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Liu DX, Pahar B, Perry DL, Xu H, Cooper TK, Huzella LM, Hart RJ, Hischak AMW, Bernbaum J, St Claire M, Byrum R, Bennett RS, Warren T, Holbrook MR, Hensley LE, Crozier I, Schmaljohn CS. Depletion of Bone Marrow Hematopoietic Cells in Ebolavirus-Infected Rhesus Macaques: A Possible Cause of Hematologic Abnormalities in Ebolavirus Disease. Am J Pathol 2023; 193:2031-2046. [PMID: 37689386 PMCID: PMC10699128 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2023.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
The pathophysiology of long-recognized hematologic abnormalities in Ebolavirus (EBOV) disease (EVD) is unknown. From limited human sampling (of peripheral blood), it has been postulated that emergency hematopoiesis plays a role in severe EVD, but the systematic characterization of the bone marrow (BM) has not occurred in human disease or in nonhuman primate models. In a lethal rhesus macaque model of EVD, 18 sternal BM samples exposed to the Kikwit strain of EBOV were compared to those from uninfected controls (n = 3). Immunohistochemistry, RNAscope in situ hybridization, transmission electron microscopy, and confocal microscopy showed that EBOV infects BM monocytes/macrophages and megakaryocytes. EBOV exposure was associated with severe BM hypocellularity, including depletion of myeloid, erythroid, and megakaryocyte hematopoietic cells. These depletions were negatively correlated with cell proliferation (Ki67 expression) and were not associated with BM apoptosis during disease progression. In EBOV-infected rhesus macaques with terminal disease, BM showed marked hemophagocytosis, megakaryocyte emperipolesis, and the release of immature hematopoietic cells into the sinusoids. Collectively, these data demonstrate not only direct EBOV infection of BM monocytes/macrophages and megakaryocytes but also that disease progression is associated with hematopoietic failure, notably in peripheral cytopenia. These findings inform current pathophysiologic unknowns and suggest a crucial role for BM dysfunction and/or failure, including emergency hematopoiesis, as part of the natural history of severe human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- David X Liu
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland.
| | - Bapi Pahar
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Donna L Perry
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Huanbin Xu
- Department of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Timothy K Cooper
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Louis M Huzella
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Randy J Hart
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Amanda M W Hischak
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - John Bernbaum
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Marisa St Claire
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Russell Byrum
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Richard S Bennett
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Travis Warren
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Michael R Holbrook
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Lisa E Hensley
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Ian Crozier
- Clinical Monitoring Research Program Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
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2
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Liu DX, Pahar B, Cooper TK, Perry DL, Xu H, Huzella LM, Adams RD, Hischak AMW, Hart RJ, Bernbaum R, Rivera D, Anthony S, Claire MS, Byrum R, Cooper K, Reeder R, Kurtz J, Hadley K, Wada J, Crozier I, Worwa G, Bennett RS, Warren T, Holbrook MR, Schmaljohn CS, Hensley LE. Ebola Virus Disease Features Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis/Macrophage Activation Syndrome in the Rhesus Macaque Model. J Infect Dis 2023; 228:371-382. [PMID: 37279544 PMCID: PMC10428198 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad203] [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] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ebola virus (EBOV) disease (EVD) is one of the most severe and fatal viral hemorrhagic fevers and appears to mimic many clinical and laboratory manifestations of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis syndrome (HLS), also known as macrophage activation syndrome. However, a clear association is yet to be firmly established for effective host-targeted, immunomodulatory therapeutic approaches to improve outcomes in patients with severe EVD. METHODS Twenty-four rhesus monkeys were exposed intramuscularly to the EBOV Kikwit isolate and euthanized at prescheduled time points or when they reached the end-stage disease criteria. Three additional monkeys were mock-exposed and used as uninfected controls. RESULTS EBOV-exposed monkeys presented with clinicopathologic features of HLS, including fever, multiple organomegaly, pancytopenia, hemophagocytosis, hyperfibrinogenemia with disseminated intravascular coagulation, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercytokinemia, increased concentrations of soluble CD163 and CD25 in serum, and the loss of activated natural killer cells. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that EVD in the rhesus macaque model mimics pathophysiologic features of HLS/macrophage activation syndrome. Hence, regulating inflammation and immune function might provide an effective treatment for controlling the pathogenesis of acute EVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- David X Liu
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Bapi Pahar
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Timothy K Cooper
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Donna L Perry
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Huanbin Xu
- Department of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Louis M Huzella
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Ricky D Adams
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Amanda M W Hischak
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Randy J Hart
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Rebecca Bernbaum
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Deja Rivera
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Scott Anthony
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Marisa St Claire
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Russell Byrum
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Kurt Cooper
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Rebecca Reeder
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Jonathan Kurtz
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Kyra Hadley
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Jiro Wada
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Ian Crozier
- Clinical Monitoring Research Program Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Gabriella Worwa
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Richard S Bennett
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Travis Warren
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Michael R Holbrook
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Lisa E Hensley
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
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Cong Y, Lee JH, Perry DL, Cooper K, Wang H, Dixit S, Liu DX, Feuerstein IM, Solomon J, Bartos C, Seidel J, Hammoud DA, Adams R, Anthony SM, Liang J, Schuko N, Li R, Liu Y, Wang Z, Tarbet EB, Hischak AMW, Hart R, Isic N, Burdette T, Drawbaugh D, Huzella LM, Byrum R, Ragland D, St Claire MC, Wada J, Kurtz JR, Hensley LE, Schmaljohn CS, Holbrook MR, Johnson RF. Longitudinal analyses using 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography as a measure of COVID-19 severity in the aged, young, and humanized ACE2 SARS-CoV-2 hamster models. Antiviral Res 2023; 214:105605. [PMID: 37068595 PMCID: PMC10105383 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105605] [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] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
This study compared disease progression of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in three different models of golden hamsters: aged (≈60 weeks old) wild-type (WT), young (6 weeks old) WT, and adult (14-22 weeks old) hamsters expressing the human-angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor. After intranasal (IN) exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 Washington isolate (WA01/2020), 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) was used to monitor disease progression in near real time and animals were euthanized at pre-determined time points to directly compare imaging findings with other disease parameters associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Consistent with histopathology, 18F-FDG-PET/CT demonstrated that aged WT hamsters exposed to 105 plaque forming units (PFU) developed more severe and protracted pneumonia than young WT hamsters exposed to the same (or lower) dose or hACE2 hamsters exposed to a uniformly lethal dose of virus. Specifically, aged WT hamsters presented with a severe interstitial pneumonia through 8 d post-exposure (PE), while pulmonary regeneration was observed in young WT hamsters at that time. hACE2 hamsters exposed to 100 or 10 PFU virus presented with a minimal to mild hemorrhagic pneumonia but succumbed to SARS-CoV-2-related meningoencephalitis by 6 d PE, suggesting that this model might allow assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the central nervous system (CNS). Our group is the first to use (18F-FDG) PET/CT to differentiate respiratory disease severity ranging from mild to severe in three COVID-19 hamster models. The non-invasive, serial measure of disease progression provided by PET/CT makes it a valuable tool for animal model characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Cong
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Ji Hyun Lee
- Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Donna L Perry
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Kurt Cooper
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Hui Wang
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Saurabh Dixit
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - David X Liu
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Irwin M Feuerstein
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Jeffrey Solomon
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Christopher Bartos
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Jurgen Seidel
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Dima A Hammoud
- Center for Infectious Disease Imaging, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ricky Adams
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Scott M Anthony
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Janie Liang
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Nicolette Schuko
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Rong Li
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
| | - Yanan Liu
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Zhongde Wang
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - E Bart Tarbet
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Amanda M W Hischak
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Randy Hart
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Nejra Isic
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Tracey Burdette
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA; Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - David Drawbaugh
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Louis M Huzella
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Russell Byrum
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Danny Ragland
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Marisa C St Claire
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Jiro Wada
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Jonathan R Kurtz
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Lisa E Hensley
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Michael R Holbrook
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA.
| | - Reed F Johnson
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA; SARS-CoV-2 Virology Core Laboratory, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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4
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Kuhn JH, Schmaljohn CS. Of mice and Mike-An underappreciated Ebola virus disease model may have paved the road for future filovirology. Antiviral Res 2023; 210:105522. [PMID: 36592667 PMCID: PMC9852096 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105522] [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] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In 1998, Mike Bray and colleagues published the first immunocompetent laboratory mouse model of Ebola virus disease. Often labeled by peer reviewers as inferior to large nonhuman primate efforts, this model initially laid the foundation for the recent establishment of panel-derived cross-bred and humanized mouse models and a golden hamster model. Nonhuman primate research has always been associated with ethical concerns and is sometimes deemed scientifically questionable due to the necessarily low animal numbers in individual studies. Independent of these concerns, the now-global severe shortage of commercially available large nonhuman primates may pragmatically push research toward increased and improved rodent modeling that may altogether replace nonhuman primate studies in the short term as well as in an optimal future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens H Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), B-8200 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA.
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), B-8200 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA.
