1
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Jacobson JM, Felber BK, Chen H, Pavlakis GN, Mullins JI, De Rosa SC, Kuritzkes DR, Tomaras GD, Kinslow J, Bao Y, Olefsky M, Rosati M, Bear J, Heptinstall JR, Zhang L, Sawant S, Hannaman D, Laird GM, Cyktor JC, Heath SL, Collier AC, Koletar SL, Taiwo BO, Tebas P, Wohl DA, Belaunzaran-Zamudio PF, McElrath MJ, Landay AL. The immunogenicity of an HIV-1 Gag conserved element DNA vaccine in people with HIV and receiving antiretroviral therapy. AIDS 2024; 38:963-973. [PMID: 38051788 PMCID: PMC11062837 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000003804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The primary objective of the study was to assess the immunogenicity of an HIV-1 Gag conserved element DNA vaccine (p24CE DNA) in people with HIV (PWH) receiving suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART). DESIGN AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5369 was a phase I/IIa, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of PWH receiving ART with plasma HIV-1 RNA less than 50 copies/ml, current CD4 + T-cell counts greater than 500 cells/μl, and nadir CD4 + T-cell counts greater than 350 cells/μl. METHODS The study enrolled 45 participants randomized 2 : 1 : 1 to receive p24CE DNA vaccine at weeks 0 and 4, followed by p24CE DNA admixed with full-length p55 Gag DNA vaccine at weeks 12 and 24 (arm A); full-length p55 Gag DNA vaccine at weeks 0, 4, 12, and 24 (arm B); or placebo at weeks 0, 4, 12, and 24 (arm C). The active and placebo vaccines were administered by intramuscular electroporation. RESULTS There was a modest, but significantly greater increase in the number of conserved elements recognized by CD4 + and/or CD8 + T cells in arm A compared with arm C ( P = 0.014). The percentage of participants with an increased number of conserved elements recognized by T cells was also highest in arm A (8/18, 44.4%) vs. arm C (0/10, 0.0%) ( P = 0.025). There were no significant differences between treatment groups in the change in magnitude of responses to total conserved elements. CONCLUSION A DNA-delivered HIV-1 Gag conserved element vaccine boosted by a combination of this vaccine with a full-length p55 Gag DNA vaccine induced a new conserved element-directed cellular immune response in approximately half the treated PWH on ART.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Jacobson
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
| | - Barbara K Felber
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD
| | - Huichao Chen
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - George N Pavlakis
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD
| | - James I Mullins
- Departments of Microbiology, Medicine, and Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Stephen C De Rosa
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
| | - Daniel R Kuritzkes
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Georgia D Tomaras
- Duke Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery, Immunology, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Durham, NC
| | - Jennifer Kinslow
- Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
| | - Yajing Bao
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | | | - Margherita Rosati
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD
| | - Jenifer Bear
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD
| | - Jack R Heptinstall
- Duke Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery, Immunology, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Durham, NC
| | - Lu Zhang
- Duke Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery, Immunology, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Durham, NC
| | - Sheetal Sawant
- Duke Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery, Immunology, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Durham, NC
| | | | | | - Joshua C Cyktor
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Sonya L Heath
- Division of Infectious Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Ann C Collier
- Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Susan L Koletar
- Division of Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Babafemi O Taiwo
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | - Pablo Tebas
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - David A Wohl
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Pablo F Belaunzaran-Zamudio
- Contractor, Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - M Juliana McElrath
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
| | - Alan L Landay
- Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
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2
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Li X, Liang H, Fan J. Prospects of Cytomegalovirus-Specific T-Cell Receptors in Clinical Diagnosis and Therapy. Viruses 2023; 15:1334. [PMID: 37376633 DOI: 10.3390/v15061334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is responsible for widespread infections worldwide. In immunocompetent individuals it is typically latent, while infection or reactivation in immunocompromised individuals can result in severe clinical symptoms or even death. Although there has been significant progress in the treatment and diagnosis of HCMV infection in recent years, numerous shortcomings and developmental limitations persist. There is an urgent need to develop innovative, safe, and effective treatments, as well as to explore early and timely diagnostic strategies for HCMV infection. Cell-mediated immune responses are the primary factor controlling HCMV infection and replication, but the protective role of humoral immune responses remains controversial. T-cells, key effector cells of the cellular immune system, are critical for clearing and preventing HCMV infection. The T-cell receptor (TCR) lies at the heart of T-cell immune responses, and its diversity enables the immune system to differentiate between self and non-self. Given the significant influence of cellular immunity on human health and the indispensable role of the TCR in T-cell immune responses, we posit that the impact of TCR on the development of novel diagnostic and prognostic methods, as well as on patient monitoring and management of clinical HCMV infection, will be far-reaching and profound. High-throughput and single-cell sequencing technologies have facilitated unprecedented quantitative detection of TCR diversity. With these current sequencing technologies, researchers have already obtained a vast number of TCR sequences. It is plausible that in the near future studies on TCR repertoires will be instrumental in assessing vaccine efficacy, immunotherapeutic strategies, and the early diagnosis of HCMV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejie Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Hanying Liang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Jun Fan
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
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3
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Dross S, Venkataraman R, Patel S, Huang ML, Bollard CM, Rosati M, Pavlakis GN, Felber BK, Bar KJ, Shaw GM, Jerome KR, Mullins JI, Kiem HP, Fuller DH, Peterson CW. Efficient ex vivo expansion of conserved element vaccine-specific CD8+ T-cells from SHIV-infected, ART-suppressed nonhuman primates. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1188018. [PMID: 37207227 PMCID: PMC10189133 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1188018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-specific T cells are necessary for control of HIV-1 replication but are largely insufficient for viral clearance. This is due in part to these cells' recognition of immunodominant but variable regions of the virus, which facilitates viral escape via mutations that do not incur viral fitness costs. HIV-specific T cells targeting conserved viral elements are associated with viral control but are relatively infrequent in people living with HIV (PLWH). The goal of this study was to increase the number of these cells via an ex vivo cell manufacturing approach derived from our clinically-validated HIV-specific expanded T-cell (HXTC) process. Using a nonhuman primate (NHP) model of HIV infection, we sought to determine i) the feasibility of manufacturing ex vivo-expanded virus-specific T cells targeting viral conserved elements (CE, CE-XTCs), ii) the in vivo safety of these products, and iii) the impact of simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) challenge on their expansion, activity, and function. NHP CE-XTCs expanded up to 10-fold following co-culture with the combination of primary dendritic cells (DCs), PHA blasts pulsed with CE peptides, irradiated GM-K562 feeder cells, and autologous T cells from CE-vaccinated NHP. The resulting CE-XTC products contained high frequencies of CE-specific, polyfunctional T cells. However, consistent with prior studies with human HXTC and these cells' predominant CD8+ effector phenotype, we did not observe significant differences in CE-XTC persistence or SHIV acquisition in two CE-XTC-infused NHP compared to two control NHP. These data support the safety and feasibility of our approach and underscore the need for continued development of CE-XTC and similar cell-based strategies to redirect and increase the potency of cellular virus-specific adaptive immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Dross
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Rasika Venkataraman
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Shabnum Patel
- Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children’s National Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Meei-Li Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Catherine M. Bollard
- Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children’s National Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Margherita Rosati
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - George N. Pavlakis
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Barbara K. Felber
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Katharine J. Bar
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - George M. Shaw
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Keith R. Jerome
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Division of Vaccine and Infectious Diseases, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - James I. Mullins
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Hans-Peter Kiem
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Deborah Heydenburg Fuller
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Christopher W. Peterson
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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4
