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Shrivastava S, Agnememel AB, Ndungo E, Islam D, Liang Y, Frenck RW, Pasetti MF. Oral immunization with Shigella sonnei WRSs2 and WRSs3 vaccine strains elicits systemic and mucosal antibodies with functional anti-microbial activity. mSphere 2024; 9:e0041923. [PMID: 38132716 PMCID: PMC10826362 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00419-23] [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: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Shigella causes bacillary dysentery and is responsible for a high burden of disease globally. Several studies have emphasized the value of functional antibody activity to understand Shigella immunity and correlates of protection. The anti-microbial function of local (mucosal) antibodies and their contribution to preventing Shigella infection remain unknown. The goal of this study was to identify the functional humoral immune effectors elicited by two Shigella sonnei live oral vaccine candidates, WRSs2 and WRSs3. Complement-dependent bactericidal [serum bactericidal antibody (SBA)/bactericidal antibody (BA)] and opsonophagocytic killing antibody (OPKA) activity were determined in sera and stool extracts as indicators of systemic and local anti-microbial immunity. High levels of SBA/BA and OPKA were detected in serum as well as in fecal extracts from volunteers who received a single dose of WRSs2 and WRSs3. Functional antibody activity peaked on days 10 and 14 post-vaccination in fecal and serum samples, respectively. Bactericidal and OPKA titers were closely associated. Peak fold rises in functional antibody titers in serum and fecal extracts were also associated. Antibody activity interrogated in IgG and IgA purified from stool fractions identified IgG as the primary driver of mucosal bactericidal and OPKA activity, with minimal functional activity of IgA alone, highlighting an underappreciated role for IgG in bacterial clearance in the mucosa. The combination of IgG and IgA in equal proportions enhanced bactericidal and OPKA titers hinting at a co-operative or synergistic action. Our findings provide insight into the functional anti-microbial capacity of vaccine-induced mucosal IgG and IgA and propose an operative local humoral effector of protective immunity.IMPORTANCEThere is an urgent need for a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine against Shigella. Understanding the immunological underpinning of Shigella infection and the make-up of protective immunity is critical to achieve the best approach to prevent illness caused by this mucosal pathogen. We measured the complement-dependent bactericidal and opsonophagocytic antibody killing in serum and stool extracts from adult volunteers vaccinated with Shigella sonnei live oral vaccine candidates WRSs2 and WRSs3. For the first time, we detected functional antibody responses in stool samples that were correlated with those in sera. Using purified stool IgA and IgG fractions, we found that functional activity was mediated by IgG, with some help from IgA. These findings provide insight into the functional anti-microbial capacity of vaccine-induced mucosal IgG and IgA and support future studies to identify potential markers of protective mucosal immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shikha Shrivastava
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Alain B. Agnememel
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Esther Ndungo
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dilara Islam
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Yuanyuan Liang
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Robert W. Frenck
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Marcela F. Pasetti
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Desalegn G, Tamilselvi CS, Lemme-Dumit JM, Heine SJ, Dunn D, Ndungo E, Kapoor N, Oaks EV, Fairman J, Pasetti MF. Shigella virulence protein VirG is a broadly protective antigen and vaccine candidate. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:2. [PMID: 38167387 PMCID: PMC10761965 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00797-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Diarrhea caused by Shigella has been associated with high morbidity and mortality in young children worldwide. There are no licensed vaccines, and those clinically advanced have restricted coverage as they elicit serotype-specific immunity while disease is caused by multiple circulating serotypes. Our group had previously reported a close association between serum antibodies to the Shigella virulence factor VirG (or IcsA) and clinical protection in infected individuals. VirG is highly conserved among Shigella strains and appealing as a broad-spectrum vaccine candidate. In this study, we investigated the immunogenicity and protective capacity of VirG as a subunit vaccine in mice. The surface-exposed alpha (α) domain of VirG (VirGα) was produced as a recombinant protein. This region has almost identical immune reactivity to full-length VirG. Administered intramuscularly with alum, VirGα elicited robust immune responses and high protective efficacy against S. flexneri 2a and S. sonnei. Almost complete protection was afforded by VirGα given intranasally with the E. coli double mutant heat-labile toxin (dmLT). VirGα-specific antibodies recognized VirG expressed on live Shigella, and blocked Shigella adhesion and invasion to human colonic cells. These results show for the first time that VirGα is a promising cross-protective vaccine candidate to prevent Shigella infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Girmay Desalegn
