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Chumbe A, Urbanowicz RA, Sliepen K, Koekkoek SM, Molenkamp R, Tarr AW, Ball JK, Schinkel J, van Gils MJ. Optimization of the pseudoparticle system for standardized assessments of neutralizing antibodies against hepatitis C virus. J Gen Virol 2022; 103. [PMID: 36399377 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A better understanding of the antibody response during natural infection and the effect on disease progression and reinfection is necessary for the development of a protective hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine. The HCV pseudoparticle (HCVpp) system enables the study of viral entry and inhibition by antibody neutralization. A robust and comparable neutralization assay is crucial for the development and evaluation of experimental vaccines.With the aim of optimizing the HCVpp-murine leukaemia virus (MLV) system, we tested the neutralization of HCVpp-harbouring E1E2 from 21 HCV isolates representing 6 different genotypes by several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). HCVpps are generated by expressing functional envelope glycoproteins (E1E2) onto pseudoparticles derived from env-deleted MLV. Adjustments of E1E2, gag-pol and luciferase plasmid ratios resulted in increased yields for most HCVpps and recovery of one non-infectious HCVpp. We simplified and improved the protocol to achieve higher signal/noise ratios and minimized the amount of HCVpps and mAbs needed for the detection of neutralization. Using our optimized protocol, we demonstrated comparable results to previously reported data with both diluted and freeze-thawed HCVpps.In conclusion, we successfully established a simplified and reproducible HCVpp neutralization protocol for studying a wide range of HCV variants. This simplified protocol provides highly consistent results and could be easily adopted by others to evaluate precious biological material. This will contribute to a better understanding of the antibody response during natural infection and help evaluate experimental HCV vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Chumbe
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
| | - Kwinten Sliepen
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sylvie M Koekkoek
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Janke Schinkel
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marit J van Gils
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Martynova E, Rizvanov A, Urbanowicz RA, Khaiboullina S. Inflammasome Contribution to the Activation of Th1, Th2, and Th17 Immune Responses. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:851835. [PMID: 35369454 PMCID: PMC8969514 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.851835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [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: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammasomes are cytosolic polyprotein complexes formed in response to various external and internal stimuli, including viral and bacterial antigens. The main product of the inflammasome is active caspase 1 which proteolytically cleaves, releasing functional interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-18 (IL-18). These cytokines play a central role in shaping immune response to pathogens. In this review, we will focus on the mechanisms of inflammasome activation, as well as their role in development of Th1, Th2, and Th17 lymphocytes. The contribution of cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, and IL-33, products of activated inflammasomes, are summarized. Additionally, the role of cytokines released from tissue cells in promoting differentiation of lymphocyte populations is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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3
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Salas JH, Urbanowicz RA, Guest JD, Frumento N, Figueroa A, Clark KE, Keck Z, Cowton VM, Cole SJ, Patel AH, Fuerst TR, Drummer HE, Major M, Tarr AW, Ball JK, Law M, Pierce BG, Foung SKH, Bailey JR. An Antigenically Diverse, Representative Panel of Envelope Glycoproteins for Hepatitis C Virus Vaccine Development. Gastroenterology 2022; 162:562-574. [PMID: 34655573 PMCID: PMC8792218 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2021.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Development of a prophylactic hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine will require accurate and reproducible measurement of neutralizing breadth of vaccine-induced antibodies. Currently available HCV panels may not adequately represent the genetic and antigenic diversity of circulating HCV strains, and the lack of standardization of these panels makes it difficult to compare neutralization results obtained in different studies. Here, we describe the selection and validation of a genetically and antigenically diverse reference panel of 15 HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpps) for neutralization assays. METHODS We chose 75 envelope (E1E2) clones to maximize representation of natural polymorphisms observed in circulating HCV isolates, and 65 of these clones generated functional HCVpps. Neutralization sensitivity of these HCVpps varied widely. HCVpps clustered into 15 distinct groups based on patterns of relative sensitivity to 7 broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. We used these data to select a final panel of 15 antigenically representative HCVpps. RESULTS Both the 65 and 15 HCVpp panels span 4 tiers of neutralization sensitivity, and neutralizing breadth measurements for 7 broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies were nearly equivalent using either panel. Differences in neutralization sensitivity between HCVpps were independent of genetic distances between E1E2 clones. CONCLUSIONS Neutralizing breadth of HCV antibodies should be defined using viruses spanning multiple tiers of neutralization sensitivity rather than panels selected solely for genetic diversity. We propose that this multitier reference panel could be adopted as a standard for the measurement of neutralizing antibody potency and breadth, facilitating meaningful comparisons of neutralization results from vaccine studies in different laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan H Salas
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Johnathan D Guest
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Nicole Frumento
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alexis Figueroa
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Kaitlyn E Clark
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Zhenyong Keck
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Vanessa M Cowton
- Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah J Cole
- Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Arvind H Patel
- Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas R Fuerst
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Heidi E Drummer
- Viral Entry and Vaccines Group, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Marian Major
- Division of Viral Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Mansun Law
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Brian G Pierce
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Steven K H Foung
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Justin R Bailey
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
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Davidyuk YN, Kabwe E, Shamsutdinov AF, Knyazeva AV, Martynova EV, Ismagilova RK, Trifonov VA, Savitskaya TA, Isaeva GS, Urbanowicz RA, Khaiboullina SF, Rizvanov AA, Morzunov SP. The Distribution of Puumala orthohantavirus Genome Variants Correlates with the Regional Landscapes in the Trans-Kama Area of the Republic of Tatarstan. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10091169. [PMID: 34578200 PMCID: PMC8471081 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10091169] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In the European part of Russia, the highest number of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) cases are registered in the Volga Federal District (VFD), which includes the Republic of Tatarstan (RT). Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) is the main causative agent of HFRS identified in the RT. The goal of the current study is to analyze the genetic variations of the PUUV strains and possible presence of chimeric and reassortant variants among the PUUV strains circulating in bank vole populations in the Trans-Kama area of the RT. Complete S segment CDS as well as partial M and L segment coding nucleotide sequences were obtained from 40 PUUV-positive bank voles and used for the analysis. We found that all PUUV strains belonged to RUS genetic lineage and clustered in two subclades corresponding to the Western and Eastern Trans-Kama geographic areas. PUUV strains from Western Trans-Kama were related to the previously identified strain from Teteevo in the Pre-Kama area. It can be suggested that the PUUV strains were introduced to the Teteevo area as a result of the bank voles’ migration from Western Trans-Kama. It also appears that physical obstacles, including rivers, could be overcome by migrating rodents under favorable circumstances. Based on results of the comparative and phylogenetic analyses, we propose that bank vole distribution in the Trans-Kama area occurred upstream along the river valleys, and that watersheds could act as barriers for migrations. As a result, the diverged PUUV strains could be formed in closely located populations. In times of extensive bank vole population growth, happening every 3–4 years, some regions of watersheds may become open for contact between individual rodents from neighboring populations, leading to an exchange of the genetic material between divergent PUUV strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuriy N. Davidyuk
- OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (Y.N.D.); (E.K.); (A.F.S.); (A.V.K.); (E.V.M.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Emmanuel Kabwe
- OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (Y.N.D.); (E.K.); (A.F.S.); (A.V.K.); (E.V.M.); (A.A.R.)
- Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 420012 Kazan, Russia; (V.A.T.); (T.A.S.); (G.S.I.)
| | - Anton F. Shamsutdinov
- OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (Y.N.D.); (E.K.); (A.F.S.); (A.V.K.); (E.V.M.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Anna V. Knyazeva
- OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (Y.N.D.); (E.K.); (A.F.S.); (A.V.K.); (E.V.M.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Ekaterina V. Martynova
- OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (Y.N.D.); (E.K.); (A.F.S.); (A.V.K.); (E.V.M.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Ruzilya K. Ismagilova
- OpenLab “Omics Technology”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia;
| | - Vladimir A. Trifonov
- Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 420012 Kazan, Russia; (V.A.T.); (T.A.S.); (G.S.I.)
- Medical Academy of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 420012 Kazan, Russia
| | - Tatiana A. Savitskaya
- Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 420012 Kazan, Russia; (V.A.T.); (T.A.S.); (G.S.I.)
| | - Guzel S. Isaeva
- Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 420012 Kazan, Russia; (V.A.T.); (T.A.S.); (G.S.I.)
| | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK;
| | - Svetlana F. Khaiboullina
- OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (Y.N.D.); (E.K.); (A.F.S.); (A.V.K.); (E.V.M.); (A.A.R.)