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5
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Fitzpatrick CJ, Mudhasani RR, Altamura LA, Campbell CE, Tran JP, Beitzel BF, Narayanan A, de la Fuente CL, Kehn-Hall K, Smith JM, Schmaljohn CS, Garrison AR. Junin Virus Activates p38 MAPK and HSP27 Upon Entry. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:798978. [PMID: 35463647 PMCID: PMC9022028 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.798978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Junín virus (JUNV), a New World arenavirus, is a rodent-borne virus and the causative agent of Argentine hemorrhagic fever. Humans become infected through exposure to rodent host secreta and excreta and the resulting infection can lead to an acute inflammatory disease with significant morbidity and mortality. Little is understood about the molecular pathogenesis of arenavirus hemorrhagic fever infections. We utilized Reverse Phase Protein Microarrays (RPPA) to compare global alterations in the host proteome following infection with an attenuated vaccine strain, Candid#1 (CD1), and the most parental virulent strain, XJ13, of JUNV in a human cell culture line. Human small airway epithelial cells were infected with CD1 or XJ13 at an MOI of 10, or mock infected. To determine proteomic changes at early timepoints (T = 1, 3, 8 and 24 h), the JUNV infected or mock infected cells were lysed in compatible buffers for RPPA. Out of 113 proteins that were examined by RPPA, 14 proteins were significantly altered following JUNV infection. Several proteins were commonly phosphorylated between the two strains and these correspond to entry and early replication events, to include p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), and nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB). We qualitatively confirmed the alterations of these three proteins following infection by western blot analysis. We also determined that the inhibition of either p38 MAPK, with the small molecule inhibitor SB 203580 or siRNA knockdown, or HSP27, by siRNA knockdown, significantly decreases JUNV replication. Our data suggests that HSP27 phosphorylation at S82 upon virus infection is dependent on p38 MAPK activity. This work sheds light on the nuances of arenavirus replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin J. Fitzpatrick
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | - Rajini R. Mudhasani
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | - Louis A. Altamura
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | | | - Julie P. Tran
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | - Brett F. Beitzel
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | - Aarthi Narayanan
- National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, George Mason University, Manassas, VA, United States
| | - Cynthia L. de la Fuente
- National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, George Mason University, Manassas, VA, United States
| | - Kylene Kehn-Hall
- National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, George Mason University, Manassas, VA, United States
| | - Jeffrey M. Smith
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | - Connie S. Schmaljohn
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | - Aura R. Garrison
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Aura R. Garrison,
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6
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Suschak JJ, Golden JW, Fitzpatrick CJ, Shoemaker CJ, Badger CV, Schmaljohn CS, Garrison AR. A CCHFV DNA vaccine protects against heterologous challenge and establishes GP38 as immunorelevant in mice. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:31. [PMID: 33654101 PMCID: PMC7925670 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00293-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne virus that causes severe hemorrhagic fever disease in humans. Currently, no licensed CCHF vaccines exist, and the protective epitopes remain unclear. Previously, we tested a DNA vaccine expressing the M-segment glycoprotein precursor gene of the laboratory CCHFV strain IbAr 10200 (CCHFV-M10200). CCHFV-M10200 provided >60% protection against homologous CCHFV-IbAr 10200 challenge in mice. Here, we report that increasing the dose of CCHFV-M10200 provides complete protection from homologous CCHFV challenge in mice, and significant (80%) protection from challenge with the clinically relevant heterologous strain CCHFV-Afg09-2990. We also report complete protection from CCHFV-Afg09-2990 challenge following vaccination with a CCHFV-Afg09-2990 M-segment DNA vaccine (CCHFV-MAfg09). Finally, we show that the non-structural M-segment protein, GP38, influences CCHF vaccine immunogenicity and provides significant protection from homologous CCHFV challenge. Our results demonstrate that M-segment DNA vaccines elicit protective CCHF immunity and further illustrate the immunorelevance of GP38.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Suschak
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.
| | - Joseph W Golden
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Collin J Fitzpatrick
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Charles J Shoemaker
- Diagnostics Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Catherine V Badger
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Headquarters Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.,National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Integrated Research Facility, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Aura R Garrison
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.
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7
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Hollidge BS, Cohen CA, Akuoku Frimpong J, Badger CV, Dye JM, Schmaljohn CS. Toll-like receptor 4 mediates blood-brain barrier permeability and disease in C3H mice during Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus infection. Virulence 2021; 12:430-443. [PMID: 33487119 PMCID: PMC7849679 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2020.1870834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an encephalitic alphavirus that can cause debilitating, acute febrile illness and potentially result in encephalitis. Currently, there are no FDA-licensed vaccines or specific therapeutics for VEEV. Previous studies have demonstrated that VEEV infection results in increased blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability that is mediated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Furthermore, after subarachnoid hemorrhage in mice, MMP-9 is upregulated in the brain and mediates BBB permeability in a toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-dependent manner. Here, we demonstrate that disease in C3H mice during VEEV TC-83 infection is dependent on TLR4 because intranasal infection of C3H/HeN (TLR4WT) mice with VEEV TC-83 resulted in mortality as opposed to survival of TLR4-defective C3H/HeJ (TLR4mut) mice. In addition, BBB permeability was induced to a lesser extent in TLR4mut mice compared with TLR4WT mice during VEEV TC-83 infection as determined by sodium fluorescein and fluorescently-conjugated dextran extravasation. Moreover, MMP-9, MMP-2, ICAM-1, CCL2 and IFN-γ were all induced to significantly lower levels in the brains of infected TLR4mut mice compared with infected TLR4WT mice despite the absence of significantly different viral titers or immune cell populations in the brains of infected TLR4WT and TLR4mut mice. These data demonstrate the critical role of TLR4 in mediating BBB permeability and disease in C3H mice during VEEV TC-83 infection, which suggests that TLR4 is a potential target for the development of therapeutics for VEEV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley S Hollidge
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA.,REGENXBIO, Inc ., Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Courtney A Cohen
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Justice Akuoku Frimpong
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA.,Immunodiagnostics Department, Biological Defense Research Directorate, Naval Medical Research Center , Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Catherine V Badger
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - John M Dye
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Headquarters Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA.,Integrated Research Facility, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health , Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
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8
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Smith DR, Schmaljohn CS, Badger C, Ostrowski K, Zeng X, Grimes SD, Rayner JO. Comparative pathology study of Venezuelan, eastern, and western equine encephalitis viruses in non-human primates. Antiviral Res 2020; 182:104875. [PMID: 32755661 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Venezuelan, eastern, and western equine encephalitis viruses (VEEV, EEEV, and WEEV) are mosquito-borne viruses in the Americas that cause central nervous system (CNS) disease in humans and equids. In this study, we directly characterized the pathogenesis of VEEV, EEEV, and WEEV in cynomolgus macaques following subcutaneous exposure because this route more closely mimics natural infection via mosquito transmission or by an accidental needle stick. Our results highlight how EEEV is significantly more pathogenic compared to VEEV similarly to what is observed in humans. Interestingly, EEEV appears to be just as neuropathogenic by subcutaneous exposure as it was in previously completed aerosol exposure studies. In contrast, subcutaneous exposure of cynomolgus macaques with WEEV caused limited disease and is contradictory to what has been reported for aerosol exposure. Several differences in viremia, hematology, or tissue tropism were noted when animals were exposed subcutaneously compared to prior aerosol exposure studies. This study provides a more complete picture of the pathogenesis of the encephalitic alphaviruses and highlights how further defining the neuropathology of these viruses could have important implications for the development of medical countermeasures for the neurovirulent alphaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darci R Smith
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, 21702, MD, USA.
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, 21702, MD, USA
| | - Catherine Badger
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, 21702, MD, USA
| | - Kristen Ostrowski
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, 21702, MD, USA
| | - Xiankun Zeng
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, 21702, MD, USA
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9
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Finch CL, Crozier I, Lee JH, Byrum R, Cooper TK, Liang J, Sharer K, Solomon J, Sayre PJ, Kocher G, Bartos C, Aiosa NM, Castro M, Larson PA, Adams R, Beitzel B, Di Paola N, Kugelman JR, Kurtz JR, Burdette T, Nason MC, Feuerstein IM, Palacios G, St. Claire MC, Lackemeyer MG, Johnson RF, Braun KM, Ramuta MD, Wada J, Schmaljohn CS, Friedrich TC, O’Connor DH, Kuhn JH. Characteristic and quantifiable COVID-19-like abnormalities in CT- and PET/CT-imaged lungs of SARS-CoV-2-infected crab-eating macaques ( Macaca fascicularis). bioRxiv 2020:2020.05.14.096727. [PMID: 32511338 PMCID: PMC7241101 DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.14.096727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing an exponentially increasing number of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) cases globally. Prioritization of medical countermeasures for evaluation in randomized clinical trials is critically hindered by the lack of COVID-19 animal models that enable accurate, quantifiable, and reproducible measurement of COVID-19 pulmonary disease free from observer bias. We first used serial computed tomography (CT) to demonstrate that bilateral intrabronchial instillation of SARS-CoV-2 into crab-eating macaques (Macaca fascicularis) results in mild-to-moderate lung abnormalities qualitatively characteristic of subclinical or mild-to-moderate COVID-19 (e.g., ground-glass opacities with or without reticulation, paving, or alveolar consolidation, peri-bronchial thickening, linear opacities) at typical locations (peripheral>central, posterior and dependent, bilateral, multi-lobar). We then used positron emission tomography (PET) analysis to demonstrate increased FDG uptake in the CT-defined lung abnormalities and regional lymph nodes. PET/CT imaging findings appeared in all macaques as early as 2 days post-exposure, variably progressed, and subsequently resolved by 6-12 days post-exposure. Finally, we applied operator-independent, semi-automatic quantification of the volume and radiodensity of CT abnormalities as a possible primary endpoint for immediate and objective efficacy testing of candidate medical countermeasures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney L. Finch
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Ian Crozier
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Clinical Monitoring Research Program Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research supported by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Ji Hyun Lee
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Russ Byrum
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Timothy K. Cooper
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Janie Liang
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Kaleb Sharer
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Jeffrey Solomon
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Clinical Monitoring Research Program Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research supported by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Philip J. Sayre
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Gregory Kocher
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Christopher Bartos
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Nina M. Aiosa
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
- Center for Infectious Disease Imaging, Warren G Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Marcelo Castro
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Peter A. Larson
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA
| | - Ricky Adams
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Brett Beitzel
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA
| | - Nicholas Di Paola
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA
| | - Jeffrey R. Kugelman
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA
| | - Jonathan R. Kurtz
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Tracey Burdette
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Martha C. Nason
- Biostatistics Research Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20892, USA
| | - Irwin M. Feuerstein
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Gustavo Palacios
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA
| | - Marisa C. St. Claire
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Matthew G. Lackemeyer
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Reed F. Johnson
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Katarina M. Braun
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Mitchell D. Ramuta
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jiro Wada
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Connie S. Schmaljohn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Thomas C. Friedrich
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - David H. O’Connor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jens H. Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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10
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Suschak JJ, Dupuy LC, Shoemaker CJ, Six C, Kwilas SA, Spik KW, Williams JA, Schmaljohn CS. Nanoplasmid Vectors Co-expressing Innate Immune Agonists Enhance DNA Vaccines for Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus and Ebola Virus. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2020; 17:810-821. [PMID: 32296729 PMCID: PMC7158766 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
