scholarly journals Identification of Mycobacterial Ribosomal Proteins as Targets for CD4+T Cells That Enhance Protective Immunity in Tuberculosis

2018 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven C. Kennedy ◽  
Alison J. Johnson ◽  
Sushma Bharrhan ◽  
Cecilia S. Lindestam Arlehamn ◽  
Jiayong Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Ribosomal Proteins ◽  
Mediastinal Lymph Node ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Lung Pathology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peptide Epitopes ◽  
Cell Responses

ABSTRACTMycobacterium tuberculosisremains a threat to global health, and a more efficacious vaccine is needed to prevent disease caused byM. tuberculosis. We previously reported that the mycobacterial ribosome is a major target of CD4+T cells in mice immunized with a genetically modifiedMycobacterium smegmatisstrain (IKEPLUS) but not in mice immunized withMycobacterium bovisBCG. Two specific ribosomal proteins, RplJ and RpsA, were identified as cross-reactive targets ofM. tuberculosis, but the breadth of the CD4+T cell response toM. tuberculosisribosomes was not determined. In the present study, a library ofM. tuberculosisribosomal proteins andin silico-predicted peptide libraries were used to screen CD4+T cell responses in IKEPLUS-immunized mice. This identified 24 out of 57M. tuberculosisribosomal proteins distributed over both large and small ribosome subunits as specific CD4+T cell targets. Although BCG did not induce detectable responses against ribosomal proteins or peptide epitopes, theM. tuberculosisribosomal protein RplJ produced a robust and multifunctional Th1-like CD4+T cell population when administered as a booster vaccine to previously BCG-primed mice. Boosting of BCG-primed immunity with theM. tuberculosisRplJ protein led to significantly reduced lung pathology compared to that in BCG-immunized animals and reductions in the bacterial burdens in the mediastinal lymph node compared to those in naive and standard BCG-vaccinated mice. These results identify the mycobacterial ribosome as a potential source of cryptic or subdominant antigenic targets of protective CD4+T cell responses and suggest that supplementing BCG with ribosomal antigens may enhance protective vaccination againstM. tuberculosis.

scholarly journals LB-18. Broad and Prevalent SARS-CoV-2 CD8+ T Cell Response in Recovered COVID-19 Individuals Demonstrates Kinetics of Early Differentiation

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S852-S853
Author(s):  
Hassen Kared ◽  
Evan Bloch ◽  
Andrew Redd ◽  
Alessandra Nardin ◽  
Hermi Sumatoh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cd8 T Cells ◽  
Cell Response ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
Cd8 T Cell ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Peptide Epitopes ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Candidate Peptide

Abstract Background Understanding the diversity, breadth, magnitude, and functional profile of the T cell response against SARS-CoV-2 in recovered COVID-19 individuals is critical to evaluate the contribution of T cells to produce a potentially protective immune response. Methods We used a multiplexed peptide-MHC tetramer approach to screen a total of 408 SARS-CoV-2 candidate peptide epitopes for CD8+ T cell recognition in a cohort of 30 individuals recovered from COVID-19. The peptides spanned the whole viral genome and were restricted to six prevalent HLA alleles; T cells were simultaneously characterized by a 28-marker phenotypic panel. The evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 T cell responses was then statistically modeled against time from diagnosis, and in relation to humoral and inflammatory response. Workflow for Study. A multiplexed peptide-MHC tetramer approach was used to screen SARS-CoV-2 candidate peptide epitopes in a cohort of 30 COVID-19 recovered patients across 6 prevalent HLA alleles, and T cells profiled with a 28-marker phenotypic panel. Multiplex tetramer screen. One representative COVID-19 recovered patient and one healthy donor were screened for HLA- relevant SARS-CoV-2 epitopes, as well as epitopes for CMV, EBV, Influenza, Adenovirus and MART-1. Shown are the frequencies of tetramer-positive CD8 T cells from 2 technical replicates per subject. Results Almost all individuals screened showed a T cell response against SARS-CoV-2 (29/30): 132 SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells hits were detected, corresponding to 52 unique reactive epitopes. Twelve of the 52 unique SARS-CoV-2-specific epitopes were recognized by more than 40% of the individuals screened, indicating high prevalence in the subjects. Importantly, these CD8+ T cell responses were directed against both structural and non-structural viral proteins, with the highest magnitude against nucleocapsid derived peptides, but without any antigen-driven bias in the phenotype of specific T cells. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 T cells showed specific states of differentiation (stem-cell memory and transitional memory), which differed from those of MART-1, influenza, CMV and EBV-specific T cells. UMAP visualization revealed a phenotypic profile of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells in COVID-19 convalescent donors that is distinct from other viral specificities, such as influenza, CMV, EBV and Adenovirus. SARS-CoV-2 epitope screening revealed CD8+ T cell responses directed against both structural and non-structural viral proteins, with the highest magnitude response against nucleocapsid derived peptides Conclusion The kinetics modeling demonstrates a dynamic, evolving immune response characterized by a time-dependent decrease in overall inflammation, increase in neutralizing antibody titer, and progressive differentiation of a broad SARS-CoV-2 CD8 T cell response. It could be desirable to aim at recapitulating the hallmarks of this robust CD8 T cell response in the design of protective COVID-19 vaccines. Disclosures Hassen Kared, PhD, ImmunoScape (Shareholder) Alessandra Nardin, DvM, ImmunoScape (Shareholder) Hermi Sumatoh, BSc, Dip MTech, ImmunoScape (Shareholder) Faris Kairi, BSc, ImmunoScape (Shareholder) Daniel Carbajo, PhD, ImmunoScape (Shareholder) Brian Abel, PhD, MBA, ImmunoScape (Shareholder) Evan Newell, PhD, ImmunoScape (Shareholder)