- Correspondence: (S.F.K.); (S.P.M.)
| | - Albert A. Rizvanov
- OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (Y.N.D.); (E.K.); (A.F.S.); (A.V.K.); (E.V.M.); (A.A.R.)
| | - Sergey P. Morzunov
- OpenLab “Gene and Cell Technologies”, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (Y.N.D.); (E.K.); (A.F.S.); (A.V.K.); (E.V.M.); (A.A.R.)
- Department of Pathology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
- Correspondence: (S.F.K.); (S.P.M.)
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5
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Ruiz-Jiménez F, Pérez-Olais JH, Raymond C, King BJ, McClure CP, Urbanowicz RA, Ball JK. Challenges on the development of a pseudotyping assay for Zika glycoproteins. J Med Microbiol 2021; 70:001413. [PMID: 34499027 PMCID: PMC8697511 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001413] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction. Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged as a public health concern on the American continent during late 2015. As the number of infected grew so did the concerns about its capability to cause long-term damage especially with the appearance of the congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). Proteins from the TAM family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) were proposed as the cellular receptors, however, due to the ability of the virus to infect a variety of cell lines different strategies to elucidate the tropism of the virus should be investigated.Hypothesis. Pseudotyping is a powerful tool to interrogate the ability of the glycoprotein (GP) to permit entry of viruses.Aim. We aimed to establish a highly tractable pseudotype model using lenti- and retro-viral backbones to investigate the entry pathway of ZIKV.Methodology. We used different glycoprotein constructs and different lenti- or retro-viral backbones, in a matrix of ratios to investigate production of proteins and functional pseudotypes.Results. Varying the ratio of backbone and glycoprotein plasmids did not yield infectious pseudotypes. Moreover, the supplementation of the ZIKV protease or the substitution of the backbone had no positive impact on the infectivity. We showed production of the proteins in producer cells implying the lack of infectious pseudotypes is due to a lack of successful glycoprotein incorporation, rather than lack of protein production.Conclusion. In line with other reports, we were unable to successfully produce infectious pseudotypes using the variety of methods described. Other strategies may be more suitable in the development of an efficient pseudotype model for ZIKV and other flaviviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chidinma Raymond
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Barnabas J King
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jonathan K. Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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6
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Urbanowicz RA, Tsoleridis T, Jackson HJ, Cusin L, Duncan JD, Chappell JG, Tarr AW, Nightingale J, Norrish AR, Ikram A, Marson B, Craxford SJ, Kelly A, Aithal GP, Vijay A, Tighe PJ, Ball JK, Valdes AM, Ollivere BJ. Two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine enhance antibody responses to variants in individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:eabj0847. [PMID: 34376569 PMCID: PMC9835846 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abj0847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the impact of prior infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on the response to vaccination is a priority for responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In particular, it is necessary to understand how prior infection plus vaccination can modulate immune responses against variants of concern. To address this, we sampled 20 individuals with and 25 individuals without confirmed previous SARS-CoV-2 infection from a large cohort of health care workers followed serologically since April 2020. All 45 individuals had received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine with a delayed booster at 10 weeks. Absolute and neutralizing antibody titers against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and variants were measured using enzyme immunoassays and pseudotype neutralization assays. We observed antibody reactivity against lineage A, B.1.351, and P.1 variants with increasing antigenic exposure, through either vaccination or natural infection. This improvement was further confirmed in neutralization assays using fixed dilutions of serum samples. The impact of antigenic exposure was more evident in enzyme immunoassays measuring SARS-CoV-2 spike protein–specific IgG antibody concentrations. Our data show that multiple exposures to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in the context of a delayed booster expand the neutralizing breadth of the antibody response to neutralization-resistant SARS-CoV-2 variants. This suggests that additional vaccine boosts may be beneficial in improving immune responses against future SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A. Urbanowicz
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool Science Park IC2, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
| | - Theocharis Tsoleridis
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Hannah J. Jackson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Life Sciences Building, University Park Campus, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Lola Cusin
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Life Sciences Building, University Park Campus, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Joshua D. Duncan
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Joseph G. Chappell
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Alexander W. Tarr
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Jessica Nightingale
- Injury, Inflammation & Recovery Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Trauma and Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Alan R. Norrish
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Injury, Inflammation & Recovery Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Adeel Ikram
- Injury, Inflammation & Recovery Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Trauma and Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Ben Marson
- Injury, Inflammation & Recovery Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Trauma and Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Simon J. Craxford
- Injury, Inflammation & Recovery Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Trauma and Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Anthony Kelly
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Injury, Inflammation & Recovery Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Guruprasad P. Aithal
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Amrita Vijay
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Injury, Inflammation & Recovery Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Patrick J. Tighe
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Life Sciences Building, University Park Campus, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Jonathan K. Ball
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, A Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Corresponding author. (J.K.B.); (A.M.V.); (B.J.O.)
| | - Ana M. Valdes
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Injury, Inflammation & Recovery Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Corresponding author. (J.K.B.); (A.M.V.); (B.J.O.)
| | - Benjamin J. Ollivere
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Injury, Inflammation & Recovery Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Trauma and Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Nottingham, C Floor, West Block, Queen's Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Corresponding author. (J.K.B.); (A.M.V.); (B.J.O.)
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7
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Capone S, Raggioli A, Gentile M, Battella S, Lahm A, Sommella A, Contino AM, Urbanowicz RA, Scala R, Barra F, Leuzzi A, Lilli E, Miselli G, Noto A, Ferraiuolo M, Talotta F, Tsoleridis T, Castilletti C, Matusali G, Colavita F, Lapa D, Meschi S, Capobianchi M, Soriani M, Folgori A, Ball JK, Colloca S, Vitelli A. Immunogenicity of a new gorilla adenovirus vaccine candidate for COVID-19. Mol Ther 2021; 29:2412-2423. [PMID: 33895322 PMCID: PMC8062434 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [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: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the emergent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) threatens global public health, and there is an urgent need to develop safe and effective vaccines. Here, we report the generation and the preclinical evaluation of a novel replication-defective gorilla adenovirus-vectored vaccine encoding the pre-fusion stabilized Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2. We show that our vaccine candidate, GRAd-COV2, is highly immunogenic both in mice and macaques, eliciting both functional antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2 infection and block Spike protein binding to the ACE2 receptor, and a robust, T helper (Th)1-dominated cellular response. We show here that the pre-fusion stabilized Spike antigen is superior to the wild type in inducing ACE2-interfering, SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies. To face the unprecedented need for vaccine manufacturing at a massive scale, different GRAd genome deletions were compared to select the vector backbone showing the highest productivity in stirred tank bioreactors. This preliminary dataset identified GRAd-COV2 as a potential COVID-19 vaccine candidate, supporting the translation of the GRAd-COV2 vaccine in a currently ongoing phase I clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04528641).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Wolfson Centre for Emerging Virus Research, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Theocharis Tsoleridis
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Wolfson Centre for Emerging Virus Research, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Concetta Castilletti
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Matusali
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Colavita
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Lapa
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Meschi
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Capobianchi
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Wolfson Centre for Emerging Virus Research, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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8
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Napolitano F, Merone R, Abbate A, Ammendola V, Horncastle E, Lanzaro F, Esposito M, Contino AM, Sbrocchi R, Sommella A, Duncan JD, Hinds J, Urbanowicz RA, Lahm A, Colloca S, Folgori A, Ball JK, Nicosia A, Wizel B, Capone S, Vitelli A. Correction: A next generation vaccine against human rabies based on a single dose of a chimpanzee adenovirus vector serotype C. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009348. [PMID: 33848297 PMCID: PMC8043396 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
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9
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Pierce BG, Keck ZY, Wang R, Lau P, Garagusi K, Elkholy K, Toth EA, Urbanowicz RA, Guest JD, Agnihotri P, Kerzic MC, Marin A, Andrianov AK, Ball JK, Mariuzza RA, Fuerst TR, Foung SKH. Structure-Based Design of Hepatitis C Virus E2 Glycoprotein Improves Serum Binding and Cross-Neutralization. J Virol 2020; 94:e00704-20. [PMID: 32878891 PMCID: PMC7592221 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00704-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
An effective vaccine for hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major unmet need, and it requires an antigen that elicits immune responses to key conserved epitopes. Based on structures of antibodies targeting HCV envelope glycoprotein E2, we designed immunogens to modulate the structure and dynamics of E2 and favor induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) in the context of a vaccine. These designs include a point mutation in a key conserved antigenic site to stabilize its conformation, as well as redesigns of an immunogenic region to add a new N-glycosylation site and mask it from antibody binding. Designs were experimentally characterized for binding to a panel of human monoclonal antibodies (HMAbs) and the coreceptor CD81 to confirm preservation of epitope structure and preferred antigenicity profile. Selected E2 designs were tested for immunogenicity in mice, with and without hypervariable region 1, which is an immunogenic region associated with viral escape. One of these designs showed improvement in polyclonal immune serum binding to HCV pseudoparticles and neutralization of isolates associated with antibody resistance. These results indicate that antigen optimization through structure-based design of the envelope glycoproteins is a promising route to an effective vaccine for HCV.IMPORTANCE Hepatitis C virus infects approximately 1% of the world's population, and no vaccine is currently available. Due to the high variability of HCV and its ability to actively escape the immune response, a goal of HCV vaccine design is to induce neutralizing antibodies that target conserved epitopes. Here, we performed structure-based design of several epitopes of the HCV E2 envelope glycoprotein to engineer its antigenic properties. Designs were tested in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating alteration of the E2 antigenic profile in several cases, and one design led to improvement of cross-neutralization of heterologous viruses. This represents a proof of concept that rational engineering of HCV envelope glycoproteins can be used to modulate E2 antigenicity and optimize a vaccine for this challenging viral target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian G Pierce
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Zhen-Yong Keck
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Ruixue Wang
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Patrick Lau
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Kyle Garagusi
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Khadija Elkholy
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Eric A Toth
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Johnathan D Guest
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Pragati Agnihotri
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Melissa C Kerzic
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Alexander Marin
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Alexander K Andrianov
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Roy A Mariuzza
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Thomas R Fuerst
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Steven K H Foung
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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10
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Mosa AI, Urbanowicz RA, AbouHaidar MG, Tavis JE, Ball JK, Feld JJ. A bivalent HCV peptide vaccine elicits pan-genotypic neutralizing antibodies in mice. Vaccine 2020; 38:6864-6867. [PMID: 32900542 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.08.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Vaccine development for antigenically variable pathogens has faltered because extreme genetic diversity precludes induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies (nAB) with classical vaccines. Here, using the most variable epitope of any known human pathogen (HVR1 of HCV), we describe a novel approach capable of eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting highly variable epitopes. Our proof-of-concept vaccine elicited pan-genotypic nAB against HCV variants differing from the immunogen sequences by more than 70% at the amino acid level. These findings suggest broadly nAB to highly variable pathogens can be elicited by vaccines designed to target physicochemically conserved residues within hypervariable epitopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander I Mosa
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Canada.