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Smeekens JM, Kesselring JR, Frizzell H, Bagley KC, Kulis MD. Induction of food-specific IgG by Gene Gun-delivered DNA vaccines. Front Allergy 2022; 3:969337. [PMID: 36340020 PMCID: PMC9632862 DOI: 10.3389/falgy.2022.969337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Shellfish and tree nut allergies are among the most prevalent food allergies, now affecting 2%–3% and 1% of the US population, respectively. Currently, there are no approved therapies for shellfish or tree nut allergies, with strict avoidance being the standard of care. However, oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy and subcutaneous immunotherapy for environmental allergens are efficacious and lead to the production of allergen-specific IgG, which causes suppression of allergen effector cell degranulation. Since allergen-specific IgG is a desired response to alleviate IgE-mediated allergies, we tested transcutaneously-delivered DNA vaccines targeting shellfish and tree nut allergens for their ability to induce antigen-specific IgG, which would have therapeutic potential for food allergies. Methods We assessed Gene Gun-delivered DNA vaccines targeting either crustacean shellfish or walnut/pecan allergens, with or without IL-12, in naïve mice. Three strains of mice, BALB/cJ, C3H/HeJ and CC027/GeniUnc, were evaluated for IgG production following vaccination. Vaccines were administered twice via Gene Gun, three weeks apart and then blood was collected three weeks following the final vaccination. Results Vaccination with shellfish allergen DNA led to increased shrimp-specific IgG in all three strains, with the highest production in C3H/HeJ from the vaccine alone, whereas the vaccine with IL-12 led to the highest IgG production in BALB/cJ and CC027/GeniUnc mice. Similar IgG production was also induced against lobster and crab allergens. For walnut/pecan vaccines, BALB/cJ and C3H/HeJ mice produced significantly higher walnut- and pecan-specific IgG with the vaccine alone compared to the vaccine with IL-12, while the CC027 mice made significantly higher IgG with the addition of IL-12. Notably, intramuscular administration of the vaccines did not lead to increased antigen-specific IgG production, indicating that Gene Gun administration is a superior delivery modality. Conclusions Overall, these data demonstrate the utility of DNA vaccines against two lifelong food allergies, shellfish and tree nuts, suggesting their potential as a food allergy therapy in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna M. Smeekens
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- UNC Food Allergy Initiative, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Correspondence: Johanna M. Smeekens
| | - Janelle R. Kesselring
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- UNC Food Allergy Initiative, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | | | | | - Michael D. Kulis
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- UNC Food Allergy Initiative, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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5
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Valentin A, Bergamaschi C, Rosati M, Angel M, Burns R, Agarwal M, Gergen J, Petsch B, Oostvogels L, Loeliger E, Chew KW, Deeks SG, Mullins JI, Pavlakis GN, Felber BK. Comparative immunogenicity of an mRNA/LNP and a DNA vaccine targeting HIV gag conserved elements in macaques. Front Immunol 2022; 13:945706. [PMID: 35935984 PMCID: PMC9355630 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.945706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunogenicity of HIV-1 mRNA vaccine regimens was analyzed in a non-human primate animal model. Rhesus macaques immunized with mRNA in lipid nanoparticle (mRNA/LNP) formulation expressing HIV-1 Gag and Gag conserved regions (CE) as immunogens developed robust, durable antibody responses but low adaptive T-cell responses. Augmentation of the dose resulted in modest increases in vaccine-induced cellular immunity, with no difference in humoral responses. The gag mRNA/lipid nanoparticle (LNP) vaccine provided suboptimal priming of T cell responses for a heterologous DNA booster vaccination regimen. In contrast, a single immunization with gag mRNA/LNP efficiently boosted both humoral and cellular responses in macaques previously primed by a gag DNA-based vaccine. These anamnestic cellular responses were mediated by activated CD8+ T cells with a phenotype of differentiated T-bet+ cytotoxic memory T lymphocytes. The heterologous prime/boost regimens combining DNA and mRNA/LNP vaccine modalities maximized vaccine-induced cellular and humoral immune responses. Analysis of cytokine responses revealed a transient systemic signature characterized by the release of type I interferon, IL-15 and IFN-related chemokines. The pro-inflammatory status induced by the mRNA/LNP vaccine was also characterized by IL-23 and IL-6, concomitant with the release of IL-17 family of cytokines. Overall, the strong boost of cellular and humoral immunity induced by the mRNA/LNP vaccine suggests that it could be useful as a prophylactic vaccine in heterologous prime/boost modality and in immune therapeutic interventions against HIV infection or other chronic human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Valentin
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Cristina Bergamaschi
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Margherita Rosati
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Matthew Angel
- Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cncer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Center for Cancer Research Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Robert Burns
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Mahesh Agarwal
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Kara W. Chew
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Steven G. Deeks
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - James I. Mullins
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - George N. Pavlakis
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Barbara K. Felber
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Barbara K. Felber,
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6
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Munson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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7
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Felber BK, Lu Z, Hu X, Valentin A, Rosati M, Remmel CAL, Weiner JA, Carpenter MC, Faircloth K, Stanfield-Oakley S, Williams WB, Shen X, Tomaras GD, LaBranche CC, Montefiori D, Trinh HV, Rao M, Alam MS, Vandergrift NA, Saunders KO, Wang Y, Rountree W, Das J, Alter G, Reed SG, Aye PP, Schiro F, Pahar B, Dufour JP, Veazey RS, Marx PA, Venzon DJ, Shaw GM, Ferrari G, Ackerman ME, Haynes BF, Pavlakis GN. Co-immunization of DNA and Protein in the Same Anatomical Sites Induces Superior Protective Immune Responses against SHIV Challenge. Cell Rep 2021; 31:107624. [PMID: 32402293 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We compare immunogenicity and protective efficacy of an HIV vaccine comprised of env and gag DNA and Env (Envelope) proteins by co-administration of the vaccine components in the same muscles or by separate administration of DNA + protein in contralateral sites in female rhesus macaques. The 6-valent vaccine includes gp145 Env DNAs, representing six sequentially isolated Envs from the HIV-infected individual CH505, and matching GLA-SE-adjuvanted gp120 Env proteins. Interestingly, only macaques in the co-administration vaccine group are protected against SHIV CH505 acquisition after repeated low-dose intravaginal challenge and show 67% risk reduction per exposure. Macaques in the co-administration group develop higher Env-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. Non-neutralizing Env antibodies, ADCC, and antibodies binding to FcγRIIIa are associated with decreased transmission risk. These data suggest that simultaneous recognition, processing, and presentation of DNA + Env protein in the same draining lymph nodes play a critical role in the development of protective immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara K Felber
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
| | - Zhongyan Lu
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Xintao Hu
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Antonio Valentin
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Margherita Rosati
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | | | - Joshua A Weiner
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | | | - Katelyn Faircloth
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Sherry Stanfield-Oakley
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Wilton B Williams
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Xiaoying Shen
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Georgia D Tomaras
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Immunology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Celia C LaBranche
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - David Montefiori
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Hung V Trinh
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - Mangala Rao
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Munir S Alam
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | | | - Kevin O Saunders
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Yunfei Wang
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Wes Rountree
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jishnu Das
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Galit Alter
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Steven G Reed
- Infectious Disease Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98102, USA
| | - Pyone P Aye
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA
| | - Faith Schiro
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA
| | - Bapi Pahar
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA
| | - Jason P Dufour
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA
| | - Ronald S Veazey
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA
| | - Preston A Marx
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, and Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - David J Venzon
- Biostatistics and Data Management Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - George M Shaw
- Departments of Medicine and Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Guido Ferrari
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | | | - Barton F Haynes
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
| | - George N Pavlakis
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
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8
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Abstract
HIV is a virus that remains a major health concern and results in an infection that has no cure even after over 30 years since its discovery. As such, HIV vaccine discovery continues to be an area of intensive research. In this review, we summarize the most recent HIV vaccine efficacy trials, clinical trials initiated within the last 3 years, and discuss prominent improvements that have been made in prophylactic HIV vaccine designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Hyun Lee
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA; Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Shane Crotty
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA; Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA, USA.