scholarly journals Optimizing Immunization Strategies for the Induction of Antigen-Specific CD4 and CD8 T Cell Responses for Protection against Intracellular Parasites

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 785-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. Hofmeyer ◽  
Malcolm S. Duthie ◽  
John D. Laurance ◽  
Michelle A. Favila ◽  
Neal Van Hoeven ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cd8 T Cells ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
Cd8 T Cell ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Intracellular Pathogens ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Immunization Strategies

ABSTRACTImmunization strategies that generate either CD4 or CD8 T cell responses are relatively well described, but less is known with regard to optimizing regimens to induce both CD4 and CD8 memory T cells. Considering the importance of both CD4 and CD8 T cells in the control of intracellular pathogens such asLeishmania donovani, we wanted to identify vaccines that could raise both CD4 and CD8 T cell responses and determine how to configure immunization strategies to generate the best combined protective T cell response. We examined responses generated against theLeishmaniavaccine antigen F3 following its administration in either recombinant form with the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) agonist-containing adjuvant formulation GLA-SE (F3+GLA-SE) or as a gene product delivered in an adenoviral vector (Ad5-F3). Homologous immunization strategies using only F3+GLA-SE or Ad5-F3 preferentially generated either CD4 or CD8 T cells, respectively. In contrast, heterologous strategies generated both antigen-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells. Administration of F3+GLA-SE before Ad5-F3 generated the greatest combined CD4 and CD8 responses. Cytotoxic CD8 T cell responses were highest when Th1 cells were generated prior to their induction by Ad5-F3. Finally, a single immunization with a combination of F3+GLA-SE mixed with Ad5-F3 was found to be sufficient to provide protection against experimentalL. donovaniinfection. Taken together, our data delineate immunization regimens that induce antigen-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell memory responses, and identify a single immunization strategy that could be used to rapidly provide protection against intracellular pathogens in regions where access to health care is limited or sporadic.

scholarly journals Resolution of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection Is Associated with a Distinct T Cell Response Profile

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1206-1218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele D. Picard ◽  
Jean-Luc Bodmer ◽  
Todd M. Gierahn ◽  
Alexander Lee ◽  
Jessica Price ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Cell Mediated Immunity ◽  
Transmitted Infection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cell Responses

ABSTRACTChlamydia trachomatisis the causative agent of the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection, the total burden of which is underestimated due to the asymptomatic nature of the infection. UntreatedC. trachomatisinfections can cause significant morbidities, including pelvic inflammatory disease and tubal factor infertility (TFI). The human immune response againstC. trachomatis, an obligate intracellular bacterium, is poorly characterized but is thought to rely on cell-mediated immunity, with CD4+and CD8+T cells implicated in protection. In this report, we present immune profiling data of subjects enrolled in a multicenter study ofC. trachomatisgenital infection. CD4+and CD8+T cells from subjects grouped into disease-specific cohorts were screened using aC. trachomatisproteomic library to identify the antigen specificities of recall T cell responses after natural exposure by measuring interferon gamma (IFN-γ) levels. We identified specific T cell responses associated with the resolution of infection, including unique antigens identified in subjects who spontaneously cleared infection and different antigens associated withC. trachomatis-related sequelae, such as TFI. These data suggest that novel and uniqueC. trachomatisT cell antigens identified in individuals with effective immune responses can be considered as targets for vaccine development, and by excluding antigens associated with deleterious sequelae, immune-mediated pathologies may be circumvented.