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, UK; School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK
| | | | - John E Tavis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, United States
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, UK; School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Jordan J Feld
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University of Toronto, Canada
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11
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Kabwe E, Davidyuk Y, Shamsutdinov A, Garanina E, Martynova E, Kitaeva K, Malisheni M, Isaeva G, Savitskaya T, Urbanowicz RA, Morzunov S, Katongo C, Rizvanov A, Khaiboullina S. Orthohantaviruses, Emerging Zoonotic Pathogens. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9090775. [PMID: 32971887 PMCID: PMC7558059 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9090775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [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] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Orthohantaviruses give rise to the emerging infections such as of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in Eurasia and the Americas, respectively. In this review we will provide a comprehensive analysis of orthohantaviruses distribution and circulation in Eurasia and address the genetic diversity and evolution of Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV), which causes HFRS in this region. Current data indicate that the geographical location and migration of the natural hosts can lead to the orthohantaviruses genetic diversity as the rodents adapt to the new environmental conditions. The data shows that a high level of diversity characterizes the genome of orthohantaviruses, and the PUUV genome is the most divergent. The reasons for the high genome diversity are mainly caused by point mutations and reassortment, which occur in the genome segments. However, it still remains unclear whether this diversity is linked to the disease’s severity. We anticipate that the information provided in this review will be useful for optimizing and developing preventive strategies of HFRS, an emerging zoonosis with potentially very high mortality rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Kabwe
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (E.K.); (Y.D.); (A.S.); (E.G.); (E.M.); (K.K.); (A.R.)
- Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 420012 Kazan, Russia; (G.I.); (T.S.)
| | - Yuriy Davidyuk
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (E.K.); (Y.D.); (A.S.); (E.G.); (E.M.); (K.K.); (A.R.)
| | - Anton Shamsutdinov
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (E.K.); (Y.D.); (A.S.); (E.G.); (E.M.); (K.K.); (A.R.)
| | - Ekaterina Garanina
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (E.K.); (Y.D.); (A.S.); (E.G.); (E.M.); (K.K.); (A.R.)
| | - Ekaterina Martynova
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (E.K.); (Y.D.); (A.S.); (E.G.); (E.M.); (K.K.); (A.R.)
| | - Kristina Kitaeva
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (E.K.); (Y.D.); (A.S.); (E.G.); (E.M.); (K.K.); (A.R.)
| | | | - Guzel Isaeva
- Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 420012 Kazan, Russia; (G.I.); (T.S.)
| | - Tatiana Savitskaya
- Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 420012 Kazan, Russia; (G.I.); (T.S.)
| | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK;
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Sergey Morzunov
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Cyprian Katongo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka 10101, Zambia;
| | - Albert Rizvanov
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia; (E.K.); (Y.D.); (A.S.); (E.G.); (E.M.); (K.K.); (A.R.)
| | - Svetlana Khaiboullina
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA;
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12
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Mosa AI, AbouHaidar MG, Urbanowicz RA, Tavis JE, Ball JK, Feld JJ. Role of HVR1 sequence similarity in the cross-genotypic neutralization of HCV. Virol J 2020; 17:140. [PMID: 32948191 PMCID: PMC7499410 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-020-01408-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite available treatments, a prophylactic HCV vaccine is needed to achieve elimination targets. HCV vaccine development has faltered largely because the extreme diversity of the virus limits the protective breadth of vaccine elicited antibodies. It is believed that the principle neutralizing epitope in natural infection, HVR1, which is the most variable epitope in HCV, mediates humoral immune escape. So far, efforts to circumvent HVR1 interference in the induction and function of conserved targeting Ab have failed. Efforts to understand factors contributing to cross-neutralization of HVR1 variants have also been limited. Here, following mouse immunizations with two patient-derived HVR1 peptides, we observe cross-genotype neutralization of variants differing at 15/21 positions. Surprisingly, sequence similarity was not associated with cross-neutralization. It appeared neutralization sensitivity was an intrinsic feature of each variant, rather than emergent from the immunogen specific Ab response. These findings provide novel insight into HVR1-mediated immune evasion, with important implications for HCV vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander I Mosa
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Mounir G AbouHaidar
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - John E Tavis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jordan J Feld
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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13
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Müller H, Fehling SK, Dorna J, Urbanowicz RA, Oestereich L, Krebs Y, Kolesnikova L, Schauflinger M, Krähling V, Magassouba N, Fichet-Calvet E, Ball JK, Kaufmann A, Bauer S, Becker S, von Messling V, Strecker T. Adjuvant formulated virus-like particles expressing native-like forms of the Lassa virus envelope surface glycoprotein are immunogenic and induce antibodies with broadly neutralizing activity. NPJ Vaccines 2020; 5:71. [PMID: 32802410 PMCID: PMC7403343 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-020-00219-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Lassa mammarenavirus (LASV) is a rodent-borne arenavirus endemic to several West African countries. It is the causative agent of human Lassa fever, an acute viral hemorrhagic fever disease. To date, no therapeutics or vaccines against LASV have obtained regulatory approval. Polyclonal neutralizing antibodies derived from hyperimmunized animals may offer a useful strategy for prophylactic and therapeutic intervention to combat human LASV infections. The LASV envelope surface glycoprotein complex (GP) is the major target for neutralizing antibodies, and it is the main viral antigen used for the design of an LASV vaccine. Here, we assessed the immunogenic potential of mammalian cell-derived virus-like particles (VLPs) expressing GP from the prototypic LASV strain Josiah in a native-like conformation as the sole viral antigen. We demonstrate that an adjuvanted prime-boost immunization regimen with GP-derived VLPs elicited neutralizing antibody responses in rabbits, suggesting that effective antigenic epitopes of GP were displayed. Notably, these antibodies exhibited broad reactivity across five genetic lineages of LASV. VLP-based immunization strategies may represent a powerful approach for generating polyclonal sera containing cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies against LASV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Müller
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Jens Dorna
- Institute of Immunology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Lisa Oestereich
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites Gießen-Marburg-Langen and Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yvonne Krebs
- Veterinary Medicine Division, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany
| | | | | | - Verena Krähling
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites Gießen-Marburg-Langen and Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites Gießen-Marburg-Langen and Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Andreas Kaufmann
- Institute of Immunology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Bauer
- Institute of Immunology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Becker
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites Gießen-Marburg-Langen and Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Veronika von Messling
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites Gießen-Marburg-Langen and Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.,Veterinary Medicine Division, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany.,Present Address: Federal Ministry for Education and Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Strecker
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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14
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Napolitano F, Merone R, Abbate A, Ammendola V, Horncastle E, Lanzaro F, Esposito M, Contino AM, Sbrocchi R, Sommella A, Duncan JD, Hinds J, Urbanowicz RA, Lahm A, Colloca S, Folgori A, Ball JK, Nicosia A, Wizel B, Capone S, Vitelli A. A next generation vaccine against human rabies based on a single dose of a chimpanzee adenovirus vector serotype C. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008459. [PMID: 32667913 PMCID: PMC7363076 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008459] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Rabies, caused by RNA viruses in the Genus Lyssavirus, is the most fatal of all infectious diseases. This neglected zoonosis remains a major public health problem in developing countries, causing the death of an estimated 25,000-159,000 people each year, with more than half of them in children. The high incidence of human rabies in spite of effective vaccines is mainly linked to the lack of compliance with the complicated administration schedule, inadequacies of the community public health system for local administration by the parenteral route and the overall costs of the vaccine. The goal of our work was the development of a simple, affordable and effective vaccine strategy to prevent human rabies virus infection. This next generation vaccine is based on a replication-defective chimpanzee adenovirus vector belonging to group C, ChAd155-RG, which encodes the rabies glycoprotein (G). We demonstrate here that a single dose of this vaccine induces protective efficacy in a murine model of rabies challenge and elicits strong and durable neutralizing antibody responses in vaccinated non-human primates. Importantly, we demonstrate that one dose of a commercial rabies vaccine effectively boosts the neutralizing antibody responses induced by ChAd155-RG in vaccinated monkeys, showing the compatibility of the novel vectored vaccine with the current post-exposure prophylaxis in the event of rabies virus exposure. Finally, we demonstrate that antibodies induced by ChAd155-RG can also neutralize European bat lyssaviruses 1 and 2 (EBLV-1 and EBLV-2) found in bat reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Emma Horncastle
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Joshua D. Duncan
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jospeh Hinds
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Jonathan K. Ball
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alfredo Nicosia
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Benjamin Wizel
- GSK Vaccines, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
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15
