scholarly journals Characterisation of antigenic MHC Class I-restricted T cell epitopes in the glycoprotein of Ebolavirus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Powlson ◽  
Daniel Wright ◽  
Antra Zeltina ◽  
Mark Giza ◽  
Morten Nielsen ◽  
...  

Ebolavirus is a pathogen capable of causing highly lethal haemorrhagic fever in humans. The envelope-displayed viral glycoprotein is the primary target of humoral immunity induced by both natural exposure and vaccination. The epitopes targeted by B cells have been thoroughly characterised by functional and structural analyses of the glycoprotein, GP, yet there is a paucity of information regarding the cellular immune response to Ebolavirus. To date, no T cell epitopes in the glycoprotein have been characterised in detail in humans. A recent Phase I clinical trial of a heterologous prime-boost vaccination regime with viral vectors encoding filovirus antigens elicited strong humoral and T cell responses in vaccinees. Using samples from this trial, the most frequently recognised peptide pools were studied in more detail to identify the minimal epitopes recognised by antigen-specific T cells and associated HLA-restrictions. Using IFNγ ELISPOT and flow cytometry, we characterised nine highly immunogenic T cell epitopes located on both the GP1 and GP2 subunits of the Ebolavirus GP. Epitope mapping revealed the location of these epitopes as presented on the mature virion. HLA-typing on all participants, combined with in silico epitope analysis, determined the likely MHC class I restriction elements. Thirteen HLA-A and -B alleles were predicted to present the identified epitopes, suggesting promiscuous recognition and induction of a broad immune response. The glycoprotein of Ebolavirus is highly immunogenic, inducing both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses and we have shown here for the first time that these responses are associated with multiple HLA types. Delivery of this antigen using a heterologous prime-boost approach with ChAd3 and MVA is likely to be highly immunogenic in genetically diverse human populations, due to the induction of responses against multiple immunodominant epitopes.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A644-A644
Author(s):  
John Flickinger ◽  
Jagmohan Singh ◽  
Yanki Yarman ◽  
Robert Carlson ◽  
Scott Waldman ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a promising vector for cancer immunotherapy due to its ability to directly infect antigen-presenting cells, induce potent CD8+ T-cell immunity, and remodel immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments.1 Recent clinical trials have demonstrated safety and immunogenicity of Lm-based cancer vaccines in lung, cervical, pancreatic, and other cancers. In colorectal cancer, the transmembrane receptor guanylyl cyclase C (GUCY2C) is an emerging target for immunotherapy.2 Here, we examined the immunogenicity of a recombinant strain of Listeria monocytogenes secreting GUCY2C (Lm-GUCY2C). Surprisingly, Lm-GUCY2C vaccination induced robust Lm-specific CD8+ T-cell immunity but failed to prime GUCY2C-specific CD8+ T-cell responses. These studies explore the hypothesis that immunodominant Lm antigens suppress primary immunity to subdominant GUCY2C epitopes in Lm-GUCY2CMethodsLm-GUCY2C expresses the extracellular domain of mouse GUCY2C23-429 downstream of an ActA promoter integrated into the genome of the live, attenuated delta actA delta inlB Lm strain. Altered peptide ligands were designed based on NetMHCpan 4.0 peptide-MHC binding algorithms and similarly cloned into Lm. Peptide-MHC class I complex stability was quantified by FACS-based surface peptide-MHC dissociation on the TAP-deficient cell line, RMA-S H-2Kd.3In vivo efficacy studies employed IFNγ-ELISpot quantification of T-cell responses and tumor challenge studies with the CT26 colorectal cancer cell line. Adenovirus expressing GUCY2C was used as a positive control.2 4ResultsLm-GUCY2C vaccination of BALB/c mice generated Lm-specific CD8+ T-cell responses but an absence of GUCY2C-specific immunity. Peptide-MHC stability studies revealed poor stability of the dominant GUCY2C254-262 epitope complexed with H-2Kd compared to H-2Kd-restricted Lm epitopes derived from the LLO and p60 Lm antigens. Mutation of the GUCY2C254-262 peptide at critical anchoring residues for binding H-2Kd revealed that the altered peptide ligand with an F255Y mutation significantly improved the stability of the GUCY2C254-262-H-2Kd complex. Similarly, vaccination of mice with recombinant Lm-GUCY2C expressing the altered peptide ligand (Lm-GUCY2CF255Y) restored GUCY2C immunogenicity and antitumor immunity.ConclusionsImmunodominant Lm antigens may interfere with immune responses directed to the vaccine target antigen GUCY2C by competing with GUCY2C epitope for MHC class I binding and presentation. Moreover, use of a substituted GUCY2C -peptide ligand with enhanced peptide-MHC class I stability restored GUCY2C-specific immunity in the context of Lm-GUCY2C, an approach that can be translated to patients. Importantly, these studies also suggest that ongoing Lm-based vaccine development programs targeting a variety of antigens in other cancer types may be similarly limited by the immunodominance of Lm epitopes.AcknowledgementsThe authors thank Dr. Peter Lauer for providing the pPL2 integration vector used in cloning Lm-GUCY2C and Dr. Sean Murphy for providing the RMA-S H-2Kd cell line.Ethics ApprovalStudies were approved by the Thomas Jefferson University IACUC (Protocol # 01956).ReferencesFlickinger JC, Rodeck U, Snook AE. Listeria monocytogenes as a Vector for Cancer Immunotherapy: Current Understanding and Progress. Vaccines (Basel) 2018;6. doi:10.3390/vaccines6030048.Snook AE, Baybutt TR, Xiang B, Abraham TS, Flickinger JC, Hyslop T, et al. Split tolerance permits safe Ad5-GUCY2C-PADRE vaccine-induced T-cell responses in colon cancer patients. J Immunother Cancer 2019;7:104. doi:10.1186/s40425-019-0576-2.Müllbacher A, Lobigs M, Kos FJ, Langman R. Alloreactive cytotoxic T-cell function, peptide nonspecific. Scand J Immunol 1999;49:563–9.Flickinger J. JC, Singh J, Carlson R, Leong E, Baybutt T, Barton J, et al. Chimeric Ad5.F35 vector evades anti-adenovirus serotype 5 neutralization opposing GUCY2C-targeted antitumor immunity. J Immunother Cancer 2020.