scholarly journals Immunodominance of Adenovirus-Derived CD8+ T Cell Epitopes Interferes with the Induction of Transgene-Specific Immunity in Adenovirus-Based Immunization

2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Schöne ◽  
Camilla Patrizia Hrycak ◽  
Sonja Windmann ◽  
Dennis Lapuente ◽  
Ulf Dittmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Interleukin 2 ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cell Responses

ABSTRACT Adenovirus (Ad)-based immunization is a popular approach in vaccine development, and Ad-based vectors are renowned for their potential to induce strong CD8+ T cell responses to the encoded transgene. Surprisingly, we previously found in the mouse Friend retrovirus (FV) model that Ad-based immunization did not induce CD8+ T cell responses to the FV Leader-Gag-derived immunodominant epitope GagL85–93. We show now that induction of GagL85–93-specific CD8+ T cells was highly effective when leader-Gag was delivered by plasmid DNA immunization, implying a role for Ad-derived epitopes in mediating unresponsiveness. By immunizing with DNA constructs encoding strings of GagL85–93 and the two Ad-derived epitopes DNA-binding protein418–426 (DBP418–426) and hexon486–494, we confirmed that Ad epitopes prevent induction of GagL85–93-specific CD8+ T cells. Interestingly, while DBP418–426 did not interfere with GagL85–93-specific CD8+ T cell induction, the H-2Dd-restricted hexon486–494 suppressed the CD8+ T cell response to the H-2Db-restricted GagL85–93 strongly in H-2b/d mice but not in H-2b/b mice. This finding indicates that competition occurs at the level of responding CD8+ T cells, and we could indeed demonstrate that coimmunization with an interleukin 2 (IL-2)-encoding plasmid restored GagL85–93-specific CD8+ T cell responses to epitope strings in the presence of hexon486–494. IL-2 codelivery did not restore GagL85–93 responsiveness in Ad-based immunization, however, likely due to the presence of further epitopes in the Ad vector. Our findings show that seemingly immunodominant transgene epitopes can be dominated by Ad-derived epitopes. These findings underline the importance of thorough characterization of vaccine vectors, and modifications of vectors or immunogens may be required to prevent impaired transgene-specific immune responses. IMPORTANCE Ad-based vectors are widely used in experimental preclinical and clinical immunization studies against numerous infectious agents, such as human immunodeficiency virus, Ebola virus, Plasmodium falciparum, or Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Preexisting immunity to Ad-based vectors is widely recognized as a hindrance to the widespread use of Ad-based vectors for immunizations in humans; however, our data show that an immune response to Ad-derived T cell epitopes can also result in loss or impairment of transgene-specific immune responses in prenaive vaccinees due to immune competition. Our results highlight that seemingly immunodominant epitopes may be affected by dominance of vector-derived epitopes, and modifications of the vector design or the immunogens employed in immunization may lead to more effective vaccines.

scholarly journals Peripheral T-Cell Reactivity to Heat Shock Protein 70 and Its Cofactor GrpE from Tropheryma whipplei Is Reduced in Patients with Classical Whipple's Disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 85 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Trotta ◽  
Kathleen Weigt ◽  
Katina Schinnerling ◽  
Anika Geelhaar-Karsch ◽  
Gerrit Oelkers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Heat Shock ◽  
Heat Shock Protein ◽  
Heat Shock Protein 70 ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
Tropheryma Whipplei ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Ifn Γ

ABSTRACT Classical Whipple's disease (CWD) is characterized by the lack of specific Th1 response toward Tropheryma whipplei in genetically predisposed individuals. The cofactor GrpE of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) from T. whipplei was previously identified as a B-cell antigen. We tested the capacity of Hsp70 and GrpE to elicit specific proinflammatory T-cell responses. Peripheral mononuclear cells from CWD patients and healthy donors were stimulated with T. whipplei lysate or recombinant GrpE or Hsp70 before levels of CD40L, CD69, perforin, granzyme B, CD107a, and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) were determined in T cells by flow cytometry. Upon stimulation with total bacterial lysate or recombinant GrpE or Hsp70 of T. whipplei, the proportions of activated effector CD4+ T cells, determined as CD40L+ IFN-γ+, were significantly lower in patients with CWD than in healthy controls; CD8+ T cells of untreated CWD patients revealed an enhanced activation toward unspecific stimulation and T. whipplei-specific degranulation, although CD69+ IFN-γ+ CD8+ T cells were reduced upon stimulation with T. whipplei lysate and recombinant T. whipplei-derived proteins. Hsp70 and its cofactor GrpE are immunogenic in healthy individuals, eliciting effective responses against T. whipplei to control bacterial spreading. The lack of specific T-cell responses against these T. whipplei-derived proteins may contribute to the pathogenesis of CWD.