DNA vaccines expressing codon-optimized Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein genes provide protective immunity to mice and nonhuman primates when delivered by intramuscular (IM) electroporation (EP). To achieve equivalent protective efficacy in the absence of EP, we evaluated VEEV and EBOV DNA vaccines constructed using minimalized Nanoplasmid expression vectors that are smaller than conventional plasmids used for DNA vaccination. These vectors may also be designed to co-express type I interferon inducing innate immune agonist genes that have an adjuvant effect. Nanoplasmid vaccinated mice had increased antibody responses as compared to those receiving our conventional pWRG7077-based vaccines when delivered by IM injection, and these responses were further enhanced by the inclusion of the innate immune agonist genes. The Nanoplasmid VEEV DNA vaccines also significantly increased protection against aerosol VEEV challenge as compared to the pWRG7077 VEEV DNA vaccine. Although all mice receiving the pWRG7077 and Nanoplasmid EBOV DNA vaccines at the dose tested survived EBOV challenge, only mice receiving the Nanoplasmid EBOV DNA vaccine that co-expresses the innate immune agonist genes failed to lose weight after challenge. Our results suggest that Nanoplasmid vectors can improve the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of alphavirus and filovirus DNA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Suschak
- Virology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Lesley C Dupuy
- Virology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Charles J Shoemaker
- Diagnostic Systems Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Carolyn Six
- Virology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Steven A Kwilas
- Virology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Kristin W Spik
- Virology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | | | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Headquarters, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
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11
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Abstract
The filoviruses Ebola virus and Marburg virus are among the most dangerous pathogens in the world. Both viruses cause viral hemorrhagic fever, with case fatality rates of up to 90%. Historically, filovirus outbreaks had been relatively small, with only a few hundred cases reported. However, the recent West African Ebola virus outbreak underscored the threat that filoviruses pose. The three year-long outbreak resulted in 28,646 Ebola virus infections and 11,323 deaths. The lack of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed vaccines and antiviral drugs hindered early efforts to contain the outbreak. In response, the global scientific community has spurred the advanced development of many filovirus vaccine candidates. Novel vaccine platforms, such as viral vectors and DNA vaccines, have emerged, leading to the investigation of candidate vaccines that have demonstrated protective efficacy in small animal and nonhuman primate studies. Here, we will discuss several of these vaccine platforms with a particular focus on approaches that have advanced into clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Suschak
- Virology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Headquarters Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
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12
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Suschak JJ, Bagley K, Shoemaker CJ, Six C, Kwilas S, Dupuy LC, Schmaljohn CS. The Genetic Adjuvants Interleukin-12 and Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor Enhance the Immunogenicity of an Ebola Virus Deoxyribonucleic Acid Vaccine in Mice. J Infect Dis 2019; 218:S519-S527. [PMID: 30053157 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiy378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In previous studies, we showed that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccines expressing codon-optimized filovirus envelope glycoprotein genes protect mice and nonhuman primates from viral challenge when delivered by intramuscular (IM) electroporation (EP). To determine whether we could achieve equivalent immunogenicity and protective efficacy by a simplified delivery method, we generated DNA vaccine plasmids expressing genetic adjuvants to potentiate immune responses. We tested the Th1-inducing cytokine interleukin-12 and the granulocyte growth factor granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, both of which have demonstrated significant adjuvant effect when included in clinical DNA vaccine formulations. In addition, because interferon (IFN)-αβ is required for DNA vaccine-induced immunity, we tested inclusion of a potent stimulator of the IFN-αβ pathway. Our data suggest that IM vaccination of mice with plasmid DNA encoding genetic adjuvants enhances vaccine immunogenicity, resulting in increased anti-Ebola virus (EBOV) immunoglobulin G and T-cell responses. Codelivery of genetic adjuvants also improved EBOV neutralizing capability compared with vaccine alone. Finally, IM vaccination with plasmid EBOV and genetic adjuvants provided complete protection against EBOV challenge. Overall, our data suggest that codelivery of genetic adjuvants with filovirus DNA vaccines using IM delivery can provide comparable efficacy to the same DNA vaccines when delivered using IM-EP devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Suschak
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | | | - Charles J Shoemaker
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | - Carolyn Six
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | - Steven Kwilas
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | - Lesley C Dupuy
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland
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13
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Golden JW, Shoemaker CJ, Lindquist ME, Zeng X, Daye SP, Williams JA, Liu J, Coffin KM, Olschner S, Flusin O, Altamura LA, Kuehl KA, Fitzpatrick CJ, Schmaljohn CS, Garrison AR. GP38-targeting monoclonal antibodies protect adult mice against lethal Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus infection. Sci Adv 2019; 5:eaaw9535. [PMID: 31309159 PMCID: PMC6620094 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw9535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is an important human pathogen. Limited evidence suggests that antibodies can protect humans against lethal CCHFV disease but the protective efficacy of antibodies has never been evaluated in adult animal models. Here, we used adult mice to investigate the protection provided against CCHFV infection by glycoprotein-targeting neutralizing and non-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). We identified a single non-neutralizing antibody (mAb-13G8) that protected adult type I interferon-deficient mice >90% when treatment was initiated before virus exposure and >60% when administered after virus exposure. Neutralizing antibodies known to protect neonatal mice from lethal CCHFV infection failed to confer protection regardless of immunoglobulin G subclass. The target of mAb-13G8 was identified as GP38, one of multiple proteolytically cleaved glycoproteins derived from the CCHFV glycoprotein precursor polyprotein. This study reveals GP38 as an important antibody target for limiting CCHFV pathogenesis and lays the foundation to develop immunotherapeutics against CCHFV in humans.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived/immunology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived/pharmacology
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/pharmacology
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/pharmacology
- Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo/immunology
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/immunology
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/prevention & control
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Viral Proteins/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph W. Golden
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
- Corresponding author. (J.W.G.); (A.R.G.)
| | - Charles J. Shoemaker
- Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Michael E. Lindquist
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Xiankun Zeng
- Pathology, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Sharon P. Daye
- Pathology, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Janice A. Williams
- Pathology, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Jun Liu
- Pathology, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Kayla M. Coffin
- Pathology, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Scott Olschner
- Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Olivier Flusin
- Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Louis A. Altamura
- Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Kathleen A. Kuehl
- Pathology, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Collin J. Fitzpatrick
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Connie S. Schmaljohn
- Headquarters, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Aura R. Garrison
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
- Corresponding author. (J.W.G.); (A.R.G.)
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14
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Jiang J, Banglore P, Cashman KA, Schmaljohn CS, Schultheis K, Pugh H, Nguyen J, Humeau LM, Broderick KE, Ramos SJ. Immunogenicity of a protective intradermal DNA vaccine against lassa virus in cynomolgus macaques. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2019; 15:2066-2074. [PMID: 31071008 PMCID: PMC6773375 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2019.1616499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [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: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Lassa virus (LASV) is a hemorrhagic fever virus of the Arenaviridae family with high rates of mortality and co-morbidities, including chronic seizures and permanent bilateral or unilateral deafness. LASV is endemic in West Africa and Lassa fever accounts for 10-16% of hospitalizations annually in parts of Sierra Leone and Liberia according to the CDC. An ongoing outbreak in Nigeria has resulted in 144 deaths in 568 cases confirmed as LASV as of November 2018, with many more suspected, highlighting the urgent need for a vaccine to prevent this severe disease. We previously reported on a DNA vaccine encoding a codon-optimized LASV glycoprotein precursor gene, pLASV-GPC, which completely protects Guinea pigs and nonhuman primates (NHPs) against viremia, clinical disease, and death following lethal LASV challenge. Herein we report on the immunogenicity profile of the LASV DNA vaccine in protected NHPs. Antigen-specific binding antibodies were generated in 100% (6/6) NHPs after two immunizations with pLASV-GPC. These antibodies bound predominantly to the assembled LASV glycoprotein complex and had robust neutralizing activity in a pseudovirus assay. pLASV-GPC DNA-immunized NHPs (5/6) also developed T cell responses as measured by IFNγ ELISpot assay. These results revealed that the pLASV-GPC DNA vaccine is capable of generating functional, LASV-specific T cell and antibody responses, and the assays developed in this study will provide a framework to identify correlates of protection and characterize immune responses in future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Jiang
- Research & Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Preeti Banglore
- Research & Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Kathleen A. Cashman
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Connie S. Schmaljohn
- Office of the Chief Scientists, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | | | - Holly Pugh
- Research & Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Jacklyn Nguyen
- Research & Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Laurent M. Humeau
- Research & Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Kate E. Broderick
- Research & Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Stephanie J. Ramos
- Research & Development, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA,CONTACT Stephanie J. Ramos 10480 Wateridge Circle, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
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15
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Ricks KM, Shoemaker CJ, Dupuy LC, Flusin O, Voorhees MA, Fulmer AN, Badger CV, Schmaljohn CS, Schoepp RJ. Development of a bead-based immunoassay using virus-like particles for detection of alphaviral humoral response. J Virol Methods 2019; 270:12-17. [PMID: 30998959 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2019.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [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: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
There is a pressing need for sustainable and sensitive immunodiagnostics for use in public health efforts to understand and combat the threat of endemic and emerging infectious diseases. In this proof-of-concept work, we describe an immunodiagnostic approach based on the utilization of virus-like particles (VLPs) in a magnetic bead-based platform for multiplexed detection of antiviral humoral response. A retroviral-based VLP, that presents Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus E1/E2 glycoprotein antigen on its surface, was synthesized and coupled to magnetic beads to create VLP-conjugated microspheres (VCMs). Using these VCMs, IgM and IgG antibodies were detectable in nonhuman primate (NHP) and human clinical serum samples at dilutions of 1 × 10 Basile et al. [4] and greater. We also extended the VCM methodology to an Old World alphavirus, chikungunya virus, demonstrating the flexibility of this approach toward different VLP architectures. When multiplexed on the MAGPIX® platform, this method provided differential detection between Old World and New World alphaviral IgM. This flexible, immunodiagnostic method, based on the MAGPIX® platform, demonstrates compatibility of particulate antigens with bead-based assays, improves sensitivity by up to 2-logs, and has faster sample-to-answer time over traditional methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keersten M Ricks
- Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Charles J Shoemaker
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Lesley C Dupuy
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Olivier Flusin
- Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Matthew A Voorhees
- Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Ashley N Fulmer
- Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Catherine V Badger
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Headquarters, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA.
| | - Randal J Schoepp
- Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA.
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16
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Suschak JJ, Bagley K, Six C, Shoemaker CJ, Kwilas S, Spik KW, Dupuy LC, Schmaljohn CS. The genetic adjuvant IL-12 enhances the protective efficacy of a DNA vaccine for Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus delivered by intramuscular injection in mice. Antiviral Res 2018; 159:113-121. [PMID: 30268913 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
We have previously shown that DNA vaccines expressing codon-optimized alphavirus envelope glycoprotein genes protect both mice and non-human primates from viral challenge when delivered by intramuscular electroporation (IM-EP). To determine if we could achieve equivalent immunogenicity and protective efficacy in the absence of electroporation, we co-delivered our Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) DNA vaccine with DNA plasmids expressing genetic adjuvants designed to augment immune responses. We tested the Th1-inducing cytokine IL-12 as well as the granulocyte growth factor GM-CSF, both of which have demonstrated significant adjuvant effect when included in clinical DNA vaccine formulations. Additionally, as multiple reports have described the necessity of IFN-αβ in DNA vaccine immunogenicity, we tested vaccine plasmids encoding a potent stimulator of the IFN-αβ pathway. Our data suggest that IM vaccination of mice with plasmid DNA encoding genetic adjuvants enhances VEEV vaccine immunogenicity, resulting in improved T cell responses, as well as skewing of the anti-VEEV IgG antibody isotype. Additionally, IM vaccination of VEEV DNA vaccine and IL-12 provided complete protection against aerosol VEEV challenge. Overall, our data suggest that co-delivery of genetic adjuvants with alphavirus DNA vaccines using IM delivery can influence the type of immune response obtained and provide comparable protective immunity to that achieved by IM-EP delivery of the vaccine without adjuvants.
