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Brunet J, Choucha Z, Gransagne M, Tabbal H, Ku MW, Buchrieser J, Fernandes P, Batalie D, Lopez J, Ma L, Dufour E, Simon E, Hardy D, Petres S, Guinet F, Strick-Marchand H, Monot M, Charneau P, Majlessi L, Duprex WP, Gerke C, Martin A, Escriou N. A measles-vectored vaccine candidate expressing prefusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike protein brought to phase I/II clinical trials: candidate selection in a preclinical murine model. J Virol 2024; 98:e0169323. [PMID: 38563763 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01693-23] [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: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
In the early COVID-19 pandemic with urgent need for countermeasures, we aimed at developing a replicating viral vaccine using the highly efficacious measles vaccine as vector, a promising technology with prior clinical proof of concept. Building on our successful pre-clinical development of a measles virus (MV)-based vaccine candidate against the related SARS-CoV, we evaluated several recombinant MV expressing codon-optimized SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. Candidate V591 expressing a prefusion-stabilized spike through introduction of two proline residues in HR1 hinge loop, together with deleted S1/S2 furin cleavage site and additional inactivation of the endoplasmic reticulum retrieval signal, was the most potent in eliciting neutralizing antibodies in mice. After single immunization, V591 induced similar neutralization titers as observed in sera of convalescent patients. The cellular immune response was confirmed to be Th1 skewed. V591 conferred long-lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2 challenge in a murine model with marked decrease in viral RNA load, absence of detectable infectious virus loads, and reduced lesions in the lungs. V591 was furthermore efficacious in an established non-human primate model of disease (see companion article [S. Nambulli, N. Escriou, L. J. Rennick, M. J. Demers, N. L. Tilston-Lunel et al., J Virol 98:e01762-23, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01762-23]). Thus, V591 was taken forward into phase I/II clinical trials in August 2020. Unexpected low immunogenicity in humans (O. Launay, C. Artaud, M. Lachâtre, M. Ait-Ahmed, J. Klein et al., eBioMedicine 75:103810, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103810) revealed that the underlying mechanisms for resistance or sensitivity to pre-existing anti-measles immunity are not yet understood. Different hypotheses are discussed here, which will be important to investigate for further development of the measles-vectored vaccine platform.IMPORTANCESARS-CoV-2 emerged at the end of 2019 and rapidly spread worldwide causing the COVID-19 pandemic that urgently called for vaccines. We developed a vaccine candidate using the highly efficacious measles vaccine as vector, a technology which has proved highly promising in clinical trials for other pathogens. We report here and in the companion article by Nambulli et al. (J Virol 98:e01762-23, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01762-23) the design, selection, and preclinical efficacy of the V591 vaccine candidate that was moved into clinical development in August 2020, 7 months after the identification of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan. These unique in-human trials of a measles vector-based COVID-19 vaccine revealed insufficient immunogenicity, which may be the consequence of previous exposure to the pediatric measles vaccine. The three studies together in mice, primates, and humans provide a unique insight into the measles-vectored vaccine platform, raising potential limitations of surrogate preclinical models and calling for further refinement of the platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémy Brunet
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Département de Santé Globale, Paris, France
| | - Zaineb Choucha
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Département de Santé Globale, Paris, France
| | - Marion Gransagne
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Département de Santé Globale, Paris, France
| | - Houda Tabbal
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Génétique Moléculaire des Virus à ARN, Paris, France
| | - Min-Wen Ku
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Pasteur-TheraVectys Joint Lab, Paris, France
| | - Julian Buchrieser
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Virus and Immunity Unit, Paris, France
| | - Priyanka Fernandes
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1223, Innate Immunity Unit, Paris, France
| | - Damien Batalie
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Génétique Moléculaire des Virus à ARN, Paris, France
| | - Jodie Lopez
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Pasteur-TheraVectys Joint Lab, Paris, France
| | - Laurence Ma
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biomics, C2RT, Paris, France
| | - Evelyne Dufour
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3528, Production and Purification of Recombinant Proteins Technological Platform, Paris, France
| | - Emeline Simon
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Génétique Moléculaire des Virus à ARN, Paris, France
| | - David Hardy
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Histopathology Platform, Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Petres
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3528, Production and Purification of Recombinant Proteins Technological Platform, Paris, France
| | - Françoise Guinet
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1223, Lymphocytes and Immunity Unit, Paris, France
| | - Helene Strick-Marchand
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1223, Innate Immunity Unit, Paris, France
| | - Marc Monot
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biomics, C2RT, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Charneau
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Pasteur-TheraVectys Joint Lab, Paris, France
| | - Laleh Majlessi
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Pasteur-TheraVectys Joint Lab, Paris, France
| | - W Paul Duprex
- Center for Vaccine Research, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christiane Gerke
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Innovation Office, Vaccine Programs, Paris, France
| | - Annette Martin
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Génétique Moléculaire des Virus à ARN, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Escriou
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Département de Santé Globale, Paris, France
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2
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Sanchez-Martinez ZV, Alpuche-Lazcano SP, Stuible M, Durocher Y. CHO cells for virus-like particle and subunit vaccine manufacturing. Vaccine 2024; 42:2530-2542. [PMID: 38503664 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, employed primarily for manufacturing monoclonal antibodies and other recombinant protein (r-protein) therapeutics, are emerging as a promising host for vaccine antigen production. This is exemplified by the recently approved CHO cell-derived subunit vaccines (SUV) against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV), as well as the enveloped virus-like particle (eVLP) vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV). Here, we summarize the design, production, and immunogenicity features of these vaccine and review the most recent progress of other CHO-derived vaccines in pre-clinical and clinical development. We also discuss the challenges associated with vaccine production in CHO cells, with a focus on ensuring viral clearance for eVLP products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zalma V Sanchez-Martinez
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Sergio P Alpuche-Lazcano
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Matthew Stuible
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Yves Durocher
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; PROTEO: The Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Structure, and Engineering, Université du Québec à Montréal, 201 Avenue du Président Kennedy, Montréal, QC H2X 3Y7, Canada.
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3
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Libera M, Caputo V, Laterza G, Moudoud L, Soggiu A, Bonizzi L, Diotti RA. The Question of HIV Vaccine: Why Is a Solution Not Yet Available? J Immunol Res 2024; 2024:2147912. [PMID: 38628675 PMCID: PMC11019575 DOI: 10.1155/2024/2147912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Ever since its discovery, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection has remained a significant public health concern. The number of HIV-1 seropositive individuals currently stands at 40.1 million, yet definitive treatment for the virus is still unavailable on the market. Vaccination has proven to be a potent tool in combating infectious diseases, as evidenced by its success against other pathogens. However, despite ongoing efforts and research, the unique viral characteristics have prevented the development of an effective anti-HIV-1 vaccine. In this review, we aim to provide an historical overview of the various approaches attempted to create an effective anti-HIV-1 vaccine. Our objective is to explore the reasons why specific methods have failed to induce a protective immune response and to analyze the different modalities of immunogen presentation. This trial is registered with NCT05414786, NCT05471076, NCT04224701, and NCT01937455.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Libera
- One Health Unit, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Pomona Ricerca S.r.l, Via Assarotti 7, 10122 Turin, Italy
| | - Valeria Caputo
- One Health Unit, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Pomona Ricerca S.r.l, Via Assarotti 7, 10122 Turin, Italy
| | - Giulia Laterza
- One Health Unit, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Celoria 22, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Louiza Moudoud
- One Health Unit, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Pomona Ricerca S.r.l, Via Assarotti 7, 10122 Turin, Italy
| | - Alessio Soggiu
- One Health Unit, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy
- SC Maxillo-Facial Surgery and Dentistry, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Bonizzi
- One Health Unit, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta A. Diotti
- One Health Unit, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Pomona Ricerca S.r.l, Via Assarotti 7, 10122 Turin, Italy
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4
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Del Moral-Sánchez I, Wee EG, Xian Y, Lee WH, Allen JD, Torrents de la Peña A, Fróes Rocha R, Ferguson J, León AN, Koekkoek S, Schermer EE, Burger JA, Kumar S, Zwolsman R, Brinkkemper M, Aartse A, Eggink D, Han J, Yuan M, Crispin M, Ozorowski G, Ward AB, Wilson IA, Hanke T, Sliepen K, Sanders RW. Triple tandem trimer immunogens for HIV-1 and influenza nucleic acid-based vaccines. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:74. [PMID: 38582771 PMCID: PMC10998906 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00862-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Recombinant native-like HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers are used in candidate vaccines aimed at inducing broadly neutralizing antibodies. While state-of-the-art SOSIP or single-chain Env designs can be expressed as native-like trimers, undesired monomers, dimers and malformed trimers that elicit non-neutralizing antibodies are also formed, implying that these designs could benefit from further modifications for gene-based vaccination approaches. Here, we describe the triple tandem trimer (TTT) design, in which three Env protomers are genetically linked in a single open reading frame and express as native-like trimers. Viral vectored Env TTT induced similar neutralization titers but with a higher proportion of trimer-specific responses. The TTT design was also applied to generate influenza hemagglutinin (HA) trimers without the need for trimerization domains. Additionally, we used TTT to generate well-folded chimeric Env and HA trimers that harbor protomers from three different strains. In summary, the TTT design is a useful platform for the design of HIV-1 Env and influenza HA immunogens for a multitude of vaccination strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iván Del Moral-Sánchez
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Edmund G Wee
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Yuejiao Xian
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Wen-Hsin Lee
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Joel D Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Alba Torrents de la Peña
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rebeca Fróes Rocha
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - James Ferguson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - André N León
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sylvie Koekkoek
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Edith E Schermer
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Judith A Burger
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sanjeev Kumar
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Robby Zwolsman
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mitch Brinkkemper
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Aafke Aartse
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, Netherlands
| | - Dirk Eggink
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Julianna Han
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Meng Yuan
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Max Crispin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Gabriel Ozorowski
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Andrew B Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ian A Wilson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Tomáš Hanke
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Kwinten Sliepen
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rogier W Sanders
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
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5
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Byrne PO, Blade EG, Fisher BE, Ambrozak DR, Ramamohan AR, Graham BS, Loomis RJ, McLellan JS. Prefusion stabilization of the Hendra and Langya virus F proteins. J Virol 2024; 98:e0137223. [PMID: 38214525 PMCID: PMC10878279 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01372-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV) are pathogenic paramyxoviruses that cause mild-to-severe disease in humans. As members of the Henipavirus genus, NiV and HeV use an attachment (G) glycoprotein and a class I fusion (F) glycoprotein to invade host cells. The F protein rearranges from a metastable prefusion form to an extended postfusion form to facilitate host cell entry. Prefusion NiV F elicits higher neutralizing antibody titers than postfusion NiV F, indicating that stabilization of prefusion F may aid vaccine development. A combination of amino acid substitutions (L104C/I114C, L172F, and S191P) is known to stabilize NiV F in its prefusion conformation, although the extent to which substitutions transfer to other henipavirus F proteins is not known. Here, we perform biophysical and structural studies to investigate the mechanism of prefusion stabilization in F proteins from three henipaviruses: NiV, HeV, and Langya virus (LayV). Three known stabilizing substitutions from NiV F transfer to HeV F and exert similar structural and functional effects. One engineered disulfide bond, located near the fusion peptide, is sufficient to stabilize the prefusion conformations of both HeV F and LayV F. Although LayV F shares low overall sequence identity with NiV F and HeV F, the region around the fusion peptide exhibits high sequence conservation across all henipaviruses. Our findings indicate that substitutions targeting this site of conformational change might be applicable to prefusion stabilization of other henipavirus F proteins and support the use of NiV as a prototypical pathogen for henipavirus vaccine antigen design.IMPORTANCEPathogenic henipaviruses such as Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV) cause respiratory symptoms, with severe cases resulting in encephalitis, seizures, and coma. The work described here shows that the NiV and HeV fusion (F) proteins share common structural features with the F protein from an emerging henipavirus, Langya virus (LayV). Sequence alignment alone was sufficient to predict which known prefusion-stabilizing amino acid substitutions from NiV F would stabilize the prefusion conformations of HeV F and LayV F. This work also reveals an unexpected oligomeric interface shared by prefusion HeV F and NiV F. Together, these advances lay a foundation for future antigen design targeting henipavirus F proteins. In this way, Nipah virus can serve as a prototypical pathogen for the development of protective vaccines and monoclonal antibodies to prepare for potential henipavirus outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick O. Byrne
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Elizabeth G. Blade
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Brian E. Fisher
- Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - David R. Ambrozak
- Immunology Laboratory, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Ajit R. Ramamohan
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | | | - Rebecca J. Loomis
- Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jason S. McLellan
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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6
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Tang C, Verwilligen A, Sadoff J, Brandenburg B, Sneekes-Vriese E, van den Kerkhof T, Dillen L, Rutten L, Juraszek J, Callewaert K, Janssen S, Huizingh J, Euler Z, Schilperoord T, Verhemeldonck M, Langedijk JPM, Hendriks J, Stieh DJ. Absolute quantitation of binding antibodies from clinical samples. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:8. [PMID: 38184641 PMCID: PMC10771429 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00793-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The quantitation of antibody responses is a critical requirement for the successful development of vaccines and therapeutics that often relies on the use of standardized reference materials to determine relative quantities within biological samples. The validity of comparing responses across assays using arbitrarily defined reference values is therefore limited. We developed a generalizable method known as MASCALE (Mass Spectrometry Enabled Conversion to Absolute Levels of ELISA Antibodies) for absolute quantitation of antibodies by calibrating ELISA reference sera using mass spectrometry. Levels of proteotypic peptides served as a proxy for human IgG, allowing the conversion of responses from arbitrary values to absolute amounts. Applications include comparison of binding assays at two separate laboratories and evaluation of cross-clade magnitude-breadth responses induced by an investigational HIV-1 vaccine regimen. MASCALE addresses current challenges in the interpretation of immune responses in clinical trials and expands current options available to make suitable comparisons across different settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chan Tang
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Jerald Sadoff
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | - Lucy Rutten
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Sarah Janssen
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Zelda Euler
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | - Daniel J Stieh
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Vaccine Company, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA.
