scholarly journals Immunological responses to the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia turicatae in infected Rhesus macaques: implications for pathogenesis and diagnosis.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica E Embers ◽  
Aparna Krishnavjhala ◽  
Brittany Armstrong ◽  
Michael W. Curtis ◽  
Bapi Pahar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Vaccine Antigen ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Relapsing Fever ◽  
Primate Model ◽  
Immunological Responses

The global public health impact of relapsing fever (RF) spirochetosis is significant, as the pathogens exist on five of seven continents. The hallmark sign of infection is episodic fever and the greatest threat is to the unborn. With the goal of better understanding the specificity of B cell responses and the role of immune responses in pathogenicity, we infected Rhesus macaques with Borrelia turicatae (a new world RF spirochete species) by tick bite and monitored the immune responses generated in response to the pathogen. Specifically, we evaluated inflammatory mediator induction by the pathogen, host antibody responses to specific antigens, and peripheral lymphocyte population dynamics. Our results indicate that B. turicatae elicits from peripheral blood cells key inflammatory response mediators (IL-1β and TNF-α) which are associated with pre-term abortion. Moreover, a global decline in peripheral B cell populations was observed in all animals at 14 days post-infection. Serological responses were also evaluated to assess the antigenicity of three surface proteins, BipA, BrpA and Bta112. Interestingly, a distinction was observed between antibodies generated in non-human primates (NHPs) and mice. Our results provide support for the nonhuman primate model not only in studies of prenatal pathogenesis, but for diagnostic and vaccine antigen identification and testing.

scholarly journals Immunological Responses to the Relapsing Fever SpirocheteBorrelia turicataein Infected Rhesus Macaques: Implications for Pathogenesis and Diagnosis

2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica E. Embers ◽  
Aparna Krishnavajhala ◽  
Brittany A. Armstrong ◽  
Michael W. Curtis ◽  
Bapi Pahar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Vaccine Antigen ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Relapsing Fever ◽  
Primate Model ◽  
Necrosis Factor Alpha ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTThe global public health impact of relapsing fever (RF) spirochetosis is significant, since the pathogens exist on five of seven continents. The hallmark sign of infection is episodic fever and the greatest threat is to the unborn. With the goal of better understanding the specificity of B-cell responses and the role of immune responses in pathogenicity, we infected rhesus macaques withBorrelia turicatae(a new world RF spirochete species) by tick bite and monitored the immune responses generated in response to the pathogen. Specifically, we evaluated inflammatory mediator induction by the pathogen, host antibody responses to specific antigens, and peripheral lymphocyte population dynamics. Our results indicate thatB. turicataeelicits from peripheral blood cells key inflammatory response mediators (interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor alpha), which are associated with preterm abortion. Moreover, a global decline in peripheral B-cell populations was observed in all animals at 14 days postinfection. Serological responses were also evaluated to assess the antigenicity of three surface proteins: BipA, BrpA, and Bta112. Interestingly, a distinction was observed between antibodies generated in nonhuman primates and mice. Our results provide support for the nonhuman primate model not only in studies of prenatal pathogenesis but also for diagnostic and vaccine antigen identification and testing.

scholarly journals Neutralization of rhesus cytomegalovirus IL-10 reduces horizontal transmission and alters long-term immunity

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (26) ◽  
pp. 13036-13041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse D. Deere ◽  
W. L. William Chang ◽  
Andradi Villalobos ◽  
Kimberli A. Schmidt ◽  
Ashlesha Deshpande ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Persistent Infection ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Horizontal Transmission ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Interleukin 10 ◽  
Primate Model ◽  
Host Immune Responses ◽  
Rhesus Cytomegalovirus

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) causes severe disease in infants and immunocompromised people. There is no approved HCMV vaccine, and vaccine development strategies are complicated by evidence of both persistent infection and reinfection of people with prior immunity. The greatest emphasis has been placed on reducing transmission to seronegative pregnant women to prevent vertical transmission and its potentially severe sequelae. Increasing evidence suggests that the earliest host–HCMV interactions establish conditions for viral persistence, including evasion of host immune responses to the virus. Using a nonhuman primate model of HCMV infection, we show that rhesus macaques immunized against viral interleukin-10 (IL-10) manifest delayed rhesus cytomegalovirus (RhCMV) acquisition and altered immune responses to the infection when it does occur. Among animals with the greatest antiviral IL-10–neutralizing activity, the timing of RhCMV seroconversion was delayed by an average of 12 weeks. After acquisition, such animals displayed an antibody response to the new infection, which peaked as expected after 2 weeks but then declined rapidly. In contrast, surprisingly, vaccination with glycoprotein B (gB) protein had no discernible impact on these outcomes. Our results demonstrate that viral IL-10 is a key regulator of successful host immune responses to RhCMV. Viral IL-10 is, therefore, an important target for vaccine strategies against cytomegalovirus (CMV). Furthermore, given the immunoregulatory function of viral IL-10, targeting this protein may prove synergistic with other vaccine therapies and targets. Our study also provides additional evidence that the earliest host–CMV interactions can have a significant impact on the nature of persistent infection.