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MESH Headings
- Adjuvants, Immunologic
- Animals
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- Encephalitis Virus, Venezuelan Equine
- Encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan Equine/immunology
- Encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan Equine/prevention & control
- Female
- Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor/genetics
- Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor/immunology
- Immunogenicity, Vaccine
- Injections, Intramuscular
- Interleukin-12/genetics
- Interleukin-12/immunology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Vaccines, DNA/immunology
- Viral Vaccines/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Suschak
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | | | - Carolyn Six
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Charles J Shoemaker
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Steven Kwilas
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Kristin W Spik
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Lesley C Dupuy
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA.
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17
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Abstract
During the course of infection with a hemorrhagic fever virus (HFV), the checks and balances associated with normal coagulation are perturbed resulting in hemorrhage in severe cases and, in some patients, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC). While many HFVs have animal models that permit the analyses of systemic coagulopathy, animal infection models do not exist for all HFVs and moreover do not always recapitulate the pathology observed in human tissues. Furthermore, molecular analyses of how coagulation is affected are not always straightforward or practical when using ex-vivo animal-derived samples, thus reinforcing the importance of cell culture studies. This chapter highlights procedures utilizing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as a model system to evaluate components of the intrinsic (prekallikrein (PK), factor XII (FXII), kininogen, and bradykinin (BK)) and extrinsic (Tissue Factor (TF)) systems. Specifically, protocols are included for the generation of a coculture blood vessel model, plating and infection of HUVEC monolayers and assays designed to measure activation of PK and FXII, cleavage of kininogen, and to measure the expression of TF mRNA and protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Tursiella
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter St., Fort Detrick, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Shannon L Taylor
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter St., Fort Detrick, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter St., Fort Detrick, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA.
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18
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Suschak JJ, Williams JA, Schmaljohn CS. Advancements in DNA vaccine vectors, non-mechanical delivery methods, and molecular adjuvants to increase immunogenicity. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017. [PMID: 28604157 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
A major advantage of DNA vaccination is the ability to induce both humoral and cellular immune responses. DNA vaccines are currently used in veterinary medicine, but have not achieved widespread acceptance for use in humans due to their low immunogenicity in early clinical studies. However, recent clinical data have re-established the value of DNA vaccines, particularly in priming high-level antigen-specific antibody responses. Several approaches have been investigated for improving DNA vaccine efficacy, including advancements in DNA vaccine vector design, the inclusion of genetically engineered cytokine adjuvants, and novel non-mechanical delivery methods. These strategies have shown promise, resulting in augmented adaptive immune responses in not only mice, but also in large animal models. Here, we review advancements in each of these areas that show promise for increasing the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Suschak
- a U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | | | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- a U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
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19
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Cashman KA, Wilkinson ER, Wollen SE, Shamblin JD, Zelko JM, Bearss JJ, Zeng X, Broderick KE, Schmaljohn CS. DNA vaccines elicit durable protective immunity against individual or simultaneous infections with Lassa and Ebola viruses in guinea pigs. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:3010-3019. [PMID: 29135337 PMCID: PMC5718824 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1382780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [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: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously developed optimized DNA vaccines against both Lassa fever and Ebola hemorrhagic fever viruses and demonstrated that they were protective individually in guinea pig and nonhuman primate models. In this study, we vaccinated groups of strain 13 guinea pigs two times, four weeks apart with 50 µg of each DNA vaccine or a mock vaccine at discrete sites by intradermal electroporation. Five weeks following the second vaccinations, guinea pigs were exposed to lethal doses of Lassa virus, Ebola virus, or a combination of both viruses simultaneously. None of the vaccinated guinea pigs, regardless of challenge virus and including the coinfected group, displayed weight loss, fever or other disease signs, and all survived to the study endpoint. All of the mock-vaccinated guinea pigs that were infected with Lassa virus, and all but one of the EBOV-infected mock-vaccinated guinea pigs succumbed. In order to determine if the dual-agent vaccination strategy could protect against both viruses if exposures were temporally separated, we held the surviving vaccinates in BSL-4 for approximately 120 days to perform a cross-challenge experiment in which guinea pigs originally infected with Lassa virus received a lethal dose of Ebola virus and those originally infected with Ebola virus were infected with a lethal dose of Lassa virus. All guinea pigs remained healthy and survived to the study endpoint. This study clearly demonstrates that DNA vaccines against Lassa and Ebola viruses can elicit protective immunity against both individual virus exposures as well as in a mixed-infection environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen A Cashman
- a Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD
| | - Eric R Wilkinson
- a Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD
| | - Suzanne E Wollen
- a Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD
| | - Joshua D Shamblin
- a Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD
| | - Justine M Zelko
- a Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD
| | - Jeremy J Bearss
- b Pathology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD
| | - Xiankun Zeng
- b Pathology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD
| | | | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- d Office of the Chief Scientists, Headquarters, USAMRIID , Fort Detrick , MD
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20
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Cashman KA, Wilkinson ER, Shaia CI, Facemire PR, Bell TM, Bearss JJ, Shamblin JD, Wollen SE, Broderick KE, Sardesai NY, Schmaljohn CS. A DNA vaccine delivered by dermal electroporation fully protects cynomolgus macaques against Lassa fever. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:2902-2911. [PMID: 29045192 PMCID: PMC5718832 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1356500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [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: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lassa virus (LASV) is an ambisense RNA virus in the Arenaviridae family and is the etiological agent of Lassa fever, a severe hemorrhagic disease endemic to West and Central Africa.1,2 There are no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed vaccines available to prevent Lassa fever.1,2 in our previous studies, we developed a gene-optimized DNA vaccine that encodes the glycoprotein precursor gene of LASV (Josiah strain) and demonstrated that 3 vaccinations accompanied by dermal electroporation protected guinea pigs from LASV-associated illness and death. Here, we describe an initial efficacy experiment in cynomolgus macaque nonhuman primates (NHPs) in which we followed an identical 3-dose vaccine schedule that was successful in guinea pigs, and a follow-on experiment in which we used an accelerated vaccination strategy consisting of 2 administrations, spaced 4 weeks apart. In both studies, all of the LASV DNA-vaccinated NHPs survived challenge and none of them had measureable, sustained viremia or displayed weight loss or other disease signs post-exposure. Three of 10 mock-vaccinates survived exposure to LASV, but all of them became acutely ill post-exposure and remained chronically ill to the study end point (45 d post-exposure). Two of the 3 survivors experienced sensorineural hearing loss (described elsewhere). These results clearly demonstrate that the LASV DNA vaccine combined with dermal electroporation is a highly effective candidate for eventual use in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen A Cashman
- a Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Eric R Wilkinson
- a Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Carl I Shaia
- b Pathology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Paul R Facemire
- b Pathology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Todd M Bell
- b Pathology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Jeremy J Bearss
- b Pathology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Joshua D Shamblin
- a Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Suzanne E Wollen
- a Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | | | | | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- d Office of the Chief Scientists, Headquarters, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
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21
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Garrison AR, Shoemaker CJ, Golden JW, Fitzpatrick CJ, Suschak JJ, Richards MJ, Badger CV, Six CM, Martin JD, Hannaman D, Zivcec M, Bergeron E, Koehler JW, Schmaljohn CS. A DNA vaccine for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever protects against disease and death in two lethal mouse models. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005908. [PMID: 28922426 PMCID: PMC5619839 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [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: 04/24/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne virus capable of causing a severe hemorrhagic fever disease in humans. There are currently no licensed vaccines to prevent CCHFV-associated disease. We developed a DNA vaccine expressing the M-segment glycoprotein precursor gene of CCHFV and assessed its immunogenicity and protective efficacy in two lethal mouse models of disease: type I interferon receptor knockout (IFNAR-/-) mice; and a novel transiently immune suppressed (IS) mouse model. Vaccination of mice by muscle electroporation of the M-segment DNA vaccine elicited strong antigen-specific humoral immune responses with neutralizing titers after three vaccinations in both IFNAR-/- and IS mouse models. To compare the protective efficacy of the vaccine in the two models, groups of vaccinated mice (7–10 per group) were intraperitoneally (IP) challenged with a lethal dose of CCHFV strain IbAr 10200. Weight loss was markedly reduced in CCHFV DNA-vaccinated mice as compared to controls. Furthermore, whereas all vector-control vaccinated mice succumbed to disease by day 5, the DNA vaccine protected >60% of the animals from lethal disease. Mice from both models developed comparable levels of antibodies, but the IS mice had a more balanced Th1/Th2 response to vaccination. There were no statistical differences in the protective efficacies of the vaccine in the two models. Our results provide the first comparison of these two mouse models for assessing a vaccine against CCHFV and offer supportive data indicating that a DNA vaccine expressing the glycoprotein genes of CCHFV elicits protective immunity against CCHFV. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne virus capable of causing lethal human disease against which there are currently no approved vaccines. In this study, we compared the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a candidate DNA vaccine expressing the glycoprotein precursor gene of CCHFV in two mouse models. In addition to the recently established IFNAR-/- mouse pathogenesis model, we also tested the vaccine in a novel murine system in which the interferon (IFN) α/β signaling response of immunocompetent mice is transiently suppressed. We found that the DNA vaccine elicited high humoral immune responses and provided significant protection against challenge with CCHFV in both mouse models. These findings further our understanding of the requirements for a CCHFV vaccine and provide a new mouse model for the development of CCHFV countermeasures.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/blood
- Antibodies, Viral/blood
- Disease Models, Animal
- Glycoproteins/genetics
- Glycoproteins/immunology
- Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo/genetics
- Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo/immunology
- Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo/isolation & purification
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/immunology
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/prevention & control
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/virology
- Humans
- Immunity, Humoral
- Immunocompromised Host
- Immunogenicity, Vaccine
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Receptor, Interferon alpha-beta/deficiency
- Receptor, Interferon alpha-beta/genetics
- Th1 Cells/immunology
- Th2 Cells/immunology
- Vaccination
- Vaccines, DNA/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, DNA/immunology
- Viral Proteins/genetics
- Viral Proteins/immunology
- Viral Vaccines/administration & dosage
- Viral Vaccines/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Aura R. Garrison
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CSS); (ARG)
| | - Charles J. Shoemaker
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Joseph W. Golden
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Collin J. Fitzpatrick
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - John J. Suschak
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Michelle J. Richards
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Catherine V. Badger
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Carolyn M. Six
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jacqueline D. Martin
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Drew Hannaman
- Ichor Medical Systems, Inc., San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Marko Zivcec
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Eric Bergeron
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey W. Koehler
- Diagnostics Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Connie S. Schmaljohn
- Headquarters Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CSS); (ARG)
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22
