| | - Masafumi Takiguchi
- Tokyo Laboratory and Division of International Collaboration Research, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 162-0052, Japan
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Effective Suppression of HIV-1 Replication by Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes Specific for Pol Epitopes in Conserved Mosaic Vaccine Immunogens. J Virol 2019; 93:JVI.02142-18. [PMID: 30674626 PMCID: PMC6430542 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02142-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
It is likely necessary for an effective AIDS vaccine to elicit CD8+ T cells with the ability to recognize circulating HIV-1 and suppress its replication. We recently developed novel bivalent mosaic T-cell vaccine immunogens composed of conserved regions of the Gag and Pol proteins matched to at least 80% globally circulating HIV-1 isolates. Nevertheless, it remains to be proven if vaccination with these immunogens can elicit T cells with the ability to suppress HIV-1 replication. It is well known that Gag-specific T cells can suppress HIV-1 replication more effectively than T cells specific for epitopes in other proteins. We recently identified 5 protective Gag epitopes in the vaccine immunogens. In this study, we identified T cells specific for 6 Pol epitopes present in the immunogens with strong abilities to suppress HIV-1 in vivo and in vitro. This study further encourages clinical testing of the conserved mosaic T-cell vaccine in HIV-1 prevention and cure. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) with strong abilities to suppress HIV-1 replication and recognize circulating HIV-1 could be key for both HIV-1 cure and prophylaxis. We recently designed conserved mosaic T-cell vaccine immunogens (tHIVconsvX) composed of 6 Gag and Pol regions. Since the tHIVconsvX vaccine targets conserved regions common to most global HIV-1 variants and employs a bivalent mosaic design, it is expected that it could be universal if the vaccine works. Although we recently demonstrated that CTLs specific for 5 Gag epitopes in the vaccine immunogens had strong ability to suppress HIV-1 replication in vitro and in vivo, it remains unknown whether the Pol region-specific CTLs are equally efficient. In this study, we investigated CTLs specific for Pol epitopes in the immunogens in treatment-naive Japanese patients infected with HIV-1 clade B. Overall, we mapped 20 reported and 5 novel Pol conserved epitopes in tHIVconsvX. Responses to 6 Pol epitopes were significantly associated with good clinical outcome, suggesting that CTLs specific for these 6 Pol epitopes had a strong ability to suppress HIV-1 replication in HIV-1-infected individuals. In vitro T-cell analyses further confirmed that the Pol-specific CTLs could effectively suppress HIV-1 replication. The present study thus demonstrated that the Pol regions of the vaccine contained protective epitopes. T-cell responses to the previous 5 Gag and present 6 Pol protective epitopes together also showed a strong correlation with better clinical outcome. These findings support the testing of the conserved mosaic vaccine in HIV-1 cure and prevention in humans. IMPORTANCE It is likely necessary for an effective AIDS vaccine to elicit CD8+ T cells with the ability to recognize circulating HIV-1 and suppress its replication. We recently developed novel bivalent mosaic T-cell vaccine immunogens composed of conserved regions of the Gag and Pol proteins matched to at least 80% globally circulating HIV-1 isolates. Nevertheless, it remains to be proven if vaccination with these immunogens can elicit T cells with the ability to suppress HIV-1 replication. It is well known that Gag-specific T cells can suppress HIV-1 replication more effectively than T cells specific for epitopes in other proteins. We recently identified 5 protective Gag epitopes in the vaccine immunogens. In this study, we identified T cells specific for 6 Pol epitopes present in the immunogens with strong abilities to suppress HIV-1 in vivo and in vitro. This study further encourages clinical testing of the conserved mosaic T-cell vaccine in HIV-1 prevention and cure.
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Clinical Control of HIV-1 by Cytotoxic T Cells Specific for Multiple Conserved Epitopes. J Virol 2015; 89:5330-9. [PMID: 25741000 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00020-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Identification and characterization of CD8(+) T cells effectively controlling HIV-1 variants are necessary for the development of AIDS vaccines and for studies of AIDS pathogenesis, although such CD8(+) T cells have been only partially identified. In this study, we sought to identify CD8(+) T cells controlling HIV-1 variants in 401 Japanese individuals chronically infected with HIV-1 subtype B, in which protective alleles HLA-B*57 and HLA-B*27 are very rare, by using comprehensive and exhaustive methods. We identified 13 epitope-specific CD8(+) T cells controlling HIV-1 in Japanese individuals, though 9 of these epitopes were not previously reported. The breadths of the T cell responses to the 13 epitopes were inversely associated with plasma viral load (P = 2.2 × 10(-11)) and positively associated with CD4 count (P = 1.2 × 10(-11)), indicating strong synergistic effects of these T cells on HIV-1 control in vivo. Nine of these epitopes were conserved among HIV-1 subtype B-infected individuals, whereas three out of four nonconserved epitopes were cross-recognized by the specific T cells. These findings indicate that these 12 epitopes are strong candidates for antigens for an AIDS vaccine. The present study highlighted a strategy to identify CD8(+) T cells controlling HIV-1 and demonstrated effective control of HIV-1 by those specific for 12 conserved or cross-reactive epitopes. IMPORTANCE HLA-B*27-restricted and HLA-B*57-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play a key role in controlling HIV-1 in Caucasians and Africans, whereas it is unclear which CTLs control HIV-1 in Asian countries, where HLA-B*57 and HLA-B*27 are very rare. A recent study showed that HLA-B*67:01 and HLA-B*52:01-C*12:02 haplotypes were protective alleles in Japanese individuals, but it is unknown whether CTLs restricted by these alleles control HIV-1. In this study, we identified 13 CTLs controlling HIV-1 in Japan by using comprehensive and exhaustive methods. They included 5 HLA-B*52:01-restricted and 3 HLA-B*67:01-restricted CTLs, suggesting that these CTLs play a predominant role in HIV-1 control. The 13 CTLs showed synergistic effects on HIV-1 control. Twelve out of these 13 epitopes were recognized as conserved or cross-recognized ones. These findings strongly suggest that these 12 epitopes are candidates for antigens for AIDS vaccines.