scholarly journals Role of Thymic Output in Regulating CD8 T-Cell Homeostasis during Acute and Chronic Viral Infection

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (15) ◽  
pp. 9419-9429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E. Miller ◽  
Jennifer R. Bonczyk ◽  
Yumi Nakayama ◽  
M. Suresh
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cd8 T Cells ◽  
Cell Response ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
Cd8 T Cell ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Lcmv Infection

ABSTRACT Although it is well documented that CD8 T cells play a critical role in controlling chronic viral infections, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of CD8 T-cell responses are not well understood. Using the mouse model of an acute and chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection, we have examined the relative importance of peripheral T cells and thymic emigrants in the elicitation and maintenance of CD8 T-cell responses. Virus-specific CD8 T-cell responses were compared between mice that were either sham thymectomized or thymectomized (Thx) at ∼6 weeks of age. In an acute LCMV infection, thymic deficiency did not affect either the primary expansion of CD8 T cells or the proliferative renewal and maintenance of virus-specific lymphoid and nonlymphoid memory CD8 T cells. Following a chronic LCMV infection, in Thx mice, although the initial expansion of CD8 T cells was normal, the contraction phase of the CD8 T-cell response was exaggerated, which led to a transient but striking CD8 T-cell deficit on day 30 postinfection. However, the virus-specific CD8 T-cell response in Thx mice rebounded quickly and was maintained at normal levels thereafter, which indicated that the peripheral T-cell repertoire is quite robust and capable of sustaining an effective CD8 T-cell response in the absence of thymic output during a chronic LCMV infection. Taken together, these findings should further our understanding of the regulation of CD8 T-cell homeostasis in acute and chronic viral infections and might have implications in the development of immunotherapy.

scholarly journals Long-Term Immunity to Trypanosoma cruzi in the Absence of Immunodominanttrans-Sialidase-Specific CD8+T Cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (9) ◽  
pp. 2627-2638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles S. Rosenberg ◽  
Weibo Zhang ◽  
Juan M. Bustamante ◽  
Rick L. Tarleton
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Pathogen Control ◽  
Immunodominant Epitopes

Trypanosoma cruziinfection drives the expansion of remarkably focused CD8+T cell responses targeting epitopes encoded by varianttrans-sialidase (TS) genes. Infection of C57BL/6 mice withT. cruziresults in up to 40% of all CD8+T cells committed to recognition of the dominant TSKB20 and subdominant TSKB18 TS epitopes. However, despite this enormous response, these mice fail to clearT. cruziinfection and subsequently develop chronic disease. One possible reason for the failure to cureT. cruziinfection is that immunodomination by these TS-specific T cells may interfere with alternative CD8+T cell responses more capable of complete parasite elimination. To address this possibility, we created transgenic mice that are centrally tolerant to these immunodominant epitopes. Mice expressing TSKB20, TSKB18, or both epitopes controlledT. cruziinfection and developed effector CD8+T cells that maintained an activated phenotype. Memory CD8+T cells from drug-cured TSKB-transgenic mice rapidly responded to secondaryT. cruziinfection. In the absence of the response to TSKB20 and TSKB18, immunodominance did not shift to other known subdominant epitopes despite the capacity of these mice to expand epitope-specific T cells specific for the model antigen ovalbumin expressed by engineered parasites. Thus, CD8+T cell responses tightly and robustly focused on a few epitopes within variant TS antigens appear to neither contribute to, nor detract from, the ability to controlT. cruziinfection. These data also indicate that the relative position of an epitope within a CD8+immunodominance hierarchy does not predict its importance in pathogen control.

scholarly journals Convergent epitope-specific T cell responses after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia A Minervina ◽  
Mikhail V Pogorelyy ◽  
Allison M Kirk ◽  
Emma Kaitlynn Allen ◽  
Kim J Allison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
T Cell Memory ◽  
Cell Memory ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Depth Analysis