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Mitchell DAJ, Dupuy LC, Sanchez-Lockhart M, Palacios G, Back JW, Shimanovskaya K, Chaudhury S, Ripoll DR, Wallqvist A, Schmaljohn CS. Epitope mapping of Ebola virus dominant and subdominant glycoprotein epitopes facilitates construction of an epitope-based DNA vaccine able to focus the antibody response in mice. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:2883-2893. [PMID: 28699812 PMCID: PMC5718802 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1347740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [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: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We performed epitope mapping studies on the major surface glycoprotein (GP) of Ebola virus (EBOV) using Chemically Linked Peptides on Scaffolds (CLIPS), which form linear and potential conformational epitopes. This method identified monoclonal antibody epitopes and predicted additional epitopes recognized by antibodies in polyclonal sera from animals experimentally vaccinated against or infected with EBOV. Using the information obtained along with structural modeling to predict epitope accessibility, we then constructed 2 DNA vaccines encoding immunodominant and subdominant epitopes predicted to be accessible on EBOV GP. Although a construct designed to produce a membrane-bound oligopeptide was poorly immunogenic, a construct generating a secreted oligopeptide elicited strong antibody responses in mice. When this construct was administered as a boost to a DNA vaccine expressing the complete EBOV GP gene, the resultant antibody response was focused largely toward the less immunodominant epitopes in the oligopeptide. Taken together, the results of this work suggest a utility for this method for immune focusing of antibody responses elicited by vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A J Mitchell
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Lesley C Dupuy
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Mariano Sanchez-Lockhart
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Gustavo Palacios
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Jaap W Back
- b Pepscan Presto BV , Lelystad , the Netherlands
| | | | - Sidhartha Chaudhury
- c Biotechnology HPC Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Daniel R Ripoll
- c Biotechnology HPC Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Anders Wallqvist
- c Biotechnology HPC Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
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23
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Suschak JJ, Williams JA, Schmaljohn CS. Advancements in DNA vaccine vectors, non-mechanical delivery methods, and molecular adjuvants to increase immunogenicity. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:2837-2848. [PMID: 28604157 PMCID: PMC5718814 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1330236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [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: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A major advantage of DNA vaccination is the ability to induce both humoral and cellular immune responses. DNA vaccines are currently used in veterinary medicine, but have not achieved widespread acceptance for use in humans due to their low immunogenicity in early clinical studies. However, recent clinical data have re-established the value of DNA vaccines, particularly in priming high-level antigen-specific antibody responses. Several approaches have been investigated for improving DNA vaccine efficacy, including advancements in DNA vaccine vector design, the inclusion of genetically engineered cytokine adjuvants, and novel non-mechanical delivery methods. These strategies have shown promise, resulting in augmented adaptive immune responses in not only mice, but also in large animal models. Here, we review advancements in each of these areas that show promise for increasing the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Suschak
- a U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | | | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- a U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
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24
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Bounds CE, Terry FE, Moise L, Hannaman D, Martin WD, De Groot AS, Suschak JJ, Dupuy LC, Schmaljohn CS. An immunoinformatics-derived DNA vaccine encoding human class II T cell epitopes of Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus is immunogenic in HLA transgenic mice. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:2824-2836. [PMID: 28575582 PMCID: PMC5718811 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1329788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [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: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunoinformatics tools were used to predict human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II-restricted T cell epitopes within the envelope glycoproteins and nucleocapsid proteins of Ebola virus (EBOV) and Sudan virus (SUDV) and the structural proteins of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV). Selected epitopes were tested for binding to soluble HLA molecules representing 5 class II alleles (DRB1*0101, DRB1*0301, DRB1*0401, DRB1*0701, and DRB1*1501). All but one of the 25 tested peptides bound to at least one of the DRB1 alleles, and 4 of the peptides bound at least moderately or weakly to all 5 DRB1 alleles. Additional algorithms were used to design a single "string-of-beads" expression construct with 44 selected epitopes arranged to avoid creation of spurious junctional epitopes. Seventeen of these 44 predicted epitopes were conserved between the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of humans and mice, allowing initial testing in mice. BALB/c mice vaccinated with the multi-epitope construct developed statistically significant cellular immune responses to EBOV, SUDV, and VEEV peptides as measured by interferon (IFN)-γ ELISpot assays. Significant levels of antibodies to VEEV, but not EBOV, were also detected in vaccinated BALB/c mice. To assess immunogenicity in the context of a human MHC, HLA-DR3 transgenic mice were vaccinated with the multi-epitope construct and boosted with a mixture of the 25 peptides used in the binding assays. The vaccinated HLA-DR3 mice developed significant cellular immune responses to 4 of the 25 (16%) tested individual class II peptides as measured by IFN-γ ELISpot assays. In addition, these mice developed antibodies against EBOV and VEEV as measured by ELISA. While a low but significant level of protection was observed in vaccinated transgenic mice after aerosol exposure to VEEV, no protection was observed after intraperitoneal challenge with mouse-adapted EBOV. These studies provide proof of concept for the use of an informatics approach to design a multi-agent, multi-epitope immunogen and provide a basis for further testing aimed at focusing immune responses toward desired protective T cell epitopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callie E Bounds
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | | | - Leonard Moise
- b EpiVax, Inc. , Providence , RI , USA.,c Institute for Immunology and Informatics , University of Rhode Island , Providence , RI , USA
| | - Drew Hannaman
- d Ichor Medical Systems, Inc. , San Diego , CA , USA
| | | | - Anne S De Groot
- b EpiVax, Inc. , Providence , RI , USA.,c Institute for Immunology and Informatics , University of Rhode Island , Providence , RI , USA
| | - John J Suschak
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Lesley C Dupuy
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases , Fort Detrick , MD , USA
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25
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Weidmann M, Avsic-Zupanc T, Bino S, Bouloy M, Burt F, Chinikar S, Christova I, Dedushaj I, El-Sanousi A, Elaldi N, Hewson R, Hufert FT, Humolli I, Jansen van Vuren P, Koçak Tufan Z, Korukluoglu G, Lyssen P, Mirazimi A, Neyts J, Niedrig M, Ozkul A, Papa A, Paweska J, Sall AA, Schmaljohn CS, Swanepoel R, Uyar Y, Weber F, Zeller H. Biosafety standards for working with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. J Gen Virol 2016; 97:2799-2808. [PMID: 27667586 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In countries from which Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is absent, the causative virus, CCHF virus (CCHFV), is classified as a hazard group 4 agent and handled in containment level (CL)-4. In contrast, most endemic countries out of necessity have had to perform diagnostic tests under biosafety level (BSL)-2 or -3 conditions. In particular, Turkey and several of the Balkan countries have safely processed more than 100 000 samples over many years in BSL-2 laboratories. It is therefore advocated that biosafety requirements for CCHF diagnostic procedures should be revised, to allow the tests required to be performed under enhanced BSL-2 conditions with appropriate biosafety laboratory equipment and personal protective equipment used according to standardized protocols in the countries affected. Downgrading of CCHFV research work from CL-4, BSL-4 to CL-3, BSL-3 should also be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Weidmann
- Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK
| | - Tatjana Avsic-Zupanc
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Silvia Bino
- Institute of Public Health, Control of Infectious Diseases Department, Tirana, Albania
| | - Michelle Bouloy
- Institut Pasteur, Bunyaviruses Molecular Genetics, Paris, France
| | - Felicity Burt
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Sadegh Chinikar
- Laboratory of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Ref Lab), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Iva Christova
- National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Isuf Dedushaj
- National Institute of Public Health in Kosovo, Pristina, Kosovo
| | - Ahmed El-Sanousi
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Nazif Elaldi
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Cumhuriyet University, Faculty of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey
| | - Roger Hewson
- Public Health England, Porton Down, Wiltshire, Salisbury, UK
| | - Frank T Hufert
- Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Brandenburg Medical School, Senftenberg, Germany
| | - Isme Humolli
- National Institute of Public Health in Kosovo, Pristina, Kosovo
| | | | - Zeliha Koçak Tufan
- Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Department, Yildirim Beyazit University, Ankara Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Gülay Korukluoglu
- Public Health Institution of Turkey, Virology Reference and Research Laboratory, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Pieter Lyssen
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ali Mirazimi
- Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Department for Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska Institute, and Karolinska Hospital University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Neyts
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matthias Niedrig
- Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Highly Pathogenic Viruses, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Aykut Ozkul
- Department of Virology, Ankara University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Anna Papa
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Janusz Paweska
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Robert Swanepoel
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Yavuz Uyar
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Friedemann Weber
- Institute for Virology, Justus Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Herve Zeller
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden
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Papa A, Vaheri A, LeDuc JW, Krüger DH, Avšič-Županc T, Arikawa J, Song JW, Markotić A, Clement J, Liang M, Li D, Yashina LN, Jonsson CB, Schmaljohn CS. Meeting report: Tenth International Conference on Hantaviruses. Antiviral Res 2016; 133:234-41. [PMID: 27544703 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2016.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The 10th International Conference on Hantaviruses, organized by the International Society on Hantaviruses, was held from May 31-June 3, 2016 at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA. These conferences have been held every three years since 1980. The current report summarizes research presented on all aspects of hantavirology: ecology and epidemiology, virus replication, phylogeny, pathogenesis, immune response, clinical studies, vaccines and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Papa
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Antti Vaheri
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - James W LeDuc
- Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Detlev H Krüger
- Institute of Medical Virology, University Hospital Charité, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tatjana Avšič-Županc
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jiro Arikawa
- Department of Microbiology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Jin-Won Song
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Alemka Markotić
- Research Department, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljevic", Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jan Clement
- Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology and Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mifang Liang
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Dexin Li
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Liudmila N Yashina
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology "Vector", Koltsovo, Russia
| | - Colleen B Jonsson
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
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Grant-Klein RJ, Altamura LA, Badger CV, Bounds CE, Van Deusen NM, Kwilas SA, Vu HA, Warfield KL, Hooper JW, Hannaman D, Dupuy LC, Schmaljohn CS. Codon-optimized filovirus DNA vaccines delivered by intramuscular electroporation protect cynomolgus macaques from lethal Ebola and Marburg virus challenges. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2016; 11:1991-2004. [PMID: 25996997 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2015.1039757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cynomolgus macaques were vaccinated by intramuscular electroporation with DNA plasmids expressing codon-optimized glycoprotein (GP) genes of Ebola virus (EBOV) or Marburg virus (MARV) or a combination of codon-optimized GP DNA vaccines for EBOV, MARV, Sudan virus and Ravn virus. When measured by ELISA, the individual vaccines elicited slightly higher IgG responses to EBOV or MARV than did the combination vaccines. No significant differences in immune responses of macaques given the individual or combination vaccines were measured by pseudovirion neutralization or IFN-γ ELISpot assays. Both the MARV and mixed vaccines were able to protect macaques from lethal MARV challenge (5/6 vs. 6/6). In contrast, a greater proportion of macaques vaccinated with the EBOV vaccine survived lethal EBOV challenge in comparison to those that received the mixed vaccine (5/6 vs. 1/6). EBOV challenge survivors had significantly higher pre-challenge neutralizing antibody titers than those that succumbed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Grant-Klein
- a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases ; Fort Detrick , MD USA