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Duncan JD, Urbanowicz RA, Tarr AW, Ball JK. Hepatitis C Virus Vaccine: Challenges and Prospects. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8010090. [PMID: 32079254 PMCID: PMC7157504 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8010090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 01/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes both acute and chronic infection and continues to be a global problem despite advances in antiviral therapeutics. Current treatments fail to prevent reinfection and remain expensive, limiting their use to developed countries, and the asymptomatic nature of acute infection can result in individuals not receiving treatment and unknowingly spreading HCV. A prophylactic vaccine is therefore needed to control this virus. Thirty years since the discovery of HCV, there have been major gains in understanding the molecular biology and elucidating the immunological mechanisms that underpin spontaneous viral clearance, aiding rational vaccine design. This review discusses the challenges facing HCV vaccine design and the most recent and promising candidates being investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D. Duncan
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (R.A.U.); (A.W.T.); (J.K.B.)
- NIHR Nottingham BRC, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (R.A.U.); (A.W.T.); (J.K.B.)
- NIHR Nottingham BRC, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Alexander W. Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (R.A.U.); (A.W.T.); (J.K.B.)
- NIHR Nottingham BRC, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Jonathan K. Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (R.A.U.); (A.W.T.); (J.K.B.)
- NIHR Nottingham BRC, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
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16
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Urbanowicz RA, Wang R, Schiel JE, Keck ZY, Kerzic MC, Lau P, Rangarajan S, Garagusi KJ, Tan L, Guest JD, Ball JK, Pierce BG, Mariuzza RA, Foung SKH, Fuerst TR. Antigenicity and Immunogenicity of Differentially Glycosylated Hepatitis C Virus E2 Envelope Proteins Expressed in Mammalian and Insect Cells. J Virol 2019; 93:e01403-18. [PMID: 30651366 PMCID: PMC6430559 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01403-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [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: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of a prophylactic vaccine for hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a global health challenge. Cumulative evidence supports the importance of antibodies targeting the HCV E2 envelope glycoprotein to facilitate viral clearance. However, a significant challenge for a B cell-based vaccine is focusing the immune response on conserved E2 epitopes capable of eliciting neutralizing antibodies not associated with viral escape. We hypothesized that glycosylation might influence the antigenicity and immunogenicity of E2. Accordingly, we performed head-to-head molecular, antigenic, and immunogenic comparisons of soluble E2 (sE2) produced in (i) mammalian (HEK293) cells, which confer mostly complex- and high-mannose-type glycans; and (ii) insect (Sf9) cells, which impart mainly paucimannose-type glycans. Mass spectrometry demonstrated that all 11 predicted N-glycosylation sites were utilized in both HEK293- and Sf9-derived sE2, but that N-glycans in insect sE2 were on average smaller and less complex. Both proteins bound CD81 and were recognized by conformation-dependent antibodies. Mouse immunogenicity studies revealed that similar polyclonal antibody responses were generated against antigenic domains A to E of E2. Although neutralizing antibody titers showed that Sf9-derived sE2 induced moderately stronger responses than did HEK293-derived sE2 against the homologous HCV H77c isolate, the two proteins elicited comparable neutralization titers against heterologous isolates. Given that global alteration of HCV E2 glycosylation by expression in different hosts did not appreciably affect antigenicity or overall immunogenicity, a more productive approach to increasing the antibody response to neutralizing epitopes may be complete deletion, rather than just modification, of specific N-glycans proximal to these epitopes.IMPORTANCE The development of a vaccine for hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a global health challenge. A major challenge for vaccine development is focusing the immune response on conserved regions of the HCV envelope protein, E2, capable of eliciting neutralizing antibodies. Modification of E2 by glycosylation might influence the immunogenicity of E2. Accordingly, we performed molecular and immunogenic comparisons of E2 produced in mammalian and insect cells. Mass spectrometry demonstrated that the predicted glycosylation sites were utilized in both mammalian and insect cell E2, although the glycan types in insect cell E2 were smaller and less complex. Mouse immunogenicity studies revealed similar polyclonal antibody responses. However, insect cell E2 induced stronger neutralizing antibody responses against the homologous isolate used in the vaccine, albeit the two proteins elicited comparable neutralization titers against heterologous isolates. A more productive approach for vaccine development may be complete deletion of specific glycans in the E2 protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ruixue Wang
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - John E Schiel
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Zhen-Yong Keck
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Melissa C Kerzic
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Patrick Lau
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Sneha Rangarajan
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Kyle J Garagusi
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Lei Tan
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Johnathan D Guest
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Brian G Pierce
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Roy A Mariuzza
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Steven K H Foung
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Thomas R Fuerst
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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17
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Jalal PJ, Urbanowicz RA, Horncastle E, Pathak M, Goddard C, Saeed A, Mason CP, Ball JK, Irving WL, McClure CP, King BJ, Tarr AW. Expression of human ficolin-2 in hepatocytes confers resistance to infection by diverse hepatotropic viruses. J Med Microbiol 2019; 68:642-648. [PMID: 30747617 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.000935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The liver-expressed pattern recognition receptors mannose-binding lectin (MBL), ficolin-2 and ficolin-3 contribute to the innate immune response by activating complement. Binding of soluble ficolin-2 to viral pathogens can directly neutralize virus entry. We observed that the human hepatoma cell line HuH7.5, which is routinely used for the study of hepatotropic viruses, is deficient in expression of MBL, ficolin-2 and ficolin-3. We generated a cell line that expressed and secreted ficolin-2. This cell line (HuH7.5 [FCN2]) was more resistant to infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV), ebolavirus and vesicular stomatitis virus, but surprisingly was more susceptible to infection with rabies virus. Cell-to-cell spread of HCV was also inhibited in ficolin-2 expressing cells. This illustrates that ficolin-2 expression in hepatocytes contributes to innate resistance to virus infection, but some viruses might utilize ficolin-2 to facilitate entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paywast J Jalal
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Emma Horncastle
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Monika Pathak
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Chun Goddard
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Amanj Saeed
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq
| | - Christopher P Mason
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - William L Irving
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - C Patrick McClure
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Barnabas J King
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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18
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Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) pseudoparticles (HCVpp) are generated by cotransfection of HCV envelope (E1 and E2) genes along with a retroviral packaging/reporter construct into HEK293T cells. Enveloped particles bearing HCV E1E2 proteins on their surface are released through a retroviral budding process into the supernatant. Viral E1E2 glycoproteins facilitate a single round of receptor-mediated entry of HCVpp into hepatoma cells, which can be quantified by reporter gene expression. These HCVpp have been employed to study mechanisms of HCV entry into hepatoma cells, as well as HCV neutralization by immune sera or HCV-specific monoclonal antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin R Bailey
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Mansun Law
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Steven K H Foung
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
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Tarr AW, Backx M, Hamed MR, Urbanowicz RA, McClure CP, Brown RJP, Ball JK. Immunization with a synthetic consensus hepatitis C virus E2 glycoprotein ectodomain elicits virus-neutralizing antibodies. Antiviral Res 2018; 160:25-37. [PMID: 30217650 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Global eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection will require an efficacious vaccine capable of eliciting protective immunity against genetically diverse HCV strains. Natural spontaneous resolution of HCV infection is associated with production of broadly-neutralizing antibodies targeting the HCV glycoproteins E1 and E2. As such, production of cross-neutralizing antibodies is an important endpoint for experimental vaccine trials. Varying success generating cross-neutralizing antibodies has been achieved with immunogens derived from naturally-occurring HCV strains. In this study the challenge of minimising the genetic diversity between the vaccine strain and circulating HCV isolates was addressed. Two novel synthetic E2 glycoprotein immunogens (NotC1 and NotC2) were derived from consensus nucleotide sequences deduced from samples of circulating genotype 1 HCV strains. These two synthetic sequences differed in their relative positions in the overall genotype 1a/1b phylogeny. Expression of these constructs in Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells resulted in high yields of correctly-folded, monomeric E2 protein, which were recognised by broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. Immunization of guinea pigs with either of these consensus immunogens, or a comparable protein representing a circulating genotype 1a strain resulted in high titres of cross-reactive anti-E2 antibodies. All immunogens generated antibodies capable of neutralizing the H77 strain, but NotC1 elicited antibodies that more potently neutralized virus entry. These vaccine-induced antibodies neutralized some viruses representing genotype 1, but not strains representing genotype 2 or genotype 3. Thus, while this approach to vaccine design resulted in correctly folded, immunogenic protein, cross-neutralizing epitopes were not preferentially targeted by the host immune response generated by this immunogen. Greater immunofocussing of vaccines to common epitopes is necessary to successfully elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander W Tarr
