The Glycan Shield of HIV Is Predominantly Oligomannose Independently of Production System or Viral Clade

The N-linked oligomannose glycans of HIV gp120 are a target for both microbicide and vaccine design. The extent of cross-clade conservation of HIV oligomannose glycans is therefore a critical consideration for the development of HIV prophylaxes. We measured the oligomannose content of virion-associated gp120 from primary virus from PBMCs for a range of viral isolates and showed cross-clade elevation (62–79%) of these glycans relative to recombinant, monomeric gp120 (∼30%). We also confirmed that pseudoviral production systems can give rise to notably elevated gp120 oligomannose levels (∼98%), compared to gp120 derived from a single-plasmid viral system using the HIVLAI backbone (56%). This study highlights differences in glycosylation between virion-associated and recombinant gp120

A glycoconjugate of Haemophilus influenzae Type b capsular polysaccharide with tetanus toxoid protein: hydrodynamic properties mainly influenced by the carbohydrate

Three important physical properties which may affect the performance of glycoconjugate vaccines against serious disease are molar mass (molecular weight), heterogeneity (polydispersity), and conformational flexibility in solution. The dilute solution behaviour of native and activated capsular polyribosylribitol (PRP) polysaccharides extracted from Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and the corresponding glycoconjugate made by conjugating this with the tetanus toxoid (TT) protein have been characterized and compared using a combination of sedimentation equilibrium and sedimentation velocity in the analytical ultracentrifuge with viscometry. The weight average molar mass of the activated material was considerably reduced (Mw ~ 0.24 × 106 g.mol−1) compared to the native (Mw ~ 1.2 × 106 g.mol−1). Conjugation with the TT protein yielded large polydisperse structures (of Mw ~ 7.4 × 106 g.mol−1), but which retained the high degree of flexibility of the native and activated polysaccharide, with frictional ratio, intrinsic viscosity, sedimentation conformation zoning behaviour and persistence length all commensurate with highly flexible coil behaviour and unlike the previously characterised tetanus toxoid protein (slightly extended and hydrodynamically compact structure with an aspect ratio of ~3). This non-protein like behaviour clearly indicates that it is the carbohydrate component which mainly influences the physical behaviour of the glycoconjugate in solution

Recurrent Signature Patterns in HIV-1 B Clade Envelope Glycoproteins Associated with either Early or Chronic Infections

Here we have identified HIV-1 B clade Envelope (Env) amino acid signatures from early in infection that may be favored at transmission, as well as patterns of recurrent mutation in chronic infection that may reflect common pathways of immune evasion. To accomplish this, we compared thousands of sequences derived by single genome amplification from several hundred individuals that were sampled either early in infection or were chronically infected. Samples were divided at the outset into hypothesis-forming and validation sets, and we used phylogenetically corrected statistical strategies to identify signatures, systematically scanning all of Env. Signatures included single amino acids, glycosylation motifs, and multi-site patterns based on functional or structural groupings of amino acids. We identified signatures near the CCR5 co-receptor-binding region, near the CD4 binding site, and in the signal peptide and cytoplasmic domain, which may influence Env expression and processing. Two signatures patterns associated with transmission were particularly interesting. The first was the most statistically robust signature, located in position 12 in the signal peptide. The second was the loss of an N-linked glycosylation site at positions 413–415; the presence of this site has been recently found to be associated with escape from potent and broad neutralizing antibodies, consistent with enabling a common pathway for immune escape during chronic infection. Its recurrent loss in early infection suggests it may impact fitness at the time of transmission or during early viral expansion. The signature patterns we identified implicate Env expression levels in selection at viral transmission or in early expansion, and suggest that immune evasion patterns that recur in many individuals during chronic infection when antibodies are present can be selected against when the infection is being established prior to the adaptive immune response

Antibody Evasion by a Gammaherpesvirus O-Glycan Shield

All gammaherpesviruses encode a major glycoprotein homologous to the Epstein-Barr virus gp350. These glycoproteins are often involved in cell binding, and some provide neutralization targets. However, the capacity of gammaherpesviruses for long-term transmission from immune hosts implies that in vivo neutralization is incomplete. In this study, we used Bovine Herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) to determine how its gp350 homolog - gp180 - contributes to virus replication and neutralization. A lack of gp180 had no impact on the establishment and maintenance of BoHV-4 latency, but markedly sensitized virions to neutralization by immune sera. Antibody had greater access to gB, gH and gL on gp180-deficient virions, including neutralization epitopes. Gp180 appears to be highly O-glycosylated, and removing O-linked glycans from virions also sensitized them to neutralization. It therefore appeared that gp180 provides part of a glycan shield for otherwise vulnerable viral epitopes. Interestingly, this O-glycan shield could be exploited for neutralization by lectins and carbohydrate-specific antibody. The conservation of O-glycosylation sites in all gp350 homologs suggests that this is a general evasion mechanism that may also provide a therapeutic target

Prime-boost immunization of rabbits with HIV-1 gp120 elicits potent neutralization activity against a primary viral isolate