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McCoy JR, Mendoza JM, Spik KW, Badger C, Gomez AF, Schmaljohn CS, Sardesai NY, Broderick KE. A multi-head intradermal electroporation device allows for tailored and increased dose DNA vaccine delivery to the skin. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2015; 11:746-54. [PMID: 25839221 DOI: 10.4161/21645515.2014.978223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The identification of an effective and tolerable delivery method is a necessity for the success of DNA vaccines in the clinic. This article describes the development and validation of a multi-headed intradermal electroporation device which would be applicable for delivering multiple DNA vaccine plasmids simultaneously but spatially separated. Reporter gene plasmids expressing green and red fluorescent proteins were used to demonstrate the impact of spatial separation on DNA delivery to increase the number of transfected cells and avoid interference through visible expression patterns. To investigate the impact of plasmid interference on immunogenicity, a disease target was investigated where issues with multi-valent vaccines had been previously described. DNA-based Hantaan and Puumala virus vaccines were delivered separately or as a combination and the effect of multi-valence was determined by appropriate assays. While a negative impact was observed for both antigenic vaccines when delivered together, these effects were mitigated when the vaccine was delivered using the multi-head device. We also demonstrate how the multi-head device facilitates higher dose delivery to the skin resulting in improved immune responses. This new multi-head platform device is an efficient, tolerable and non-invasive method to deliver multiple plasmid DNA constructs simultaneously allowing the tailoring of delivery sites for combination vaccines. Additionally, this device would allow the delivery of multi-plasmid vaccine formulations without risk of impacted immune responses through interference. Such a low-cost, easy to use device platform for the delivery of multi-agent DNA vaccines would have direct applications by the military and healthcare sectors for mass vaccination purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay R McCoy
- a Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. ; Blue Bell , PA USA
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29
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Bounds CE, Kwilas SA, Kuehne AI, Brannan JM, Bakken RR, Dye JM, Hooper JW, Dupuy LC, Ellefsen B, Hannaman D, Wu H, Jiao JA, Sullivan EJ, Schmaljohn CS. Human Polyclonal Antibodies Produced through DNA Vaccination of Transchromosomal Cattle Provide Mice with Post-Exposure Protection against Lethal Zaire and Sudan Ebolaviruses. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137786. [PMID: 26422247 PMCID: PMC4589376 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA vaccination of transchromosomal bovines (TcBs) with DNA vaccines expressing the codon-optimized (co) glycoprotein (GP) genes of Ebola virus (EBOV) and Sudan virus (SUDV) produce fully human polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) that recognize both viruses and demonstrate robust neutralizing activity. Each TcB was vaccinated by intramuscular electroporation (IM-EP) a total of four times and at each administration received 10 mg of the EBOV-GPco DNA vaccine and 10 mg of the SUDV-GPco DNA vaccine at two sites on the left and right sides, respectively. After two vaccinations, robust antibody responses (titers > 1000) were detected by ELISA against whole irradiated EBOV or SUDV and recombinant EBOV-GP or SUDV-GP (rGP) antigens, with higher titers observed for the rGP antigens. Strong, virus neutralizing antibody responses (titers >1000) were detected after three vaccinations when measured by vesicular stomatitis virus-based pseudovirion neutralization assay (PsVNA). Maximal neutralizing antibody responses were identified by traditional plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT) after four vaccinations. Neutralizing activity of human immunoglobulins (IgG) purified from TcB plasma collected after three vaccinations and injected intraperitoneally (IP) into mice at a 100 mg/kg dose was detected in the serum by PsVNA up to 14 days after administration. Passive transfer by IP injection of the purified IgG (100 mg/kg) to groups of BALB/c mice one day after IP challenge with mouse adapted (ma) EBOV resulted in 80% protection while all mice treated with non-specific pAbs succumbed. Similarly, interferon receptor 1 knockout (IFNAR -/-) mice receiving the purified IgG (100 mg/kg) by IP injection one day after IP challenge with wild type SUDV resulted in 89% survival. These results are the first to demonstrate that filovirus GP DNA vaccines administered to TcBs by IM-EP can elicit neutralizing antibodies that provide post-exposure protection. Additionally, these data describe production of fully human IgG in a large animal system, a system which is capable of producing large quantities of a clinical grade therapeutic product.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/metabolism
- Cattle/genetics
- Cattle/immunology
- Chromosomes, Artificial, Human/genetics
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ebola Vaccines/immunology
- Ebolavirus/immunology
- Female
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/prevention & control
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/virology
- Humans
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Knockout
- Post-Exposure Prophylaxis/methods
- Receptor, Interferon alpha-beta/genetics
- Sudan
- Vaccination/methods
- Vaccines, DNA/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Callie E. Bounds
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Steven A. Kwilas
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ana I. Kuehne
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jennifer M. Brannan
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Russell R. Bakken
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - John M. Dye
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jay W. Hooper
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Lesley C. Dupuy
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Barry Ellefsen
- Ichor Medical Systems, Inc., San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Drew Hannaman
- Ichor Medical Systems, Inc., San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Hua Wu
- SAB Biotherapeutics, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Jin-an Jiao
- SAB Biotherapeutics, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Eddie J. Sullivan
- SAB Biotherapeutics, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Connie S. Schmaljohn
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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30
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Copeland AM, Van Deusen NM, Schmaljohn CS. Rift Valley fever virus NSS gene expression correlates with a defect in nuclear mRNA export. Virology 2015; 486:88-93. [PMID: 26410240 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 07/08/2015] [Revised: 08/04/2015] [Accepted: 09/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the localization of host mRNA during Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) infection. Fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that infection with RVFV altered the localization of host mRNA. mRNA accumulated in the nuclei of RVFV-infected but not mock-infected cells. Further, overexpression of the NSS gene, but not the N, GN or NSM genes correlated with mRNA nuclear accumulation. Nuclear accumulation of host mRNA was not observed in cells infected with a strain of RVFV lacking the gene encoding NSS, confirming that expression of NSS is likely responsible for this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Copeland
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Nicole M Van Deusen
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
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31
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McCoy JR, Mendoza JM, Spik KW, Badger C, Gomez AF, Schmaljohn CS, Sardesai NY, Broderick KE. A multi-head intradermal electroporation device allows for tailored and increased dose DNA vaccine delivery to the skin. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2014; 10:3039-47. [PMID: 25483486 PMCID: PMC5443063 DOI: 10.4161/hv.29671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 04/16/2014] [Revised: 06/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The identification of an effective and tolerable delivery method is a necessity for the success of DNA vaccines in the clinic. This manuscript describes the development and validation of a multi-headed intradermal electroporation device which would be applicable for delivering multiple DNA vaccine plasmids simultaneously but spatially separated. Reporter gene plasmids expressing green and red fluorescent proteins were used to demonstrate the impact of spatial separation on DNA delivery to increase the number of transfected cells and avoid interference through visible expression patterns. To investigate the impact of plasmid interference on immunogenicity, a disease target was investigated where issues with multi-valent vaccines had been previously described. DNA-based Hantaan and Puumala virus vaccines were delivered separately or as a combination and the effect of multi-valence was determined by appropriate assays. While a negative impact was observed for both antigenic vaccines when delivered together, these effects were mitigated when the vaccine was delivered using the multi-head device. We also demonstrate how the multi-head device facilitates higher dose delivery to the skin resulting in improved immune responses. This new multi-head platform device is an efficient, tolerable and non-invasive method to deliver multiple plasmid DNA constructs simultaneously allowing the tailoring of delivery sites for combination vaccines. Additionally, this device would allow the delivery of multi-plasmid vaccine formulations without risk of impacted immune responses through interference. Such a low-cost, easy to use device platform for the delivery of multi-agent DNA vaccines would have direct applications by the military and healthcare sectors for mass vaccination purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay R McCoy
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Plymouth Meeting, PA USA
| | | | - Kristin W Spik
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases; Fort Detrick, MD USA
| | - Catherine Badger
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases; Fort Detrick, MD USA
| | - Alan F Gomez
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Plymouth Meeting, PA USA
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases; Fort Detrick, MD USA
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32
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Schmaljohn CS, Spik KW, Hooper JW. DNA vaccines for HFRS: Laboratory and clinical studies. Virus Res 2014; 187:91-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2013.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Revised: 12/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/13/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Chung DH, Jonsson CB, Tower NA, Chu YK, Sahin E, Golden JE, Noah JW, Schroeder CE, Sotsky JB, Sosa MI, Cramer DE, McKellip SN, Rasmussen L, White EL, Schmaljohn CS, Julander JG, Smith JM, Filone CM, Connor JH, Sakurai Y, Davey RA. Discovery of a novel compound with anti-venezuelan equine encephalitis virus activity that targets the nonstructural protein 2. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1004213. [PMID: 24967809 PMCID: PMC4072787 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [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: 11/27/2013] [Accepted: 05/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Alphaviruses present serious health threats as emerging and re-emerging viruses. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), a New World alphavirus, can cause encephalitis in humans and horses, but there are no therapeutics for treatment. To date, compounds reported as anti-VEEV or anti-alphavirus inhibitors have shown moderate activity. To discover new classes of anti-VEEV inhibitors with novel viral targets, we used a high-throughput screen based on the measurement of cell protection from live VEEV TC-83-induced cytopathic effect to screen a 340,000 compound library. Of those, we identified five novel anti-VEEV compounds and chose a quinazolinone compound, CID15997213 (IC50 = 0.84 µM), for further characterization. The antiviral effect of CID15997213 was alphavirus-specific, inhibiting VEEV and Western equine encephalitis virus, but not Eastern equine encephalitis virus. In vitro assays confirmed inhibition of viral RNA, protein, and progeny synthesis. No antiviral activity was detected against a select group of RNA viruses. We found mutations conferring the resistance to the compound in the N-terminal domain of nsP2 and confirmed the target residues using a reverse genetic approach. Time of addition studies showed that the compound inhibits the middle stage of replication when viral genome replication is most active. In mice, the compound showed complete protection from lethal VEEV disease at 50 mg/kg/day. Collectively, these results reveal a potent anti-VEEV compound that uniquely targets the viral nsP2 N-terminal domain. While the function of nsP2 has yet to be characterized, our studies suggest that the protein might play a critical role in viral replication, and further, may represent an innovative opportunity to develop therapeutic interventions for alphavirus infection. Alphaviruses occur worldwide, causing significant diseases such as encephalitis or arthritis in humans and animals. In addition, some alphaviruses, such as VEEV, pose a biothreat due to their high infectivity and lack of available treatments. To discover small molecule inhibitors with lead development potential, we used a cell-based assay to screen 348,140 compounds for inhibition of a VEEV-induced cytopathic effect. The screen revealed a scaffold with high inhibitory VEEV cellular potency and low cytotoxicity liability. While most previously reported anti-alphavirus compounds inhibit host proteins, evidence supported that this scaffold targeted the VEEV nsP2 protein, and that inhibition was associated with viral replication. Interestingly, compound resistance studies with VEEV mapped activity to the N-terminal domain of nsP2, to which no known function has been attributed. Ultimately, this discovery has delivered a small molecule-derived class of potent VEEV inhibitors whose activity is coupled to the nsP2 viral protein, a novel target with a previously unestablished biological role that is now implicated in viral replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Hoon Chung
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Colleen B. Jonsson
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - Nichole A. Tower
- Drug Discovery Department, Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Yong-Kyu Chu
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - Ergin Sahin
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - Jennifer E. Golden
- University of Kansas Specialized Chemistry Center, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - James W. Noah
- Drug Discovery Department, Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Chad E. Schroeder
- University of Kansas Specialized Chemistry Center, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Julie B. Sotsky
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - Melinda I. Sosa
- Drug Discovery Department, Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Daniel E. Cramer
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - Sara N. McKellip
- Drug Discovery Department, Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Lynn Rasmussen
- Drug Discovery Department, Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - E. Lucile White
