Single dose of a replication-defective vaccinia virus expressing Zika virus-like particles is protective in mice

AbstractZika virus (ZIKV), a flavivirus transmitted primarily by infected mosquitos, can cause neurological symptoms such as Guillian–Barré syndrome and microcephaly. We developed several vaccinia virus (VACV) vaccine candidates for ZIKV based on replication-inducible VACVs (vINDs) expressing ZIKV pre-membrane (prM) and envelope (E) proteins (vIND-ZIKVs). These vIND-ZIKVs contain elements of the tetracycline operon and replicate only in the presence of tetracyclines. The pool of vaccine candidates was narrowed to one vIND-ZIKV containing a novel mutation in the signal peptide of prM that led to higher expression and secretion of E and production of virus-like particles, which was then tested for safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy in mice. vIND-ZIKV grows to high titers in vitro in the presence of doxycycline (DOX) but is replication-defective in vivo in the absence of DOX, causing no weight loss in mice. C57BL/6 mice vaccinated once with vIND-ZIKV in the absence of DOX (as a replication-defective virus) developed robust levels of E-peptide-specific IFN-γ-secreting splenocytes and anti-E IgG titers, with modest levels of serum-neutralizing antibodies. Vaccinated mice treated with anti-IFNAR1 antibody were completely protected from ZIKV viremia post-challenge after a single dose of vIND-ZIKV. Furthermore, mice with prior immunity to VACV developed moderate anti-E IgG titers that increased after booster vaccination, and were protected from viremia only after two vaccinations with vIND-ZIKV.

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Enemy of My Enemy: A Novel Insect-Specific Flavivirus Offers a Promising Platform for a Zika Virus Vaccine

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9101142 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1142

Author(s):

Danielle Porier ◽

Sarah Wilson ◽

Dawn Auguste ◽

Andrew Leber ◽

Sheryl Coutermarsh-Ott ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Single Dose ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Vaccine Candidate ◽

Neutralizing Antibody ◽

Viral Disease ◽

Trade Offs

Vaccination remains critical for viral disease outbreak prevention and control, but conventional vaccine development typically involves trade-offs between safety and immunogenicity. We used a recently discovered insect-specific flavivirus as a vector in order to develop an exceptionally safe, flavivirus vaccine candidate with single-dose efficacy. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of this platform, we created a chimeric Zika virus (ZIKV) vaccine candidate, designated Aripo/Zika virus (ARPV/ZIKV). ZIKV has caused immense economic and public health impacts throughout the Americas and remains a significant public health threat. ARPV/ZIKV vaccination showed exceptional safety due to ARPV/ZIKV’s inherent vertebrate host-restriction. ARPV/ZIKV showed no evidence of replication or translation in vitro and showed no hematological, histological or pathogenic effects in vivo. A single-dose immunization with ARPV/ZIKV induced rapid and robust neutralizing antibody and cellular responses, which offered complete protection against ZIKV-induced morbidity, mortality and in utero transmission in immune-competent and -compromised murine models. Splenocytes derived from vaccinated mice demonstrated significant CD4+ and CD8+ responses and significant cytokine production post-antigen exposure. Altogether, our results further support that chimeric insect-specific flaviviruses are a promising strategy to restrict flavivirus emergence via vaccine development.

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A single dose of recombinant VSV-ΔG-spike vaccine provides protection against SARS-CoV-2 challenge

10.1101/2020.06.18.160655 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Yfat Yahalom-Ronen ◽

Hadas Tamir ◽

Sharon Melamed ◽

Boaz Politi ◽

Ohad Shifman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Dose ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Body Weight Loss ◽

Spike Protein ◽

Effective Vaccine ◽

Lung Pathology ◽

Golden Syrian Hamster

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 that emerged in December 2019 in China resulted in over 7.8 million infections and over 430,000 deaths worldwide, imposing an urgent need for rapid development of an efficient and cost-effective vaccine, suitable for mass immunization. Here, we generated a replication competent recombinant VSV-ΔG-spike vaccine, in which the glycoprotein of VSV was replaced by the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2. In vitro characterization of the recombinant VSV-ΔG-spike indicated expression and presentation of the spike protein on the viral membrane with antigenic similarity to SARS-CoV-2. A golden Syrian hamster in vivo model for COVID-19 was implemented. We show that vaccination of hamsters with recombinant VSV-ΔG-spike results in rapid and potent induction of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, single-dose vaccination was able to protect hamsters against SARS-CoV-2 challenge, as demonstrated by the abrogation of body weight loss of the immunized hamsters compared to unvaccinated hamsters. Furthermore, whereas lungs of infected hamsters displayed extensive tissue damage and high viral titers, immunized hamsters’ lungs showed only minor lung pathology, and no viral load. Taken together, we suggest recombinant VSV-ΔG-spike as a safe, efficacious and protective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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HIV-1-Based Virus-like Particles that Morphologically Resemble Mature, Infectious HIV-1 Virions