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9
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Hu X, Felber BK, Valentin A. Assessing Antigen-Specific Cellular Immune Responses upon HIV /SIV Plasmid DNA Vaccination in the Nonhuman Primate Model. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2197:113-131. [PMID: 32827134 PMCID: PMC10802792 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0872-2_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Reliable detection and quantification of antigen-specific T cells are critical for assessing the immunogenicity of vaccine candidates. In this chapter, we describe the use of ELISpot and flow cytometry-based assays for efficient detection, mapping, and functional characterization of memory T lymphocytes in different tissues of rhesus macaques immunized with plasmid DNA. Flow cytometric assays provide a large amount of information, both phenotypic and functional, about individual cells, while the ELISpot is well suited for high throughput sample screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xintao Hu
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, USA.
| | - Barbara K Felber
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Antonio Valentin
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, USA
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10
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Abstract
Despite the success of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in transforming HIV into a manageable disease, it has become evident that long-term ART will not eliminate the HIV reservoir and cure the infection. Alternative strategies to eradicate HIV infection, or at least induce a state of viral control and drug-free remission are therefore needed. Therapeutic vaccination aims to induce or enhance immunity to alter the course of a disease. In this review we provide an overview of the current state of therapeutic HIV vaccine research and summarize the obstacles that the field faces while highlighting potential ways forward for a strategy to cure HIV infection.
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11
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Gallinaro A, Borghi M, Pirillo MF, Cecchetti S, Bona R, Canitano A, Michelini Z, Di Virgilio A, Olvera A, Brander C, Negri D, Cara A. Development and Preclinical Evaluation of an Integrase Defective Lentiviral Vector Vaccine Expressing the HIVACAT T Cell Immunogen in Mice. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2020; 17:418-428. [PMID: 32154327 PMCID: PMC7056611 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cellular immune responses play a fundamental role in controlling viral replication and AIDS progression in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected subjects and in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected macaques. Integrase defective lentiviral vector (IDLV) represents a promising vaccine candidate, inducing functional and durable immune responses in mice and non-human primates. Here, we designed HIV- and SIV-based IDLVs to express the HIVACAT T cell immunogen (HTI), a mosaic antigen designed to cover vulnerable sites in HIV-1 Gag, Pol, Vif, and Nef. We observed that HTI expression during lentiviral vector production interfered profoundly with IDLV particles release because of sequestration of both HIV- and SIV-Gag proteins in the cytoplasm of the vector-producing cells. However, modifications in IDLV design and vector production procedures greatly improved recovery of both HIV- and SIV-based IDLV-HTI. Immunization experiments in BALB/c mice showed that both IDLVs elicited HTI-specific T cell responses. However, immunization with HIV-based IDLV elicited also a T cell response toward exogenous HIV proteins in IDLV particles, suggesting that SIV-based IDLV may be a preferable platform to assess the induction of transgene-specific immune responses against rationally designed HIV structural antigens. These data support the further evaluation of IDLV as an effective platform of T cell immunogens for the development of an effective HIV vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martina Borghi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Serena Cecchetti
- Confocal Microscopy Unit NMR, Confocal Microscopy Area Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Roberta Bona
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Canitano
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Zuleika Michelini
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Di Virgilio
- Center for Animal Research and Welfare, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Alex Olvera
- Irsicaixa AIDS Research Institute, 08916 Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
- Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christian Brander
- Irsicaixa AIDS Research Institute, 08916 Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
- Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- AELIX Therapeutics, Barcelona, Spain
| | - 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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12
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Verma A, Schmidt BA, Elizaldi SR, Nguyen NK, Walter KA, Beck Z, Trinh HV, Dinasarapu AR, Lakshmanappa YS, Rane NN, Matyas GR, Rao M, Shen X, Tomaras GD, LaBranche CC, Reimann KA, Foehl DH, Gach JS, Forthal DN, Kozlowski PA, Amara RR, Iyer SS. Impact of T h1 CD4 Follicular Helper T Cell Skewing on Antibody Responses to an HIV-1 Vaccine in Rhesus Macaques. J Virol 2020; 94:e01737-19. [PMID: 31827000 PMCID: PMC7158739 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01737-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Generating durable humoral immunity through vaccination depends upon effective interactions of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells with germinal center (GC) B cells. Th1 polarization of Tfh cells is an important process shaping the success of Tfh-GC B cell interactions by influencing costimulatory and cytokine-dependent Tfh help to B cells. However, the question remains as to whether adjuvant-dependent modulation of Tfh cells enhances HIV-1 vaccine-induced antienvelope (anti-Env) antibody responses. We investigated whether an HIV-1 vaccine platform designed to increase the number of Th1-polarized Tfh cells enhances the magnitude and quality of anti-Env antibodies. Utilizing a novel interferon-induced protein 10 (IP-10)-adjuvanted HIV-1 DNA prime followed by a monophosphoryl lipid A and QS-21 (MPLA+QS-21)-adjuvanted Env protein boost (DIP-10 PALFQ) in macaques, we observed higher anti-Env serum IgG titers with greater cross-clade reactivity, specificity for V1V2, and effector functions than in macaques primed with DNA lacking IP-10 and boosted with MPLA-plus-alum-adjuvanted Env protein (DPALFA) The DIP-10 PALFQ vaccine regimen elicited higher anti-Env IgG1 and lower IgG4 antibody levels in serum, showing for the first time that adjuvants can dramatically impact the IgG subclass profile in macaques. The DIP-10 PALFQ regimen also increased vaginal and rectal IgA antibodies to a greater extent. Within lymph nodes, we observed augmented GC B cell responses and the promotion of Th1 gene expression profiles in GC Tfh cells. The frequency of GC Tfh cells correlated with both the magnitude and avidity of anti-Env serum IgG. Together, these data suggest that adjuvant-induced stimulation of Th1-Tfh cells is an effective strategy for enhancing the magnitude and quality of anti-Env antibody responses.IMPORTANCE The results of the RV144 trial demonstrated that vaccination could prevent HIV transmission in humans and that longevity of anti-Env antibodies may be key to this protection. Efforts to improve upon the prime-boost vaccine regimen used in RV144 have indicated that booster immunizations can increase serum anti-Env antibody titers but only transiently. Poor antibody durability hampers efforts to develop an effective HIV-1 vaccine. This study was designed to identify the specific elements involved in the immunological mechanism necessary to produce robust HIV-1-specific antibodies in rhesus macaques. By clearly defining immune-mediated pathways that improve the magnitude and functionality of the anti-HIV-1 antibody response, we will have the foundation necessary for the rational development of an HIV-1 vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil Verma
- The Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Brian A Schmidt
- The Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Sonny R Elizaldi
- The Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Graduate Group in Immunology, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Nancy K Nguyen
- The Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Korey A Walter
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Zoltan Beck
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Laboratory of Adjuvant and Antigen Research, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Hung V Trinh
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Laboratory of Adjuvant and Antigen Research, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Ashok R Dinasarapu
- Emory Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Niharika N Rane
- The Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Gary R Matyas
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Laboratory of Adjuvant and Antigen Research, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Mangala Rao