- Drug Discovery Department, Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Connie S. Schmaljohn
- The United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Ft. Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Justin G. Julander
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey M. Smith
- The United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Ft. Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | | | - John H. Connor
- Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Yasuteru Sakurai
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Robert A. Davey
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
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Wolfe DN, Heppner DG, Gardner SN, Jaing C, Dupuy LC, Schmaljohn CS, Carlton K. Current strategic thinking for the development of a trivalent alphavirus vaccine for human use. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2014; 91:442-50. [PMID: 24842880 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccinations against the encephalitic alphaviruses (western, eastern, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus) are of significant interest to biological defense, public health, and agricultural communities alike. Although vaccines licensed for veterinary applications are used in the Western Hemisphere and attenuated or inactivated viruses have been used under Investigational New Drug status to protect at-risk personnel, there are currently no licensed vaccines for use in humans. Here, we will discuss the need for a trivalent vaccine that can protect humans against all three viruses, recent progress to such a vaccine, and a strategy to continue development to Food and Drug Administration licensure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel N Wolfe
- Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; TASC, Inc., Lorton, Virginia; Computations/Global Security, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, Medical Countermeasure Systems, Joint Program Executive Office, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | - D Gray Heppner
- Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; TASC, Inc., Lorton, Virginia; Computations/Global Security, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, Medical Countermeasure Systems, Joint Program Executive Office, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | - Shea N Gardner
- Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; TASC, Inc., Lorton, Virginia; Computations/Global Security, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, Medical Countermeasure Systems, Joint Program Executive Office, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | - Crystal Jaing
- Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; TASC, Inc., Lorton, Virginia; Computations/Global Security, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, Medical Countermeasure Systems, Joint Program Executive Office, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | - Lesley C Dupuy
- Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; TASC, Inc., Lorton, Virginia; Computations/Global Security, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, Medical Countermeasure Systems, Joint Program Executive Office, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; TASC, Inc., Lorton, Virginia; Computations/Global Security, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, Medical Countermeasure Systems, Joint Program Executive Office, Fort Detrick, Maryland
| | - Kevin Carlton
- Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; TASC, Inc., Lorton, Virginia; Computations/Global Security, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, Medical Countermeasure Systems, Joint Program Executive Office, Fort Detrick, Maryland
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Lee HW, Vaheri A, Schmaljohn CS. Discovery of hantaviruses and of the Hantavirus genus: personal and historical perspectives of the Presidents of the International Society of Hantaviruses. Virus Res 2014; 187:2-5. [PMID: 24412711 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2013.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Revised: 12/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/13/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
We three authors, the two past presidents (HWL and AV) and the current president (CSS) of the International Society for Hantaviruses (ISH) have attended most of the nine International Conferences on HFRS, HPS and Hantaviruses (Table 1). These conferences have provided a forum for a synergistic group of clinicians, basic researchers, mammalogists, epidemiologists and ecologists to share their expertise and interests in all aspects of hantavirus research. Much of what is now hantavirus dogma was only conjecture when HWL organized the first conference in Seoul, Korea in 1989. Herein, we provide our reflections on key events in hantavirus research. As we come from distinct areas of the world and have had individual historical experiences, we certainly have our own geocentric opinions about the key events. Nevertheless, we agree that the discovery of hantaviruses has taken an interesting and unpredictable track to where we are today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Wang Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Korea University College of Medicine, 5-ga, Anam-dong, Seoul 136-705, Republic of Korea
| | - Antti Vaheri
- Department of Virology, Haartman Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Connie S Schmaljohn
- Molecular Virology, Virology Division, USAMRIID, 1425 Porter Street, Ft. Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702-5011, USA.
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Koehler JW, Smith JM, Ripoll DR, Spik KW, Taylor SL, Badger CV, Grant RJ, Ogg MM, Wallqvist A, Guttieri MC, Garry RF, Schmaljohn CS. A fusion-inhibiting peptide against Rift Valley fever virus inhibits multiple, diverse viruses. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013; 7:e2430. [PMID: 24069485 PMCID: PMC3772029 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2013] [Accepted: 08/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
For enveloped viruses, fusion of the viral envelope with a cellular membrane is critical for a productive infection to occur. This fusion process is mediated by at least three classes of fusion proteins (Class I, II, and III) based on the protein sequence and structure. For Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), the glycoprotein Gc (Class II fusion protein) mediates this fusion event following entry into the endocytic pathway, allowing the viral genome access to the cell cytoplasm. Here, we show that peptides analogous to the RVFV Gc stem region inhibited RVFV infectivity in cell culture by inhibiting the fusion process. Further, we show that infectivity can be inhibited for diverse, unrelated RNA viruses that have Class I (Ebola virus), Class II (Andes virus), or Class III (vesicular stomatitis virus) fusion proteins using this single peptide. Our findings are consistent with an inhibition mechanism similar to that proposed for stem peptide fusion inhibitors of dengue virus in which the RVFV inhibitory peptide first binds to both the virion and cell membranes, allowing it to traffic with the virus into the endocytic pathway. Upon acidification and rearrangement of Gc, the peptide is then able to specifically bind to Gc and prevent fusion of the viral and endocytic membranes, thus inhibiting viral infection. These results could provide novel insights into conserved features among the three classes of viral fusion proteins and offer direction for the future development of broadly active fusion inhibitors. Entry into a cell is an essential stage of the viral replication cycle. Enveloped viruses require fusion of viral and cellular membranes for the viral genome to enter the cell cytoplasm. This entry is mediated by a viral fusion protein. Here, we synthesized peptides based on the Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) fusion protein stem region and tested the peptides for their ability to prevent RVFV infection of cell cultures. We found that one of these peptides was able to inhibit RVFV infectivity by preventing the fusion process and that this peptide had broad activity against other RNA viruses including Ebola, Andes, and vesicular stomatitis viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey W. Koehler
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Virology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey M. Smith
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Virology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Daniel R. Ripoll
- DoD Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kristin W. Spik
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Virology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shannon L. Taylor
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Virology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Catherine V. Badger
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Virology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Rebecca J. Grant
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Virology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Monica M. Ogg
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Virology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Anders Wallqvist
- DoD Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Mary C. Guttieri
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Virology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Robert F. Garry
- Tulane University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Connie S. Schmaljohn
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Virology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Garrison AR, Radoshitzky SR, Kota KP, Pegoraro G, Ruthel G, Kuhn JH, Altamura LA, Kwilas SA, Bavari S, Haucke V, Schmaljohn CS. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus utilizes a clathrin- and early endosome-dependent entry pathway. Virology 2013; 444:45-54. [PMID: 23791227 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2013.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [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: 01/04/2013] [Revised: 02/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The early events in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) have not been completely characterized. Earlier work indicated that CCHFV likely enters cells by clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Here we provide confirmatory evidence for CME entry by showing that CCHFV infection is inhibited in cells treated with Pitstop 2, a drug that specifically and reversibly interferes with the dynamics of clathrin-coated pits. Additionally, we show that CCHFV infection is inhibited by siRNA depletion of the clathrin pit associated protein AP-2. Following CME entry, we show that CCHFV has a pH-dependent entry step, with virus inactivation occurring at pH 6.0 and below. To more precisely define the endosomal trafficking of CCHFV, we show for the first time that overexpression of the dominant negative forms of Rab5 protein but not Rab7 protein inhibits CCHFV infection. These results indicate that CCHFV likely enters cells through the early endosomal compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aura R Garrison
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA
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Grant-Klein RJ, Van Deusen NM, Badger CV, Hannaman D, Dupuy LC, Schmaljohn CS. A multiagent filovirus DNA vaccine delivered by intramuscular electroporation completely protects mice from ebola and Marburg virus challenge. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2012; 8:1703-6. [PMID: 22922764 DOI: 10.4161/hv.21873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of DNA vaccines expressing the codon-optimized envelope glycoprotein genes of Zaire ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, and Marburg marburgvirus (Musoke and Ravn). Intramuscular or intradermal delivery of the vaccines in BALB/c mice was performed using the TriGrid™ electroporation device. Mice that received DNA vaccines against the individual viruses developed robust glycoprotein-specific antibody titers as determined by ELISA and survived lethal viral challenge with no display of clinical signs of infection. Survival curve analysis revealed there was a statistically significant increase in survival compared to the control groups for both the Ebola and Ravn virus challenges. These data suggest that further analysis of the immune responses generated in the mice and additional protection studies in nonhuman primates are warranted.
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Abstract
The US military has a long and highly distinguished record of developing effective vaccines against pathogens that threaten the armed forces. Many of these vaccines have also been of significant benefit to civilian populations around the world. The current requirements for force protection include vaccines against endemic disease threats as well as against biological warfare or bioterrorism agents, to include novel or genetically engineered threats. The cost of vaccine development and the modern regulatory requirements for licensing vaccines have strained the ability of the program to maintain this broad mission. Without innovative vaccine technologies, streamlined regulatory strategies, and coordinating efforts for use in civilian populations where appropriate, the military vaccine development program is in jeopardy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connie S Schmaljohn
- Office of the Senior Scientists, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD USA.
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Arrigo NC, Briese T, Calisher CH, Drebot MA, Hjelle B, LeDuc JW, Powers AM, Repik PM, Roehrig JT, Schmaljohn CS, Tesh RB, Weaver SC. Recommendations for publication of viral genetic data and sample access for novel viruses and strains. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2012; 86:189-91. [PMID: 22302845 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2012.11-0523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C Arrigo
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
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Koehler JW, Dupuy LC, Garrison AR, Beitzel BF, Richards MJ, Ripoll DR, Wallqvist A, Teh SY, Vaewhongs AA, Vojdani FS, Padgett HS, Schmaljohn CS. Novel plant-derived recombinant human interferons with broad spectrum antiviral activity. Antiviral Res 2011; 92:461-9. [PMID: 22020161 PMCID: PMC9628711 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2011.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 08/12/2011] [Revised: 09/27/2011] [Accepted: 10/07/2011] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Type I interferons (IFNs) are potent mediators of the innate immune response to viral infection. IFNs released from infected cells bind to a receptor (IFNAR) on neighboring cells, triggering signaling cascades that limit further infection. Subtle variations in amino acids can alter IFNAR binding and signaling outcomes. We used a new gene crossbreeding method to generate hybrid, type I human IFNs with enhanced antiviral activity against four dissimilar, highly pathogenic viruses. Approximately 1400 novel IFN genes were expressed in plants, and the resultant IFN proteins were screened for antiviral activity. Comparing the gene sequences of a final set of 12 potent IFNs to those of parent genes revealed strong selection pressures at numerous amino acids. Using three-dimensional models based on a recently solved experimental structure of IFN bound to IFNAR, we show that many but not all of the amino acids that were highly selected for are predicted to improve receptor binding.