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v11060507 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 507 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Christopher A. Gonelli ◽

Georges Khoury ◽

Rob J. Center ◽

Damian F.J. Purcell

Keyword(s):

T Cell ◽

Dna Vaccine ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

T Cell Responses ◽

Expression Vectors ◽

Virus Like Particles ◽

Cell Responses ◽

Hiv 1

A prophylactic vaccine eliciting both broad neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) to the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) and strong T cell responses would be optimal for preventing HIV-1 transmissions. Replication incompetent HIV-1 virus-like particles (VLPs) offer the opportunity to present authentic-structured, virion-associated Env to elicit bNAbs, and also stimulate T cell responses. Here, we optimize our DNA vaccine plasmids as VLP expression vectors for efficient Env incorporation and budding. The original vector that was used in human trials inefficiently produced VLPs, but maximized safety by inactivating RNA genome packaging, enzyme functions that are required for integration into the host genome, and deleting accessory proteins Vif, Vpr, and Nef. These original DNA vaccine vectors generated VLPs with incomplete protease-mediated cleavage of Gag and were irregularly sized. Mutations to restore function within the defective genes revealed that several of the reverse transcriptase (RT) deletions mediated this immature phenotype. Here, we made efficient budding, protease-processed, and mature-form VLPs that resembled infectious virions by introducing alternative mutations that completely removed the RT domain, but preserved most other safety mutations. These VLPs, either expressed from DNA vectors in vivo or purified after expression in vitro, are potentially useful immunogens that can be used to elicit antibody responses that target Env on fully infectious HIV-1 virions.

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A single dose of recombinant VSV-∆G-spike vaccine provides protection against SARS-CoV-2 challenge

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-20228-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yfat Yahalom-Ronen ◽

Hadas Tamir ◽

Sharon Melamed ◽

Boaz Politi ◽

Ohad Shifman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Dose ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Body Weight Loss ◽

Spike Protein ◽

Effective Vaccine ◽

In Vivo Model ◽

Golden Syrian Hamster

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 imposes an urgent need for rapid development of an efficient and cost-effective vaccine, suitable for mass immunization. Here, we show the development of a replication competent recombinant VSV-∆G-spike vaccine, in which the glycoprotein of VSV is replaced by the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. In-vitro characterization of this vaccine indicates the expression and presentation of the spike protein on the viral membrane with antigenic similarity to SARS-CoV-2. A golden Syrian hamster in-vivo model for COVID-19 is implemented. We show that a single-dose vaccination results in a rapid and potent induction of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Importantly, vaccination protects hamsters against SARS-CoV-2 challenge, as demonstrated by the abrogation of body weight loss, and alleviation of the extensive tissue damage and viral loads in lungs and nasal turbinates. Taken together, we suggest the recombinant VSV-∆G-spike as a safe, efficacious and protective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.

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Characterization of an In Vivo Neutralizing Anti-Vaccinia Virus D8 Single-Chain Fragment Variable (scFv) from a Human Anti-Vaccinia Virus-Specific Recombinant Library

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9111308 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 1308

Author(s):

Ulrike S. Diesterbeck ◽

Henrike P. Ahsendorf ◽

André Frenzel ◽

Ahmad Reza Sharifi ◽

Thomas Schirrmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vaccinia Virus ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Passive Immunization ◽

Nmri Mouse ◽

Single Chain ◽

Single Chain Fragment Variable ◽

Human Scfv ◽

Human Immune Response

A panel of potent neutralizing antibodies are protective against orthopoxvirus (OPXV) infections. For the development of OPXV-specific recombinant human single-chain antibodies (scFvs), the IgG repertoire of four vaccinated donors was amplified from peripheral B-lymphocytes. The resulting library consisted of ≥4 × 108 independent colonies. The immuno-screening against vaccinia virus (VACV) Elstree revealed a predominant selection of scFv clones specifically binding to the D8 protein. The scFv-1.2.2.H9 was engineered into larger human scFv-Fc-1.2.2.H9 and IgG1-1.2.2.H9 formats to improve the binding affinity and to add effector functions within the human immune response. Similar binding kinetics were calculated for scFv-1.2.2.H9 and scFv-Fc-1.2.2.H9 (1.61 nM and 7.685 nM, respectively), whereas, for IgG1-1.2.2.H9, the Michaelis-Menten kinetics revealed an increased affinity of 43.8 pM. None of the purified recombinant 1.2.2.H9 formats were able to neutralize VACV Elstree in vitro. After addition of 1% human complement, the neutralization of ≥50% of VACV Elstree was achieved with 0.0776 µM scFv-Fc-1.2.2.H9 and 0.01324 µM IgG1-1.2.2.H9, respectively. In an in vivo passive immunization NMRI mouse model, 100 µg purified scFv-1.2.2.H9 and the IgG1-1.2.2.H9 partially protected against the challenge with 4 LD50 VACV Munich 1, as 3/6 mice survived. In contrast, in the scFv-Fc-1.2.2.H9 group, only one mouse survived the challenge.