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7
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Newby ML, Allen JD, Crispin M. Influence of glycosylation on the immunogenicity and antigenicity of viral immunogens. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 70:108283. [PMID: 37972669 PMCID: PMC10867814 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108283] [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: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
A key aspect of successful viral vaccine design is the elicitation of neutralizing antibodies targeting viral attachment and fusion glycoproteins that embellish viral particles. This observation has catalyzed the development of numerous viral glycoprotein mimetics as vaccines. Glycans can dominate the surface of viral glycoproteins and as such, the viral glycome can influence the antigenicity and immunogenicity of a candidate vaccine. In one extreme, glycans can form an integral part of epitopes targeted by neutralizing antibodies and are therefore considered to be an important feature of key immunogens within an immunization regimen. In the other extreme, the existence of peptide and bacterially expressed protein vaccines shows that viral glycosylation can be dispensable in some cases. However, native-like glycosylation can indicate native-like protein folding and the presence of conformational epitopes. Furthermore, going beyond native glycan mimicry, in either occupancy of glycosylation sites or the glycan processing state, may offer opportunities for enhancing the immunogenicity and associated protection elicited by an immunogen. Here, we review key determinants of viral glycosylation and how recombinant immunogens can recapitulate these signatures across a range of enveloped viruses, including HIV-1, Ebola virus, SARS-CoV-2, Influenza and Lassa virus. The emerging understanding of immunogen glycosylation and its control will help guide the development of future vaccines in both recombinant protein- and nucleic acid-based vaccine technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maddy L Newby
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Joel D Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
| | - Max Crispin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
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8
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Zhou M, Vollmer B, Machala E, Chen M, Grünewald K, Arvin AM, Chiu W, Oliver SL. Targeted mutagenesis of the herpesvirus fusogen central helix captures transition states. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7958. [PMID: 38042814 PMCID: PMC10693595 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43011-w] [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: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Herpesviruses remain a burden for animal and human health, including the medically important varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Membrane fusion mediated by conserved core glycoproteins, the fusogen gB and the heterodimer gH-gL, enables herpesvirus cell entry. The ectodomain of gB orthologs has five domains and is proposed to transition from a prefusion to postfusion conformation but the functional relevance of the domains for this transition remains poorly defined. Here we describe structure-function studies of the VZV gB DIII central helix targeting residues 526EHV528. Critically, a H527P mutation captures gB in a prefusion conformation as determined by cryo-EM, a loss of membrane fusion in a virus free assay, and failure of recombinant VZV to spread in cell monolayers. Importantly, two predominant cryo-EM structures of gB[H527P] are identified by 3D classification and focused refinement, suggesting they represented gB conformations in transition. These studies reveal gB DIII as a critical element for herpesvirus gB fusion function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Momei Zhou
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Benjamin Vollmer
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Emily Machala
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Muyuan Chen
- Division of Cryo-EM and Bioimaging SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Kay Grünewald
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ann M Arvin
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Vir Biotechnology Inc, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Wah Chiu
- Division of Cryo-EM and Bioimaging SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Bioengineering, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Stefan L Oliver
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
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9
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Perdiguero B, Hauser A, Gómez CE, Peterhoff D, Sideris E, Sorzano CÓS, Wilmschen S, Schaber M, Stengel L, Asbach B, Ding S, Von Laer D, Levy Y, Pantaleo G, Kimpel J, Esteban M, Wagner R. Potency and durability of T and B cell immune responses after homologous and heterologous vector delivery of a trimer-stabilized, membrane-displayed HIV-1 clade ConC Env protein. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1270908. [PMID: 38045703 PMCID: PMC10690772 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1270908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The generation of an HIV-1 vaccine able to induce long-lasting protective immunity remains a main challenge. Here, we aimed to modify next-generation soluble, prefusion-stabilized, close-to-native, glycan-engineered clade C gp140 envelope (Env) trimers (sC23v4 KIKO and ConCv5 KIKO) for optimal display on the cell surface following homologous or heterologous vector delivery. Methods A combination of the following modifications scored best regarding the preservation of closed, native-like Env trimer conformation and antigenicity when using a panel of selected broadly neutralizing (bnAb) and non-neutralizing (nnAb) monoclonal antibodies for flow cytometry: i) replacing the natural cleavage site with a native flexible linker and introducing a single amino acid substitution to prevent CD4 binding (*), ii) fusing a heterologous VSV-G-derived transmembrane moiety to the gp140 C-terminus, and iii) deleting six residues proximal to the membrane. Results When delivering membrane-tethered sC23v4 KIKO* and ConCv5 KIKO* via DNA, VSV-GP, and NYVAC vectors, the two native-like Env trimers provide differential antigenicity profiles. Whereas such patterns were largely consistent among the different vectors for either Env trimer, the membrane-tethered ConCv5 KIKO* trimer adopted a more closed and native-like structure than sC23v4 KIKO*. In immunized mice, VSV-GP and NYVAC vectors expressing the membrane-tethered ConCv5 KIKO* administered in prime/boost combination were the most effective regimens for the priming of Env-specific CD4 T cells among all tested combinations. The subsequent booster administration of trimeric ConCv5 KIKO* Env protein preserved the T cell activation levels between groups. The evaluation of the HIV-1-specific humoral responses induced in the different immunization groups after protein boosts showed that the various prime/boost protocols elicited broad and potent antibody responses, preferentially of a Th1-associated IgG2a subclass, and that the obtained antibody levels remained high at the memory phase. Discussion In summary, we provide a feasible strategy to display multiple copies of native-like Env trimers on the cell surface, which translates into efficient priming of sustained CD4+ T cell responses after vector delivery as well as broad, potent, and sustained antibody responses following booster immunizations with the homologous, prefusion-stabilized, close-to-native ConCv5 KIKO* gp140 Env trimer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Perdiguero
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Alexandra Hauser
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Carmen Elena Gómez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - David Peterhoff
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Elefthéria Sideris
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Óscar S. Sorzano
- Biocomputing Unit and Computational Genomics, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sarah Wilmschen
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Marion Schaber
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Laura Stengel
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Benedikt Asbach
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Song Ding
- EuroVacc Foundation, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dorothee Von Laer
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Yves Levy
- Vaccine Research Institute (VRI), Université Paris-Est Créteil, Faculté de Médicine, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) U955, Créteil, France
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) U955, Equipe 16, Créteil, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Hôpital Henri-Mondor Albert-Chenevier, Service d'Immunologie Clinique et Maladies Infectieuses, Créteil, France
| | - Giuseppe Pantaleo
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Janine Kimpel
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Mariano Esteban
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ralf Wagner
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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10
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Abstract
Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) are being increasingly used as passive antiviral reagents in prophylactic and therapeutic modalities and to guide viral vaccine design. In vivo, nAbs can mediate antiviral functions through several mechanisms, including neutralization, which is defined by in vitro assays in which nAbs block viral entry to target cells, and antibody effector functions, which are defined by in vitro assays that evaluate nAbs against viruses and infected cells in the presence of effector systems. Interpreting in vivo results in terms of these in vitro assays is challenging but important in choosing optimal passive antibody and vaccine strategies. Here, I review findings from many different viruses and conclude that, although some generalizations are possible, deciphering the relative contributions of different antiviral mechanisms to the in vivo efficacy of antibodies currently requires consideration of individual antibody-virus interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis R Burton
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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11
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Zhang Z, Wang Q, Nguyen HT, Chen HC, Chiu TJ, Smith Iii AB, Sodroski JG. Alterations in gp120 glycans or the gp41 fusion peptide-proximal region modulate the stability of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein pretriggered conformation. J Virol 2023; 97:e0059223. [PMID: 37696048 PMCID: PMC10537687 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00592-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer mediates entry into host cells by binding receptors, CD4 and CCR5/CXCR4, and fusing the viral and cell membranes. In infected cells, cleavage of the gp160 Env precursor yields the mature Env trimer, with gp120 exterior and gp41 transmembrane Env subunits. Env cleavage stabilizes the State-1 conformation, which is the major target for broadly neutralizing antibodies, and decreases the spontaneous sampling of more open Env conformations that expose epitopes for poorly neutralizing antibodies. During HIV-1 entry into cells, CD4 binding drives the metastable Env from a pretriggered (State-1) conformation into more "open," lower-energy states. Here, we report that changes in two dissimilar elements of the HIV-1 Env trimer, namely particular gp120 glycans and the gp41 fusion peptide-proximal region (FPPR), can independently modulate the stability of State 1. Individual deletion of several gp120 glycans destabilized State 1, whereas removal of a V1 glycan resulted in phenotypes indicative of a more stable pretriggered Env conformation. Likewise, some alterations of the gp41 FPPR decreased the level of spontaneous shedding of gp120 from the Env trimer and stabilized the pretriggered State-1 Env conformation. State-1-stabilizing changes were additive and could suppress the phenotypes associated with State-1-destabilizing alterations in Env. Our results support a model in which multiple protein and carbohydrate elements of the HIV-1 Env trimer additively contribute to the stability of the pretriggered (State-1) conformation. The Env modifications identified in this study will assist efforts to characterize the structure and immunogenicity of the metastable State-1 conformation. IMPORTANCE The elicitation of antibodies that neutralize multiple strains of HIV-1 is an elusive goal that has frustrated the development of an effective vaccine. The pretriggered shape of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) spike on the virus surface is the major target for such broadly neutralizing antibodies. The "closed" pretriggered Env shape resists the binding of most antibodies but is unstable and often assumes "open" shapes that elicit ineffective antibodies. We identified particular changes in both the protein and the sugar components of the Env trimer that stabilize the pretriggered shape. Combinations of these changes were even more effective at stabilizing the pretriggered Env than the individual changes. Stabilizing changes in Env could counteract the effect of Env changes that destabilize the pretriggered shape. Locking Env in its pretriggered shape will assist efforts to understand the Env spike on the virus and to incorporate this shape into vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqing Zhang
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute , Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute , Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hanh T Nguyen
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute , Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hung-Ching Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ta-Jung Chiu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Amos B Smith Iii
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joseph G Sodroski
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute , Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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12
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Tong T, D’Addabbo A, Xu J, Chawla H, Nguyen A, Ochoa P, Crispin M, Binley JM. Impact of stabilizing mutations on the antigenic profile and glycosylation of membrane-expressed HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011452. [PMID: 37549185 PMCID: PMC10434953 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent HIV-1 vaccine development has centered on "near native" soluble envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers that are artificially stabilized laterally (between protomers) and apically (between gp120 and gp41). These mutations have been leveraged for use in membrane-expressed Env mRNA vaccines, although their effects in this context are unclear. To address this question, we used virus-like particle (VLP) produced in 293T cells. Uncleaved (UNC) trimers were laterally unstable upon gentle lysis from membranes. However, gp120/gp41 processing improved lateral stability. Due to inefficient gp120/gp41 processing, UNC is incorporated into VLPs. A linker between gp120 and gp41 neither improved trimer stability nor its antigenic profile. An artificially introduced enterokinase cleavage site allowed post-expression gp120/gp41 processing, concomitantly increasing trimer stability. Gp41 N-helix mutations I559P and NT1-5 imparted lateral trimer stability, but also reduced gp120/gp41 processing and/or impacted V2 apex and interface NAb binding. I559P consistently reduced recognition by HIV+ human plasmas, further supporting antigenic differences. Mutations in the gp120 bridging sheet failed to stabilize membrane trimers in a pre-fusion conformation, and also reduced gp120/gp41 processing and exposed non-neutralizing epitopes. Reduced glycan maturation and increased sequon skipping were common side effects of these mutations. In some cases, this may be due to increased rigidity which limits access to glycan processing enzymes. In contrast, viral gp120 did not show glycan skipping. A second, minor species of high mannose gp160 was unaffected by any mutations and instead bypasses normal folding and glycan maturation. Including the full gp41 cytoplasmic tail led to markedly reduced gp120/gp41 processing and greatly increased the proportion of high mannose gp160. Remarkably, monoclonal antibodies were unable to bind to this high mannose gp160 in native protein gels. Overall, our findings suggest caution in leveraging stabilizing mutations in nucleic acid-based immunogens to ensure they impart valuable membrane trimer phenotypes for vaccine use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommy Tong
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Alessio D’Addabbo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Jiamin Xu
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Himanshi Chawla
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Albert Nguyen
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Paola Ochoa
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Max Crispin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - James M. Binley
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, United States of America
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13
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Martin GM, Russell RA, Mundsperger P, Harris S, Jovanoska L, Trajano LF, Schiffner T, Fabian K, Tolazzi M, Scarlatti G, McFarlane L, Cheeseman H, Aldon Y, Schermer EE, Breemen M, Sliepen K, Katinger D, Kunert R, Sanders RW, Shattock R, Ward AB, Sattentau QJ. Profound structural conservation of chemically cross-linked HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein experimental vaccine antigens. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:101. [PMID: 37443366 PMCID: PMC10345191 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00696-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical cross-linking is used to stabilize protein structures with additional benefits of pathogen and toxin inactivation for vaccine use, but its use has been restricted by the potential for local or global structural distortion. This is of particular importance when the protein in question requires a high degree of structural conservation for inducing a biological outcome such as the elicitation of antibodies to conformationally sensitive epitopes. The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer is metastable and shifts between different conformational states, complicating its use as a vaccine antigen. Here we have used the hetero-bifunctional zero-length reagent 1-Ethyl-3-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-Carbodiimide (EDC) to cross-link two soluble Env trimers, selected well-folded trimer species using antibody affinity, and transferred this process to good manufacturing practice (GMP) for experimental medicine use. Cross-linking enhanced trimer stability to biophysical and enzyme attack. Cryo-EM analysis revealed that cross-linking retained the overall structure with root-mean-square deviations (RMSDs) between unmodified and cross-linked Env trimers of 0.4-0.5 Å. Despite this negligible distortion of global trimer structure, we identified individual inter-subunit, intra-subunit, and intra-protomer cross-links. Antigenicity and immunogenicity of the trimers were selectively modified by cross-linking, with cross-linked ConS retaining bnAb binding more consistently than ConM. Thus, the EDC cross-linking process improves trimer stability whilst maintaining protein folding, and is readily transferred to GMP, consistent with the more general use of this approach in protein-based vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory M Martin
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Rebecca A Russell