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines, including Pfizer/Biontech BNT162b2, were shown to be effective for COVID-19 prevention, eliciting both robust antibody responses in naive individuals and boosting pre-existing antibody levels in SARS-CoV-2-recovered individuals. However, the magnitude, repertoire, and phenotype of epitope-specific T cell responses to this vaccine, and the effect of vaccination on pre-existing T cell memory in SARS-CoV-2 convalescent patients, are still poorly understood. Thus, in this study we compared epitope-specific T cells elicited after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection, and vaccination of both naive and recovered individuals. We collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells before and after BNT162b2 vaccination and used pools of 18 DNA-barcoded MHC-class I multimers, combined with scRNAseq and scTCRseq, to characterize T cell responses to several immunodominant epitopes, including a spike-derived epitope cross-reactive to common cold coronaviruses. Comparing responses after infection or vaccination, we found that T cells responding to spike-derived epitopes show similar magnitudes of response, memory phenotypes, TCR repertoire diversity, and αβTCR sequence motifs, demonstrating the potency of this vaccination platform. Importantly, in COVID-19-recovered individuals receiving the vaccine, pre-existing spike-specific memory cells showed both clonal expansion and a phenotypic shift towards more differentiated CCR7-CD45RA+ effector cells. In-depth analysis of T cell receptor repertoires demonstrates that both vaccination and infection elicit largely identical repertoires as measured by dominant TCR motifs and receptor breadth, indicating that BNT162b2 vaccination largely recapitulates T cell generation by infection for all critical parameters. Thus, BNT162b2 vaccination elicits potent spike-specific T cell responses in naive individuals and also triggers the recall T cell response in previously infected individuals, further boosting spike-specific responses but altering their differentiation state. Overall, our study demonstrates the potential of mRNA vaccines to induce, maintain, and shape T cell memory through vaccination and revaccination.

scholarly journals DNA gag/Adenovirus Type 5 (Ad5) gag and Ad5 gag/Ad5 gag Vaccines Induce Distinct T-Cell Response Profiles

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (16) ◽  
pp. 8161-8171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara S. Cox ◽  
James H. Clair ◽  
Michael T. Prokop ◽  
Kara J. Sykes ◽  
Sheri A. Dubey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cell Response ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
Adenovirus Type ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Response Profiles ◽  
Adenovirus Type 5 ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT Results from Merck's phase II adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) gag/pol/nef test-of-concept trial showed that the vaccine lacked efficacy against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in a high-risk population. Among the many questions to be explored following this outcome are whether (i) the Ad5 vaccine induced the quality of T-cell responses necessary for efficacy and (ii) the lack of efficacy in the Ad5 vaccine can be generalized to other vector approaches intended to induce HIV type 1 (HIV-1)-specific T-cell responses. Here we present a comprehensive evaluation of the T-cell response profiles from cohorts of clinical trial subjects who received the HIV CAM-1 gag insert delivered by either a regimen with DNA priming followed by Ad5 boosting (n = 50) or a homologous Ad5/Ad5 prime-boost regimen (n = 70). The samples were tested using a statistically qualified nine-color intracellular cytokine staining assay measuring interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumor necrosis factor alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein 1β, and gamma interferon production and expression of CD107a. Both vaccine regimens induced CD4+ and CD8+ HIV gag-specific T-cell responses which variably expressed several intracellular markers. Several trends were observed in which the frequencies of HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cells and IL-2 production from antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in the DNA/Ad5 cohort were more pronounced than in the Ad5/Ad5 cohort. Implications of these results for future vaccine development will be discussed.

scholarly journals Activation-induced Markers Detect Vaccine-Specific CD4+ T Cell Responses Not Measured by Assays Conventionally Used in Clinical Trials

Vaccines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Bowyer ◽  
Tommy Rampling ◽  
Jonathan Powlson ◽  
Richard Morter ◽  
Daniel Wright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cell Response ◽  
Viral Vectors ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Vaccine Immunogenicity ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Immunogenicity of T cell-inducing vaccines, such as viral vectors or DNA vaccines and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), are frequently assessed by cytokine-based approaches. While these are sensitive methods that have shown correlates of protection in various vaccine studies, they only identify a small proportion of the vaccine-specific T cell response. Responses to vaccination are likely to be heterogeneous, particularly when comparing prime and boost or assessing vaccine performance across diverse populations. Activation-induced markers (AIM) can provide a broader view of the total antigen-specific T cell response to enable a more comprehensive evaluation of vaccine immunogenicity. We tested an AIM assay for the detection of vaccine-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in healthy UK adults vaccinated with viral vectored Ebola vaccine candidates, ChAd3-EBO-Z and MVA-EBO-Z. We used the markers, CD25, CD134 (OX40), CD274 (PDL1), and CD107a, to sensitively identify vaccine-responsive T cells. We compared the use of OX40+CD25+ and OX40+PDL1+ in CD4+ T cells and OX40+CD25+ and CD25+CD107a+ in CD8+ T cells for their sensitivity, specificity, and associations with other measures of vaccine immunogenicity. We show that activation-induced markers can be used as an additional method of demonstrating vaccine immunogenicity, providing a broader picture of the global T cell response to vaccination.

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