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Chitradevi S Tamilselvi
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Jose M Lemme-Dumit
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Shannon J Heine
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Dylan Dunn
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Esther Ndungo
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Neeraj Kapoor
- Vaxcyte, Inc., 825 Industrial Road, San Carlos, CA, 94070, USA
| | - Edwin V Oaks
- Patuxent Research and Consulting Group, 3106 Arrowhead Farm Rd, Gambrills, MD, 21054, USA
| | - Jeff Fairman
- Vaxcyte, Inc., 825 Industrial Road, San Carlos, CA, 94070, USA
| | - Marcela F Pasetti
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
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Desalegn G, Kapoor N, Pill-Pepe L, Bautista L, Yin L, Ndungo E, Oaks EV, Fairman J, Pasetti MF. A Novel Shigella O-Polysaccharide-IpaB Conjugate Vaccine Elicits Robust Antibody Responses and Confers Protection against Multiple Shigella Serotypes. mSphere 2023:e0001923. [PMID: 37017547 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00019-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Shigella is responsible for high burdens of diarrhea and dysentery globally. Children living in areas of endemicity are the most affected, and currently, there are no licensed vaccines to prevent shigellosis. Vaccine approaches have traditionally targeted the bacterial lipopolysaccharide as a protective antigen. Shigella O-polysaccharide (OPS) conjugated to recombinant Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (rEPA) or tetanus toxoid (TT) is advanced in clinical evaluation. Adequate efficacy of these vaccines, particularly in the infant target group, remains to be demonstrated. A major limitation of the OPS-glycoconjugate concept is its limited coverage, since immunity to the O antigen is serotype specific, and there are multiple disease-causing serotypes. Another concern is the use of protein carriers already included in multiple other childhood vaccines. This study reports a novel Shigella OPS conjugate vaccine that uses the Shigella invasion plasmid antigen B (IpaB) as the carrier protein. IpaB is a virulence factor component of the Shigella type III secretion system and highly conserved among Shigella serotypes. It is robustly immunogenic and a protective antigen. IpaB and IpaB containing nonnative amino acids (nnAA) were produced at large scale using cell-free protein synthesis. Incorporation of nnAA enabled site-specific conjugation of IpaB to Shigella flexneri 2a OPS using click chemistry, yielding OPS-IpaB glycoconjugate. Parenteral immunization of mice with the OPS-IpaB vaccine resulted in high levels of OPS- and IpaB-specific serum IgG and robust protection against lethal S. flexneri 2a or Shigella sonnei challenge. The OPS-IpaB vaccine is a promising new vaccine candidate with the capacity to confer broad protection against clinically relevant Shigella serotypes. IMPORTANCE Diarrhea caused by Shigella species results in long-term disability and mortality globally, disproportionally affecting younger children living in poor countries. Although it is treatable by antibiotics, the rapid and widespread emergence of resistant strains and the highly contagious nature of the disease compel the development of preventive tools. Currently, several Shigella OPS conjugate vaccines are being evaluated in clinical studies, but these rely exclusively on immunity against the bacterial O antigen, which limits their coverage to only the immunizing serotype; multivalent vaccines are needed to protect against the most prevalent serotypes. This is the first report of a novel Shigella OPS-conjugate vaccine that uses Shigella IpaB as a carrier and protective antigen. This vaccine, administered parenterally, elicited robust immunity and protected mice against lethal infection by S. flexneri 2a or S. sonnei. The OPS-IpaB vaccine is a promising candidate for evaluation in vulnerable populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Girmay Desalegn
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | - Lu Yin
- Vaxcyte, Inc., San Carlos, California, USA
| | - Esther Ndungo
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Edwin V Oaks
- Patuxent Research and Consulting Group, Gambrills, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Marcela F Pasetti