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Laboratory of Adjuvant and Antigen Research, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Xiaoying Shen
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Georgia D Tomaras
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Celia C LaBranche
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Keith A Reimann
- Nonhuman Primate Reagent Resource, MassBiologics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David H Foehl
- Nonhuman Primate Reagent Resource, MassBiologics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Johannes S Gach
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, UC Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Donald N Forthal
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, UC Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, UC Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Pamela A Kozlowski
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Rama R Amara
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Smita S Iyer
- The Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
- California National Primate Research Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
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13
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Rezaei T, Khalili S, Baradaran B, Mosafer J, Rezaei S, Mokhtarzadeh A, de la Guardia M. Recent advances on HIV DNA vaccines development: Stepwise improvements to clinical trials. J Control Release 2019; 316:116-137. [PMID: 31669566 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.10.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
According to WHO (World Health Organization) reports, more than 770,000 people died from HIV and almost 1.7 million people becoming newly infected in the worldwide in 2018. Therefore, many attempts should be done to produce a forceful vaccine to control the AIDS. DNA-based vaccines have been investigated for HIV vaccination by researches during the recent 20 years. The DNA vaccines are novel approach for induction of both type of immune responses (cellular and humoral) in the host cells and have many advantages including high stability, fast and easy of fabrication and absence of severe side effects when compared with other vaccination methods. Recent studies have been focused on vaccine design, immune responses and on the use of adjuvants as a promising strategy for increased level of responses, delivery approaches by viral and non-viral methods and vector design for different antigens of HIV virus. In this review, we outlined the aforementioned advances on HIV DNA vaccines. Then we described the future trends in clinical trials as a strong strategy even in healthy volunteers and the potential developments in control and prevention of HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayebeh Rezaei
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Biotechnology, Higher Education Institute of Rab-Rashid, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Saeed Khalili
- Department of Biology Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Rajee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behzad Baradaran
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Jafar Mosafer
- Research Center of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
| | - Sarah Rezaei
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Ahad Mokhtarzadeh
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Biotechnology, Higher Education Institute of Rab-Rashid, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Miguel de la Guardia
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, Dr. Moliner 50, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
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14
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Perdiguero B, Sánchez-Corzo C, S Sorzano CO, Mediavilla P, Saiz L, Esteban M, Gómez CE. Induction of Broad and Polyfunctional HIV-1-Specific T Cell Responses by the Multiepitopic Protein TMEP-B Vectored by MVA Virus. Vaccines (Basel) 2019; 7:vaccines7030057. [PMID: 31261918 PMCID: PMC6789790 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines7030057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) vaccine able to induce long-lasting immunity remains a major challenge. We previously designed a T cell multiepitopic immunogen including protective conserved epitopes from HIV-1 Gag, Pol and Nef proteins (TMEP-B), that induced potent HIV-1-specific CD8 T cells when vectored by DNA and combined with the vaccine candidate modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA)-B. Here, we described the vectorization of TMEP-B in MVA (MVA-TMEP) and evaluated the T cell immunogenicity profile elicited in mice when administered in homologous (MVA/MVA) or heterologous (DNA/MVA) prime/boost vector regimens or using homologous or heterologous inserts. The heterologous vector regimen was superior to the homologous protocol in inducing T cell responses. DNA-TMEP-primed animals boosted with MVA-TMEP or MVA-B exhibited the highest magnitudes of HIV-1-specific CD8, CD4 and T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, with MVA-TMEP significantly expanding Gag-specific CD8 T cell responses. In the homologous vector regimen, all groups exhibited similar HIV-1-specific CD8 and CD4 T cell responses, but both MVA-B/MVA-B and MVA-TMEP/MVA-TMEP combinations elicited higher Gag-Pol-Nef (GPN)-specific CD8 T cell responses compared to MVA-TMEP/MVA-B. Our results revealed an enhanced induction of HIV-1-specific T cell responses by TMEP-B when vectored in both DNA and MVA, and supported their use in combined prime/boost strategies for HIV-1 prevention and/or therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Perdiguero
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Sánchez-Corzo
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Oscar S Sorzano
- Biocomputing Unit, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Mediavilla
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Lidia Saiz
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Mariano Esteban
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Carmen Elena Gómez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
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15
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Schwerdtfeger M, Andersson AMC, Neukirch L, Holst PJ. Virus-like vaccines against HIV/SIV synergize with a subdominant antigen T cell vaccine. J Transl Med 2019; 17:175. [PMID: 31126293 PMCID: PMC6534914 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-019-1924-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In non-human primates (NHPs) and humans, partial protection from HIV/SIV infection or suppression of replication is achievable by Env-binding antibodies and Gag-specific CD8+ T-cells targeting protective epitopes. Unfortunately, such T-cell responses are frequently dominated by responses to non-protective, variable epitopes. In this study we attempt to combine three independent approaches, each developed to prevent immunodominance of non-protective epitopes. These approaches were (1) vaccines consisting exclusively of putatively protective p24 Gag highly conserved elements (CEs), (2) vaccines using solely subdominant antigens which were acutely protective in a recent NHP trial, and (3) virus-encoded virus-like particle vaccines (virus-like vaccines/VLVs) using heterologous Env and Gag sequences to enable selection of broadly cross-reactive responses and to avoid immunodominance of non-conserved sequences in prime-boost regimens as previously observed. Methods We vaccinated outbred CD1 mice with HIV-1 clade B Gag/Env encoded in an adenoviral prime and SIVmac239 Gag/Env in an MVA boost. We combined this completely heterologous immunization regimen and the homologous SIVmac239 Gag/Env immunization regimen with an additional prime encoding SIV CEs and accessory antigens Rev, Vif and Vpr (Ad-Ii-SIVCErvv). T-cell responses were analyzed by intracellular cytokine staining of splenocytes and antibody responses by trimer-specific ELISA, avidity and isotype-specific ELISA. Results Env dominance could be avoided successfully in the completely heterologous prime-boost regimen, but Env immunodominance reappeared when Ad-Ii-SIVCErvv was added to the prime. This regimen did however still induce more cross-reactive Gag-specific CD8+ T-cells and Env-specific antibodies. Including Ad-Ii-SIVCErvv in the homologous prime-boost not only elicited accessory antigen-specific CD8+ memory T-cells, but also significantly increased the ratio of Gag- to Env-specific CD8+ T-cells. The CD4+ T-cell response shifted away from structural antigens previously associated with infection-enhancement. Conclusion The homologous Gag/Env prime-boost with Ad-Ii-SIVCErvv prime combined acutely protective CD8+ T-cell responses to subdominant antigens and Env-binding antibodies with chronically protective Gag-specific CD8+ T-cells in outbred mice. This vaccine regimen should be tested in an NHP efficacy trial. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12967-019-1924-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Schwerdtfeger
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Mærsk Tower 07-11, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark. .,Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via L. Armanni 5, 80138, Naples, Italy.