- The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Philip Mundsperger
- Polymun Scientific Immunbiologische Forschung GmbH, Klosterneuburg, Austria
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Scarlett Harris
- The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lu Jovanoska
- The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Torben Schiffner
- The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Katalin Fabian
- Department of Immunology, National Food Chain Safety Office, Directorate of Veterinary Medicinal Products, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Monica Tolazzi
- Viral Evolution and Transmission Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Gabriella Scarlatti
- Viral Evolution and Transmission Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Leon McFarlane
- Imperial College London, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Section of Virology, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Hannah Cheeseman
- Imperial College London, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Section of Virology, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Yoann Aldon
- Imperial College London, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Section of Virology, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Edith E Schermer
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Centre University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marielle Breemen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Centre University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kwinten Sliepen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Centre University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dietmar Katinger
- Polymun Scientific Immunbiologische Forschung GmbH, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Renate Kunert
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rogier W Sanders
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Centre University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Robin Shattock
- Imperial College London, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Section of Virology, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Andrew B Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Quentin J Sattentau
- The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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14
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Williams JA, Biancucci M, Lessen L, Tian S, Balsaraf A, Chen L, Chesterman C, Maruggi G, Vandepaer S, Huang Y, Mallett CP, Steff AM, Bottomley MJ, Malito E, Wahome N, Harshbarger WD. Structural and computational design of a SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen with improved expression and immunogenicity. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg0330. [PMID: 37285422 PMCID: PMC10246912 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg0330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern challenge the efficacy of approved vaccines, emphasizing the need for updated spike antigens. Here, we use an evolutionary-based design aimed at boosting protein expression levels of S-2P and improving immunogenic outcomes in mice. Thirty-six prototype antigens were generated in silico and 15 were produced for biochemical analysis. S2D14, which contains 20 computationally designed mutations within the S2 domain and a rationally engineered D614G mutation in the SD2 domain, has an ~11-fold increase in protein yield and retains RBD antigenicity. Cryo-electron microscopy structures reveal a mixture of populations in various RBD conformational states. Vaccination of mice with adjuvanted S2D14 elicited higher cross-neutralizing antibody titers than adjuvanted S-2P against the SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain and four variants of concern. S2D14 may be a useful scaffold or tool for the design of future coronavirus vaccines, and the approaches used for the design of S2D14 may be broadly applicable to streamline vaccine discovery.
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15
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Hederman AP, Ackerman ME. Leveraging deep learning to improve vaccine design. Trends Immunol 2023; 44:333-344. [PMID: 37003949 PMCID: PMC10485910 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2023.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Deep learning has led to incredible breakthroughs in areas of research, from self-driving vehicles to solutions, to formal mathematical proofs. In the biomedical sciences, however, the revolutionary results seen in other fields are only now beginning to be realized. Vaccine research and development efforts represent an application with high public health significance. Protein structure prediction, immune repertoire analysis, and phylogenetics are three principal areas in which deep learning is poised to provide key advances. Here, we opine on some of the current challenges with deep learning and how they are being addressed. Despite the nascent stage of deep learning applications in immunological studies, there is ample opportunity to utilize this new technology to address the most challenging and burdensome infectious diseases confronting global populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Margaret E Ackerman
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, USA.
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16
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Tan TJC, Mou Z, Lei R, Ouyang WO, Yuan M, Song G, Andrabi R, Wilson IA, Kieffer C, Dai X, Matreyek KA, Wu NC. High-throughput identification of prefusion-stabilizing mutations in SARS-CoV-2 spike. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2003. [PMID: 37037866 PMCID: PMC10086000 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37786-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Designing prefusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike is critical for the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. All COVID-19 vaccines in the US encode spike with K986P/V987P mutations to stabilize its prefusion conformation. However, contemporary methods on engineering prefusion-stabilized spike immunogens involve tedious experimental work and heavily rely on structural information. Here, we establish a systematic and unbiased method of identifying mutations that concomitantly improve expression and stabilize the prefusion conformation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike. Our method integrates a fluorescence-based fusion assay, mammalian cell display technology, and deep mutational scanning. As a proof-of-concept, we apply this method to a region in the S2 domain that includes the first heptad repeat and central helix. Our results reveal that besides K986P and V987P, several mutations simultaneously improve expression and significantly lower the fusogenicity of the spike. As prefusion stabilization is a common challenge for viral immunogen design, this work will help accelerate vaccine development against different viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J C Tan
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Zongjun Mou
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Ruipeng Lei
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Wenhao O Ouyang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Meng Yuan
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Ge Song
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
- IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development (CHAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Raiees Andrabi
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
- IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development (CHAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Ian A Wilson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
- IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development (CHAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
- The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Collin Kieffer
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Xinghong Dai
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Kenneth A Matreyek
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Nicholas C Wu
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
- Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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17
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Nguyen HT, Wang Q, Anang S, Sodroski JG. Characterization of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) Envelope Glycoprotein Conformational States on Infectious Virus Particles. J Virol 2023; 97:e0185722. [PMID: 36815832 PMCID: PMC10062176 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01857-22] [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: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) entry into cells involves triggering of the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer ([gp120/gp41]3) by the primary receptor, CD4, and coreceptors, CCR5 or CXCR4. The pretriggered (State-1) conformation of the mature (cleaved) Env is targeted by broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), which are inefficiently elicited compared with poorly neutralizing antibodies (pNAbs). Here, we characterize variants of the moderately triggerable HIV-1AD8 Env on virions produced by an infectious molecular proviral clone; such virions contain more cleaved Env than pseudotyped viruses. We identified three types of cleaved wild-type AD8 Env trimers on virions: (i) State-1-like trimers preferentially recognized by bNAbs and exhibiting strong subunit association; (ii) trimers recognized by pNAbs directed against the gp120 coreceptor-binding region and exhibiting weak, detergent-sensitive subunit association; and (iii) a minor gp41-only population. The first Env population was enriched and the other Env populations reduced by introducing State-1-stabilizing changes in the AD8 Env or by treatment of the virions with crosslinker or the State-1-preferring entry inhibitor, BMS-806. These stabilized AD8 Envs were also more resistant to gp120 shedding induced by a CD4-mimetic compound or by incubation on ice. Conversely, a State-1-destabilized, CD4-independent AD8 Env variant exhibited weaker bNAb recognition and stronger pNAb recognition. Similar relationships between Env triggerability and antigenicity/shedding propensity on virions were observed for other HIV-1 strains. State-1 Envs on virions can be significantly enriched by minimizing the adventitious incorporation of uncleaved Env; stabilizing the pretriggered conformation by Env modification, crosslinking or BMS-806 treatment; strengthening Env subunit interactions; and using CD4-negative producer cells. IMPORTANCE Efforts to develop an effective HIV-1 vaccine have been frustrated by the inability to elicit broad neutralizing antibodies that recognize multiple virus strains. Such antibodies can bind a particular shape of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimer, as it exists on a viral membrane but before engaging receptors on the host cell. Here, we establish simple yet powerful assays to characterize the envelope glycoproteins in a natural context on virus particles. We find that, depending on the HIV-1 strain, some envelope glycoproteins change shape and fall apart, creating decoys that can potentially divert the host immune response. We identify requirements to keep the relevant envelope glycoprotein target for broad neutralizing antibodies intact on virus-like particles. These studies suggest strategies that should facilitate efforts to produce and use virus-like particles as vaccine immunogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanh T. Nguyen
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Saumya Anang
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joseph G. Sodroski
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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18
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Bibollet-Ruche F, Russell RM, Ding W, Liu W, Li Y, Wagh K, Wrapp D, Habib R, Skelly AN, Roark RS, Sherrill-Mix S, Wang S, Rando J, Lindemuth E, Cruickshank K, Park Y, Baum R, Carey JW, Connell AJ, Li H, Giorgi EE, Song GS, Ding S, Finzi A, Newman A, Hernandez GE, Machiele E, Cain DW, Mansouri K, Lewis MG, Montefiori DC, Wiehe KJ, Alam SM, Teng IT, Kwong PD, Andrabi R, Verkoczy L, Burton DR, Korber BT, Saunders KO, Haynes BF, Edwards RJ, Shaw GM, Hahn BH. A Germline-Targeting Chimpanzee SIV Envelope Glycoprotein Elicits a New Class of V2-Apex Directed Cross-Neutralizing Antibodies. mBio 2023; 14:e0337022. [PMID: 36629414 PMCID: PMC9973348 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03370-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 and its SIV precursors share a broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) epitope in variable loop 2 (V2) at the envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer apex. Here, we tested the immunogenicity of germ line-targeting versions of a chimpanzee SIV (SIVcpz) Env in human V2-apex bNAb heavy-chain precursor-expressing knock-in mice and as chimeric simian-chimpanzee immunodeficiency viruses (SCIVs) in rhesus macaques (RMs). Trimer immunization of knock-in mice induced V2-directed NAbs, indicating activation of V2-apex bNAb precursor-expressing mouse B cells. SCIV infection of RMs elicited high-titer viremia, potent autologous tier 2 neutralizing antibodies, and rapid sequence escape in the canonical V2-apex epitope. Six of seven animals also developed low-titer heterologous plasma breadth that mapped to the V2-apex. Antibody cloning from two of these animals identified multiple expanded lineages with long heavy chain third complementarity determining regions that cross-neutralized as many as 7 of 19 primary HIV-1 strains, but with low potency. Negative stain electron microscopy (NSEM) of members of the two most cross-reactive lineages confirmed V2 targeting but identified an angle of approach distinct from prototypical V2-apex bNAbs, with antibody binding either requiring or inducing an occluded-open trimer. Probing with conformation-sensitive, nonneutralizing antibodies revealed that SCIV-expressed, but not wild-type SIVcpz Envs, as well as a subset of primary HIV-1 Envs, preferentially adopted a more open trimeric state. These results reveal the existence of a cryptic V2 epitope that is exposed in occluded-open SIVcpz and HIV-1 Env trimers and elicits cross-neutralizing responses of limited breadth and potency. IMPORTANCE An effective HIV-1 vaccination strategy will need to stimulate rare precursor B cells of multiple bNAb lineages and affinity mature them along desired pathways. Here, we searched for V2-apex germ line-targeting Envs among a large set of diverse primate lentiviruses and identified minimally modified versions of one chimpanzee SIV Env that bound several human V2-apex bNAb precursors and stimulated one of these in a V2-apex bNAb precursor-expressing knock-in mouse. We also generated chimeric simian-chimpanzee immunodeficiency viruses and showed that they elicit low-titer V2-directed heterologous plasma breadth in six of seven infected rhesus macaques. Characterization of this antibody response identified a new class of weakly cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies that target the V2-apex, but only in occluded-open Env trimers. The existence of this cryptic epitope, which in some Env backgrounds is immunodominant, needs to be considered in immunogen design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic Bibollet-Ruche
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ronnie M. Russell
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Wenge Ding
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Weimin Liu
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Yingying Li
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kshitij Wagh
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
| | - Daniel Wrapp
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Rumi Habib
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ashwin N. Skelly
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ryan S. Roark
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Scott Sherrill-Mix
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Shuyi Wang
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Juliette Rando
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Emily Lindemuth
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kendra Cruickshank
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Younghoon Park
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rachel Baum
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - John W. Carey
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrew Jesse Connell
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Elena E. Giorgi
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
| | - Ge S. Song
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Shilei Ding
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Andrés Finzi
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Amanda Newman
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Giovanna E. Hernandez
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Emily Machiele
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Derek W. Cain
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Katayoun Mansouri
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - David C. Montefiori
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kevin J. Wiehe
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - S. Munir Alam
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - I-Ting Teng
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Peter D. Kwong
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Raiees Andrabi
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Laurent Verkoczy
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Dennis R. Burton
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- Ragon Institute of MGH, Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bette T. Korber
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
| | - Kevin O. Saunders
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Barton F. Haynes
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Robert J. Edwards
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - George M. Shaw
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Beatrice H. Hahn
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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19
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Pedenko B, Sulbaran G, Guilligay D, Effantin G, Weissenhorn W. SARS-CoV-2 S Glycoprotein Stabilization Strategies. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020558. [PMID: 36851772 PMCID: PMC9960574 DOI: 10.3390/v15020558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has again shown that structural biology plays an important role in understanding biological mechanisms and exploiting structural data for therapeutic interventions. Notably, previous work on SARS-related glycoproteins has paved the way for the rapid structural determination of the SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein, which is the main target for neutralizing antibodies. Therefore, all vaccine approaches aimed to employ S as an immunogen to induce neutralizing antibodies. Like all enveloped virus glycoproteins, SARS-CoV-2 S native prefusion trimers are in a metastable conformation, which primes the glycoprotein for the entry process via membrane fusion. S-mediated entry is associated with major conformational changes in S, which can expose many off-target epitopes that deviate vaccination approaches from the major aim of inducing neutralizing antibodies, which mainly target the native prefusion trimer conformation. Here, we review the viral glycoprotein stabilization methods developed prior to SARS-CoV-2, and applied to SARS-CoV-2 S, in order to stabilize S in the prefusion conformation. The importance of structure-based approaches is highlighted by the benefits of employing stabilized S trimers versus non-stabilized S in vaccines with respect to their protective efficacy.