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Bernshtein B, Ndungo E, Cizmeci D, Xu P, Kováč P, Kelly M, Islam D, Ryan ET, Kotloff KL, Pasetti MF, Alter G. Systems approach to define humoral correlates of immunity to Shigella. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111216. [PMID: 35977496 PMCID: PMC9396529 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Shigella infection is the second leading cause of death due to diarrheal disease in young children worldwide. With the rise of antibiotic resistance, initiatives to design and deploy a safe and effective Shigella vaccine are urgently needed. However, efforts to date have been hindered by the limited understanding of immunological correlates of protection against shigellosis. We applied systems serology to perform a comprehensive analysis of Shigella-specific antibody responses in sera obtained from volunteers before and after experimental infection with S. flexneri 2a in a series of controlled human challenge studies. Polysaccharide-specific antibody responses are infrequent prior to infection and evolve concomitantly with disease severity. In contrast, pre-existing antibody responses to type 3 secretion system proteins, particularly IpaB, consistently associate with clinical protection from disease. Linked to particular Fc-receptor binding patterns, IpaB-specific antibodies leverage neutrophils and monocytes, and complement and strongly associate with protective immunity. IpaB antibody-mediated functions improve with a subsequent rechallenge resulting in complete clinical protection. Collectively, our systems serological analyses indicate protein-specific functional correlates of immunity against Shigella in humans. Serological profiling of Shigella human challenge studies indicates protective markers Pre-existing IpaB-specific functional antibodies associate with less severe disease OPS immune responses post challenge are linked to less severe disease Shigella rechallenge boosts IpaB but not OPS functional antibody responses
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Esther Ndungo
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Deniz Cizmeci
- Ragon Institute of MGH, Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Peng Xu
- NIDDK, LBC, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Pavol Kováč
- NIDDK, LBC, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Meagan Kelly
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dilara Islam
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Edward T Ryan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Karen L Kotloff
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marcela F Pasetti
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Galit Alter
- Ragon Institute of MGH, Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Ndungo E, Andronescu LR, Buchwald AG, Lemme-Dumit JM, Mawindo P, Kapoor N, Fairman J, Laufer MK, Pasetti MF. Repertoire of Naturally Acquired Maternal Antibodies Transferred to Infants for Protection Against Shigellosis. Front Immunol 2021; 12:725129. [PMID: 34721387 PMCID: PMC8554191 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.725129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Shigella is the second leading cause of diarrheal diseases, accounting for >200,000 infections and >50,000 deaths in children under 5 years of age annually worldwide. The incidence of Shigella-induced diarrhea is relatively low during the first year of life and increases substantially, reaching its peak between 11 to 24 months of age. This epidemiological trend hints at an early protective immunity of maternal origin and an increase in disease incidence when maternally acquired immunity wanes. The magnitude, type, antigenic diversity, and antimicrobial activity of maternal antibodies transferred via placenta that can prevent shigellosis during early infancy are not known. To address this knowledge gap, Shigella-specific antibodies directed against the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and virulence factors (IpaB, IpaC, IpaD, IpaH, and VirG), and antibody-mediated serum bactericidal (SBA) and opsonophagocytic killing antibody (OPKA) activity were measured in maternal and cord blood sera from a longitudinal cohort of mother-infant pairs living in rural Malawi. Protein-specific (very high levels) and Shigella LPS IgG were detected in maternal and cord blood sera; efficiency of placental transfer was 100% and 60%, respectively, and had preferential IgG subclass distribution (protein-specific IgG1 > LPS-specific IgG2). In contrast, SBA and OPKA activity in cord blood was substantially lower as compared to maternal serum and varied among Shigella serotypes. LPS was identified as the primary target of SBA and OPKA activity. Maternal sera had remarkably elevated Shigella flexneri 2a LPS IgM, indicative of recent exposure. Our study revealed a broad repertoire of maternally acquired antibodies in infants living in a Shigella-endemic region and highlights the abundance of protein-specific antibodies and their likely contribution to disease prevention during the first months of life. These results contribute new knowledge on maternal infant immunity and target antigens that can inform the development of vaccines or therapeutics that can extend protection after maternally transferred immunity wanes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Ndungo
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Liana R Andronescu
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Andrea G Buchwald
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jose M Lemme-Dumit
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Patricia Mawindo
- Blantyre Malaria Project, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | | | | | - Miriam K Laufer
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Marcela F Pasetti
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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6
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Abstract