| | - Anne-Marie Carola Andersson
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Mærsk Tower 07-11, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark.,InProTherApS, BioInnovation Institute, COBIS, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Lasse Neukirch
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Mærsk Tower 07-11, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark.,Clinical Cooperation Unit "Applied Tumor Immunity", National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 460, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Johannes Holst
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Mærsk Tower 07-11, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark.,InProTherApS, BioInnovation Institute, COBIS, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark
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16
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Valdés I, Izquierdo A, Cobas K, Thao P, Anh Duc H, Duc Loc H, Dung LT, Lazo L, Suzarte E, Pérez Y, Romero Y, Yaugel M, Marcos E, Guzmán MG, Dat DT, Hien ND, Guillén G, Gil L, Hermida L. A heterologous prime-boost strategy for immunization against Dengue virus combining the Tetra DIIIC subunit vaccine candidate with the TV005 live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine. J Gen Virol 2019; 100:975-984. [PMID: 31090533 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of live-attenuated vaccines against Dengue virus (DENV) has been problematic. Dengvaxia, licensed in several countries where DENV is endemic, has shown low efficacy profiles and there are safety concerns prohibiting its administration to children younger than 9 years old, and the live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine (LATV) developed by NIAID has proven too reactogenic during clinical trialing. In this work we examined whether the combination of TV005, a LATV-derived formulation, with Tetra DIIIC, a subunit vaccine candidate based on fusion proteins derived from structural proteins from all four DENV serotypes, can overcome the respective limitations of these two vaccine approaches. Rhesus macaques were first primed with one or two doses of Tetra DIIIC and then boosted with TV005, following the time course of the appearance of virus-binding and neutralizing antibodies, and evaluating protection by means of a challenge experiment with wild-type viruses. Although the two evaluated prime-boost regimes were equivalent to a single administration of TV005 in terms of the development of virus-binding and neutralizing antibodies as well as the protection against viral challenge, both regimes reduced vaccine viremia to undetectable levels. Thus, the combination of Tetra DIIIC with TV005 offers a potential solution to the reactogenicity problems, which have beset the development of the latter vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Valdés
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Alienys Izquierdo
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Karem Cobas
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Phuong Thao
- 2 Tropical Medicine Institute 'Pedro Kourí', PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for the study of Dengue and its vector (IPK), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Hoang Anh Duc
- 3 Center for Research and Production of Vaccine and Biological, Polyvac, Vietnam
| | - Hoang Duc Loc
- 3 Center for Research and Production of Vaccine and Biological, Polyvac, Vietnam
| | - Le Trung Dung
- 2 Tropical Medicine Institute 'Pedro Kourí', PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for the study of Dengue and its vector (IPK), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Laura Lazo
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Edith Suzarte
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Yusleidi Pérez
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Yaremis Romero
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Melyssa Yaugel
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Ernesto Marcos
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - María G Guzmán
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Do Tuan Dat
- 3 Center for Research and Production of Vaccine and Biological, Polyvac, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Dan Hien
- 2 Tropical Medicine Institute 'Pedro Kourí', PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for the study of Dengue and its vector (IPK), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Gerardo Guillén
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Lázaro Gil
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
| | - Lisset Hermida
- 1 Vaccines Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Cuba, Caribbean
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17
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION The search for a preventative HIV vaccine is ongoing after three decades of research. Contributions of non-human primate (NHP) models to this research are irrefutable, however interpreting data obtained for translation to humans has been problematic. As knowledge concerning NHP models has accumulated, their utility and value in assessing immunogenicity and efficacy of novel vaccines have become apparent. NHP models have become a critical component of vaccine design. AREAS COVERED Beginning with early vaccine studies, we trace the development and evolution of NHP models concurrent with changes in HIV vaccine concepts and in response to their ability to predict clinical trial efficacy. The value of NHP studies in guiding vaccine design is highlighted along with their importance in opening new areas of investigation and facilitating movement of promising approaches into the clinic. EXPERT COMMENTARY Due to their close relatedness to humans, NHPs are an excellent choice for immunogenicity studies. The ability of NHP models to predict clinical efficacy has improved with the introduction of low-dose challenge viruses and recognition of confounding variables in study outcomes. Use of NHP models has opened new research areas with outstanding potential for generating vaccine efficacy against HIV and other infectious agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Arif Rahman
- a Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Marjorie Robert-Guroff
- a Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
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18
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Sutton MS, Ellis-Connell A, Moriarty RV, Balgeman AJ, Gellerup D, Barry G, Weiler AM, Friedrich TC, O'Connor SL. Acute-Phase CD4 + T Cell Responses Targeting Invariant Viral Regions Are Associated with Control of Live Attenuated Simian Immunodeficiency Virus. J Virol 2018; 92:e00830-18. [PMID: 30111562 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00830-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We manipulated SIVmac239Δnef, a model of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-independent viral control, to evaluate characteristics of effective cellular responses mounted by Mauritian cynomolgus macaques (MCMs) that express the M3 MHC haplotype, which has been associated with poor control of pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). We created SIVΔnef-8x to test the hypothesis that effective SIV-specific T cell responses targeting invariant viral regions can emerge in the absence of immunodominant CD8+ T cell responses targeting variable epitopes and that control is achievable in individuals lacking known "protective" MHC alleles. Full-proteome gamma interferon (IFN-γ) enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assays identified six newly targeted immunogenic regions following SIVΔnef-8x infection of M3/M3 MCMs. We deep sequenced circulating virus and found that four of the six newly targeted regions rarely accumulated mutations. Six animals infected with SIVΔnef-8x had T cell responses that targeted at least one of the four invariant regions and had a lower set point viral load than two animals that did not have T cell responses that targeted any invariant regions. We found that MHC class II molecules restricted all four of the invariant peptide regions, while the two variable regions were restricted by MHC class I molecules. Therefore, in the absence of immunodominant CD8+ T cell responses that target variable regions during SIVmac239Δnef infection, individuals without protective MHC alleles developed predominantly CD4+ T cell responses specific for invariant regions that may improve control of virus replication. Our results provide some evidence that antiviral CD4+ T cells during acute SIV infection can contribute to effective viral control and should be considered in strategies to combat HIV infection.IMPORTANCE Studies defining effective cellular immune responses to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and SIV have largely focused on a rare population that express specific MHC class I alleles and control virus replication in the absence of antiretroviral treatment. This leaves in question whether similar effective immune responses can be achieved in the larger population. The majority of HIV-infected individuals mount CD8+ T cell responses that target variable viral regions that accumulate high-frequency escape mutations. Limiting T cell responses to these variable regions and targeting invariant viral regions, similar to observations in rare "elite controllers," may provide an ideal strategy for the development of effective T cell responses in individuals with diverse MHC genetics. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to determine whether T cell responses can be redirected toward invariant viral regions in individuals without protective MHC alleles and if these responses improve control of virus replication.