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK; School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Matthijs Backx
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK; School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Mohamed R Hamed
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK; School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK; School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - C Patrick McClure
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK; School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Richard J P Brown
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK; School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK; School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
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20
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Desombere I, Mesalam AA, Urbanowicz RA, Van Houtte F, Verhoye L, Keck ZY, Farhoudi A, Vercauteren K, Weening KE, Baumert TF, Patel AH, Foung SKH, Ball J, Leroux-Roels G, Meuleman P. A novel neutralizing human monoclonal antibody broadly abrogates hepatitis C virus infection in vitro and in vivo. Antiviral Res 2017; 148:53-64. [PMID: 29074219 PMCID: PMC5785094 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) represent a worldwide health burden and a prophylactic vaccine is still not available. Liver transplantation (LT) is often the only option for patients with HCV-induced end-stage liver disease. However, immediately after transplantation, the liver graft becomes infected by circulating virus, resulting in accelerated progression of liver disease. Although the efficacy of HCV treatment using direct-acting antivirals has improved significantly, immune compromised LT-patients and patients with advanced liver disease remain difficult to treat. As an alternative approach, interfering with viral entry could prevent infection of the donor liver. We generated a human monoclonal antibody (mAb), designated 2A5, which targets the HCV envelope. The neutralizing activity of mAb 2A5 was assessed using multiple prototype and patient-derived HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpp), cell culture produced HCV (HCVcc), and a human-liver chimeric mouse model. Neutralization levels observed for mAb 2A5 were generally high and mostly superior to those obtained with AP33, a well-characterized HCV-neutralizing monoclonal antibody. Using humanized mice, complete protection was observed after genotype 1a and 4a HCV challenge, while only partial protection was achieved using gt1b and 6a isolates. Epitope mapping revealed that mAb 2A5 binding is conformation-dependent and identified the E2-region spanning amino acids 434 to 446 (epitope II) as the predominant contact domain. CONCLUSION mAb 2A5 shows potent anti-HCV neutralizing activity both in vitro and in vivo and could hence represent a valuable candidate to prevent HCV recurrence in LT-patients. In addition, the detailed identification of the neutralizing epitope can be applied for the design of prophylactic HCV vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Desombere
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Ahmed Atef Mesalam
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Therapeutic Chemistry Department, National Research Centre (NRC), Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.
| | - Freya Van Houtte
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Lieven Verhoye
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Zhen-Yong Keck
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Ali Farhoudi
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Koen Vercauteren
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Karin E Weening
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Thomas F Baumert
- Inserm U1110, Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques, Strasbourg, France; Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg et Pole Hépato-digestif, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
| | - Arvind H Patel
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
| | - Steven K H Foung
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Jonathan Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.
| | - Geert Leroux-Roels
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Philip Meuleman
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
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21
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Urbanowicz RA, McClure CP, Sakuntabhai A, Sall AA, Kobinger G, Müller MA, Holmes EC, Rey FA, Simon-Loriere E, Ball JK. Human Adaptation of Ebola Virus during the West African Outbreak. Cell 2017; 167:1079-1087.e5. [PMID: 27814505 PMCID: PMC5101188 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2016] [Revised: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The 2013–2016 outbreak of Ebola virus (EBOV) in West Africa was the largest recorded. It began following the cross-species transmission of EBOV from an animal reservoir, most likely bats, into humans, with phylogenetic analysis revealing the co-circulation of several viral lineages. We hypothesized that this prolonged human circulation led to genomic changes that increased viral transmissibility in humans. We generated a synthetic glycoprotein (GP) construct based on the earliest reported isolate and introduced amino acid substitutions that defined viral lineages. Mutant GPs were used to generate a panel of pseudoviruses, which were used to infect different human and bat cell lines. These data revealed that specific amino acid substitutions in the EBOV GP have increased tropism for human cells, while reducing tropism for bat cells. Such increased infectivity may have enhanced the ability of EBOV to transmit among humans and contributed to the wide geographic distribution of some viral lineages. EBOV adapted to humans during the West African outbreak Amino acid substitutions in the EBOV glycoprotein increase human cell tropism The same glycoprotein amino acid substitutions decrease tropism for bat cells
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - C Patrick McClure
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Anavaj Sakuntabhai
- Functional Genetics of Infectious Diseases Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité de Recherche Associée 3012, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Amadou A Sall
- Arbovirus and Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Unit, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, BP 220 Dakar, Senegal
| | - Gary Kobinger
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada; Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R32T 2N2, Canada
| | - Marcel A Müller
- Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Edward C Holmes
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Félix A Rey
- Institut Pasteur, Département de Virologie, Unité de Virologie Structurale, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 3569, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Etienne Simon-Loriere
- Functional Genetics of Infectious Diseases Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité de Recherche Associée 3012, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
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22
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Urbanowicz RA, McClure CP, King B, Mason CP, Ball JK, Tarr AW. Novel functional hepatitis C virus glycoprotein isolates identified using an optimized viral pseudotype entry assay. J Gen Virol 2016; 97:2265-2279. [PMID: 27384448 PMCID: PMC5042129 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [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] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Retrovirus pseudotypes are a highly tractable model used to study the entry pathways of enveloped viruses. This model has been extensively applied to the study of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) entry pathway, preclinical screening of antiviral antibodies and for assessing the phenotype of patient-derived viruses using HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpp) possessing the HCV E1 and E2 glycoproteins. However, not all patient-isolated clones produce particles that are infectious in this model. This study investigated factors that might limit phenotyping of patient-isolated HCV glycoproteins. Genetically related HCV glycoproteins from quasispecies in individual patients were discovered to behave very differently in this entry model. Empirical optimization of the ratio of packaging construct and glycoprotein-encoding plasmid was required for successful HCVpp genesis for different clones. The selection of retroviral packaging construct also influenced the function of HCV pseudoparticles. Some glycoprotein constructs tolerated a wide range of assay parameters, while others were much more sensitive to alterations. Furthermore, glycoproteins previously characterized as unable to mediate entry were found to be functional. These findings were validated using chimeric cell-cultured HCV bearing these glycoproteins. Using the same empirical approach we demonstrated that generation of infectious ebolavirus pseudoviruses (EBOVpv) was also sensitive to the amount and ratio of plasmids used, and that protocols for optimal production of these pseudoviruses are dependent on the exact virus glycoprotein construct. These findings demonstrate that it is crucial for studies utilizing pseudoviruses to conduct empirical optimization of pseudotype production for each specific glycoprotein sequence to achieve optimal titres and facilitate accurate phenotyping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A. Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - C. Patrick McClure
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Barnabas King
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Christopher P. Mason
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan K. Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Alexander W. Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- Correspondence Alexander W. Tarr
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23
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McClure CP, Urbanowicz RA, King BJ, Cano-Crespo S, Tarr AW, Ball JK. Flexible and rapid construction of viral chimeras applied to hepatitis C virus. J Gen Virol 2016; 97:2187-2193. [PMID: 27329374 PMCID: PMC5042125 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel and broadly applicable strategy combining site-directed mutagenesis and DNA assembly for constructing seamless viral chimeras is described using hepatitis C virus (HCV) as an exemplar. Full-length HCV genomic cloning cassettes, which contained flexibly situated restriction endonuclease sites, were prepared via a single, site-directed mutagenesis reaction and digested to receive PCR-amplified virus envelope genes by In-Fusion cloning. Using this method, we were able to construct gene-shuttle cassettes for generation of cell culture-infectious JFH-1-based chimeras containing genotype 1–3 E1E2 genes. Importantly, using this method we also show that E1E2 clones that were not able to support cell entry in the HCV pseudoparticle assay did confer entry when shuttled into the chimeric cell culture chimera system. This method can be easily applied to other genes of study and other viruses and, as such, will greatly simplify reverse genetics studies of variable viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Patrick McClure
- School of Life Sciences and NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences and NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Barnabas J King
- School of Life Sciences and NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Sara Cano-Crespo