The development, clinical advancement and licensure of vaccines, and monitoring of vaccine effectiveness could be expedited and simplified by the ability to measure immunological endpoints that can predict a favorable clinical outcome. Antigen-specific and functional antibodies have been described in the context of naturally acquired immunity and vaccination against Shigella, and their presence in serum has been associated with reduced risk of disease in human subjects. The relevance of these antibodies as correlates of protective immunity, their mechanistic contribution to protection (e.g. target antigens, interference with pathogenesis, and participation in microbial clearance), and factors that influence their magnitude and makeup (e.g. host age, health condition, and environment) are important considerations that need to be explored. In addition to facilitating vaccine evaluation, immunological correlates of protection could be useful for identifying groups at risk and advancing immune therapies. Herein we discuss the precedent and value of functional antibodies as immunological endpoints to predict vaccine efficacy and the relevance of functional antibody activity to evaluate protective immunity against shigellosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Ndungo
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marcela F Pasetti
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Ndungo E, Randall A, Hazen TH, Kania DA, Trappl-Kimmons K, Liang X, Barry EM, Kotloff KL, Chakraborty S, Mani S, Rasko DA, Pasetti MF. A Novel Shigella Proteome Microarray Discriminates Targets of Human Antibody Reactivity following Oral Vaccination and Experimental Challenge. mSphere 2018; 3:e00260-18. [PMID: 30068560 PMCID: PMC6070737 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00260-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Shigella spp. are a major cause of diarrhea and dysentery in children under 5 years old in the developing world. The development of an effective vaccine remains a public health priority, necessitating improved understanding of immune responses to Shigella and identification of protective antigens. We report the development of a core Shigella proteome microarray consisting of 2,133 antigen targets common to all Shigella species. We evaluated the microarray with serum samples from volunteers immunized with either an inactivated whole-cell S. flexneri serotype 2a (Sf2aWC) vaccine or a live attenuated S. flexneri 2a vaccine strain (CVD 1204) or challenged with wild-type S. flexneri 2a (Sf2a challenge). Baseline reactivities to most antigens were detected postintervention in all three groups. Similar immune profiles were observed after CVD 1204 vaccination and Sf2a challenge. Antigens with the largest increases in mean reactivity postintervention were members of the type three secretion system (T3SS), some of which are regarded as promising vaccine targets: these are the invasion plasmid antigens (Ipas) IpaB, IpaC, and IpaD. In addition, new immunogenic targets (IpaA, IpaH, and SepA) were identified. Importantly, immunoreactivities to antigens in the microarray correlated well with antibody titers determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), validating the use of the microarray platform. Finally, our analysis uncovered an immune signature consisting of three conserved proteins (IpaA, IpaB, and IpaC) that was predictive of protection against shigellosis. In conclusion, the Shigella proteome microarray is a robust platform for interrogating serological reactivity to multiple antigens at once and identifying novel targets for the development of broadly protective vaccines.IMPORTANCE Each year, more than 180 million cases of severe diarrhea caused by Shigella occur globally. Those affected (mostly children in poor regions) experience long-term sequelae that severely impair quality of life. Without a licensed vaccine, the burden of disease represents a daunting challenge. An improved understanding of immune responses to Shigella is necessary to support ongoing efforts to identify a safe and effective vaccine. We developed a microarray containing >2,000 proteins common to all Shigella species. Using sera from human adults who received a killed whole-cell or live attenuated vaccine or were experimentally challenged with virulent organisms, we identified new immune-reactive antigens and defined a T3SS protein signature associated with clinical protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Ndungo
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Arlo Randall
- Antigen Discovery, Inc., Irvine, California, USA
| | - Tracy H Hazen
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dane A Kania
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Xiaowu Liang
- Antigen Discovery, Inc., Irvine, California, USA
| | - Eileen M Barry
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Karen L Kotloff
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Subhra Chakraborty
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - David A Rasko
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Marcela F Pasetti