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20
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Needle-Free Devices and CpG-Adjuvanted DNA Improve Anti-HIV Antibody Responses of Both DNA and Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Vectored Candidate Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020376. [PMID: 36851255 PMCID: PMC9965773 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020376] [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: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The combination of mosaic Gag and CAP256 envelope in an HIV vaccine regimen comprising DNA prime and modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) boost followed by protein boost has previously been shown to generate robust autologous Tier 2 neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) in rabbits. Further refinements of this strategy have been investigated to improve antibody responses. The delivery of both DNA and recombinant MVA vaccines with a needle-free device was compared to delivery by injection, and the effect of formulating the DNA vaccine with adjuvant CpG ODN 1826 was determined. The Pharmajet Stratis® needle-free injection device (PharmaJet, Golden, CO, USA) improved binding antibody responses to the DNA vaccine as well as both binding and neutralizing antibody responses to the MVA vaccines. Formulation of the DNA vaccines with CpG adjuvant further improved the antibody responses. A shortened vaccination regimen of a single DNA inoculation followed by a single MVA inoculation did not elicit Tier 1B nor Tier 2 neutralization responses as produced by the two DNA, followed by two MVA vaccination regimen. This study showed the immunogenicity of HIV DNA and MVA vaccines administered in a DDMM regimen could be improved using the PharmaJet Stratis needle-free injection device and formulation of the DNA vaccines with CpG adjuvant.
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21
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Structure-Based Stabilization of SOSIP Env Enhances Recombinant Ectodomain Durability and Yield. J Virol 2023; 97:e0167322. [PMID: 36633409 PMCID: PMC9888283 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01673-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The envelope glycoprotein (Env) is the main focus of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccine development due to its critical role in viral entry. Despite advances in protein engineering, many Env proteins remain recalcitrant to recombinant expression due to their inherent metastability, making biochemical and immunological experiments impractical or impossible. Here, we report a novel proline stabilization strategy to facilitate the production of prefusion Env trimers. This approach, termed "2P," works synergistically with previously described SOSIP mutations and dramatically increases the yield of recombinantly expressed Env ectodomains without altering the antigenic or conformational properties of near-native Env. We determined that the 2P mutations function by enhancing the durability of the prefusion conformation and that this stabilization strategy is broadly applicable to evolutionarily and antigenically diverse Env constructs. These findings provide a new Env stabilization platform to facilitate biochemical research and expand the number of Env variants that can be developed as future HIV-1 vaccine candidates. IMPORTANCE Recent estimates have placed the number of new human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infections at approximately 1.5 million per year, emphasizing the ongoing and urgent need for an effective vaccine. The envelope (Env) glycoprotein is the main focus of HIV-1 vaccine development, but, due to its inherent metastability, many Env variants are difficult to recombinantly express in the relatively large quantities that are required for biochemical studies and animal trials. Here, we describe a novel structure-based stabilization strategy that works synergistically with previously described SOSIP mutations to increase the yield of prefusion HIV-1 Env.
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22
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Peterhoff D, Thalhauser S, Neckermann P, Barbey C, Straub K, Nazet J, Merkl R, Laengst G, Breunig M, Wagner R. Multivalent display of engineered HIV-1 envelope trimers on silica nanoparticles for targeting and in vitro activation of germline VRC01 B cells. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2022; 181:88-101. [PMID: 36272655 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2022.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Selective targeting of germline B cells with specifically designed germline-targeting HIV-1 envelope immunogens (GT-Env) is considered a feasible vaccination strategy to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). BnAbs are extremely valuable because they neutralize genetically distant viral strains at the same time. To overcome its inherently low affinity to germline B cells, the aim of the study was to present GT-Env via different immobilization strategies densely arrayed on the surface of nanoparticles. We engineered a prefusion-stabilized GT-Env trimer with affinity to VRC01 germline B cells using a bioinformatics-supported design approach. Distinct glycan modifications and amino acid substitutions yielded a GT-Env trimer which bound to the receptor with a KD of 11.5 µM. Silica nanoparticles with 200 nm diameter (SiNPs) were used for the multivalent display of the novel GT-Env with a 15 nm mean centre-to-centre spacing either by site-specific, covalent conjugation or at random, non-specific adsorption. Oriented, covalent GT-Env conjugation revealed better binding of structure dependent bnAbs as compared to non-specifically adsorbed GT-Env. In addition, GT-Env covalently attached activated a B cell line expressing the germline VRC01 receptor at an EC50 value in the nanomolar range (4 nM), while soluble GT-Env required 1,000-fold higher concentrations to induce signalling. The significantly lower GT-Env concentration was likely required due to avidity effects, which were in the picomolar range. Thus, low affinity antigens may particularly benefit from a particulate and multivalent delivery. In future, SiNPs are ideal to be modified in a modular design with various GT-Env variants that target different stages of germline and bnAb precursor B cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Peterhoff
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Molecular Microbiology (Virology), University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany; Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Stefanie Thalhauser
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Patrick Neckermann
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Molecular Microbiology (Virology), University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Clara Barbey
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Kristina Straub
- Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Julian Nazet
- Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Rainer Merkl
- Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Gernot Laengst
- Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Miriam Breunig
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Ralf Wagner
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Molecular Microbiology (Virology), University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany; Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
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23
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Gorman J, Wang C, Mason RD, Nazzari AF, Welles HC, Zhou T, Bess JW, Bylund T, Lee M, Tsybovsky Y, Verardi R, Wang S, Yang Y, Zhang B, Rawi R, Keele BF, Lifson JD, Liu J, Roederer M, Kwong PD. Cryo-EM structures of prefusion SIV envelope trimer. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2022; 29:1080-1091. [PMID: 36344847 PMCID: PMC10606957 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-022-00852-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) are lentiviruses that naturally infect non-human primates of African origin and seeded cross-species transmissions of HIV-1 and HIV-2. Here we report prefusion stabilization and cryo-EM structures of soluble envelope (Env) trimers from rhesus macaque SIV (SIVmac) in complex with neutralizing antibodies. These structures provide residue-level definition for SIV-specific disulfide-bonded variable loops (V1 and V2), which we used to delineate variable-loop coverage of the Env trimer. The defined variable loops enabled us to investigate assembled Env-glycan shields throughout SIV, which we found to comprise both N- and O-linked glycans, the latter emanating from V1 inserts, which bound the O-link-specific lectin jacalin. We also investigated in situ SIVmac-Env trimers on virions, determining cryo-electron tomography structures at subnanometer resolutions for an antibody-bound complex and a ligand-free state. Collectively, these structures define the prefusion-closed structure of the SIV-Env trimer and delineate variable-loop and glycan-shielding mechanisms of immune evasion conserved throughout SIV evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Gorman
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Chunyan Wang
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rosemarie D Mason
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Hugh C Welles
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tongqing Zhou
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Julian W Bess
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Tatsiana Bylund
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Myungjin Lee
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yaroslav Tsybovsky
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Raffaello Verardi
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Shuishu Wang
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yongping Yang
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Baoshan Zhang
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Reda Rawi
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Brandon F Keele
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Lifson
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Mario Roederer
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Peter D Kwong
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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24
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Kraft JC, Pham MN, Shehata L, Brinkkemper M, Boyoglu-Barnum S, Sprouse KR, Walls AC, Cheng S, Murphy M, Pettie D, Ahlrichs M, Sydeman C, Johnson M, Blackstone A, Ellis D, Ravichandran R, Fiala B, Wrenn S, Miranda M, Sliepen K, Brouwer PJM, Antanasijevic A, Veesler D, Ward AB, Kanekiyo M, Pepper M, Sanders RW, King NP. Antigen- and scaffold-specific antibody responses to protein nanoparticle immunogens. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100780. [PMID: 36206752 PMCID: PMC9589121 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Protein nanoparticle scaffolds are increasingly used in next-generation vaccine designs, and several have established records of clinical safety and efficacy. Yet the rules for how immune responses specific to nanoparticle scaffolds affect the immunogenicity of displayed antigens have not been established. Here we define relationships between anti-scaffold and antigen-specific antibody responses elicited by protein nanoparticle immunogens. We report that dampening anti-scaffold responses by physical masking does not enhance antigen-specific antibody responses. In a series of immunogens that all use the same nanoparticle scaffold but display four different antigens, only HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) is subdominant to the scaffold. However, we also demonstrate that scaffold-specific antibody responses can competitively inhibit antigen-specific responses when the scaffold is provided in excess. Overall, our results suggest that anti-scaffold antibody responses are unlikely to suppress antigen-specific antibody responses for protein nanoparticle immunogens in which the antigen is immunodominant over the scaffold.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Kraft
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Minh N Pham
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Laila Shehata
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Mitch Brinkkemper
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Seyhan Boyoglu-Barnum
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kaitlin R Sprouse
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Alexandra C Walls
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Suna Cheng
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Mike Murphy
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Deleah Pettie
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Maggie Ahlrichs
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Claire Sydeman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Max Johnson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Alyssa Blackstone
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Daniel Ellis
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Rashmi Ravichandran
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Brooke Fiala
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Samuel Wrenn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Marcos Miranda
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kwinten Sliepen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Philip J M Brouwer
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Aleksandar Antanasijevic
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - David Veesler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Andrew B Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Masaru Kanekiyo
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Marion Pepper
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Rogier W Sanders
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Neil P King
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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25
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Tan TJ, Mou Z, Lei R, Ouyang WO, Yuan M, Song G, Andrabi R, Wilson IA, Kieffer C, Dai X, Matreyek KA, Wu NC. High-throughput identification of prefusion-stabilizing mutations in SARS-CoV-2 spike. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.09.24.509341. [PMID: 36203547 PMCID: PMC9536033 DOI: 10.1101/2022.09.24.509341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Designing prefusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike is critical for the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. All COVID-19 vaccines in the US encode spike with K986P/V987P mutations to stabilize its prefusion conformation. However, contemporary methods on engineering prefusion-stabilized spike immunogens involve tedious experimental work and heavily rely on structural information. Here, we established a systematic and unbiased method of identifying mutations that concomitantly improve expression and stabilize the prefusion conformation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike. Our method integrated a fluorescence-based fusion assay, mammalian cell display technology, and deep mutational scanning. As a proof-of-concept, this method was applied to a region in the S2 domain that includes the first heptad repeat and central helix. Our results revealed that besides K986P and V987P, several mutations simultaneously improved expression and significantly lowered the fusogenicity of the spike. As prefusion stabilization is a common challenge for viral immunogen design, this work will help accelerate vaccine development against different viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J.C. Tan
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Zongjun Mou
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Ruipeng Lei
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Wenhao O. Ouyang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Meng Yuan
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ge Song
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development (CHAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Raiees Andrabi
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development (CHAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ian A. Wilson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development (CHAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Collin Kieffer
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Xinghong Dai
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Kenneth A. Matreyek
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Nicholas C. Wu
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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26
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Tumba NL, Owen GR, Killick MA, Papathanasopoulos MA. Immunization with HIV-1 trimeric SOSIP.664 BG505 or Founder Virus C (FVCEnv) covalently complexed to two-domain CD4S60C elicits cross-clade neutralizing antibodies in New Zealand white rabbits. Vaccine X 2022; 12:100222. [PMID: 36262212 PMCID: PMC9573916 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: An ongoing challenge in HIV-1 vaccine research is finding a novel HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env)-based immunogen that elicits broadly cross-neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) without requiring complex sequential immunization regimens to drive the required antibody affinity maturation. Previous vaccination studies have shown monomeric Env and Env trimers which contain the GCN4 leucine zipper trimerization domain and are covalently bound to the first two domains of CD4 (2dCD4S60C) generate potent bnAbs in small animals. Since SOSIP.664 trimers are considered the most accurate, conformationally intact representation of HIV-1 Env generated to date, this study further evaluated the immunogenicity of SOSIP.664 HIV Env trimers (the well characterized BG505 and FVCEnv) covalently complexed to 2dCD4S60C. Methods: Recombinant BG505 SOSIP.664 and FVCEnv SOSIP.664 were expressed in mammalian cells, purified, covalently coupled to 2dCD4S60C and antigenically characterized for their interaction with HIV-1 bnAbs. The immunogenicity of BG505 SOSIP.664-2dCD4S60C and FVCEnv SOSIP.664-2dCD4S60C was investigated in New Zealand white rabbits and compared to unliganded FVCEnv and 2dCD4S60C. Rabbit sera were tested for the presence of neutralizing antibodies against a panel of 17 pseudoviruses. Results: Both BG505 SOSIP.664-2dCD4S60C and FVCEnv SOSIP.664-2dCD4S60C elicited a potent, HIV-specific response in rabbits with antibodies having considerable potency and breadth (70.5% and 76%, respectively) when tested against a global panel of 17 pseudoviruses mainly composed of harder-to-neutralize multiple clade tier-2 pseudoviruses. Conclusion: BG505 SOSIP.664-2dCD4S60C and FVCEnvSOSIP.664-2dCD4S60C are highly immunogenic and elicit potent, broadly neutralizing antibodies, the extent of which has never been reported previously for SOSIP.664 trimers. Adding to our previous results, the ability to consistently elicit these types of potent, cross-neutralizing antibody responses is dependent on novel epitopes exposed following the covalent binding of Env (independent of sequence and conformation) to 2dCD4S60C. These findings justify further investment into research exploring modified open, CD4-bound Env conformations as novel vaccine immunogens.