scholarly journals Immunogenicity and Efficacy of Flagellin-Envelope Fusion Dengue Vaccines in Mice and Monkeys

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 516-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ge Liu ◽  
Langzhou Song ◽  
David W. C. Beasley ◽  
Robert Putnak ◽  
Jason Parent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Protective Antigen ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Vaccine Antigen ◽  
Placebo Control ◽  
Vaccine Platform ◽  
Post Dose ◽  
Primate Model ◽  
Denv Serotypes

ABSTRACTThe envelope (E) protein of flaviviruses includes three domains, EI, EII, and EIII, and is the major protective antigen. Because EIII is rich in type-specific and subcomplex-specific neutralizing epitopes and is easy to express, it is particularly attractive as a recombinant vaccine antigen. VaxInnate has developed a vaccine platform that genetically links vaccine antigens to bacterial flagellin, a Toll-like receptor 5 ligand. Here we report that tetravalent dengue vaccines (TDVs) consisting of four constructs, each containing two copies of EIII fused to flagellin (R3.2x format), elicited robust and long-lived neutralizing antibodies (geometric mean titers of 200 to 3,000), as measured with a 50% focus reduction neutralization test (FRNT50). In an immunogenicity study, rhesus macaques (n= 2) immunized subcutaneously with 10 μg or 90 μg of TDV three or four times, at 4- to 6-week intervals, developed neutralizing antibodies to four dengue virus (DENV) serotypes (mean post-dose 3 FRNT50titers of 102 to 601). In an efficacy study, rhesus macaques (n= 4) were immunized intramuscularly with 16 μg or 48 μg of TDV or a placebo control three times, at 1-month intervals. The animals that received 48-μg doses of TDV developed neutralizing antibodies against the four serotypes (geometric mean titers of 49 to 258) and exhibited reduced viremia after DENV-2 challenge, with a group mean viremia duration of 1.25 days and 2 of 4 animals being completely protected, compared to the placebo-treated animals, which all developed viremia, with a mean duration of 4 days. In conclusion, flagellin-EIII fusion vaccines are immunogenic and partially protective in a nonhuman primate model.

scholarly journals Differential T- and B-Cell Responses to Pertussis in Acellular Vaccine-Primed versus Whole-Cell Vaccine-Primed Children 2 Years after Preschool Acellular Booster Vaccination

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1388-1395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose-Minke Schure ◽  
Lotte H. Hendrikx ◽  
Lia G. H. de Rond ◽  
Kemal Öztürk ◽  
Elisabeth A. M. Sanders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
B Cells ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Booster Vaccination ◽  
Memory B Cells ◽  
Vaccine Antigen ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Cell Responses

ABSTRACTThis study investigated long-term cellular and humoral immunity against pertussis after booster vaccination of 4-year-old children who had been vaccinated at 2, 3, 4, and 11 months of age with either whole-cell pertussis (wP) or acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine. Immune responses were evaluated until 2 years after the preschool booster aP vaccination. In a cross-sectional study (registered trial no. ISRCTN65428640), blood samples were taken from wP- and aP-primed children prebooster and 1 month and 2 years postbooster. Pertussis vaccine antigen-specific IgG levels, antibody avidities, and IgG subclasses, as well as T-cell cytokine levels, were measured by fluorescent bead-based multiplex immunoassays. The numbers of pertussis-specific memory B cells and gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-producing T cells were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assays. Even 2 years after booster vaccination, memory B cells were still present and higher levels of pertussis-specific antibodies than prebooster were found in aP-primed children and, to a lesser degree, also in wP-primed children. The antibodies consisted mainly of the IgG1 subclass but also showed an increased IgG4 portion, primarily in the aP-primed children. The antibody avidity indices for pertussis toxin and pertactin in aP-primed children were already high prebooster and remained stable at 2 years, whereas those in wP-primed children increased. All measured prebooster T-cell responses in aP-primed children were already high and remained at similar levels or even decreased during the 2 years after booster vaccination, whereas those in wP-primed children increased. Since the Dutch wP vaccine has been replaced by aP vaccines, the induction of B-cell and T-cell memory immune responses has been enhanced, but antibody levels still wane after five aP vaccinations. Based on these long-term immune responses, the Dutch pertussis vaccination schedule can be optimized, and we discuss here several options.

scholarly journals Imd pathway-specific immune assays reveal NF-κB stimulation by viral RNA PAMPs in Aedes aegypti Aag2 cells

