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Bricio-Moreno L, Barreto de Albuquerque J, Neary JM, Nguyen T, Kuhn LF, Yeung Y, Hastie KM, Landeras-Bueno S, Olmedillas E, Hariharan C, Nathan A, Getz MA, Gayton AC, Khatri A, Gaiha GD, Ollmann Saphire E, Luster AD, Moon JJ. Identification of mouse CD4 + T cell epitopes in SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 spike and nucleocapsid for use in peptide:MHCII tetramers. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1329846. [PMID: 38529279 PMCID: PMC10961420 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1329846] [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: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is a major requisite for the development of effective vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. CD4+ T cells play an integral role in this process primarily by generating antiviral cytokines and providing help to antibody-producing B cells. To empower detailed studies of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cell responses in mouse models, we comprehensively mapped I-Ab-restricted epitopes for the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of the BA.1 variant of concern via IFNγ ELISpot assay. This was followed by the generation of corresponding peptide:MHCII tetramer reagents to directly stain epitope-specific T cells. Using this rigorous validation strategy, we identified 6 immunogenic epitopes in spike and 3 in nucleocapsid, all of which are conserved in the ancestral Wuhan strain. We also validated a previously identified epitope from Wuhan that is absent in BA.1. These epitopes and tetramers will be invaluable tools for SARS-CoV-2 antigen-specific CD4+ T cell studies in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Bricio-Moreno
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Juliana Barreto de Albuquerque
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jake M. Neary
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Thao Nguyen
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lucy F. Kuhn
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - YeePui Yeung
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kathryn M. Hastie
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Sara Landeras-Bueno
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Eduardo Olmedillas
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Chitra Hariharan
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Anusha Nathan
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Program in Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Matthew A. Getz
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Alton C. Gayton
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Ashok Khatri
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Endocrine Division, MGH, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Gaurav D. Gaiha
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Division of Gastroenterology, MGH, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Erica Ollmann Saphire
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Andrew D. Luster
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - James J. Moon
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, MGH, Boston, MA, United States
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Uraki R, Imai M, Ito M, Yamayoshi S, Kiso M, Jounai N, Miyaji K, Iwatsuki-Horimoto K, Takeshita F, Kawaoka Y. An mRNA vaccine encoding the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain protects mice from various Omicron variants. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:4. [PMID: 38167505 PMCID: PMC10761957 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00800-0] [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: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Here, we assessed the efficacy of a lipid nanoparticle-based mRNA vaccine candidate encoding the receptor-binding domain (LNP-mRNA-RBD) in mice. Mice immunized with LNP-mRNA-RBD based on the ancestral strain (ancestral-type LNP-mRNA-RBD) showed similar cellular responses against the ancestral strain and BA.5, but their neutralizing activity against BA.5 was lower than that against the ancestral strain. The ancestral-type LNP-mRNA-RBD protected mice from the ancestral strain or BA.5 challenge; however, its ability to reduce the viral burdens after BA.5 challenge was limited. In contrast, immunization with bivalent LNP-mRNA-RBD consisting of the ancestral-type and BA.4/5-type LNP-mRNA-RBD or monovalent BA.4/5-type LNP-mRNA-RBD elicited robust cellular responses, as well as high and moderate neutralizing titers against BA.5 and XBB.1.5, respectively. Furthermore, the vaccines containing BA.4/5-type LNP-mRNA-RBD remarkably reduced the viral burdens following BA.5 or XBB.1.5 challenge. Overall, our findings suggest that LNP-mRNA-RBD is effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuta Uraki
- Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
- The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan
| | - Masaki Imai
- Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
- The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan
| | - Mutsumi Ito
- Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
| | - Seiya Yamayoshi
- Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
- The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan
| | - Maki Kiso
- Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
| | - Nao Jounai
- Biologics Division, Vaccine Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo, 134-0081, Japan
| | - Kazuki Miyaji
- Biologics Division, Vaccine Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo, 134-0081, Japan
| | - Kiyoko Iwatsuki-Horimoto
- Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
| | - Fumihiko Takeshita
- Biologics Division, Vaccine Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo, 134-0081, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Kawaoka
- Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan.
- The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan.
- Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-, Madison, WI, 53711, USA.
- The University of Tokyo, Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan.