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27
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Ebel H, Benecke T, Vollmer B. Stabilisation of Viral Membrane Fusion Proteins in Prefusion Conformation by Structure-Based Design for Structure Determination and Vaccine Development. Viruses 2022; 14:1816. [PMID: 36016438 PMCID: PMC9415420 DOI: 10.3390/v14081816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The membrane surface of enveloped viruses contains dedicated proteins enabling the fusion of the viral with the host cell membrane. Working with these proteins is almost always challenging because they are membrane-embedded and naturally metastable. Fortunately, based on a range of different examples, researchers now have several possibilities to tame membrane fusion proteins, making them amenable for structure determination and immunogen generation. This review describes the structural and functional similarities of the different membrane fusion proteins and ways to exploit these features to stabilise them by targeted mutational approaches. The recent determination of two herpesvirus membrane fusion proteins in prefusion conformation holds the potential to apply similar methods to this group of viral fusogens. In addition to a better understanding of the herpesviral fusion mechanism, the structural insights gained will help to find ways to further stabilise these proteins using the methods described to obtain stable immunogens that will form the basis for the development of the next generation of vaccines and antiviral drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henriette Ebel
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tim Benecke
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Vollmer
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
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28
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Maeda R, Fujita J, Konishi Y, Kazuma Y, Yamazaki H, Anzai I, Watanabe T, Yamaguchi K, Kasai K, Nagata K, Yamaoka Y, Miyakawa K, Ryo A, Shirakawa K, Sato K, Makino F, Matsuura Y, Inoue T, Imura A, Namba K, Takaori-Kondo A. A panel of nanobodies recognizing conserved hidden clefts of all SARS-CoV-2 spike variants including Omicron. Commun Biol 2022; 5:669. [PMID: 35794202 PMCID: PMC9257560 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03630-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We are amid the historic coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Imbalances in the accessibility of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics among countries, regions, and populations, and those in war crises, have been problematic. Nanobodies are small, stable, customizable, and inexpensive to produce. Herein, we present a panel of nanobodies that can detect the spike proteins of five SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) including Omicron. Here we show via ELISA, lateral flow, kinetic, flow cytometric, microscopy, and Western blotting assays that our nanobodies can quantify the spike variants. This panel of nanobodies broadly neutralizes viral infection caused by pseudotyped and authentic SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. Structural analyses show that the P86 clone targets epitopes that are conserved yet unclassified on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and contacts the N-terminal domain (NTD). Human antibodies rarely access both regions; consequently, the clone buries hidden crevasses of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins that go undetected by conventional antibodies. A panel of nanobodies are presented that can detect the spike proteins of five SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and structural analyses show that one clone targets conserved epitopes on the receptor-binding domain and contacts the N-terminal domain.
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29
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Damm D, Suleiman E, Theobald H, Wagner JT, Batzoni M, Ahlfeld (née Kohlhauser) B, Walkenfort B, Albrecht JC, Ingale J, Yang L, Hasenberg M, Wyatt RT, Vorauer-Uhl K, Überla K, Temchura V. Design and Functional Characterization of HIV-1 Envelope Protein-Coupled T Helper Liposomes. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:1385. [PMID: 35890282 PMCID: PMC9318220 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14071385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Functionalization of experimental HIV-1 virus-like particle vaccines with heterologous T helper epitopes (T helper VLPs) can modulate the humoral immune response via intrastructural help (ISH). Current advances in the conjugation of native-like HIV-1 envelope trimers (Env) onto liposomes and encapsulation of peptide epitopes into these nanoparticles renders this GMP-scalable liposomal platform a feasible alternative to VLP-based vaccines. In this study, we designed and analyzed customizable Env-conjugated T helper liposomes. First, we passively encapsulated T helper peptides into a well-characterized liposome formulation displaying a dense array of Env trimers on the surface. We confirmed the closed pre-fusion state of the coupled Env trimers by immunogold staining with conformation-specific antibodies. These peptide-loaded Env-liposome conjugates efficiently activated Env-specific B cells, which further induced proliferation of CD4+ T cells by presentation of liposome-derived peptides on MHC-II molecules. The peptide encapsulation process was then quantitatively improved by an electrostatically driven approach using an overall anionic lipid formulation. We demonstrated that peptides delivered by liposomes were presented by DCs in secondary lymphoid organs after intramuscular immunization of mice. UFO (uncleaved prefusion optimized) Env trimers were covalently coupled to peptide-loaded anionic liposomes by His-tag/NTA(Ni) interactions and EDC/Sulfo-NHS crosslinking. EM imaging revealed a moderately dense array of well-folded Env trimers on the liposomal surface. The conformation was verified by liposomal surface FACS. Furthermore, anionic Env-coupled T helper liposomes effectively induced Env-specific B cell activation and proliferation in a comparable range to T helper VLPs. Taken together, we demonstrated that T helper VLPs can be substituted with customizable and GMP-scalable liposomal nanoparticles as a perspective for future preclinical and clinical HIV vaccine applications. The functional nanoparticle characterization assays shown in this study can be applied to other systems of synthetic nanoparticles delivering antigens derived from various pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Damm
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (D.D.); (H.T.); (J.T.W.); (J.-C.A.); (K.Ü.)
| | - Ehsan Suleiman
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (E.S.); (M.B.); (B.A.); (K.V.-U.)
| | - Hannah Theobald
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (D.D.); (H.T.); (J.T.W.); (J.-C.A.); (K.Ü.)
| | - Jannik T. Wagner
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (D.D.); (H.T.); (J.T.W.); (J.-C.A.); (K.Ü.)
| | - Mirjam Batzoni
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (E.S.); (M.B.); (B.A.); (K.V.-U.)
| | - Bianca Ahlfeld (née Kohlhauser)
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (E.S.); (M.B.); (B.A.); (K.V.-U.)
| | - Bernd Walkenfort
- Electron Microscopy Unit (EMU), Imaging Center Essen (IMCES), Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (B.W.); (M.H.)
| | - Jens-Christian Albrecht
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (D.D.); (H.T.); (J.T.W.); (J.-C.A.); (K.Ü.)
| | - Jidnyasa Ingale
- Vaccine Business Unit, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA;
| | - Lifei Yang
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; (L.Y.); (R.T.W.)
| | - Mike Hasenberg
- Electron Microscopy Unit (EMU), Imaging Center Essen (IMCES), Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (B.W.); (M.H.)
| | - Richard T. Wyatt
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; (L.Y.); (R.T.W.)
| | - Karola Vorauer-Uhl
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (E.S.); (M.B.); (B.A.); (K.V.-U.)
| | - Klaus Überla
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (D.D.); (H.T.); (J.T.W.); (J.-C.A.); (K.Ü.)
| | - Vladimir Temchura
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (D.D.); (H.T.); (J.T.W.); (J.-C.A.); (K.Ü.)