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Ng M, Ndungo E, Kaczmarek ME, Herbert AS, Binger T, Kuehne AI, Jangra RK, Hawkins JA, Gifford RJ, Biswas R, Demogines A, James RM, Yu M, Brummelkamp TR, Drosten C, Wang LF, Kuhn JH, Müller MA, Dye JM, Sawyer SL, Chandran K. Filovirus receptor NPC1 contributes to species-specific patterns of ebolavirus susceptibility in bats. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 26698106 PMCID: PMC4709267 DOI: 10.7554/elife.11785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [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] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological factors that influence the host range and spillover of Ebola virus (EBOV) and other filoviruses remain enigmatic. While filoviruses infect diverse mammalian cell lines, we report that cells from African straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) are refractory to EBOV infection. This could be explained by a single amino acid change in the filovirus receptor, NPC1, which greatly reduces the affinity of EBOV-NPC1 interaction. We found signatures of positive selection in bat NPC1 concentrated at the virus-receptor interface, with the strongest signal at the same residue that controls EBOV infection in Eidolon helvum cells. Our work identifies NPC1 as a genetic determinant of filovirus susceptibility in bats, and suggests that some NPC1 variations reflect host adaptations to reduce filovirus replication and virulence. A single viral mutation afforded escape from receptor control, revealing a pathway for compensatory viral evolution and a potential avenue for expansion of filovirus host range in nature. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.11785.001 Ebola virus and other filoviruses can cause devastating diseases in humans and other apes. Numerous small outbreaks of Ebola virus disease have occurred in Africa over the past 40 years. However, in 2013–2015, the largest outbreak on record took place in three Western African nations with no previous history of the disease. Human outbreaks of Ebola virus disease likely begin when a person encounters an infected wild animal. Though it remains unclear precisely which animals harbor Ebola virus between outbreaks, and how they transmit the virus to humans or other primates, recent work showed that some filoviruses do infect specific types of bats in nature. Ng, Ndungo, Kaczmarek et al. sought to identify the genes that influence whether or not a type of bat is susceptible to infection by Ebola virus and other filoviruses. Several filoviruses, including Ebola virus, were tested to see if they could infect cells that had been collected from four types of African fruit bats. These bats are all found in areas where outbreaks have occurred in the past. The tests revealed that a small change in the sequence of the NPC1 gene in some bat cells greatly reduced their susceptibility to Ebola virus. NPC1 encodes a protein that mammals need in order to move cholesterol within their cells. In humans, the loss of the protein encoded by NPC1 causes a rare but very severe disease called Niemann-Pick type C disease. This protein also turns out to be a receptor that the filoviruses must bind to before they can infect the cells. Further analysis then revealed that NPC1 has evolved rapidly in bats, with changes concentrated in the parts of the receptor that interact with Ebola virus. Ng, Ndungo, Kaczmarek et al. went on to discover some changes in the genome sequence of Ebola virus that could compensate for the changes in the bat’s NPC1 gene. These findings hint at one way that a filovirus could evolve to better infect a host with receptors that were less than optimal. Following on from this work, the next challenges will be to expand the investigation to include additional types of bats, other types of mammals, and other host genes that could influence filovirus infection and disease. Further studies could also examine the other side of the arms race – that is, the evolution of viral genes in bats. However, such studies would be complicated by the lack of viral sequences that have been collected from bats, because to date most have been isolated from humans and other primates instead. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.11785.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Ng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, United States
| | - Esther Ndungo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, United States
| | - Maria E Kaczmarek
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - Andrew S Herbert
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, United States
| | - Tabea Binger
- Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ana I Kuehne
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, United States
| | - Rohit K Jangra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, United States
| | - John A Hawkins
- Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - Robert J Gifford
- University of Glasgow MRC Virology Unit, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Rohan Biswas
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, United States
| | - Ann Demogines
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - Rebekah M James
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, United States
| | - Meng Yu
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, , Singapore
| | | | - Christian Drosten
- Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany.,German Centre for Infectious Diseases Research, Bonn, Germany
| | - Lin-Fa Wang
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, , Singapore
| | - Jens H Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, United States
| | - Marcel A Müller
- Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - John M Dye
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, United States
| | - Sara L Sawyer
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States.,BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, United States.,Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, United States
| | - Kartik Chandran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, United States
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Basu A, Mills DM, Mitchell D, Ndungo E, Williams JD, Herbert AS, Dye JM, Moir DT, Chandran K, Patterson JL, Rong L, Bowlin TL. Novel Small Molecule Entry Inhibitors of Ebola Virus. J Infect Dis 2015. [PMID: 26206510 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiv223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The current Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak has highlighted the troubling absence of available antivirals or vaccines to treat infected patients and stop the spread of EBOV. The EBOV glycoprotein (GP) plays critical roles in the early stage of virus infection, including receptor binding and membrane fusion, making it a potential target for the development of anti-EBOV drugs. We report the identification of 2 novel EBOV inhibitors targeting viral entry. METHODS To identify small molecule inhibitors of EBOV entry, we carried out a cell-based high-throughput screening using human immunodeficiency virus-based pseudotyped viruses expressing EBOV-GP. Two compounds were identified, and mechanism-of-action studies were performed using immunoflourescence, AlphaLISA, and enzymatic assays for cathepsin B inhibition. RESULTS We report the identification of 2 novel entry inhibitors. These inhibitors (1) inhibit EBOV infection (50% inhibitory concentration, approximately 0.28 and approximately 10 µmol/L) at a late stage of entry, (2) induce Niemann-Pick C phenotype, and (3) inhibit GP-Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) protein interaction. CONCLUSIONS We have identified 2 novel EBOV inhibitors, MBX2254 and MBX2270, that can serve as starting points for the development of an anti-EBOV therapeutic agent. Our findings also highlight the importance of NPC1-GP interaction in EBOV entry and the attractiveness of NPC1 as an antifiloviral therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnab Basu
- Microbiotix, Inc, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | | | | | - Esther Ndungo
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | | | - Andrew S Herbert
- Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland
| | - John M Dye
- Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland
| | | | | | | | - Lijun Rong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago
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Ng M, Ndungo E, Jangra RK, Cai Y, Postnikova E, Radoshitzky SR, Dye JM, Ramírez de Arellano E, Negredo A, Palacios G, Kuhn JH, Chandran K. Cell entry by a novel European filovirus requires host endosomal cysteine proteases and Niemann-Pick C1. Virology 2014; 468-470:637-646. [PMID: 25310500 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2014.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [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: 07/06/2014] [Revised: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Lloviu virus (LLOV), a phylogenetically divergent filovirus, is the proposed etiologic agent of die-offs of Schreibers's long-fingered bats (Miniopterus schreibersii) in western Europe. Studies of LLOV remain limited because the infectious agent has not yet been isolated. Here, we generated a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing the LLOV spike glycoprotein (GP) and used it to show that LLOV GP resembles other filovirus GP proteins in structure and function. LLOV GP must be cleaved by endosomal cysteine proteases during entry, but is much more protease-sensitive than EBOV GP. The EBOV/MARV receptor, Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), is also required for LLOV entry, and its second luminal domain is recognized with high affinity by a cleaved form of LLOV GP, suggesting that receptor binding would not impose a barrier to LLOV infection of humans and non-human primates. The use of NPC1 as an intracellular entry receptor may be a universal property of filoviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Ng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, United States
| | - Esther Ndungo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, United States
| | - Rohit K Jangra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, United States
| | - Yingyun Cai
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD 21702, United States
| | - Elena Postnikova
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD 21702, United States
| | - Sheli R Radoshitzky
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, United States
| | - John M Dye
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, United States
| | | | - Ana Negredo
- National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220 Madrid, Spain
| | - Gustavo Palacios
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, United States
| | - Jens H Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD 21702, United States
| | - Kartik Chandran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, United States.