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Perdiguero B, Raman SC, Sánchez-Corzo C, Sorzano COS, Valverde JR, Esteban M, Gómez CE. Potent HIV-1-Specific CD8 T Cell Responses Induced in Mice after Priming with a Multiepitopic DNA-TMEP and Boosting with the HIV Vaccine MVA-B. Viruses 2018; 10:v10080424. [PMID: 30104537 PMCID: PMC6116222 DOI: 10.3390/v10080424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
An effective vaccine against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) still remains the best solution to provide a sustainable control and/or eradication of the virus. We have previously generated the HIV-1 vaccine modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA)-B, which exhibited good immunogenicity profile in phase I prophylactic and therapeutic clinical trials, but was unable to prevent viral rebound after antiretroviral (ART) removal. To potentiate the immunogenicity of MVA-B, here we described the design and immune responses elicited in mice by a new T cell multi-epitopic B (TMEP-B) immunogen, vectored by DNA, when administered in homologous or heterologous prime/boost regimens in combination with MVA-B. The TMEP-B protein contained conserved regions from Gag, Pol, and Nef proteins including multiple CD4 and CD8 T cell epitopes functionally associated with HIV control. Heterologous DNA-TMEP/MVA-B regimen induced higher HIV-1-specific CD8 T cell responses with broader epitope recognition and higher polyfunctional profile than the homologous DNA-TMEP/DNA-TMEP or the heterologous DNA-GPN/MVA-B combinations. Moreover, higher HIV-1-specific CD4 and Tfh immune responses were also detected using this regimen. After MVA-B boost, the magnitude of the anti-VACV CD8 T cell response was significantly compromised in DNA-TMEP-primed animals. Our results revealed the immunological potential of DNA-TMEP prime/MVA-B boost regimen and supported the application of these combined vectors in HIV-1 prevention and/or therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Perdiguero
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Suresh C Raman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Cristina Sánchez-Corzo
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Carlos Oscar S Sorzano
- Biocomputing Unit, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - José Ramón Valverde
- Scientific Computing Service, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Mariano Esteban
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Carmen Elena Gómez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
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20
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Asbach B, Meier JP, Pfeifer M, Köstler J, Wagner R. Computational Design of Epitope-Enriched HIV-1 Gag Antigens with Preserved Structure and Function for Induction of Broad CD8 + T Cell Responses. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11264. [PMID: 30050069 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29435-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The partially protective phenotype observed in HIV-infected long-term-non-progressors is often associated with certain HLA alleles, thus indicating that cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses play a crucial role in combating virus replication. However, both the vast variability of HIV and the HLA diversity impose a challenge on elicitation of broad and effective CTL responses. Therefore, we conceived an algorithm for the enrichment of CD8+ T cell epitopes in HIV’s Gag protein, respecting functional preservation to enable cross-presentation. Experimentally identified epitopes were compared to a Gag reference sequence. Amino-acid-substitutions (AAS) were assessed for their impact on Gag’s budding-function using a trained classifier that considers structural models and sequence conservation. Experimental assessment of Gag-variants harboring selected AAS demonstrated an apparent classifier-precision of 100%. Compatible epitopes were assigned an immunological score that incorporates features such as conservation or HLA-association in a user-defined weighted manner. Using a genetic algorithm, the epitopes were incorporated in an iterative manner into novel T-cell-epitope-enriched Gag sequences (TeeGag). Computational evaluation showed that these antigen candidates harbor a higher fraction of epitopes with higher score as compared to natural Gag isolates and other artificial antigen designs. Thus, these designer sequences qualify as next-generation antigen candidates for induction of broader CTL responses.
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Singh S, Ramírez-Salazar EG, Doueiri R, Valentin A, Rosati M, Hu X, Keele BF, Shen X, Tomaras GD, Ferrari G, LaBranche C, Montefiori DC, Das J, Alter G, Trinh HV, Hamlin C, Rao M, Dayton F, Bear J, Chowdhury B, Alicea C, Lifson JD, Broderick KE, Sardesai NY, Sivananthan SJ, Fox CB, Reed SG, Venzon DJ, Hirsch VM, Pavlakis GN, Felber BK. Control of Heterologous Simian Immunodeficiency Virus SIV smE660 Infection by DNA and Protein Coimmunization Regimens Combined with Different Toll-Like-Receptor-4-Based Adjuvants in Macaques. J Virol 2018; 92:e00281-18. [PMID: 29793957 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00281-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
An effective AIDS vaccine continues to be of paramount importance for the control of the pandemic, and it has been proven to be an elusive target. Vaccine efficacy trials and macaque challenge studies indicate that protection may be the result of combinations of many parameters. We show that a combination of DNA and protein vaccinations applied at the same time provides rapid and robust cellular and humoral immune responses and evidence for a reduced risk of infection. Vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies and Env V2-specific antibodies at mucosal sites contribute to the delay of SIVsmE660 acquisition, and genetic makeup (TRIM-5α) affects the effectiveness of the vaccine. These data are important for the design of better vaccines and may also affect other vaccine platforms. We developed a method of simultaneous vaccination with DNA and protein resulting in robust and durable cellular and humoral immune responses with efficient dissemination to mucosal sites and protection against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection. To further optimize the DNA-protein coimmunization regimen, we tested a SIVmac251-based vaccine formulated with either of two Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) ligand-based liposomal adjuvant formulations (TLR4 plus TLR7 [TLR4+7] or TLR4 plus QS21 [TLR4+QS21]) in macaques. Although both vaccines induced humoral responses of similar magnitudes, they differed in their functional quality, including broader neutralizing activity and effector functions in the TLR4+7 group. Upon repeated heterologous SIVsmE660 challenge, a trend of delayed viral acquisition was found in vaccinees compared to controls, which reached statistical significance in animals with the TRIM-5α-resistant (TRIM-5α R) allele. Vaccinees were preferentially infected by an SIVsmE660 transmitted/founder virus carrying neutralization-resistant A/K mutations at residues 45 and 47 in Env, demonstrating a strong vaccine-induced sieve effect. In addition, the delay in virus acquisition directly correlated with SIVsmE660-specific neutralizing antibodies. The presence of mucosal V1V2 IgG binding antibodies correlated with a significantly decreased risk of virus acquisition in both TRIM-5α R and TRIM-5α-moderate/sensitive (TRIM-5α M/S) animals, although this vaccine effect was more prominent in animals with the TRIM-5α R allele. These data support the combined contribution of immune responses and genetic background to vaccine efficacy. Humoral responses targeting V2 and SIV-specific T cell responses correlated with viremia control. In conclusion, the combination of DNA and gp120 Env protein vaccine regimens using two different adjuvants induced durable and potent cellular and humoral responses contributing to a lower risk of infection by heterologous SIV challenge. IMPORTANCE An effective AIDS vaccine continues to be of paramount importance for the control of the pandemic, and it has been proven to be an elusive target. Vaccine efficacy trials and macaque challenge studies indicate that protection may be the result of combinations of many parameters. We show that a combination of DNA and protein vaccinations applied at the same time provides rapid and robust cellular and humoral immune responses and evidence for a reduced risk of infection. Vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies and Env V2-specific antibodies at mucosal sites contribute to the delay of SIVsmE660 acquisition, and genetic makeup (TRIM-5α) affects the effectiveness of the vaccine. These data are important for the design of better vaccines and may also affect other vaccine platforms.