- School of Life Sciences and NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Life Sciences and NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences and NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
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24
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Urbanowicz RA, Lacek K, Lahm A, Bienkowska-Szewczyk K, Ball JK, Nicosia A, Cortese R, Pessi A. Cholesterol conjugation potentiates the antiviral activity of an HIV immunoadhesin. J Pept Sci 2016; 21:743-9. [PMID: 26292842 DOI: 10.1002/psc.2802] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2015] [Revised: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Immunoadhesins are engineered proteins combining the constant domain (Fc) of an antibody with a ligand-binding (adhesion) domain. They have significant potential as therapeutic agents, because they maintain the favourable pharmacokinetics of antibodies with an expanded repertoire of ligand-binding domains: proteins, peptides, or small molecules. We have recently reported that the addition of a cholesterol group to two HIV antibodies can dramatically improve their antiviral potency. Cholesterol, which can be conjugated at various positions in the antibody, including the constant (Fc) domain, endows the conjugate with affinity for the membrane lipid rafts, thus increasing its concentration at the site where viral entry occurs. Here, we extend this strategy to an HIV immunoadhesin, combining a cholesterol-conjugated Fc domain with the peptide fusion inhibitor C41. The immunoadhesin C41-Fc-chol displayed high affinity for Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK) 293 cells, and when tested on a panel of HIV-1 strains, it was considerably more potent than the unconjugated C41-Fc construct. Potentiation of antiviral activity was comparable to what was previously observed for the cholesterol-conjugated HIV antibodies. Given the key role of cholesterol in lipid raft formation and viral fusion, we expect that the same strategy should be broadly applicable to enveloped viruses, for many of which it is already known the sequence of a peptide fusion inhibitor similar to C41. Moreover, the sequence of heptad repeat-derived fusion inhibitors can often be predicted from genomic information alone, opening a path to immunoadhesins against emerging viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom.,Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Krzysztof Lacek
- CEINGE, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145, Napoli, Italy.,Laboratory of Virus Molecular Biology, University of Gdansk, 80-822, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Armin Lahm
- PeptiPharma, Viale Città D'Europa 679, 00144, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom.,Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Alfredo Nicosia
- CEINGE, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145, Napoli, Italy.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131, Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Antonello Pessi
- CEINGE, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145, Napoli, Italy.,PeptiPharma, Viale Città D'Europa 679, 00144, Roma, Italy.,JV Bio, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145, Napoli, Italy
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Ferns RB, Tarr AW, Hue S, Urbanowicz RA, McClure CP, Gilson R, Ball JK, Nastouli E, Garson JA, Pillay D. Hepatitis C virus quasispecies and pseudotype analysis from acute infection to chronicity in HIV-1 co-infected individuals. Virology 2016; 492:213-24. [PMID: 26971243 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2016.02.003] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2015] [Revised: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
HIV-1 infected patients who acquire HCV infection have higher rates of chronicity and liver disease progression than patients with HCV mono-infection. Understanding early events in this pathogenic process is important. We applied single genome sequencing of the E1 to NS3 regions and viral pseudotype neutralization assays to explore the consequences of viral quasispecies evolution from pre-seroconversion to chronicity in four co-infected individuals (mean follow up 566 days). We observed that one to three founder viruses were transmitted. Relatively low viral sequence diversity, possibly related to an impaired immune response, due to HIV infection was observed in three patients. However, the fourth patient, after an early purifying selection displayed increasing E2 sequence evolution, possibly related to being on suppressive antiretroviral therapy. Viral pseudotypes generated from HCV variants showed relative resistance to neutralization by autologous plasma but not to plasma collected from later time points, confirming ongoing virus escape from antibody neutralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Bridget Ferns
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Microbiology & Virology, UCL Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom.
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Life Sciences & NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Stephane Hue
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences & NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - C Patrick McClure
- School of Life Sciences & NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Gilson
- Research Department of Infection and Population Health, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences & NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Eleni Nastouli
- Clinical Microbiology & Virology, UCL Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy A Garson
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Deenan Pillay
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Wellcome Trust Africa Centre for Health and Population Sciences, University of KwaZulu, Natal, South Africa
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26
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Nigro E, Colavita I, Sarnataro D, Scudiero O, Zambrano G, Granata V, Daniele A, Carotenuto A, Galdiero S, Folliero V, Galdiero M, Urbanowicz RA, Ball JK, Salvatore F, Pessi A. An ancestral host defence peptide within human β-defensin 3 recapitulates the antibacterial and antiviral activity of the full-length molecule. Sci Rep 2015; 5:18450. [PMID: 26688341 PMCID: PMC4685272 DOI: 10.1038/srep18450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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: 10/05/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Host defence peptides (HDPs) are critical components of innate immunity. Despite their diversity, they share common features including a structural signature, designated "γ-core motif". We reasoned that for each HDPs evolved from an ancestral γ-core, the latter should be the evolutionary starting point of the molecule, i.e. it should represent a structural scaffold for the modular construction of the full-length molecule, and possess biological properties. We explored the γ-core of human β-defensin 3 (HBD3) and found that it: (a) is the folding nucleus of HBD3; (b) folds rapidly and is stable in human serum; (c) displays antibacterial activity; (d) binds to CD98, which mediates HBD3 internalization in eukaryotic cells; (e) exerts antiviral activity against human immunodeficiency virus and herpes simplex virus; and (f) is not toxic to human cells. These results demonstrate that the γ-core within HBD3 is the ancestral core of the full-length molecule and is a viable HDP per se, since it is endowed with the most important biological features of HBD3. Notably, the small, stable scaffold of the HBD3 γ-core can be exploited to design disease-specific antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ersilia Nigro
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
| | - Irene Colavita
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
| | - Daniela Sarnataro
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Olga Scudiero
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Gerardo Zambrano
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Granata
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
| | - Aurora Daniele
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy.,Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Alfonso Carotenuto
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Stefania Galdiero
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy.,Institute of Biostructures and Bioimages, CNR, Naples, Italy
| | - Veronica Folliero
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Second University of Naples, Via Costantinopoli, 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Galdiero
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Second University of Naples, Via Costantinopoli, 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- The School of Life Sciences and the Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- The School of Life Sciences and the Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Salvatore
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy.,IRCCS-SDN Foundation, Via Emanuele Gianturco 113, 80142 Napoli, Italy
| | - Antonello Pessi
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
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27
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Paciello R, Urbanowicz RA, Riccio G, Sasso E, McClure CP, Zambrano N, Ball JK, Cortese R, Nicosia A, De Lorenzo C. Novel human anti-claudin 1 mAbs inhibit hepatitis C virus infection and may synergize with anti-SRB1 mAb. J Gen Virol 2015; 97:82-94. [PMID: 26519290 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic hepatitis and liver carcinoma and new therapies based on novel targets are needed. The tight junction protein claudin 1 (CLDN-1) is essential for HCV cell entry and spread, and anti-CLDN-1 rat and mouse mAbs are safe and effective in preventing and treating HCV infection in a human liver chimeric mouse model. To accelerate translation of these observations into a novel approach to treat HCV infection and disease in humans, we screened a phage display library of human single-chain antibody fragments by using a panel of CLDN-1-positive and -negative cell lines and identified phage specifically binding to CLDN-1. The 12 clones showing the highest levels of binding were converted into human IgG4. Some of these mAbs displayed low-nanomolar affinity, and inhibited infection of human hepatoma Huh7.5 cells by different HCV isolates in a dose-dependent manner. Cross-competition experiments identified six inhibitory mAbs that recognized distinct epitopes. Combination of the human anti-SRB1 mAb C-1671 with these anti-CLDN-1 mAbs could either increase or reduce inhibition of cell culture-derived HCV infection in vitro. These novel human anti-CLDN-1 mAbs are potentially useful to develop a new strategy for anti-HCV therapy and lend support to the combined use of antibodies targeting the HCV receptors CLDN-1 and SRB1, but indicate that care must be taken in selecting the proper combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rolando Paciello
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples 'Federico II', via Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
- Ceinge - Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Gennaro Riccio
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples 'Federico II', via Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
- Ceinge - Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
| | - Emanuele Sasso
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples 'Federico II', via Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
- Ceinge - Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
| | - C Patrick McClure
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Nicola Zambrano