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30
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Hodge EA, Naika GS, Kephart SM, Nguyen A, Zhu R, Benhaim MA, Guo W, Moore JP, Hu SL, Sanders RW, Lee KK. Structural dynamics reveal isolate-specific differences at neutralization epitopes on HIV Env. iScience 2022; 25:104449. [PMID: 35677643 PMCID: PMC9167985 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The envelope glycoprotein (Env) is the sole target for neutralizing antibodies against HIV and the most rapidly evolving, variable part of the virus. High-resolution structures of Env trimers captured in the pre-fusion, closed conformation have revealed a high degree of structural similarity across diverse isolates. Biophysical data, however, indicate that Env is highly dynamic, and the level of dynamics and conformational sampling is believed to vary dramatically between HIV isolates. Dynamic differences likely influence neutralization sensitivity, receptor activation, and overall trimer stability. Here, using hydrogen/deuterium-exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), we have mapped local dynamics across native-like Env SOSIP trimers from diverse isolates. We show that significant differences in epitope order are observed across most sites targeted by broadly neutralizing antibodies. We also observe isolate-dependent conformational switching that occurs over a broad range of timescales. Lastly, we report that hyper-stabilizing mutations that dampen dynamics in some isolates have little effect on others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar A. Hodge
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Gajendra S. Naika
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sally M. Kephart
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Adam Nguyen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Biological Physics, Structure and Design Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Richard Zhu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Mark A. Benhaim
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Wenjin Guo
- Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - John P. Moore
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Shiu-Lok Hu
- Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Rogier W. Sanders
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Kelly K. Lee
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Biological Physics, Structure and Design Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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31
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Schriek AI, van Haaren MM, Poniman M, Dekkers G, Bentlage AEH, Grobben M, Vidarsson G, Sanders RW, Verrips T, Geijtenbeek TBH, Heukers R, Kootstra NA, de Taeye SW, van Gils MJ. Anti-HIV-1 Nanobody-IgG1 Constructs With Improved Neutralization Potency and the Ability to Mediate Fc Effector Functions. Front Immunol 2022; 13:893648. [PMID: 35651621 PMCID: PMC9150821 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.893648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The most effective treatment for HIV-1, antiretroviral therapy, suppresses viral replication and averts the disease from progression. Nonetheless, there is a need for alternative treatments as it requires daily administration with the possibility of side effects and occurrence of drug resistance. Broadly neutralizing antibodies or nanobodies targeting the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein are explored as alternative treatment, since they mediate viral suppression and contribute to the elimination of virus-infected cells. Besides neutralization potency and breadth, Fc-mediated effector functions of bNAbs also contribute to the in vivo efficacy. In this study multivalent J3, 2E7 and 1F10 anti-HIV-1 broadly neutralizing nanobodies were generated to improve neutralization potency and IgG1 Fc fusion was utilized to gain Fc-mediated effector functions. Bivalent and trivalent nanobodies, coupled using long glycine-serine linkers, showed increased binding to the HIV-1 Env and enhanced neutralization potency compared to the monovalent variant. Fusion of an IgG1 Fc domain to J3 improved neutralization potency compared to the J3-bihead and restored Fc-mediated effector functions such as antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis and trogocytosis, and natural killer cell activation. Due to their neutralization breadth and potency and their ability to induce effector functions these nanobody-IgG1 constructs may prove to be valuable towards alternative HIV-1 therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela I Schriek
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marlies M van Haaren
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Meliawati Poniman
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Arthur E H Bentlage
- Department of Experimental Immunohematology, Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marloes Grobben
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gestur Vidarsson
- Department of Experimental Immunohematology, Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rogier W Sanders
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Theo Verrips
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,VerLin BV, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Teunis B H Geijtenbeek
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Neeltje A Kootstra
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Steven W de Taeye
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marit J van Gils
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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32
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Li Z, Derking R, Lee WH, Bosman GP, Ward AB, Sanders RW, Boons GJ. Conjugation of a Toll-like Receptor Agonist to Glycans of an HIV Native-like Envelope Trimer Preserves Neutralization Epitopes. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200236. [PMID: 35647713 PMCID: PMC9510654 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Small molecule adjuvants are attractive for enhancing broad protection and durability of immune responses elicited by subunit vaccines. Covalent attachment of an adjuvant to an immunogen is particularly attractive because it simultaneously delivers both entities to antigen presenting cells resulting in more efficient immune activation. There is, however, a lack of methods to conjugate small molecule immune potentiators to viral glycoprotein immunogens without compromising epitope integrity. We describe herein a one-step enzymatic conjugation approach for the covalent attachment of small molecule adjuvants to N -linked glycans of viral glycoproteins. It involves the attachment of an immune potentiator to CMP-Neu5AcN 3 by Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne 1,3-cycloaddition followed by sialyltransferase-mediated transfer to N -glycans of a viral glycoprotein. The method was employed to modify a native-like HIV envelope trimer with a Toll-like receptor 7/8 agonist. The modification did not compromise Env-trimer recognition by several broadly neutralization antibodies. Electron microscopy confirmed structural integrity of the modified immunogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeshi Li
- Utrecht University: Universiteit Utrecht, Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, NETHERLANDS
| | - Ronald Derking
- University of Amsterdam: Universiteit van Amsterdam, Medical Microbiology, NETHERLANDS
| | - Wen-Hsin Lee
- The Scripps Research Institute, Integrative Structural and Computationla Biology, UNITED STATES
| | - Gerlof P Bosman
- Utrecht University: Universiteit Utrecht, Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, NETHERLANDS
| | - Andrew B Ward
- The Scripps Research Institute, Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, UNITED STATES
| | - Rogier W Sanders
- University of Amsterdam: Universiteit van Amsterdam, Medical Microbiology, NETHERLANDS
| | - Geert-Jan Boons
- University of Georgia, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center and Department of Chemistry, 315 Riverbend Road, 30602, Athens, UNITED STATES
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33
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Welbourn S, Chakraborty S, Yang JE, Gleinich AS, Gangadhara S, Khan S, Ferrebee C, Yagnik B, Burton S, Charles T, Smith SA, Williams D, Mopuri R, Upadhyay AA, Thompson J, Price MA, Wang S, Qin Z, Shen X, Williams LD, Eisel N, Peters T, Zhang L, Kilembe W, Karita E, Tomaras GD, Bosinger SE, Amara RR, Azadi P, Wright ER, Gnanakaran S, Derdeyn CA. A neutralizing antibody target in early HIV-1 infection was recapitulated in rhesus macaques immunized with the transmitted/founder envelope sequence. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010488. [PMID: 35503780 PMCID: PMC9106183 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmitted/founder (T/F) HIV-1 envelope proteins (Envs) from infected individuals that developed neutralization breadth are likely to possess inherent features desirable for vaccine immunogen design. To explore this premise, we conducted an immunization study in rhesus macaques (RM) using T/F Env sequences from two human subjects, one of whom developed potent and broad neutralizing antibodies (Z1800M) while the other developed little to no neutralizing antibody responses (R66M) during HIV-1 infection. Using a DNA/MVA/protein immunization protocol, 10 RM were immunized with each T/F Env. Within each T/F Env group, the protein boosts were administered as either monomeric gp120 or stabilized trimeric gp140 protein. All vaccination regimens elicited high titers of antigen-specific IgG, and two animals that received monomeric Z1800M Env gp120 developed autologous neutralizing activity. Using early Env escape variants isolated from subject Z1800M as guides, the serum neutralizing activity of the two immunized RM was found to be dependent on the gp120 V5 region. Interestingly, the exact same residues of V5 were also targeted by a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (nmAb) isolated from the subject Z1800M early in infection. Glycan profiling and computational modeling of the Z1800M Env gp120 immunogen provided further evidence that the V5 loop is exposed in this T/F Env and was a dominant feature that drove neutralizing antibody targeting during infection and immunization. An expanded B cell clonotype was isolated from one of the neutralization-positive RM and nmAbs corresponding to this group demonstrated V5-dependent neutralization similar to both the RM serum and the human Z1800M nmAb. The results demonstrate that neutralizing antibody responses elicited by the Z1800M T/F Env in RM converged with those in the HIV-1 infected human subject, illustrating the potential of using immunogens based on this or other T/F Envs with well-defined immunogenicity as a starting point to drive breadth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Welbourn
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Srirupa Chakraborty
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Group, Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Jie E. Yang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Anne S. Gleinich
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Sailaja Gangadhara
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Salar Khan
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Courtney Ferrebee
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Bhrugu Yagnik
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Samantha Burton
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Tysheena Charles
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - S. Abigail Smith
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Danielle Williams
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Rohini Mopuri
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Amit A. Upadhyay
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Justin Thompson
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Matt A. Price
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, New York city, New York, United States of America
| | - Shiyu Wang
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Zhaohui Qin
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Xiaoying Shen
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - LaTonya D. Williams
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nathan Eisel
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Tiffany Peters
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Lu Zhang
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - William Kilembe
- Center for Family Health Research in Zambia (CFHRZ), Lusaka, Zambia
| | | | - Georgia D. Tomaras
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Steven E. Bosinger
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Rama R. Amara
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Parastoo Azadi
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth R. Wright
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Sandrasegaram Gnanakaran
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Group, Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Cynthia A. Derdeyn
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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34
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The E484K Substitution in a SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Subunit Vaccine Resulted in Limited Cross-Reactive Neutralizing Antibody Responses in Mice. Viruses 2022; 14:v14050854. [PMID: 35632595 PMCID: PMC9146450 DOI: 10.3390/v14050854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), especially emerging variants, poses an increased threat to global public health. The significant reduction in neutralization activity against the variants such as B.1.351 in the serum of convalescent patients and vaccinated people calls for the design of new potent vaccines targeting the emerging variant. However, since most vaccines approved and in clinical trials are based on the sequence of the original SARS-CoV-2 strain, the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of vaccines based on the B.1.351 variant remain largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity, induced neutralization activity, and protective efficacy of wild-type spike protein nanoparticle (S-2P) and mutant spike protein nanoparticle (S-4M-2P) carrying characteristic mutations of B.1.351 variant in mice. Although there was no significant difference in the induction of spike-specific IgG responses in S-2P- and S-4M-2P-immunized mice, neutralizing antibodies elicited by S-4M-2P exhibited noteworthy, narrower breadth of reactivity with SARS-CoV-2 variants compared with neutralizing antibodies elicited by S-2P. Furthermore, the decrease of induced neutralizing antibody breadth at least partly resulted from the amino acid substitution at position 484. Moreover, S-4M-2P vaccination conferred insufficient protection against live SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, while S-2P vaccination gave definite protection against SARS-CoV-2 challenge in mice. Together, our study provides direct evidence that the E484K substitution in a SARS-CoV-2 subunit protein vaccine limited the cross-reactive neutralizing antibody breadth in mice and, more importantly, draws attention to the unfavorable impact of this mutation in spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants on the induction of potent neutralizing antibody responses.
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35
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Gallinaro A, Pirillo MF, Aldon Y, Cecchetti S, Michelini Z, Tinari A, Borghi M, Canitano A, McKay PF, Bona R, Vescio MF, Grasso F, Blasi M, Baroncelli S, Scarlatti G, LaBranche C, Montefiori D, Klotman ME, Sanders RW, Shattock RJ, Negri D, Cara A. Persistent immunogenicity of integrase defective lentiviral vectors delivering membrane-tethered native-like HIV-1 envelope trimers. NPJ Vaccines 2022; 7:44. [PMID: 35449174 PMCID: PMC9023570 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-022-00465-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrase Defective Lentiviral Vectors (IDLVs) represent an attractive vaccine platform for delivering HIV-1 antigens, given their ability to induce specific and persistent immune responses in both mice and non-human primates (NHPs). Recent advances in HIV-1 immunogen design demonstrated that native-like HIV-1 Envelope (Env) trimers that mimic the structure of virion-associated Env induce neutralization breadth in rabbits and macaques. Here, we describe the development of an IDLV-based HIV-1 vaccine expressing either soluble ConSOSL.UFO.664 or membrane-tethered ConSOSL.UFO.750 native-like Env immunogens with enhanced bNAb epitopes exposure. We show that IDLV can be pseudotyped with properly folded membrane-tethered native-like UFO.750 trimers. After a single IDLV injection in BALB/c mice, IDLV-UFO.750 induced a faster humoral kinetic as well as higher levels of anti-Env IgG compared to IDLV-UFO.664. IDLV-UFO.750 vaccinated cynomolgus macaques developed unusually long-lasting anti-Env IgG antibodies, as underlined by their remarkable half-life both after priming and boost with IDLV. After boosting with recombinant ConM SOSIP.v7 protein, two animals developed neutralization activity against the autologous tier 1B ConS virus mediated by V1/V2 and V3 glycan sites responses. By combining the possibility to display stabilized trimeric Env on the vector particles with the ability to induce sustained humoral responses, IDLVs represent an appropriate strategy for delivering rationally designed antigens to progress towards an effective HIV-1 vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yoann Aldon
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, UK
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Serena Cecchetti
- Confocal Microscopy Unit NMR, Confocal Microscopy Area Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Zuleika Michelini
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Tinari
- Center for Gender Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Borghi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Canitano
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Paul F McKay
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, UK
| | - Roberta Bona
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Felicia Grasso
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Blasi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Silvia Baroncelli
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriella Scarlatti
- Viral Evolution and Transmission Unit, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Celia LaBranche
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - David Montefiori
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Mary E Klotman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Rogier W Sanders
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 1300 York Avenue,, New York, NY, USA
| | - Robin J Shattock
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, UK
| | - Donatella Negri
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Cara
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
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36
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Ellis D, Lederhofer J, Acton OJ, Tsybovsky Y, Kephart S, Yap C, Gillespie RA, Creanga A, Olshefsky A, Stephens T, Pettie D, Murphy M, Sydeman C, Ahlrichs M, Chan S, Borst AJ, Park YJ, Lee KK, Graham BS, Veesler D, King NP, Kanekiyo M. Structure-based design of stabilized recombinant influenza neuraminidase tetramers. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1825. [PMID: 35383176 PMCID: PMC8983682 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29416-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) is a major antiviral drug target and has recently reemerged as a key target of antibody-mediated protective immunity. Here we show that recombinant NAs across non-bat subtypes adopt various tetrameric conformations, including an "open" state that may help explain poorly understood variations in NA stability across viral strains and subtypes. We use homology-directed protein design to uncover the structural principles underlying these distinct tetrameric conformations and stabilize multiple recombinant NAs in the "closed" state, yielding two near-atomic resolution structures of NA by cryo-EM. In addition to enhancing thermal stability, conformational stabilization improves affinity to protective antibodies elicited by viral infection, including antibodies targeting a quaternary epitope and the broadly conserved catalytic site. Stabilized NAs can also be integrated into viruses without affecting fitness. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of NA structure, stability, and antigenicity, and establish design strategies for reinforcing the conformational integrity of recombinant NA proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ellis
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Icosavax Inc., Seattle, WA, 98102, USA
| | - Julia Lederhofer
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Oliver J Acton
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Yaroslav Tsybovsky
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Sally Kephart
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Christina Yap
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Rebecca A Gillespie
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Adrian Creanga
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Audrey Olshefsky
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Tyler Stephens
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Deleah Pettie
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Michael Murphy
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Claire Sydeman
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Maggie Ahlrichs
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Sidney Chan
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Andrew J Borst
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Young-Jun Park
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Kelly K Lee
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Barney S Graham
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - David Veesler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Neil P King
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Masaru Kanekiyo
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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37
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Vishweshwaraiah YL, Dokholyan NV. Toward rational vaccine engineering. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 183:114142. [PMID: 35150769 PMCID: PMC8931536 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Technological revolutions in several fields have pushed the boundaries of vaccine design and provided new avenues for vaccine development. Next-generation vaccine platforms have shown promise in targeting challenging antigens, for which traditional approaches have been ineffective. With advances in protein engineering, structural biology, computational biology and immunology, the structural vaccinology approach, which uses protein structure information to develop immunogens, holds promise for future vaccine design. In this review, we highlight various vaccine development strategies, along with their advantages and limitations. We discuss the rational vaccine design approach, which focuses on structure-based vaccine design. Finally, we discuss antigen engineering using the epitope-scaffold approach, gaps in structural vaccinology, and remaining challenges in vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nikolay V Dokholyan
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033-0850, USA; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033-0850, USA; Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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38
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Functional and Highly Cross-Linkable HIV-1 Envelope Glycoproteins Enriched in a Pretriggered Conformation. J Virol 2022; 96:e0166821. [PMID: 35343783 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01668-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Binding to the receptor, CD4, drives the pretriggered, "closed" (state-1) conformation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer into more "open" conformations (states 2 and 3). Broadly neutralizing antibodies, which are elicited inefficiently, mostly recognize the state-1 Env conformation, whereas the more commonly elicited poorly neutralizing antibodies recognize states 2/3. HIV-1 Env metastability has created challenges for defining the state-1 structure and developing immunogens mimicking this labile conformation. The availability of functional state-1 Envs that can be efficiently cross-linked at lysine and/or acidic amino acid residues might assist these endeavors. To that end, we modified HIV-1AD8 Env, which exhibits an intermediate level of triggerability by CD4. We introduced lysine/acidic residues at positions that exhibit such polymorphisms in natural HIV-1 strains. Env changes that were tolerated with respect to gp120-gp41 processing, subunit association, and virus entry were further combined. Two common polymorphisms, Q114E and Q567K, as well as a known variant, A582T, additively rendered pseudoviruses resistant to cold, soluble CD4, and a CD4-mimetic compound, phenotypes indicative of stabilization of the pretriggered state-1 Env conformation. Combining these changes resulted in two lysine-rich HIV-1AD8 Env variants (E.2 and AE.2) with neutralization- and cold-resistant phenotypes comparable to those of natural, less triggerable tier 2/3 HIV-1 isolates. Compared with these and the parental Envs, the E.2 and AE.2 Envs were cleaved more efficiently and exhibited stronger gp120-trimer association in detergent lysates. These highly cross-linkable Envs enriched in a pretriggered conformation should assist characterization of the structure and immunogenicity of this labile state. IMPORTANCE The development of an efficient vaccine is critical for combating HIV-1 infection worldwide. However, the instability of the pretriggered shape (state 1) of the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env) makes it difficult to raise neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1. Here, by introducing multiple changes in Env, we derived two HIV-1 Env variants that are enriched in state 1 and can be efficiently cross-linked to maintain this shape. These Env complexes are more stable in detergent, assisting their purification. Thus, our study provides a path to a better characterization of the native pretriggered Env, which should assist vaccine development.