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Hu X, Lu Z, Valentin A, Rosati M, Broderick KE, Sardesai NY, Marx PA, Mullins JI, Pavlakis GN, Felber BK. Gag and env conserved element CE DNA vaccines elicit broad cytotoxic T cell responses targeting subdominant epitopes of HIV and SIV Able to recognize virus-infected cells in macaques. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2018; 14:2163-2177. [PMID: 29939820 PMCID: PMC6183272 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2018.1489949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV sequence diversity and the propensity of eliciting immunodominant responses targeting inessential variable regions are hurdles in the development of an effective AIDS vaccine. We developed a DNA vaccine comprising conserved elements (CE) of SIV p27Gag and HIV-1 Env and found that priming vaccination with CE DNA is critical to efficiently overcome the dominance imposed by Gag and Env variable regions. Here, we show that DNA vaccinated macaques receiving the CE prime/CE+full-length DNA co-delivery booster vaccine regimens developed broad, potent and durable cytotoxic T cell responses targeting conserved protein segments of SIV Gag and HIV Env. Gag CE-specific T cells showed robust anamnestic responses upon infection with SIVmac239 which led to the identification of CE-specific cytotoxic lymphocytes able to recognize epitopes covering distinct CE on the surface of SIV infected cells in vivo. Though not controlling infection overall, we found an inverse correlation between Gag CE-specific CD8+ T cell responses and peak viremia. The T cell responses induced by the HIV Env CE immunogen were recalled in some animals upon SIV infection, leading to the identification of two cross-reactive epitopes between HIV and SIV Env based in sequence homology. These data demonstrate that a vaccine combining Gag and Env CE DNA subverted the normal immunodominance patterns, eliciting immune responses that included subdominant, highly conserved epitopes. These vaccine regimens augment cytotoxic T cell responses to highly conserved epitopes in the viral proteome and maximize response breadth. The vaccine-induced CE-specific T cells were expanded upon SIV infection, indicating that the predicted CE epitopes incorporated in the DNA vaccine are processed and exposed by infected cells in their natural context within the viral proteome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xintao Hu
- a Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
| | - Zhongyan Lu
- a Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
| | - Antonio Valentin
- b Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research , National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick, Frederick , MD , USA
| | - Margherita Rosati
- b Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research , National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick, Frederick , MD , USA
| | | | | | - Preston A Marx
- d Tulane National Primate Research Center and Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine , Tulane University , New Orleans , LA , USA
| | - James I Mullins
- e Departments of Microbiology, Medicine and Laboratory Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA
| | - George N Pavlakis
- b Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research , National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick, Frederick , MD , USA
| | - Barbara K Felber
- a Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
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23
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Hu X, Valentin A, Cai Y, Dayton F, Rosati M, Ramírez-Salazar EG, Kulkarni V, Broderick KE, Sardesai NY, Wyatt LS, Earl PL, Moss B, Mullins JI, Pavlakis GN, Felber BK. DNA Vaccine-Induced Long-Lasting Cytotoxic T Cells Targeting Conserved Elements of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Gag Are Boosted Upon DNA or Recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara Vaccination. Hum Gene Ther 2018; 29:1029-1043. [PMID: 29869530 PMCID: PMC6152849 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2018.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA-based vaccines able to induce efficient cytotoxic T-cell responses targeting conserved elements (CE) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag have been developed. These CE were selected by stringent conservation, the ability to induce T-cell responses with broad human leukocyte antigen coverage, and the association between recognition of CE epitopes and viral control in HIV-infected individuals. Based on homology to HIV, a simian immunodeficiency virus p27gag CE DNA vaccine has also been developed. This study reports on the durability of the CE-specific T-cell responses induced by HIV and simian immunodeficiency virus CE DNA-based prime/boost vaccine regimens in rhesus macaques, and shows that the initially primed CE-specific T-cell responses were efficiently boosted by a single CE DNA vaccination after the long rest period (up to 2 years). In another cohort of animals, the study shows that a single inoculation with non-replicating recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara (rMVA62B) also potently boosted CE-specific responses after around 1.5 years of rest. Both CE DNA and rMVA62B booster vaccinations increased the magnitude and cytotoxicity of the CE-specific responses while maintaining the breadth of CE recognition. Env produced by rMVA62B did not negatively interfere with the recall of the Gag CE responses. rMVA62B could be beneficial to further boosting the immune response to Gag in humans. Vaccine regimens that employ CE DNA as a priming immunogen hold promise for application in HIV prevention and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xintao Hu
- 1 Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Antonio Valentin
- 2 Human Retrovirus Section, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Yanhui Cai
- 1 Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Frances Dayton
- 1 Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Margherita Rosati
- 2 Human Retrovirus Section, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
| | | | - Viraj Kulkarni
- 1 Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
| | | | | | - Linda S Wyatt
- 4 Laboratory of Viral Diseases, NIAID, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Bernard Moss
- 4 Laboratory of Viral Diseases, NIAID, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - George N Pavlakis
- 2 Human Retrovirus Section, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Barbara K Felber
- 1 Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
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24
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Munson P, Liu Y, Bratt D, Fuller JT, Hu X, Pavlakis GN, Felber BK, Mullins JI, Fuller DH. Therapeutic conserved elements (CE) DNA vaccine induces strong T-cell responses against highly conserved viral sequences during simian-human immunodeficiency virus infection. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2018; 14:1820-1831. [PMID: 29648490 PMCID: PMC6067903 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2018.1448328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-specific T-cell responses play a key role in controlling HIV infection, and therapeutic vaccines for HIV that aim to improve viral control will likely need to improve on the T-cell responses induced by infection. However, in the setting of chronic infection, an effective therapeutic vaccine must overcome the enormous viral genetic diversity and the presence of pre-existing T-cell responses that are biased toward immunodominant T-cell epitopes that can readily mutate to evade host immunity and thus potentially provide inferior protection. To address these issues, we investigated a novel, epidermally administered DNA vaccine expressing SIV capsid (p27Gag) homologues of highly conserved elements (CE) of the HIV proteome in macaques experiencing chronic but controlled SHIV infection. We assessed the ability to boost or induce de novo T-cell responses against the conserved but immunologically subdominant CE epitopes. Two groups of animals were immunized with either the CE DNA vaccine or a full-length SIV p57gag DNA vaccine. Prior to vaccination, CE responses were similar in both groups. The full-length p57gag DNA vaccine, which contains the CE, increased overall Gag-specific responses but did not increase CE responses in any animals (0/4). In contrast, the CE DNA vaccine increased CE responses in all (4/4) vaccinated macaques. In SIV infected but unvaccinated macaques, those that developed stronger CE-specific responses during acute infection exhibited lower viral loads. We conclude that CE DNA vaccination can re-direct the immunodominance hierarchy towards CE in the setting of attenuated chronic infection and that induction of these responses by therapeutic vaccination may improve immune control of HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Munson
- a Departments of Microbiology, Medicine, Global Health, and Laboratory Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , US.,b Washington National Primate Research Center , Seattle , WA , US
| | - Yi Liu
- a Departments of Microbiology, Medicine, Global Health, and Laboratory Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , US
| | - Debra Bratt
- b Washington National Primate Research Center , Seattle , WA , US
| | - James T Fuller
- a Departments of Microbiology, Medicine, Global Health, and Laboratory Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , US
| | - Xintao Hu
- c Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section and Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , US
| | - George N Pavlakis
- d Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research , National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , US
| | - Barbara K Felber
- c Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section and Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , US
| | - James I Mullins
- a Departments of Microbiology, Medicine, Global Health, and Laboratory Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , US.,e Department of Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , US.,f Department of Global Health , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , US.,g Department of Laboratory Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , US
| | - Deborah Heydenburg Fuller
- a Departments of Microbiology, Medicine, Global Health, and Laboratory Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , US.,b Washington National Primate Research Center , Seattle , WA , US
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Abstract
The presentation of virus-derived peptides by MHC molecules constitutes the earliest signals for immune recognition by T cells. In HIV infection, immune responses elicited during infection do not enable to clear infection and correlates of immune protection are not well defined. Here we review features of antigen processing and presentation specific to HIV, analyze how HIV has adapted to the antigen processing machinery and discuss how advances in biochemical and computational protein degradation analyses and in immunopeptidome definition may help identify targets for efficient immune clearance and vaccine immunogen design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Boucau
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, United States
| | - Sylvie Le Gall
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, United States.