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples 'Federico II', via Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
- Ceinge - Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
- NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | | | - Alfredo Nicosia
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples 'Federico II', via Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
- Ceinge - Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
| | - Claudia De Lorenzo
- Ceinge - Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples 'Federico II', via Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
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Lacek K, Urbanowicz RA, Troise F, De Lorenzo C, Severino V, Di Maro A, Tarr AW, Ferrara F, Ploss A, Temperton N, Ball JK, Nicosia A, Cortese R, Pessi A. Dramatic potentiation of the antiviral activity of HIV antibodies by cholesterol conjugation. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:35015-28. [PMID: 25342747 PMCID: PMC4263897 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.591826] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The broadly neutralizing antibodies HIV 2F5 and 4E10, which bind to overlapping epitopes in the membrane-proximal external region of the fusion protein gp41, have been proposed to use a two-step mechanism for neutralization; first, they bind and preconcentrate at the viral membrane through their long, hydrophobic CDRH3 loops, and second, they form a high affinity complex with the protein epitope. Accordingly, mutagenesis of the CDRH3 can abolish their neutralizing activity, with no change in the affinity for the peptide epitope. We show here that we can mimic this mechanism by conjugating a cholesterol group outside of the paratope of an antibody. Cholesterol-conjugated antibodies bind to lipid raft domains on the membrane, and because of this enrichment, they show increased antiviral potency. In particular, we find that cholesterol conjugation (i) rescues the antiviral activity of CDRH3-mutated 2F5, (ii) increases the antiviral activity of WT 2F5, (iii) potentiates the non-membrane-binding HIV antibody D5 10–100-fold (depending on the virus strain), and (iv) increases synergy between 2F5 and D5. Conjugation can be made at several positions, including variable and constant domains. Cholesterol conjugation therefore appears to be a general strategy to boost the potency of antiviral antibodies, and, because membrane affinity is engineered outside of the antibody paratope, it can complement affinity maturation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Lacek
- From Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate S.C.R.L., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli (NA), Italy, the Laboratory of Virus Molecular Biology, University of Gdansk, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- the School of Life Sciences and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Fulvia Troise
- From Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate S.C.R.L., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli (NA), Italy
| | - Claudia De Lorenzo
- From Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate S.C.R.L., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli (NA), Italy, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli (NA), Italy
| | - Valeria Severino
- the Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta (CE), Italy
| | - Antimo Di Maro
- the Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta (CE), Italy
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- the School of Life Sciences and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca Ferrara
- the Viral Pseudotype Unit, Infectious Diseases and Allergy group, School of Pharmacy, University of Kent, Kent ME4 4TB, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander Ploss
- the Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, and
| | - Nigel Temperton
- the Viral Pseudotype Unit, Infectious Diseases and Allergy group, School of Pharmacy, University of Kent, Kent ME4 4TB, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- the School of Life Sciences and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Alfredo Nicosia
- From Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate S.C.R.L., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli (NA), Italy, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli (NA), Italy
| | - Riccardo Cortese
- From Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate S.C.R.L., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli (NA), Italy
| | - Antonello Pessi
- From Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate S.C.R.L., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli (NA), Italy, JV Bio, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Napoli (NA), Italy
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29
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Hamed MR, Brown RJ, Zothner C, Urbanowicz RA, Mason CP, Krarup A, McClure CP, Irving WL, Ball JK, Harris M, Hickling TP, Tarr AW. Recombinant human L-ficolin directly neutralizes hepatitis C virus entry. J Innate Immun 2014; 6:676-84. [PMID: 24854201 PMCID: PMC6741592 DOI: 10.1159/000362209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [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: 09/08/2013] [Revised: 03/16/2014] [Accepted: 03/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
L-ficolin is a soluble pattern recognition molecule expressed by the liver that contributes to innate immune defense against microorganisms. It is well described that binding of L-ficolin to specific pathogen-associated molecular patterns activates the lectin complement pathway, resulting in opsonization and lysis of pathogens. In this study, we demonstrated that in addition to this indirect effect, L-ficolin has a direct neutralizing effect against hepatitis C virus (HCV) entry. Specific, dose-dependent binding of recombinant L-ficolin to HCV glycoproteins E1 and E2 was observed. This interaction was inhibited by soluble L-ficolin ligands. Interaction of L-ficolin with E1 and E2 potently inhibited entry of retroviral pseudoparticles bearing these glycoproteins. L-ficolin also inhibited entry of cell-cultured HCV in a calcium-dependent manner. Neutralizing concentrations of L-ficolin were found to be circulating in the serum of HCV-infected individuals. This is the first description of direct neutralization of HCV entry by a ficolin and highlights a novel role for L-ficolin as a virus entry inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed R. Hamed
- School of Life Sciences, and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Richard J.P. Brown
- School of Life Sciences, and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Carsten Zothner
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Christopher P. Mason
- School of Life Sciences, and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Anders Krarup
- Biochemistry Department, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - C. Patrick McClure
- School of Life Sciences, and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - William L. Irving
- School of Life Sciences, and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan K. Ball
- School of Life Sciences, and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Mark Harris
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Timothy P. Hickling
- School of Life Sciences, and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Alexander W. Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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30
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Tarr AW, Lafaye P, Meredith L, Damier-Piolle L, Urbanowicz RA, Meola A, Jestin JL, Brown RJP, McKeating JA, Rey FA, Ball JK, Krey T. An alpaca nanobody inhibits hepatitis C virus entry and cell-to-cell transmission. Hepatology 2013; 58:932-9. [PMID: 23553604 DOI: 10.1002/hep.26430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Severe liver disease caused by chronic hepatitis C virus is the major indication for liver transplantation. Despite recent advances in antiviral therapy, drug toxicity and unwanted side effects render effective treatment in liver-transplanted patients a challenging task. Virus-specific therapeutic antibodies are generally safe and well-tolerated, but their potential in preventing and treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has not yet been realized due to a variety of issues, not least high production costs and virus variability. Heavy-chain antibodies or nanobodies, produced by camelids, represent an exciting antiviral approach; they can target novel highly conserved epitopes that are inaccessible to normal antibodies, and they are also easy to manipulate and produce. We isolated four distinct nanobodies from a phage-display library generated from an alpaca immunized with HCV E2 glycoprotein. One of them, nanobody D03, recognized a novel epitope overlapping with the epitopes of several broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies. Its crystal structure revealed a long complementarity determining region (CD3) folding over part of the framework that, in conventional antibodies, forms the interface between heavy and light chain. D03 neutralized a panel of retroviral particles pseudotyped with HCV glycoproteins from six genotypes and authentic cell culture-derived particles by interfering with the E2-CD81 interaction. In contrast to some of the most broadly neutralizing human anti-E2 monoclonal antibodies, D03 efficiently inhibited HCV cell-to-cell transmission. CONCLUSION This is the first description of a potent and broadly neutralizing HCV-specific nanobody representing a significant advance that will lead to future development of novel entry inhibitors for the treatment and prevention of HCV infection and help our understanding of HCV cell-to-cell transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander W Tarr
- School of Molecular Medical Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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31
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Tarr AW, Urbanowicz RA, Ball JK. The role of humoral innate immunity in hepatitis C virus infection. Viruses 2012; 4:1-27. [PMID: 22355450 PMCID: PMC3280516 DOI: 10.3390/v4010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [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: 12/07/2011] [Revised: 12/21/2011] [Accepted: 12/23/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) causes chronic disease in approximately 80% of cases, resulting in chronic inflammation and cirrhosis. Current treatments are not completely effective, and a vaccine has yet to be developed. Spontaneous resolution of infection is associated with effective host adaptive immunity to HCV, including production of both HCV-specific T cells and neutralizing antibodies. However, the supporting role of soluble innate factors in protection against HCV is less well understood. The innate immune system provides an immediate line of defense against infections, triggering inflammation and playing a critical role in activating adaptive immunity. Innate immunity comprises both cellular and humoral components, the humoral arm consisting of pattern recognition molecules such as complement C1q, collectins and ficolins. These molecules activate the complement cascade, neutralize pathogens, and recruit antigen presenting cells. Here we review the current understanding of anti-viral components of the humoral innate immune system that play a similar role to antibodies, describing their role in immunity to HCV and their potential contribution to HCV pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander W. Tarr
- Biomedical Research Unit in Gastroenterology, School of Molecular Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK; (R.A.U.); (J.K.B.)