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Simultaneous Quantitation of Antibodies to Neutralizing Epitopes on Virus-Like Particles for Human Papillomavirus Types 6, 11, 16, and 18 by a Multiplexed Luminex Assay

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology ◽

10.1128/cdli.10.1.108-115.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 108-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 189

Author(s):

David Opalka ◽

Charles E. Lachman ◽

Stefani A. MacMullen ◽

Kathrin U. Jansen ◽

Judith F. Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Papillomavirus ◽

Natural History ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Polyclonal Antibodies ◽

Human Papillomaviruses ◽

Multiple Cancer ◽

Virus Like Particles ◽

Neutralizing Epitopes

ABSTRACT Several different methods have been developed to quantitate neutralizing antibody responses to human papillomaviruses (HPVs), including in vivo neutralization assays, in vitro pseudoneutralization assays, competitive radioimmunoassays (cRIAs), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. However, each of these techniques possesses one or more limitations that preclude testing large numbers of patient sera for use in natural history studies and large vaccine clinical trials. We describe here a new multiplexed assay, by using the Luminex Laboratory MultiAnalyte Profiling (LabMAP3) assay system, that can simultaneously quantitate neutralizing antibodies to human papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16, and 18 in 50 μl of serum. The HPV-Luminex competitive immunoassay measures titers of polyclonal antibodies in serum capable of displacing phycoerythrin-labeled detection monoclonal antibodies binding to conformationally sensitive, neutralizing epitopes on the respective virus-like particles. This competitive Luminex immunoassay was found to be as sensitive, accurate, and precise as the currently used cRIAs. An effective HPV vaccine will most likely require several distinct genotypes to protect against multiple cancer causing papillomaviruses. The HPV-Luminex immunoassay should prove to be a useful tool in simultaneously quantitating antibody immune responses to multiple HPV genotypes for natural history infection studies and for monitoring the efficacy of prospective vaccines.

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Evaluation of the Safety and Immune Efficacy of Recombinant Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Strain Long Live Attenuated Vaccine Candidates

Virologica Sinica ◽

10.1007/s12250-021-00345-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Li-Nan Wang ◽

Xiang-Lei Peng ◽

Min Xu ◽

Yuan-Bo Zheng ◽

Yue-Ying Jiao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Gene Deletion ◽

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Temperature Sensitive ◽

T7 Promoter ◽

Vaccine Candidates ◽

Rsv Infection ◽

Syncytial Virus

AbstractHuman respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI), and no vaccine against LRTI has proven to be safe and effective in infants. Our study assessed attenuated recombinant RSVs as vaccine candidates to prevent RSV infection in mice. The constructed recombinant plasmids harbored (5′ to 3′) a T7 promoter, hammerhead ribozyme, RSV Long strain antigenomic cDNA with cold-passaged (cp) mutations or cp combined with temperature-sensitive attenuated mutations from the A2 strain (A2cpts) or further combined with SH gene deletion (A2cptsΔSH), HDV ribozyme (δ), and a T7 terminator. These vectors were subsequently co-transfected with four helper plasmids encoding N, P, L, and M2-1 viral proteins into BHK/T7-9 cells, and the recovered viruses were then passaged in Vero cells. The rescued recombinant RSVs (rRSVs) were named rRSV-Long/A2cp, rRSV-Long/A2cpts, and rRSV-Long/A2cptsΔSH, respectively, and stably passaged in vitro, without reversion to wild type (wt) at sites containing introduced mutations or deletion. Although rRSV-Long/A2cpts and rRSV-Long/A2cptsΔSH displayed temperature-sensitive (ts) phenotype in vitro and in vivo, all rRSVs were significantly attenuated in vivo. Furthermore, BALB/c mice immunized with rRSVs produced Th1-biased immune response, resisted wtRSV infection, and were free from enhanced respiratory disease. We showed that the combination of ΔSH with attenuation (att) mutations of cpts contributed to improving att phenotype, efficacy, and gene stability of rRSV. By successfully introducing att mutations and SH gene deletion into the RSV Long parent and producing three rRSV strains, we have laid an important foundation for the development of RSV live attenuated vaccines.