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26
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Panagioti E, Klenerman P, Lee LN, van der Burg SH, Arens R. Features of Effective T Cell-Inducing Vaccines against Chronic Viral Infections. Front Immunol 2018; 9:276. [PMID: 29503649 PMCID: PMC5820320 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
For many years, the focus of prophylactic vaccines was to elicit neutralizing antibodies, but it has become increasingly evident that T cell-mediated immunity plays a central role in controlling persistent viral infections such as with human immunodeficiency virus, cytomegalovirus, and hepatitis C virus. Currently, various promising prophylactic vaccines, capable of inducing substantial vaccine-specific T cell responses, are investigated in preclinical and clinical studies. There is compelling evidence that protection by T cells is related to the magnitude and breadth of the T cell response, the type and homing properties of the memory T cell subsets, and their cytokine polyfunctionality and metabolic fitness. In this review, we evaluated these key factors that determine the qualitative and quantitative properties of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in the context of chronic viral disease and prophylactic vaccine development. Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying T cell-mediated protection against chronic viral pathogens will facilitate the development of more potent, durable and safe prophylactic T cell-based vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Panagioti
- Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Paul Klenerman
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Lian N. Lee
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ramon Arens
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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27
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Chinen J, Badran YR, Geha RS, Chou JS, Fried AJ. Advances in basic and clinical immunology in 2016. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2017; 140:959-973. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/22/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Hu X, Valentin A, Rosati M, Manocheewa S, Alicea C, Chowdhury B, Bear J, Broderick KE, Sardesai NY, Gall SL, Mullins JI, Pavlakis GN, Felber BK. HIV Env conserved element DNA vaccine alters immunodominance in macaques. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:2859-2871. [PMID: 28678607 PMCID: PMC5718827 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1339852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Sequence diversity and immunodominance are major obstacles in the design of an effective vaccine against HIV. HIV Env is a highly-glycosylated protein composed of ‘conserved’ and ‘variable’ regions. The latter contains immunodominant epitopes that are frequently targeted by the immune system resulting in the generation of immune escape variants. This work describes 12 regions in HIV Env that are highly conserved throughout the known HIV M Group sequences (Env CE), and are poorly immunogenic in macaques vaccinated with full-length Env expressing DNA vaccines. Two versions of plasmids encoding the 12 Env CE were generated, differing by 0–5 AA per CE to maximize the inclusion of commonly detected variants. In contrast to the full-length env DNA vaccine, vaccination of macaques with a combination of these 2 Env CE DNA induced robust, durable cellular immune responses with a significant fraction of CD8+ T cells with cytotoxic phenotype (Granzyme B+ and CD107a+). Although inefficient in generating primary responses to the CE, boosting of the Env CE DNA primed macaques with the intact env DNA vaccine potently augmented pre-existing immunity, increasing magnitude, breadth and cytotoxicity of the cellular responses. Fine mapping showed that 7 of the 12 CE elicited T cell responses. Env CE DNA also induced humoral responses able to recognize the full-length Env. Env CE plasmids are therefore capable of inducing durable responses to highly conserved regions of Env that are frequently absent after Env vaccination or immunologically subdominant. These modified antigens are candidates for use as prophylactic and therapeutic HIV vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xintao Hu
- a Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
| | - Antonio Valentin
- b Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
| | - Margherita Rosati
- b Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
| | - Siriphan Manocheewa
- c Departments of Microbiology , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA
| | - Candido Alicea
- a Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
| | - Bhabadeb Chowdhury
- b Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
| | - Jenifer Bear
- a Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
| | | | | | - Sylvie Le Gall
- e Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Cambridge , MA , USA
| | - James I Mullins
- c Departments of Microbiology , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA.,f Departments of Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA.,g Departments of Global Health , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA.,h Departments of Laboratory Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA
| | - George N Pavlakis
- b Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
| | - Barbara K Felber
- a Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick , Frederick , MD , USA
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29
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION There is a growing interest in developing curative strategies for HIV infection. Therapeutic vaccines are one of the most promising approaches. We will review the current knowledge and the new challenges in this research field. Areas covered: PubMed and ClinicalTrial.gov databases were searched to review the progress and prospects for clinical development of immunotherapies aimed to cure HIV infection. Dendritic cells (DC)-based vaccines have yielded the best results in the field. However, major immune-virologic barriers may hamper current vaccine strategies. We will focus on some new challenges as the antigen presentation by DCs, CTL escape mutations, B cell follicle sanctuary, host immune environment (inflammation, immune activation, tolerance), latent reservoir and the lack of surrogate markers of response. Finally, we will review the rationale for designing new therapeutic vaccine candidates to be used alone or in combination with other strategies to improve their effectiveness. Expert commentary: In the next future, the combination of DCs targeting candidates, inserts to redirect responses to unmutated parts of the virus, adjuvants to redirect responses to sanctuaries or improve the balance between activation/tolerance (IL-15, anti-PD1 antibodies) and latency reversing agents could be necessary to finally achieve the remission of HIV-1 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorna Leal
- a Infectious Diseases Unit, HIVACAT, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS , University of Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain
| | - Constanza Lucero
- a Infectious Diseases Unit, HIVACAT, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS , University of Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain
| | - Josep M Gatell
- a Infectious Diseases Unit, HIVACAT, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS , University of Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain
| | - Teresa Gallart
- b Retrovirology and Viral Immunopathology Laboratories, HIVACAT, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS , University of Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain
| | - Montserrat Plana
- b Retrovirology and Viral Immunopathology Laboratories, HIVACAT, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS , University of Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain
| | - Felipe García
- a Infectious Diseases Unit, HIVACAT, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS , University of Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain
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