2003 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 771-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiota A. Sotiropoulou ◽  
Sonia A. Perez ◽  
Volfgang Voelter ◽  
Hartmut Echner ◽  
Ioannis Missitzis ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saskia Meyer ◽  
Isaac Blaas ◽  
Ravi Chand Bollineni ◽  
Marina Delic-Sarac ◽  
Trung T Tran ◽  
...  

T-cell epitopes with broad population coverage may form the basis for a new generation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. However, published studies on immunoprevalence are limited by small test cohorts, low frequencies of antigen-specific cells and lack of data correlating eluted HLA ligands with T-cell responsiveness. Here, we investigate CD8 T-cell responses to 48 peptides eluted from prevalent HLA alleles, and an additional 84 predicted binders, in a large cohort of convalescents (n=83) and pre-pandemic control samples (n=19). We identify nine conserved SARS-CoV-2 specific epitopes restricted by four of the most prevalent HLA class I alleles in Caucasians, to which responding CD8 T cells are detected in 70-100% of convalescents expressing the relevant HLA allele, including two novel epitopes. We find a strong correlation between immunoprevalence and immunodominance. Using a new algorithm, we predict that a vaccine including these epitopes would induce a T cell response in 83% of Caucasians. Significance Statement: Vaccines that induce broad T-cell responses may boost immunity as protection from current vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 is waning. From a manufacturing standpoint, and to deliver the highest possible dose of the most immunogenic antigens, it is rational to limit the number of epitopes to those inducing the strongest immune responses in the highest proportion of individuals in a population. Our data show that the CD8 T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 is more focused than previously believed. We identify nine conserved SARS-CoV-2 specific CD8 T cell epitopes restricted by four of the most prevalent HLA class I alleles in Caucasians and demonstrate that seven of these are endogenously presented.


2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 483-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerd Meyer zu Hörste ◽  
Holger Heidenreich ◽  
Anne K. Mausberg ◽  
Helmar C. Lehmann ◽  
Anneloor L.M.A. ten Asbroek ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth K. Duperret ◽  
Alfredo Perales-Puchalt ◽  
Regina Stoltz ◽  
Hiranjith G.H. ◽  
Nitin Mandloi ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 2578-2578
Author(s):  
C. Renner ◽  
G. Held ◽  
F. Neumann ◽  
S. Kleber ◽  
M. Thiel ◽  
...  

2578 Background: Vaccine strategies that target or activate dendritic cells in order to elicit potent cellular immunity are currently the subject of intense research. Here we report that genetically engineered yeast expressing the full-length tumor associated antigen NY-ESO-1 are a versatile host for protein production eliciting MHC class I and II T-cell responses. Methods: The pYD1 yeast display vector was chosen for full length NY-Eso-1 protein (pNY-ESO-1) expression. NY-ESO-1 and SSX-2 (as control) protein were affinity purified on. IFN-g ELISPOT assays were performed in triplicates on nitrocellulose-lined 96-well plates. MHC class I cross-presentation of peptide epitopes was demonstrated by blocking T-cell responses against DCs. For this purpose, antigen or peptide pulsed DCs were labeled with different doses (100, 10, 1 μg/ml) of antibodies specific for HLA-A2/peptide complexes (HLA-A2/ NY-Eso-1157–165; 3M4E5) or an irrelevant antibody (specific for HLA-A2/IMP58–66) as control. Results: Highest level of NY-ESO-1 expression was detected on the cell wall of wt EBY100 strain with lower expression levels on PMT deficient strains PMT-2 and PMT-4. After protein feeding of immature DCs, NY-ESO-1 157–165 peptide cross-presentation was detected by 3M4E5 and an antigen-specific CD8+ T cell clone. There was a strong positive correlation between the amount of Aga2p-NY-ESO-1 protein (0–15μg/ml) and peptide presentation. Specific T-cell recognition of NY-Eso-1 157–165/HLA-A2 complexes was validated by blocking experiments with Fab 3M4E5. Pre-incubation of protein fed DCs with the antibody at different concentrations (0–100 μg/ml) resulted in a significant reduction (p< 0.05) of spot numbers. Efficient presentation and T-cell recognition of epitope 157–165 was only adequately detectable when protein produced by EBY100 wt yeast strain was used (p < 0.05). MHC class II presentation was studied in an autologous setting using a T-cell line recognising the NY-ESO-1 157–170 in HLA-DP4 context revealing that NY-ESO-1 protein produced in yeast was efficiently taken up and presented. Conclusions: Together, these data add further evidence that yeast expressing recombinant proteins can be used for vaccine purposes and that antigen uptake in APC depends on glycoslation of yeast expressed antigens. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document