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Blocking the GITR-GITRL pathway to overcome resistance to therapy in sarcomatoid malignant pleural mesothelioma

Communications Biology ◽

10.1038/s42003-021-02430-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Meilin Chan ◽

Licun Wu ◽

Zhihong Yun ◽

Trevor D. McKee ◽

Michael Cabanero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tumor Growth ◽

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Pleural Mesothelioma ◽

Spheroid Formation ◽

Resistance To Therapy ◽

Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma

AbstractMalignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive neoplasm originating from the pleura. Non-epithelioid (biphasic and sarcomatoid) MPM are particularly resistant to therapy. We investigated the role of the GITR-GITRL pathway in mediating the resistance to therapy. We found that GITR and GITRL expressions were higher in the sarcomatoid cell line (CRL5946) than in non-sarcomatoid cell lines (CRL5915 and CRL5820), and that cisplatin and Cs-137 irradiation increased GITR and GITRL expressions on tumor cells. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the GITR-GITRL pathway was promoting tumor growth and inhibiting cell apoptosis. Furthermore, GITR+ and GITRL+ cells demonstrated increased spheroid formation in vitro and in vivo. Using patient derived xenografts (PDXs), we demonstrated that anti-GITR neutralizing antibodies attenuated tumor growth in sarcomatoid PDX mice. Tumor immunostaining demonstrated higher levels of GITR and GITRL expressions in non-epithelioid compared to epithelioid tumors. Among 73 patients uniformly treated with accelerated radiation therapy followed by surgery, the intensity of GITR expression after radiation negatively correlated with survival in non-epithelioid MPM patients. In conclusion, the GITR-GITRL pathway is an important mechanism of autocrine proliferation in sarcomatoid mesothelioma, associated with tumor stemness and resistance to therapy. Blocking the GITR-GITRL pathway could be a new therapeutic target for non-epithelioid mesothelioma.

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Effects of Size and Surface Properties of Nanodiamonds on the Immunogenicity of Plant-Based H5 Protein of A/H5N1 Virus in Mice

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11061597 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1597

Author(s):

Thuong Thi Ho ◽

Van Thi Pham ◽

Tra Thi Nguyen ◽

Vy Thai Trinh ◽

Tram Vi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

H5n1 Virus ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Particle Characterization ◽

Innovative Strategy ◽

Specific Igg ◽

Positively Charged

Nanodiamond (ND) has recently emerged as a potential nanomaterial for nanovaccine development. Here, a plant-based haemagglutinin protein (H5.c2) of A/H5N1 virus was conjugated with detonation NDs (DND) of 3.7 nm in diameter (ND4), and high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) oxidative NDs of ~40–70 nm (ND40) and ~100–250 nm (ND100) in diameter. Our results revealed that the surface charge, but not the size of NDs, is crucial to the protein conjugation, as well as the in vitro and in vivo behaviors of H5.c2:ND conjugates. Positively charged ND4 does not effectively form stable conjugates with H5.c2, and has no impact on the immunogenicity of the protein both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, the negatively oxidized NDs (ND40 and ND100) are excellent protein antigen carriers. When compared to free H5.c2, H5.c2:ND40, and H5.c2:ND100 conjugates are highly immunogenic with hemagglutination titers that are both 16 times higher than that of the free H5.c2 protein. Notably, H5.c2:ND40 and H5.c2:ND100 conjugates induce over 3-folds stronger production of both H5.c2-specific-IgG and neutralizing antibodies against A/H5N1 than free H5.c2 in mice. These findings support the innovative strategy of using negatively oxidized ND particles as novel antigen carriers for vaccine development, while also highlighting the importance of particle characterization before use.

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Neutrophil subtypes shape HIV-specific CD8 T-cell responses after vaccinia virus infection

npj Vaccines ◽

10.1038/s41541-021-00314-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mauro Di Pilato ◽

Miguel Palomino-Segura ◽

Ernesto Mejías-Pérez ◽

Carmen E. Gómez ◽

Andrea Rubio-Ponce ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cell ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Vaccinia Virus ◽

Adaptive Immune System ◽

T Cell Responses ◽

Cd8 T Cell ◽

Cell Responses ◽

Adaptive Immune

AbstractNeutrophils are innate immune cells involved in the elimination of pathogens and can also induce adaptive immune responses. Nα and Nβ neutrophils have been described with distinct in vitro capacity to generate antigen-specific CD8 T-cell responses. However, how these cell types exert their role in vivo and how manipulation of Nβ/Nα ratio influences vaccine-mediated immune responses are not known. In this study, we find that these neutrophil subtypes show distinct migratory and motility patterns and different ability to interact with CD8 T cells in the spleen following vaccinia virus (VACV) infection. Moreover, after analysis of adhesion, inflammatory, and migration markers, we observe that Nβ neutrophils overexpress the α4β1 integrin compared to Nα. Finally, by inhibiting α4β1 integrin, we increase the Nβ/Nα ratio and enhance CD8 T-cell responses to HIV VACV-delivered antigens. These findings provide significant advancements in the comprehension of neutrophil-based control of adaptive immune system and their relevance in vaccine design.

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