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany A. Russell ◽  
Andalus Ayaz ◽  
Andrew D. Davidson ◽  
Ana Fernandez-Sesma ◽  
Kevin Maringer
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Toll Pathway ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Imd Pathway ◽  
Arboviral Diseases ◽  
Transgenic Insects

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe mosquito Aedes aegypti is a major vector for the arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever and Zika viruses. Vector immune responses pose a major barrier to arboviral transmission, and transgenic insects with altered immunity have been proposed as tools for reducing the global public health impact of arboviral diseases. However, a better understanding of virus-immune interactions is needed to progress the development of such transgenic insects. Although the NF-κB-regulated Toll and ‘immunodeficiency’ (Imd) pathways are increasingly thought to be antiviral, relevant pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) remain poorly characterised in A. aegypti.Methodology/Principle FindingsWe developed novel RT-qPCR and luciferase reporter assays to measure induction of the Toll and Imd pathways in the commonly used A. aegypti-derived Aag2 cell line. We thus determined that the Toll pathway is not inducible by exogenous stimulation with bacterial, viral or fungal stimuli in Aag2 cells under our experimental conditions. We used our Imd pathway-specific assays to demonstrate that the viral dsRNA mimic poly(I:C) is sensed by the Imd pathway, likely through intracellular and extracellular PRRs. The Imd pathway was also induced during infection with the model insect-specific virus cricket paralysis virus (CrPV).Conclusions/SignificanceOur demonstration that a general PAMP shared by many arboviruses is sensed by the Imd pathway paves the way for future studies to determine how viral RNA is sensed by mosquito PRRs at a molecular level. Our data also suggest that studies measuring inducible immune pathway activation through antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression in Aag2 cells should be interpreted cautiously given that the Toll pathway is not responsive under all experimental conditions. With no antiviral therapies and few effective vaccines available to treat arboviral diseases, our findings provide new insights relevant to the development of transgenic mosquitoes as a means of reducing arbovirus transmission.AUTHOR SUMMARYThe mosquito Aedes aegypti, found globally across the tropics and subtropics, transmits viral diseases with a significant global public health impact, including chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever and Zika viruses. There are no antiviral drugs to treat these diseases and few effective vaccines. One way of reducing the global burden of mosquito-borne diseases would be to develop genetically modified mosquitoes unable to transmit viruses. One approach would be to alter the mosquitoes’ immune system to allow them to better fight viral infections. To do so, we first need to understand how viruses are detected by the mosquito immune system. We developed new methods of measuring immune responses in laboratory-cultured mosquito cells and used them to show that one specific arm of the immune system, called the ‘Imd pathway’, can detect the RNA that constitutes the genome of mosquito-borne viruses. These findings pave the way for future immune studies that could inform the development of transmission-incompetent mosquitoes. We also found that another arm of the immune system, called the ‘Toll pathway’, is not functional under any experimental conditions used in this study. This finding has implications for how different laboratories interpret data from these particular cultured cells.

scholarly journals Maternal schistosomiasis impairs offspring IL-4 production and B cell expansion

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Cortes-Selva ◽  
Lisa Gibbs ◽  
Andrew Ready ◽  
H. Atakan Ekiz ◽  
Bartek Rajwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Follicular Dendritic Cell ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Maternal Infection ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Childhood Immunizations ◽  
Helminth Infections ◽  
Reporter Mice

SummaryMaternal helminth infections are a global public health concern and correlate with altered infant immune responses to some childhood immunizations, but a mechanistic understanding of how maternal helminth infection alters the cellular immune responses of offspring is lacking. Here we establish a model of maternal Schistosoma mansoni infection in dual IL-4 reporter mice. We find that offspring born to mothers infected with S. mansoni have impaired production of IL-4 during homoeostasis, and following immunization with a Tetanus-Diphtheria vaccine. We identified that iNKT cells are the dominant source of IL-4 during early life homeostasis, and that diminished IL-4 production was associated with both reduced B cell and follicular dendritic cell responses. These defects were maintained long-term, affecting memory B and T cell responses. Single-cell RNASeq analysis of immunized offspring identified egg antigen-dependent reductions in B-cell cell cycle and proliferation-related genes. These data reveal that maternal infection leads to long-lasting defects in the cellular responses to heterologous antigens and provide vital insight into the influence of maternal infection on offspring immunity.

scholarly journals Deimmunization of flagellin for repeated administration as a vaccine adjuvant

npj Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Koemchhoy Khim ◽  
Yong Jun Bang ◽  
Sao Puth ◽  
Yoonjoo Choi ◽  
Youn Suhk Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Vibrio Vulnificus ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Cell Epitope ◽  
Repeated Administration ◽  
Antibody Responses ◽  
Vaccine Antigen ◽  
Epitope Region ◽  
B Cell Epitope