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39
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Aguado-Garcia D, Olvera A, Brander C, Sanchez-Merino V, Yuste E. Evaluation of the Thermal Stability of a Vaccine Prototype Based on Virus-like Particle Formulated HIV-1 Envelope. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10040484. [PMID: 35455233 PMCID: PMC9029469 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10040484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The long-term storage stability of vaccines has a major impact on the roll-out and success of global immunization programs. For the Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine prototype evaluated here, nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) results demonstrated a remarkable structural stability. VLPs maintained their integrity and the recognition of relevant B-cell epitopes for three months at 4 and −20 °C. Interestingly, most particles remained intact and preserved the recognition of relevant epitopes even after a week of storage at room temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Aguado-Garcia
- Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), National Microbiology Centre, 28220 Madrid, Spain; (D.A.-G.); (V.S.-M.)
| | - Alex Olvera
- IrsiCaixa, AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (A.O.); (C.B.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Christian Brander
- IrsiCaixa, AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (A.O.); (C.B.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Victor Sanchez-Merino
- Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), National Microbiology Centre, 28220 Madrid, Spain; (D.A.-G.); (V.S.-M.)
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Alfonso X el Sabio University, 28691 Madrid, Spain
| | - Eloisa Yuste
- Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), National Microbiology Centre, 28220 Madrid, Spain; (D.A.-G.); (V.S.-M.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-918223552
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40
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Damm D, Kostka K, Weingärtner C, Wagner JT, Rojas-Sánchez L, Gensberger-Reigl S, Sokolova V, Überla K, Epple M, Temchura V. Covalent coupling of HIV-1 glycoprotein trimers to biodegradable calcium phosphate nanoparticles via genetically encoded aldehyde-tags. Acta Biomater 2022; 140:586-600. [PMID: 34968725 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The usage of antigen-functionalized nanoparticles has become a major focus in the field of experimental HIV-1 vaccine research during the last decade. Various molecular mechanisms to couple native-like trimers of the HIV-1 envelope protein (Env) onto nanoparticle surfaces have been reported, but many come with disadvantages regarding the coupling efficiency and stability. In this study, a short amino acid sequence ("aldehyde-tag") was introduced at the C-terminus of a conformationally stabilized native-like Env. The post-translational conversion of a tag-associated cysteine to formylglycine creates a site-specific aldehyde group without alteration of the Env antigenicity. This aldehyde group was further utilized for bioconjugation of Env trimers. We demonstrated that the low acidic environment necessary for this bioconjugation is not affecting the trimer conformation. Furthermore, we developed a two-step coupling method for pH-sensitive nanoparticles. To this end, we conjugated aldehyde-tagged Env with Propargyl-PEG3-aminooxy linker (oxime ligation; Step-one) and coupled these conjugates by copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (Click reaction; Step-two) to calcium phosphate nanoparticles (CaPs) functionalized with terminal azide groups. CaPs displaying orthogonally arranged Env trimers on their surface (o-CaPs) were superior in activation of Env-specific B-cells (in vitro) and induction of Env-specific antibody responses (in vivo) compared to CaPs with Env trimers coupled in a randomly oriented manner. Taken together, we present a reliable method for the site-specific, covalent coupling of HIV-1 Env native-like trimers to the surface of nanoparticle delivery systems. This method can be broadly applied for functionalization of nanoparticle platforms with conformationally stabilized candidate antigens for both vaccination and diagnostic approaches. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: During the last decade antigen-functionalized nanoparticles have become a major focus in the field of experimental HIV-1 vaccines. Rational design led to the production of conformationally stabilized HIV-1 envelope protein (Env) trimers - the only target for the humoral immune system. Various molecular mechanisms to couple Env trimers onto nanoparticle surfaces have been reported, but many come with disadvantages regarding the coupling efficiency and stability. In this paper, we describe a highly selective bio-conjugation of Env trimers to the surface of medically relevant calcium phosphate nanoparticles. This method maintains the native-like protein conformation and has a broad potential application in functionalization of nanoparticle platforms with stabilized candidate antigens (including stabilized spike proteins of coronaviruses) for both vaccination and diagnostic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Damm
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schlossgarten 4, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - K Kostka
- Inorganic Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CeNIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5-7, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - C Weingärtner
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schlossgarten 4, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - J T Wagner
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schlossgarten 4, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - L Rojas-Sánchez
- Inorganic Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CeNIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5-7, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - S Gensberger-Reigl
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Str. 10, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - V Sokolova
- Inorganic Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CeNIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5-7, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - K Überla
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schlossgarten 4, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - M Epple
- Inorganic Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CeNIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5-7, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - V Temchura
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schlossgarten 4, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
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High thermostability improves neutralizing antibody responses induced by native-like HIV-1 envelope trimers. NPJ Vaccines 2022; 7:27. [PMID: 35228534 PMCID: PMC8885667 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-022-00446-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Soluble HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) immunogens are a prime constituent of candidate vaccines designed to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies. Several lines of evidence suggest that enhancing Env immunogen thermostability can improve neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses. Here, we generated BG505 SOSIP.v9 trimers, which displayed virtually no reactivity with non-neutralizing antibodies and showed increased global and epitope thermostability, compared to previous BG505 SOSIP versions. Chemical crosslinking of BG505 SOSIP.v9 further increased the melting temperature to 91.3 °C, which is almost 25 °C higher than that of the prototype SOSIP.664 trimer. Next, we compared the immunogenicity of a palette of BG505-based SOSIP trimers with a gradient of thermostabilities in rabbits. We also included SOSIP.v9 proteins in which a strain-specific immunodominant epitope was masked by glycans to redirect the NAb response to other subdominant epitopes. We found that increased trimer thermostability correlated with increased potency and consistency of the autologous NAb response. Furthermore, glycan masking steered the NAb response to subdominant epitopes without decreasing the potency of the autologous NAb response. In summary, SOSIP.v9 trimers and their glycan masked versions represent an improved platform for HIV-1 Env based vaccination strategies.
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Abstract
Antibody immunodominance refers to the preferential and asymmetric elicitation of antibodies against specific epitopes on a complex protein antigen. Traditional vaccination approaches for rapidly evolving pathogens have had limited success in part because of this phenomenon, as elicited antibodies preferentially target highly variable regions of antigens, and thus do not confer long lasting protection. While antibodies targeting functionally conserved epitopes have the potential to be broadly protective, they often make up a minority of the overall repertoire. Here, we discuss recent protein engineering strategies used to favorably alter patterns of immunodominance, and selectively focus antibody responses toward broadly protective epitopes in the pursuit of next-generation vaccines for rapidly evolving pathogens.
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Li H, Zhang Y, Li D, Deng YQ, Xu H, Zhao C, Liu J, Wen D, Zhao J, Li Y, Wu Y, Liu S, Liu J, Hao J, Yuan F, Duo S, Qin CF, Zheng A. Enhanced protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 elicited by a VSV vector expressing a chimeric spike protein. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2021; 6:389. [PMID: 34759261 PMCID: PMC8578532 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-021-00797-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV are genetically related coronavirus and share the same cellular receptor ACE2. By replacing the VSV glycoprotein with the spikes (S) of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV, we generated two replication-competent recombinant viruses, rVSV-SARS-CoV-2 and rVSV-SARS-CoV. Using wild-type and human ACE2 (hACE2) knock-in mouse models, we found a single dose of rVSV-SARS-CoV could elicit strong humoral immune response via both intranasal (i.n.) and intramuscular (i.m.) routes. Despite the high genetic similarity between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV, no obvious cross-neutralizing activity was observed in the immunized mice sera. In macaques, neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers induced by one i.n. dose of rVSV-SARS-CoV-2 were eight-fold higher than those by a single i.m. dose. Thus, our data indicates that rVSV-SARS-CoV-2 might be suitable for i.n. administration instead of the traditional i.m. immunization in human. Because rVSV-SARS-CoV elicited significantly stronger NAb responses than rVSV-SARS-CoV-2 in a route-independent manner, we generated a chimeric antigen by replacing the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV S with that from the SARS-CoV-2. rVSV expressing the chimera (rVSV-SARS-CoV/2-RBD) induced significantly increased NAbs against SARS-CoV-2 in mice and macaques than rVSV-SARS-CoV-2, with a safe Th1-biased response. Serum immunized with rVSV-SARS-CoV/2-RBD showed no cross-reactivity with SARS-CoV. hACE2 mice receiving a single i.m. dose of either rVSV-SARS-CoV-2 or rVSV-SARS-CoV/2-RBD were fully protected against SARS-CoV-2 challenge without obvious lesions in the lungs. Our results suggest that transplantation of SARS-CoV-2 RBD into the S protein of SARS-CoV might be a promising antigen design for COVID-19 vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyue Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Dong Li
- Shenzhen Kangtai, Biotechnology Co., Ltd, 518106, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yong-Qiang Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, 100071, Beijing, China
| | - Hongde Xu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 450001, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Chaoyue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Jiandong Liu
- Shenzhen Kangtai, Biotechnology Co., Ltd, 518106, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Dan Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Jianguo Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Stem cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Yongchun Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 450001, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yong Wu
- Division of Animal Model Research, Institute for Laboratory Animal Resources, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, 102629, Beijing, China
| | - Shujun Liu
- Laboratory Animal Center, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Jiankai Liu
- Shenzhen Kangtai, Biotechnology Co., Ltd, 518106, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Junfeng Hao
- Core Facility for Protein Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Shuguang Duo
- Laboratory Animal Center, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.
| | - Cheng-Feng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, 100071, Beijing, China.
| | - Aihua Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China. .,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China. .,College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, 453007, Xinxiang, China.