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Key Words
- ifns, interferons
- ifnar, interferon-α receptor
- veev, venezuelan equine encephalitis virus
- rvfv, rift valley fever virus
- ebov, ebola virus
- mpxv, monkeypox virus
- grammr™, genetic reassortment by mismatch resolution
- bsa, bovine serum albumin
- gfp, green fluorescent protein
- pspp, protein structure prediction pipeline
- pdb, protein data bank
- type i interferons
- ebola virus
- rift valley fever virus
- venezuelan equine encephalitis virus
- monkeypox virus
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey W Koehler
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Virology Division, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
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Grant-Klein RJ, Altamura LA, Schmaljohn CS. Progress in recombinant DNA-derived vaccines for Lassa virus and filoviruses. Virus Res 2011; 162:148-61. [PMID: 21925552 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2011.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2011] [Revised: 09/01/2011] [Accepted: 09/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Developing vaccines for highly pathogenic viruses such as those causing Lassa, Ebola, and Marburg hemorrhagic fevers is a daunting task due to both scientific and logistical constraints. Scientific hurdles to overcome include poorly defined relationships between pathogenicity and protective immune responses, genetic diversity of viruses, and safety in a target population that includes a large number of individuals with compromised immune systems. Logistical obstacles include the requirement for biosafety level-4 containment to study the authentic viruses, the poor public health infrastructure of the endemic disease areas, and the cost of developing these vaccines for use in non-lucrative markets. Recombinant DNA-based vaccine approaches offer promise of overcoming some of these issues. In this review, we consider the status of various recombinant DNA candidate vaccines against Lassa virus and filoviruses which have been tested in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Grant-Klein
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
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Beitzel BF, Bakken RR, Smith JM, Schmaljohn CS. High-resolution functional mapping of the venezuelan equine encephalitis virus genome by insertional mutagenesis and massively parallel sequencing. PLoS Pathog 2010; 6:e1001146. [PMID: 20976195 PMCID: PMC2954836 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2010] [Accepted: 09/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We have developed a high-resolution genomic mapping technique that combines transposon-mediated insertional mutagenesis with either capillary electrophoresis or massively parallel sequencing to identify functionally important regions of the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) genome. We initially used a capillary electrophoresis method to gain insight into the role of the VEEV nonstructural protein 3 (nsP3) in viral replication. We identified several regions in nsP3 that are intolerant to small (15 bp) insertions, and thus are presumably functionally important. We also identified nine separate regions in nsP3 that will tolerate small insertions at low temperatures (30°C), but not at higher temperatures (37°C, and 40°C). Because we found this method to be extremely effective at identifying temperature sensitive (ts) mutations, but limited by capillary electrophoresis capacity, we replaced the capillary electrophoresis with massively parallel sequencing and used the improved method to generate a functional map of the entire VEEV genome. We identified several hundred potential ts mutations throughout the genome and we validated several of the mutations in nsP2, nsP3, E3, E2, E1 and capsid using single-cycle growth curve experiments with virus generated through reverse genetics. We further demonstrated that two of the nsP3 ts mutants were attenuated for virulence in mice but could elicit protective immunity against challenge with wild-type VEEV. The recombinant ts mutants will be valuable tools for further studies of VEEV replication and virulence. Moreover, the method that we developed is applicable for generating such tools for any virus with a robust reverse genetics system. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a New World Alphavirus that was first identified in Venezuela in 1938. VEEV normally circulates in rodent populations, but during outbreaks it can jump to horses and humans where it can cause debilitating and potentially fatal disease. There are currently no vaccines or antiviral agents against VEEV licensed for use in humans. In this study, we describe a technique that we have developed that allows for the rapid identification of viral mutants that can be useful for studying the basic biology of viral replication. These mutants can also be used to generate vaccines that protect against infection with wild-type virus. We demonstrate the utility of this technique by identifying over 200 mutations spread throughout VEEV genome that make the virus unable to replicate efficiently at higher temperatures (37°C or 40°C.) Furthermore, we show that two of the mutant viruses work as vaccines, and protect mice against lethal infection with VEEV. This technique can be applied to studying other viruses, and may allow for the rapid identification of numerous vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett F. Beitzel
- The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Russell R. Bakken
- The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey M. Smith
- The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Connie S. Schmaljohn
- The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Dupuy LC, Richards MJ, Reed DS, Schmaljohn CS. Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a DNA vaccine against Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus aerosol challenge in nonhuman primates. Vaccine 2010; 28:7345-50. [PMID: 20851089 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2010] [Revised: 08/18/2010] [Accepted: 09/01/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A study to evaluate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) DNA vaccine in an aerosol model of nonhuman primate infection was performed. Cynomolgus macaques vaccinated with a plasmid expressing the 26S structural genes of VEEV subtype IAB by particle-mediated epidermal delivery (PMED) developed virus-neutralizing antibodies. No serum viremia was detected in two out of three macaques vaccinated with the VEEV DNA after aerosol challenge with homologous virus, while one displayed a low viremia on a single day postchallenge. In contrast, all three macaques vaccinated with empty vector DNA developed a high viremia that persisted for at least 3 days after challenge. In addition, macaques vaccinated with the VEEV DNA had reduced febrile reactions, lymphopenia, and clinical signs of disease postchallenge as compared to negative control macaques. Therefore, although the sample size was small in this pilot study, these results indicate that a VEEV DNA vaccine administered by PMED can at least partially protect nonhuman primates against an aerosol VEEV challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley C Dupuy
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702-5011, USA.
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Abstract
Hantaviruses cause two human diseases thought to be immune-mediated: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). We recently reported that the nucleocapsid (N) protein of HFRS-causing Hantaan virus (HTNV) inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). Here we measured the ability of other hantaviral N proteins to similarly interfere with the inflammatory process of TNF-alpha. We found that like HTNV N, the N proteins of HFRS-causing Seoul and Dobrava viruses inhibited TNF-alpha activation of NF-kappaB and translocation of the NF-kappaB p65 subunit, but did not interfere with degradation of inhibitor of NF-kappaB (IkappaB). In contrast, the HFRS-causing Puumala virus and the HPS-causing Andes and Sin Nombre viruses did not prevent TNF-alpha activation of NF-kappaB or nuclear translocation of p65. These studies provide evidence that hantaviruses differ in their abilities to interfere with host innate immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon L Taylor
- Science & Technology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, USA
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Dupuy LC, Locher CP, Paidhungat M, Richards MJ, Lind CM, Bakken R, Parker MD, Whalen RG, Schmaljohn CS. Directed molecular evolution improves the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus DNA vaccine. Vaccine 2009; 27:4152-60. [PMID: 19406186 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.04.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2008] [Revised: 04/02/2009] [Accepted: 04/21/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
We employed directed molecular evolution to improve the cross-reactivity and immunogenicity of the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) envelope glycoproteins. The DNA encoding the E1 and E2 proteins from VEEV subtypes IA/B and IE, Mucambo virus (MUCV), and eastern and western equine encephalitis viruses (EEEV and WEEV) were recombined in vitro to create libraries of chimeric genes expressing variant envelope proteins. ELISAs specific for all five parent viruses were used in high-throughput screening to identify those recombinant DNAs that demonstrated cross-reactivity to VEEV, MUCV, EEEV, and WEEV after administration as plasmid vaccines in mice. Selected variants were then used to vaccinate larger cohorts of mice and their sera were assayed by both ELISA and by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Representative variants from a library in which the E1 gene from VEEV IA/B was held constant and only the E2 genes of the five parent viruses were recombined elicited significantly increased neutralizing antibody titers to VEEV IA/B compared to the parent DNA vaccine and provided improved protection against aerosol VEEV IA/B challenge. Our results indicate that it is possible to improve the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of alphavirus DNA vaccines using directed molecular evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley C Dupuy
- Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
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49
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Chung DH, Kumarapperuma SC, Sun Y, Li Q, Chu YK, Arterburn JB, Parker WB, Smith J, Spik K, Ramanathan HN, Schmaljohn CS, Jonsson CB. Synthesis of 1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-3-ethynyl-[1,2,4]triazole and its in vitro and in vivo efficacy against Hantavirus. Antiviral Res 2008; 79:19-27. [PMID: 18394724 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2008.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2007] [Revised: 02/19/2008] [Accepted: 02/20/2008] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
There are no FDA approved drugs for the treatment of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), a serious human illnesses caused by hantaviruses. Clinical studies using ribavirin (RBV) to treat HFRS patients suggest that it provides an improved prognosis when given early in the course of disease. Given the unique antiviral activity of RBV and the lack of other lead scaffolds, we prepared a diverse series of 3-substituted 1,2,4-triazole-beta-ribosides and identified one with antiviral activity, 1-beta-d-ribofuranosyl-3-ethynyl-[1,2,4]triazole (ETAR). ETAR showed an EC(50) value of 10 and 4.4 microM for Hantaan virus (HTNV) and Andes virus, respectively. ETAR had weak activity against Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, but had no activity against Rift Valley fever virus. Intraperitoneally delivered ETAR offered protection to suckling mice challenged with HTNV with a approximately 25% survival at 12.5 and 25mg/kg ETAR, and a MTD of 17.1+/-0.7 days. ETAR was phosphorylated in Vero E6 cells to its 5'-triphosphate and reduced cellular GTP levels. In contrast to RBV, ETAR did not increase mutation frequency of the HTNV genome, which suggests it has a different mechanism of action than RBV. ETAR is an exciting and promising lead compound that will be elaborated in further synthetic investigations as a framework for the rational design of new antivirals for treatment of HFRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Hoon Chung
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA
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Abstract
This virus is antigenically and phylogenetically distinct from rodent-borne hantaviruses. Thottapalayam virus (TPMV) has been placed in the genus Hantavirus of the family Bunyaviridae by virtue of its morphologic features and overall genetic similarities to well-characterized rodentborne hantaviruses. This virus has been isolated from the Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus); however, whether TPMV is naturally harbored by an insectivore host or represents spillover from a rodent reservoir host is unknown. Our analysis of published and unpublished data on the experimental host range, genetics, and molecular phylogeny of TPMV supports coevolution of TPMV with its nonrodent reservoir host. Future studies on the epizootiology of TPMV and investigations of new shrewborne hantaviruses will provide additional insights into the evolutionary origin of hantaviruses in their rodent and insectivore reservoir hosts. Such investigations may also provide clues about determinants of hantavirus pathogenicity and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Won Song
- Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
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