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Ovsyannikova IG, Pankratz VS, Larrabee BR, Jacobson RM, Poland GA. HLA genotypes and rubella vaccine immune response: additional evidence. Vaccine 2014; 32:4206-13. [PMID: 24837503 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.04.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Revised: 03/26/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Recent population-based studies have demonstrated the genetic heritability of rubella vaccine response and assessed that the HLA system may explain about 20% of the inter-individual variance in humoral immune response to this vaccine. Our earlier studies compared HLA allelic associations with rubella vaccine-specific antibodies between two smaller cohorts of healthy Rochester, MN, children (346 and 396 subjects) after two doses of rubella-containing vaccine. This study found that specific HLA alleles were consistently associated with rubella-specific antibody titers (B*27:05, DPA1*02:01, and DPB1*04:01 alleles). The current study examined HLA associations in an independent larger cohort of 1012 healthy San Diego, CA, subjects (age 19-40 years) after rubella vaccine in order to replicate our previous findings in the Rochester subjects. Two HLA associations of comparable magnitudes were consistently observed between B*27:05 (median NT50 Rochester cohort 48.9, p=0.067; San Diego cohort 54.8, p=0.047) and DPB1*04:01 (median NT50 Rochester cohort 61.6, p<0.001; San Diego cohort 70.8, p=0.084) alleles and rubella virus-neutralizing antibody titers. Additional HLA alleles resulted in consistent effects on IL-6 production in both cohorts, but did not meet criteria for statistical significance. Our data suggest these HLA alleles play a role in rubella vaccine-induced immunity and provide the basis for future studies that may explain the mechanism(s) by which these HLA polymorphisms affect immune responses to rubella vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inna G Ovsyannikova
- Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Program in Translational Immunovirology and Biodefense, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - V Shane Pankratz
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Beth R Larrabee
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Robert M Jacobson
- Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Gregory A Poland
- Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Program in Translational Immunovirology and Biodefense, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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Watanabe T, Murakoshi H, Gatanaga H, Koyanagi M, Oka S, Takiguchi M. Effective recognition of HIV-1-infected cells by HIV-1 integrase-specific HLA-B∗4002-restricted T cells. Microbes Infect 2010; 13:160-6. [PMID: 20971209 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2010.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2010] [Revised: 10/13/2010] [Accepted: 10/13/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
HLA-B∗4002 is one of the common HLA-B alleles in the world. All 7 reported HLA-B∗4002-restricted HIV epitopes are derived from Gag, Nef, and Vpr. In the present study we sought to identify novel HLA-B∗4002-restricted HIV epitopes by using overlapping 11-mer peptides of HIV-1 Nef, Gag, and Pol, and found that 6 of these 11-mer Pol peptides included HLA-B∗4002-restricted epitopes. Analysis using truncated peptides of these 6 peptides defined 4 optimal Pol (integrase) epitopes. All epitopes previously reported had Glu at position 2 (P2), suggesting that Glu at P2 is the anchor residue for HLA-B∗4002; whereas only 2 of the integrase epitopes that we here identified had Glu at P2. CTL clones specific for the 2 epitopes effectively recognized HIV-1-infected cells whereas those for other 2 epitopes only weakly recognized them. The antigen sensitivity of the former clones for the epitope peptide was much higher than that of the latter clones, suggesting 2 possibilities: 1) the former T cells have high-affinity TCRs and/or 2) the epitope peptides recognized by the former T cells are highly presented by HLA-B∗4002 in HIV-1-infected cells. These integrase-specific T cells with high antigen sensitivity may contribute to the suppression of HIV-1 replication in HIV-1-infected HLA-B∗4002+ individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamayo Watanabe
- Center for AIDS Research, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Kumamoto 860-0811, Japan
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Kitano M, Kobayashi N, Kawashima Y, Akahoshi T, Nokihara K, Oka S, Takighuchi M. Identification and characterization of HLA-B*5401-restricted HIV-1-Nef and Pol-specific CTL epitopes. Microbes Infect 2008; 10:764-72. [PMID: 18538615 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2008.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2008] [Revised: 04/11/2008] [Accepted: 04/11/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The identification of HIV-1 cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes presented by each HLA allele and the characterization of their CTL responses are important for the study of pathogenesis of AIDS and the development of a vaccine against it. In the present study, we focused on identification and characterization of HIV-1 epitopes presented by HLA-B*5401, which is frequently found in the Asian population, because these epitopes have not yet been reported. We identified these epitopes by using 17-mer overlapping peptides derived from HIV-1 Gag, Pol, and Nef. Seven of these 17-mer peptides induced HLA-B*5401-restricted CD8+ T cell responses. Only five HLA-B*5401-restricted Pol- or Nef-specific CD8+ T cell responses were detected in the analysis using 11-mer overlapping peptides. Three Pol and two Nef optimal peptides were identified by further analysis using truncated peptides. These epitope-specific CTLs effectively killed HLA-B*5401-expressing target cells infected with HIV-1 recombinant vaccinia virus, indicating that these peptides were naturally processed by HLA-B*5401 in HIV-1-infected cells. These epitope-specific CD8+ T cells were elicited in more than 25% of chronically HIV-1-infected individuals carrying HLA-B*5401. Therefore, these epitopes should prove useful for studying the pathogenesis of AIDS in Asia and developing a vaccine against HIV-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsutaka Kitano
- Division of Viral Immunology, Center for AIDS Research, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Kumamoto, Japan
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