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Derking R, Sanders RW. Structure-guided envelope trimer design in HIV-1 vaccine development: a narrative review. J Int AIDS Soc 2021; 24 Suppl 7:e25797. [PMID: 34806305 PMCID: PMC8606863 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.25797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The development of a human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) vaccine remains a formidable challenge. An effective vaccine likely requires the induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), which likely involves the use of native-like HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimers at some or all stages of vaccination. Development of such trimers has been very difficult, but much progress has been made in the past decade, starting with the BG505 SOSIP trimer, elucidation of its atomic structure and implementing subsequent design iterations. This progress facilitated understanding the weaknesses of the Env trimer, fuelled structure-guided HIV-1 vaccine design and assisted in the development of new vaccine designs. This review summarizes the relevant literature focusing on studies using structural biology to reveal and define HIV-1 Env sites of vulnerability; to improve Env trimers, by creating more stable versions; understanding antibody responses in preclinical vaccination studies at the atomic level; understanding the glycan shield; and to improve "on-target" antibody responses versus "off-target" responses. METHODS The authors conducted a narrative review of recently published articles that made a major contribution to HIV-1 structural biology and vaccine design efforts between the years 2000 and 2021. DISCUSSION The field of structural biology is evolving at an unprecedented pace, where cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and X-ray crystallography provide complementary information. Resolving protein structures is necessary for defining which Env surfaces are accessible for the immune system and can be targeted by neutralizing antibodies. Recently developed techniques, such as electron microscopy-based polyclonal epitope mapping (EMPEM) are revolutionizing the way we are analysing immune responses and shed light on the immunodominant targets on new vaccine immunogens. Such information accelerates iterative vaccine design; for example, by reducing undesirable off-target responses, while improving immunogens to drive the more desirable on-target responses. CONCLUSIONS Resolving high-resolution structures of the HIV-1 Env trimer was instrumental in understanding and improving recombinant HIV-1 Env trimers that mimic the structure of viral HIV-1 Env spikes. Newly emerging techniques in structural biology are aiding vaccine design efforts and improving immunogens. The role of structural biology in HIV-1 vaccine design has indeed become very prominent and is unlikely to diminish any time soon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald Derking
- Department of Medical MicrobiologyAmsterdam Infection & Immunity InstituteAmsterdam UMC, AMCUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Rogier W. Sanders
- Department of Medical MicrobiologyAmsterdam Infection & Immunity InstituteAmsterdam UMC, AMCUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyWeill Medical College of Cornell UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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Potent Induction of Envelope-Specific Antibody Responses by Virus-Like Particle (VLP) Immunogens Based on HIV-1 Envelopes from Patients with Early Broadly Neutralizing Responses. J Virol 2021; 96:e0134321. [PMID: 34668778 PMCID: PMC8754226 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01343-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Longitudinal studies in HIV-1-infected individuals have indicated that 2 to 3 years of infection are required to develop broadly neutralizing antibodies. However, we have previously identified individuals with broadly neutralizing activity (bNA) in early HIV-1 infection, indicating that a vaccine may be capable of bNA induction after short periods of antigen exposure. Here, we describe 5 HIV-1 envelope sequences from individuals who have developed bNA within the first 100 days of infection (early neutralizers) and selected two of them to design immunogens based on HIV-1-Gag virus-like particles (VLPs). These VLPs were homogeneous and incorporated the corresponding envelopes (7 to 9 μg of gp120 in 1010 VLPs). Both envelopes (Envs) bound to well-characterized broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), including trimer-specific antibodies (PGT145, VRC01, and 35022). For immunogenicity testing, we immunized rabbits with the Env-VLPs or with the corresponding stabilized soluble envelope trimers. A short immunization protocol (105 days) was used to recapitulate the early nAb induction observed after HIV-1 infection in these two individuals. All VLP and trimeric envelope immunogens induced a comparably strong anti-gp120 response despite having immunized rabbits with 30 times less gp120 in the case of the Env-VLPs. In addition, animals immunized with VLP-formulated Envs induced antibodies that cross-recognized the corresponding soluble stabilized trimer and vice versa, even though no neutralizing activity was observed. Nevertheless, our data may provide a new platform of immunogens, based on HIV-1 envelopes from patients with early broadly neutralizing responses, with the potential to generate protective immune responses using vaccination protocols similar to those used in classical preventive vaccines. IMPORTANCE It is generally accepted that an effective HIV-1 vaccine should be able to induce broad-spectrum neutralizing antibodies. Since most of these antibodies require long periods of somatic maturation in vivo, several groups are developing immunogens, based on the HIV envelope protein, that require complex and lengthy immunization protocols that would be difficult to implement in the general population. Here, we show that rabbits immunized with new envelopes (VLP formulated) from two individuals who demonstrated broadly neutralizing activity very early after infection induced specific HIV-1 antibodies after a short immunization protocol. This evidence provides the basis for generating protective immune responses with classic vaccination protocols with vaccine prototypes based on HIV envelope sequences from individuals who have developed early broadly neutralizing responses.
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Abernathy ME, Dam KMA, Esswein SR, Jette CA, Bjorkman PJ. How Antibodies Recognize Pathogenic Viruses: Structural Correlates of Antibody Neutralization of HIV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and Zika. Viruses 2021; 13:2106. [PMID: 34696536 PMCID: PMC8537525 DOI: 10.3390/v13102106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The H1N1 pandemic of 2009-2010, MERS epidemic of 2012, Ebola epidemics of 2013-2016 and 2018-2020, Zika epidemic of 2015-2016, and COVID-19 pandemic of 2019-2021, are recent examples in the long history of epidemics that demonstrate the enormous global impact of viral infection. The rapid development of safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics has proven vital to reducing morbidity and mortality from newly emerging viruses. Structural biology methods can be used to determine how antibodies elicited during infection or vaccination target viral proteins and identify viral epitopes that correlate with potent neutralization. Here we review how structural and molecular biology approaches have contributed to our understanding of antibody recognition of pathogenic viruses, specifically HIV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and Zika. Determining structural correlates of neutralization of viruses has guided the design of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and small molecule inhibitors in response to the global threat of viral epidemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E. Abernathy
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; (M.E.A.); (K.-M.A.D.); (C.A.J.)
| | - Kim-Marie A. Dam
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; (M.E.A.); (K.-M.A.D.); (C.A.J.)
| | - Shannon R. Esswein
- David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
| | - Claudia A. Jette
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; (M.E.A.); (K.-M.A.D.); (C.A.J.)
| | - Pamela J. Bjorkman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; (M.E.A.); (K.-M.A.D.); (C.A.J.)
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Targeted destabilization of the HIV-1 gp120-gp41 interface leads to convergent evolution with mutations in the V1V2, HR1 and HR2 domains. J Virol 2021; 95:e0053221. [PMID: 34586861 PMCID: PMC8610599 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00532-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer is responsible for viral entry into target cells and is the sole target of neutralizing antibodies. The Env protein is therefore the focus of HIV-1 vaccine design. Env consists of two noncovalently linked subunits (gp120 and gp41) that form a trimer of heterodimers and this 6-subunit complex is metastable and conformationally flexible. Several approaches have been pursued to stabilize the Env trimer for vaccine purposes, which include structure-based design, high-throughput screening, and selection by mammalian cell display. Here, we employed directed virus evolution to improve Env trimer stability. Accordingly, we deliberately destabilized the Env gp120-gp41 interface by mutagenesis in the context of replicating HIV-1 LAI virus and virus evolution over time. We identified compensatory changes that pointed at convergent evolution, as they were largely restricted to specific Env regions, namely, the V1V2 domain of gp120 and the HR1 and HR2 domain of gp41. Specifically, S614G in V1V2 and Q567R in HR1 were frequently identified. Interestingly, the majority of the compensatory mutations were at distant locations from the original mutations and most likely strengthen intersubunit interactions. These results show how the virus can overcome Env instability and illuminate the regions that play a dominant role in Env stability. IMPORTANCE A successful HIV-1 vaccine most likely requires an envelope glycoprotein (Env) component, as Env is the only viral protein on the surface of the virus and the target for neutralizing antibodies. However, HIV Env is metastable and flexible because of the weak interactions between the Env subunits, complicating the generation of recombinant mimics of native Env. Here, we used directed viral evolution to study Env stability. We deliberately destabilized the interface between Env subunits and explored the capacity of the virus to repair trimer instability by evolution. We identified compensatory mutations that converged in specific Env locations: the apex and the trimer interface. Selected mutations enhanced the stability of recombinant soluble Env trimer proteins. These results provided clues on understanding the structural mechanisms involved in Env trimer stability, which can guide future immunogen design.
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48
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Parker Miller E, Finkelstein MT, Erdman MC, Seth PC, Fera D. A Structural Update of Neutralizing Epitopes on the HIV Envelope, a Moving Target. Viruses 2021; 13:v13091774. [PMID: 34578355 PMCID: PMC8472920 DOI: 10.3390/v13091774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibodies that can neutralize diverse HIV-1 strains develop in ~10–20% of HIV-1 infected individuals, and their elicitation is a goal of vaccine design. Such antibodies can also serve as therapeutics for those who have already been infected with the virus. Structural characterizations of broadly reactive antibodies in complex with the HIV-1 spike indicate that there are a limited number of sites of vulnerability on the spike. Analysis of their structures can help reveal commonalities that would be useful in vaccine design and provide insights on combinations of antibodies that can be used to minimize the incidence of viral resistance mutations. In this review, we give an update on recent structures determined of the spike in complex with broadly neutralizing antibodies in the context of all epitopes on the HIV-1 spike identified to date.
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49
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van Haaren MM, McCoy LE, Torres JL, Lee W, Cottrell CA, Copps JL, van der Woude P, Yasmeen A, de Taeye SW, Torrents de la Peña A, Moore JP, Burton DR, Klasse PJ, Ward AB, Sanders RW, van Gils MJ. Antibodies from Rabbits Immunized with HIV-1 Clade B SOSIP Trimers Can Neutralize Multiple Clade B Viruses by Destabilizing the Envelope Glycoprotein. J Virol 2021; 95:e0009421. [PMID: 34076487 PMCID: PMC8354326 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00094-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The high viral diversity of HIV-1 is a formidable hurdle for the development of an HIV-1 vaccine. Elicitation of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) would offer a solution, but so far immunization strategies have failed to efficiently elicit bNAbs. To overcome these obstacles, it is important to understand the immune responses elicited by current HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) immunogens. To gain more insight, we characterized monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) isolated from rabbits immunized with Env SOSIP trimers based on the clade B isolate AMC008. Four rabbits that were immunized three times with AMC008 trimer developed robust autologous and sporadic low-titer heterologous neutralizing responses. Seventeen AMC008 trimer-reactive MAbs were isolated using antigen-specific single B-cell sorting. Four of these MAbs neutralized the autologous AMC008 virus and several other clade B viruses. When visualized by electron microscopy, the complex of the neutralizing MAbs with the AMC008 trimer showed binding to the gp41 subunit with unusual approach angles, and we observed that their neutralization ability depended on their capacity to induce Env trimer dissociation. Thus, AMC008 SOSIP trimer immunization induced clade B-neutralizing MAbs with unusual approach angles with neutralizing effects that involve trimer destabilization. Optimizing these responses might provide an avenue to the induction of trimer-dissociating bNAbs. IMPORTANCE Roughly 32 million people have died as a consequence of HIV-1 infection since the start of the epidemic, and 1.7 million people still get infected with HIV-1 annually. Therefore, a vaccine to prevent HIV-1 infection is urgently needed. Current HIV-1 immunogens are not able to elicit the broad immune responses needed to provide protection against the large variation of HIV-1 strains circulating globally. A better understanding of the humoral immune responses elicited by immunization with state-of-the-art HIV-1 immunogens should facilitate the design of improved HIV-1 vaccine candidates. We identified antibodies with the ability to neutralize multiple HIV-1 viruses by destabilization of the envelope glycoprotein. Their weak but consistent cross-neutralization ability indicates the potential of this epitope to elicit broad responses. The trimer-destabilizing effect of the neutralizing MAbs, combined with detailed characterization of the neutralization epitope, can be used to shape the next generation of HIV-1 immunogens to elicit improved humoral responses after vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. M. van Haaren
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - L. E. McCoy
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - J. L. Torres
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - W. Lee
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - C. A. Cottrell
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - J. L. Copps
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - P. van der Woude
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - A. Yasmeen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - S. W. de Taeye
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - A. Torrents de la Peña
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J. P. Moore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - D. R. Burton
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative–Neutralizing Antibody Center (IAVI-NAC), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development (CHAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - P. J. Klasse
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - A. B. Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative–Neutralizing Antibody Center (IAVI-NAC), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development (CHAVD), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - R. W. Sanders
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - M. J. van Gils
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam UMC, location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Cox RM, Plemper RK. The impact of high-resolution structural data on stemming the COVID-19 pandemic. Curr Opin Virol 2021; 49:127-138. [PMID: 34130040 PMCID: PMC8173484 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on human health and the world economy. The response of the scientific community was unparalleled, and a combined global effort has resulted in the creation of vaccines in a shorter time frame than previously unimaginable. Reflecting this concerted effort, the structural analysis of the etiological agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has progressed with an unprecedented pace. Since the onset of the pandemic, over 1000 high-resolution structures of a broad range of SARS-CoV-2 proteins have been solved and made publicly available. These structures have aided in the identification of numerous potential druggable targets and have contributed to the design of different vaccine candidates. This opinion article will discuss the impact of high-resolution structures in understanding SARS-CoV-2 biology and explore their role in the development of vaccines and antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Cox
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Richard K Plemper
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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