AbstractFlagellin, a protein-based Toll-like receptor agonist, is a versatile adjuvant applicable to wide spectrum of vaccines and immunotherapies. Given reiterated treatments of immunogenic biopharmaceuticals should lead to antibody responses precluding repeated administration, the development of flagellin not inducing specific antibodies would greatly expand the chances of clinical applications. Here we computationally identified immunogenic regions in Vibrio vulnificus flagellin B and deimmunized by simply removing a B cell epitope region. The recombinant deimmunized FlaB (dFlaB) maintains stable TLR5-stimulating activity. Multiple immunization of dFlaB does not induce FlaB-specific B cell responses in mice. Intranasally co-administered dFlaB with influenza vaccine enhanced strong Ag-specific immune responses in both systemic and mucosal compartments devoid of FlaB-specific Ab production. Notably, dFlaB showed better protective immune responses against lethal viral challenge compared with wild type FlaB. The deimmunizing B cell epitope deletion did not compromise stability and adjuvanticity, while suppressing unwanted antibody responses that may negatively affected vaccine antigen-directed immune responses in repeated vaccinations. We explain the underlying mechanism of deimmunization by employing molecular dynamics analysis.

scholarly journals Effects of Age and Social Adversity on Immune Cell Populations in a Non-Human Primate Model of Human Aging

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 532-533
Author(s):  
Mitchell Sanchez-Rosado ◽  
Noah Snyder-Mackler ◽  
James Higham ◽  
Lauren Brent ◽  
Nicole Marzan-Rivera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Primate Model ◽  
Hla Dr ◽  
Social Adversity ◽  
Classical Monocytes

Abstract Significant hallmarks of aging are immune function decline and rising cumulative inflammation. These immunosenescent signatures are also found in individuals who experience chronic social adversity, independently of age. However, no studies to date have examined how social adversity alters immune function across the lifespan –data that are essential to identify the molecular routes through which social adversity might lead to increased aging-related disease. Over a two-year period, we investigated how age and social adversity (quantified by low social status) affected immunity. We measured immune cell proportions at baseline and their gene regulation after in vitro stimulation with pathogen molecules that stimulated both Th1 and Th2 immune responses in a population of free-ranging rhesus macaques. We first performed flow cytometry on peripheral whole blood to quantify changes on immune cell proportions across the lifespan (n=235) and in animals of different social statuses (n=141). We found significant decreases in CD20+ B cells and CD3+/CD4+ T cell proportions with age, suggesting diminished antibody production and adaptive immune responses in older individuals. Age-associated increases in CD3+/CD8+, CD3+/CD4+/CD25+ T regulatory cells and CD14-/CD16+/HLA-DR+ non-classical monocytes indicated heightened baseline inflammation in older animals. Social adversity recapitulated the effects of aging in CD14+/CD16-/HLA-DR+ classical monocytes, indicating immune deficits in phagocytosis and pathogen clearance in older and lower status individuals. Using RNA-seq, our stimulations (n=1,320) will allow us to identify molecular immune pathways that are disrupted by age and social adversity, similarities in response between age and adversity, and how the effect of adversity varies across the lifespan.

scholarly journals Latent Adeno-Associated Virus Infection Elicits Humoral but Not Cell-Mediated Immune Responses in a Nonhuman Primate Model

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 8549-8558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yosbani J. Hernandez ◽  
Jianming Wang ◽  
William G. Kearns ◽  
Scott Loiler ◽  
Amy Poirier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Capsid Proteins ◽  
Intravenous Route ◽  
Primate Model ◽  
Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽  
Adeno Associated Virus ◽  
Humoral Immune

ABSTRACT Latent infection with wild-type (wt) adeno-associated virus (AAV) was studied in rhesus macaques, a species that is a natural host for AAV and that has some homology to humans with respect to the preferred locus for wt AAV integration. Each of eight animals was infected with an inoculum of 1010 IU of wt AAV, administered by either the intranasal, intramuscular, or intravenous route. Two additional animals were infected intranasally with wt AAV and a helper adenovirus (Ad), while one additional animal was inoculated with saline intranasally as a control. There were no detectable clinical or histopathologic responses to wt AAV administration. Molecular analyses, including Southern blot, PCR, and fluorescence in situ hybridization, were performed 21 days after infection. These studies indicated that AAV DNA sequences persisted at the sites of administration, albeit at low copy number, and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Site-specific integration into the AAVS1-like locus was observed in a subset of animals. All animals, except those infected by the intranasal route with wt AAV alone, developed a humoral immune response to wt AAV capsid proteins, as evidenced by a ≥fourfold rise in anti-AAV neutralizing titers. However, only animals infected with both wt AAV and Ad developed cell-mediated immune responses to AAV capsid proteins. These findings provide some insights into the nature of anti-AAV immune responses that may be useful in interpreting results of future AAV-based gene transfer studies.

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