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Krishnan A, Miller EH, Herbert AS, Ng M, Ndungo E, Whelan SP, Dye JM, Chandran K. Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1)/NPC1-like1 chimeras define sequences critical for NPC1's function as a flovirus entry receptor. Viruses 2012. [PMID: 23202491 PMCID: PMC3509659 DOI: 10.3390/v4112471] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We recently demonstrated that Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), a ubiquitous 13-pass cellular membrane protein involved in lysosomal cholesterol transport, is a critical entry receptor for filoviruses. Here we show that Niemann-Pick C1-like1 (NPC1L1), an NPC1 paralog and hepatitis C virus entry factor, lacks filovirus receptor activity. We exploited the structural similarity between NPC1 and NPC1L1 to construct and analyze a panel of chimeras in which NPC1L1 sequences were replaced with cognate sequences from NPC1. Only one chimera, NPC1L1 containing the second luminal domain (C) of NPC1 in place of its own, bound to the viral glycoprotein, GP. This engineered protein mediated authentic filovirus infection nearly as well as wild-type NPC1, and more efficiently than did a minimal NPC1 domain C-based receptor recently described by us. A reciprocal chimera, NPC1 containing NPC1L1’s domain C, was completely inactive. Remarkably, an intra-domain NPC1L1-NPC1 chimera bearing only a ~130-amino acid N–terminal region of NPC1 domain C could confer substantial viral receptor activity on NPC1L1. Taken together, these findings account for the failure of NPC1L1 to serve as a filovirus receptor, highlight the central role of the luminal domain C of NPC1 in filovirus entry, and reveal the direct involvement of N–terminal domain C sequences in NPC1’s function as a filovirus receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuja Krishnan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (A.K.), (E.M.), (M.N.), (E.N.)
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase III, New Delhi 110020, India;
| | - Emily Happy Miller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (A.K.), (E.M.), (M.N.), (E.N.)
| | - Andrew S. Herbert
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter St, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA; (A.H.), (J.D.)
| | - Melinda Ng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (A.K.), (E.M.), (M.N.), (E.N.)
| | - Esther Ndungo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (A.K.), (E.M.), (M.N.), (E.N.)
| | - Sean P. Whelan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, 200 Longwood Ave, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - John M. Dye
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter St, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA; (A.H.), (J.D.)
| | - Kartik Chandran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (A.K.), (E.M.), (M.N.), (E.N.)
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; (K.C.); Tel.: +1-718-430-8851
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Miller EH, Obernosterer G, Raaben M, Herbert AS, Deffieu MS, Krishnan A, Ndungo E, Sandesara RG, Carette JE, Kuehne AI, Ruthel G, Pfeffer SR, Dye JM, Whelan SP, Brummelkamp TR, Chandran K. Ebola virus entry requires the host-programmed recognition of an intracellular receptor. EMBO J 2012; 31:1947-60. [PMID: 22395071 DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2012.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 255] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2011] [Accepted: 02/03/2012] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ebola and Marburg filoviruses cause deadly outbreaks of haemorrhagic fever. Despite considerable efforts, no essential cellular receptors for filovirus entry have been identified. We showed previously that Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), a lysosomal cholesterol transporter, is required for filovirus entry. Here, we demonstrate that NPC1 is a critical filovirus receptor. Human NPC1 fulfills a cardinal property of viral receptors: it confers susceptibility to filovirus infection when expressed in non-permissive reptilian cells. The second luminal domain of NPC1 binds directly and specifically to the viral glycoprotein, GP, and a synthetic single-pass membrane protein containing this domain has viral receptor activity. Purified NPC1 binds only to a cleaved form of GP that is generated within cells during entry, and only viruses containing cleaved GP can utilize a receptor retargeted to the cell surface. Our findings support a model in which GP cleavage by endosomal cysteine proteases unmasks the binding site for NPC1, and GP-NPC1 engagement within lysosomes promotes a late step in entry proximal to viral escape into the host cytoplasm. NPC1 is the first known viral receptor that recognizes its ligand within an intracellular compartment and not at the plasma membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Happy Miller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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Wolfrum C, Howell JJ, Ndungo E, Stoffel M. Foxa2 Activity Increases Plasma High Density Lipoprotein Levels by Regulating Apolipoprotein M. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:16940-9. [DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m801930200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
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