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3
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Moreno LB, de Albuquerque JB, Neary JM, Nguyen T, Hastie KM, Landeras-Bueno S, Hariharan C, Nathan A, Getz MA, Gayton AC, Khatri A, Gaiha GD, Saphire EO, Luster AD, Moon JJ. Identification of mouse CD4 + T cell epitopes in SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 spike and nucleocapsid for use in peptide:MHCII tetramers. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.16.566918. [PMID: 38014059 PMCID: PMC10680761 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.16.566918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Understanding adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is a major requisite for the development of effective vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. CD4+ T cells play an integral role in this process primarily by generating antiviral cytokines and providing help to antibody-producing B cells. To empower detailed studies of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cell responses in mouse models, we comprehensively mapped I-Ab-restricted epitopes for the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of the BA.1 variant of concern via IFNγ ELISpot assay. This was followed by the generation of corresponding peptide:MHCII tetramer reagents to directly stain epitope-specific T cells. Using this rigorous validation strategy, we identified 6 reliably immunogenic epitopes in spike and 3 in nucleocapsid, all of which are conserved in the ancestral Wuhan strain. We also validated a previously identified epitope from Wuhan that is absent in BA.1. These epitopes and tetramers will be invaluable tools for SARS-CoV-2 antigen-specific CD4+ T cell studies in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Bricio Moreno
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Juliana Barreto de Albuquerque
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jake M. Neary
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Thao Nguyen
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kathryn M. Hastie
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Sara Landeras-Bueno
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Chitra Hariharan
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Anusha Nathan
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Program in Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Matthew A. Getz
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Alton C. Gayton
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Ashok Khatri
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Endocrine Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Gaurav D. Gaiha
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Erica Ollmann Saphire
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Andrew D. Luster
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - James J. Moon
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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Equestre M, Marcantonio C, Marascio N, Centofanti F, Martina A, Simeoni M, Suffredini E, La Rosa G, Bonanno Ferraro G, Mancini P, Veneri C, Matera G, Quirino A, Costantino A, Taffon S, Tritarelli E, Campanella C, Pisani G, Nisini R, Spada E, Verde P, Ciccaglione AR, Bruni R. Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Military and Civilian Personnel of an Air Force Airport during Three Pandemic Waves in Italy. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2711. [PMID: 38004723 PMCID: PMC10672769 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11112711] [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: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating, from November 2020 to March 2022, among military and civilian personnel at an Air Force airport in Italy in order to classify viral isolates in a potential hotspot for virus spread. Positive samples were subjected to Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) of the whole viral genome and Sanger sequencing of the spike coding region. Phylogenetic analysis classified viral isolates and traced their evolutionary relationships. Clusters were identified using 70% cut-off. Sequencing methods yielded comparable results in terms of variant classification. In 2020 and 2021, we identified several variants, including B.1.258 (4/67), B.1.177 (9/67), Alpha (B.1.1.7, 9/67), Gamma (P.1.1, 4/67), and Delta (4/67). In 2022, only Omicron and its sub-lineage variants were observed (37/67). SARS-CoV-2 isolates were screened to detect naturally occurring resistance in genomic regions, the target of new therapies, comparing them to the Wuhan Hu-1 reference strain. Interestingly, 2/30 non-Omicron isolates carried the G15S 3CLpro substitution responsible for reduced susceptibility to protease inhibitors. On the other hand, Omicron isolates carried unusual substitutions A1803V, D1809N, and A949T on PLpro, and the D216N on 3CLpro. Finally, the P323L substitution on RdRp coding regions was not associated with the mutational pattern related to polymerase inhibitor resistance. This study highlights the importance of continuous genomic surveillance to monitor SARS-CoV-2 evolution in the general population, as well as in restricted communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Equestre
- Department of Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Cinzia Marcantonio
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.M.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (S.T.); (E.T.); (R.N.); (E.S.); (A.R.C.); (R.B.)
| | - Nadia Marascio
- Clinical Microbiology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, “Magna Grecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (G.M.); (A.Q.)
| | - Federica Centofanti
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.M.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (S.T.); (E.T.); (R.N.); (E.S.); (A.R.C.); (R.B.)
| | - Antonio Martina
- Center for Immunobiologicals Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.M.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
| | - Matteo Simeoni
- Center for Immunobiologicals Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.M.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
| | - Elisabetta Suffredini
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Giuseppina La Rosa
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.L.R.); (G.B.F.); (P.M.); (C.V.)
| | - Giusy Bonanno Ferraro
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.L.R.); (G.B.F.); (P.M.); (C.V.)
| | - Pamela Mancini
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.L.R.); (G.B.F.); (P.M.); (C.V.)
| | - Carolina Veneri
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.L.R.); (G.B.F.); (P.M.); (C.V.)
| | - Giovanni Matera
- Clinical Microbiology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, “Magna Grecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (G.M.); (A.Q.)
| | - Angela Quirino
- Clinical Microbiology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, “Magna Grecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (G.M.); (A.Q.)
| | - Angela Costantino
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.M.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (S.T.); (E.T.); (R.N.); (E.S.); (A.R.C.); (R.B.)
| | - Stefania Taffon
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.M.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (S.T.); (E.T.); (R.N.); (E.S.); (A.R.C.); (R.B.)
| | - Elena Tritarelli
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.M.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (S.T.); (E.T.); (R.N.); (E.S.); (A.R.C.); (R.B.)
| | - Carmelo Campanella
- Clinical Analysis and Molecular Biology Laboratory Rome, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Giulio Pisani
- Center for Immunobiologicals Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.M.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
| | - Roberto Nisini
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.M.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (S.T.); (E.T.); (R.N.); (E.S.); (A.R.C.); (R.B.)
| | - Enea Spada
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.M.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (S.T.); (E.T.); (R.N.); (E.S.); (A.R.C.); (R.B.)
| | - Paola Verde
- Aerospace Medicine Department, Aerospace Test Division, Militay Airport Mario De Bernardi, Pratica di Mare, 00040 Rome, Italy;
| | - Anna Rita Ciccaglione
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.M.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (S.T.); (E.T.); (R.N.); (E.S.); (A.R.C.); (R.B.)
| | - Roberto Bruni
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.M.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (S.T.); (E.T.); (R.N.); (E.S.); (A.R.C.); (R.B.)
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