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32
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Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne virus estimated to infect around 170 million people worldwide and is, therefore, a major disease burden. In some individuals the virus is spontaneously cleared during the acute phase of infection, whilst in others a persistent infection ensues. Of those persistently infected, severe liver diseases such as cirrhosis and primary liver cancer may develop, although many individuals remain asymptomatic. A range of factors shape the course of HCV infection, not least host genetic polymorphisms and host immunity. A number of studies have shown that neutralizing antibodies (nAb) arise during HCV infection, but that these antibodies differ in their breadth and mechanism of neutralization. Recent studies, using both mAbs and polyclonal sera, have provided an insight into neutralizing determinants and the likely protective role of antibodies during infection. This understanding has helped to shape our knowledge of the overall structure of the HCV envelope glycoproteins--the natural target for nAb. Most nAb identified to date target receptor-binding sites within the envelope glycoprotein E2. However, there is some evidence that other viral epitopes may be targets for antibody neutralization, suggesting the need to broaden the search for neutralization epitopes beyond E2. This review provides a comprehensive overview of our current understanding of the role played by nAb in HCV infection and disease outcome and explores the limitations in the study systems currently used. In addition, we briefly discuss the potential therapeutic benefits of nAb and efforts to develop nAb-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria C Edwards
- School of Molecular Medical Sciences and The Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Molecular Medical Sciences and The Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Molecular Medical Sciences and The Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Molecular Medical Sciences and The Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
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Urbanowicz RA, Lamb JR, Todd I, Corne JM, Fairclough LC. Enhanced effector function of cytotoxic cells in the induced sputum of COPD patients. Respir Res 2010; 11:76. [PMID: 20540777 PMCID: PMC2891678 DOI: 10.1186/1465-9921-11-76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [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: 02/24/2010] [Accepted: 06/11/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background We have previously shown that NK (CD56+CD3-) and NKT-like (CD56+CD3+) cells are reduced in both numbers and cytotoxicity in peripheral blood. The aim of the present study was to investigate their numbers and function within induced sputum. Methods Induced sputum cell numbers and intracellular granzyme B and perforin were analysed by flow cytometry. Immunomagnetically selected CD56+ cells (NK and NKT-like cells) were used in an LDH release assay to determine cytotoxicity. Results The proportion of NK cells and NKT-like cells in smokers with COPD (COPD subjects) was significantly higher (12.7% and 3%, respectively) than in healthy smokers (smokers) (5.7%, p < 0.01; 1%, p < 0.001) and non-smoking healthy subjects (HNS) (4.2%, p < 0.001; 0.8%, p < 0.01). The proportions of NK cells and NKT-like cells expressing both perforin and granzyme B were also significantly higher in COPD subjects compared to smokers and HNS. CD56+ cells from COPD subjects were significantly more cytotoxic (1414 biological lytic activity) than those from smokers (142.5; p < 0.01) and HNS (3.8; p < 0.001) and were inversely correlated to FEV1. (r = -0.75; p = 0.0098). Conclusion We have shown an increased proportion of NK and NKT-like cells in the induced sputum of COPD subjects and have demonstrated that these cells are significantly more cytotoxic in COPD subjects than smokers and HNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Urbanowicz
- COPD Research Group, Nottingham Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, The University of Nottingham, UK
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Richens JL, Urbanowicz RA, Metcalf R, Corne J, O’Shea P, Fairclough L. Quantitative Validation and Comparison of Multiplex Cytokine Kits. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 15:562-8. [DOI: 10.1177/1087057110362099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The focus of biomarker studies is shifting toward deciphering patterns of biomolecules as they provide a more comprehensive depiction of disease than individual biomarkers. Multiplexing technologies are crucial in deciphering such patterns, but it is essential that they are validated for reproducibility and precision to ensure accurate protein identification. Here the authors examine such properties in Cytokine Bead Array (CBA) and Luminex kits and compare concentration measurements to those obtained using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Luminex kits were found to be highly reproducible and reliable; however, CBA kits were not due to aberrant standards. Absolute cytokine concentrations were dependent on the detection kit, but correlations with ELISA were good for all technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L. Richens
- Cell Biophysics Group, School of Biology, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- COPD Research Group, Nottingham Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Rebecca Metcalf
- Cell Biophysics Group, School of Biology, University of Nottingham, UK
- COPD Research Group, Nottingham Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan Corne
- Division of Respiratory Medicine, Nottingham University Hospitals, UK
| | - Paul O’Shea
- Cell Biophysics Group, School of Biology, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Lucy Fairclough
- COPD Research Group, Nottingham Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, University of Nottingham, UK
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Richens JL, Urbanowicz RA, Lunt EAM, Metcalf R, Corne J, Fairclough L, O'Shea P. Systems biology coupled with label-free high-throughput detection as a novel approach for diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respir Res 2009; 10:29. [PMID: 19386108 PMCID: PMC2678087 DOI: 10.1186/1465-9921-10-29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 02/11/2009] [Accepted: 04/22/2009] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a treatable and preventable disease state, characterised by progressive airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. Although COPD is primarily a disease of the lungs there is now an appreciation that many of the manifestations of disease are outside the lung, leading to the notion that COPD is a systemic disease. Currently, diagnosis of COPD relies on largely descriptive measures to enable classification, such as symptoms and lung function. Here the limitations of existing diagnostic strategies of COPD are discussed and systems biology approaches to diagnosis that build upon current molecular knowledge of the disease are described. These approaches rely on new 'label-free' sensing technologies, such as high-throughput surface plasmon resonance (SPR), that we also describe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Richens
- Cell Biophysics Group, School of Biology, The University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
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McGinnity DF, Soars MG, Urbanowicz RA, Riley RJ. Evaluation of fresh and cryopreserved hepatocytes as in vitro drug metabolism tools for the prediction of metabolic clearance. Drug Metab Dispos 2004; 32:1247-53. [PMID: 15286053 DOI: 10.1124/dmd.104.000026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The intrinsic clearances (CLint) of 50 neutral and basic marketed drugs were determined in fresh human hepatocytes and the data used to predict human in vivo hepatic metabolic clearance (CLmet). A statistically significant correlation between scaled CLmet and actual CLmet was observed (r2 = 0.48, p < 0.05), and for 73% of the drugs studied, scaled clearances were within 2-fold of the actual clearance. These data have shown that CLint data generated in human hepatocytes can be used to provide estimates of human hepatic CLmet for both phase I and phase II processes. In addition, the utility of commercial and in-house cryopreserved hepatocytes was assessed by comparing with data derived from fresh cells. A set of 14 drugs metabolized by the major human cytochromes P450 (P450s) (CYP1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4) and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGT1A1, 1A4, 1A9, and 2B7) have been used to characterize the activity of freshly isolated and cryopreserved human and dog hepatocytes. The cryopreserved human and dog cells retained on average 94% and 81%, respectively, of the CLint determined in fresh cells. Cryopreserved hepatocytes retain their full activity for more than 1 year in liquid N2 and are thus a flexible resource of hepatocytes for in vitro assays. In summary, this laboratory has successfully cryopreserved human and dog hepatocytes as assessed by the turnover of prototypic P450 and UGT substrates, and both fresh and cryopreserved human hepatocytes may be used for the prediction of human hepatic CLmet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dermot F McGinnity
- Department of Physical & Metabolic Science, AstraZeneca R&D Charnwood, Bakewell Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 5RH, UK.
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