<div><p>Development of a vaccine for HIV-1 requires a detailed understanding of the neutralizing antibody responses that can be experimentally elicited to difficult-to-neutralize primary isolates. Rabbits were immunized with the gp120 subunit of HIV-1 JR-CSF envelope (Env) using a DNA-prime protein-boost regimen. We analyzed five sera that showed potent autologous neutralizing activity (IC50s at ∼10³ to 10⁴ serum dilution) against pseudoviruses containing Env from the primary isolate JR-CSF but not from the related isolate JR-FL. Pseudoviruses were created by exchanging each variable and constant domain of JR-CSF gp120 with that of JR-FL or with mutations in putative N-glycosylation sites. The sera contained different neutralizing activities dependent on C3 and V5, C3 and V4, or V4 regions located on the glycan-rich outer domain of gp120. All sera showed enhanced neutralizing activity toward an Env variant that lacked a glycosylation site in V4. The JR-CSF gp120 epitopes recognized by the sera are generally distinct from those of several well characterized mAbs (targeting conserved sites on Env) or other type-specific responses (targeting V1, V2, or V3 variable regions). The activity of one serum requires specific glycans that are also important for 2G12 neutralization and this serum blocked the binding of 2G12 to gp120. Our findings show that different fine specificities can achieve potent neutralization of HIV-1, yet this strong activity does not result in improved breadth.</p> </div

A Glycoconjugate Antigen Based on the Recognition Motif of a Broadly Neutralizing Human Immunodeficiency Virus Antibody, 2G12, Is Immunogenic but Elicits Antibodies Unable To Bind to the Self Glycans of gp120▿

The glycan shield of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp120 contributes to viral evasion from humoral immune responses. However, the shield is recognized by the HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibody (Ab), 2G12, at a relatively conserved cluster of oligomannose glycans. The discovery of 2G12 raises the possibility that a carbohydrate immunogen may be developed that could elicit 2G12-like neutralizing Abs and contribute to an AIDS vaccine. We have previously dissected the fine specificity of 2G12 and reported that the synthetic tetramannoside (Man4) that corresponds to the D1 arm of Man9GlcNAc2 inhibits 2G12 binding to gp120 as efficiently as Man9GlcNAc2 itself, indicating the potential use of Man4 as a building block for creating immunogens. Here, we describe the development of neoglycoconjugates displaying variable copy numbers of Man4 on bovine serum albumin (BSA) molecules by conjugation to Lys residues. The increased valency enhances the apparent affinity of 2G12 for Man4 up to a limit which is achieved at ∼10 copies per BSA molecule, beyond which no further enhancement is observed. Immunization of rabbits with BSA-(Man4)14 elicits significant serum Ab titers to Man4. However, these Abs are unable to bind gp120. Further analysis reveals that the elicited Abs bind a variety of unbranched and, to a lesser extent, branched Man9 derivatives but not natural N-linked oligomannose containing the chitobiose core. These results suggest that Abs can be readily elicited against the D1 arm; however, potential differences in the presentation of Man4 on neoglycoconjugates, compared to glycoproteins, poses challenges for eliciting anti-mannose Abs capable of cross-reacting with gp120 and HIV-1

Defining criteria for oligomannose immunogens for HIV using icosahedral virus capsid scaffolds

SummaryThe broadly neutralizing antibody 2G12 recognizes a conserved cluster of high-mannose glycans on the surface envelope spike of HIV, suggesting that the “glycan shield” defense of the virus can be breached and may, under the right circumstances, serve as a vaccine target. In an attempt to recreate features of the glycan shield semisynthetically, oligomannosides were coupled to surface lysines on the icosahedral capsids of bacteriophage Qβ and cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV). The Qβ glycoconjugates, but not CPMV, presented oligomannose clusters that bind the antibody 2G12 with high affinity. However, antibodies against these 2G12 epitopes were not detected in immunized rabbits. Rather, alternative oligomannose epitopes on the conjugates were immunodominant and elicited high titers of anti-mannose antibodies that do not crossreact with the HIV envelope. The results presented reveal important design considerations for a carbohydrate-based vaccine component for HIV

Dissection of the carbohydrate specificity of the broadly neutralizing anti-HIV-1 antibody 2G12

Human antibody 2G12 neutralizes a broad range of HIV-1 isolates. Hence, molecular characterization of its epitope, which corresponds to a conserved cluster of oligomannoses on the viral envelope glycoprotein gp120, is a high priority in HIV vaccine design. A prior crystal structure of 2G12 in complex with Man(9)GlcNAc(2) highlighted the central importance of the D1 arm in antibody binding. To characterize the specificity of 2G12 more precisely, we performed solution-phase ELISA, carbohydrate microarray analysis, and cocrystallized Fab 2G12 with four different oligomannose derivatives (Man(4), Man(5), Man(7), and Man(8)) that compete with gp120 for binding to 2G12. Our combined studies reveal that 2G12 is capable of binding both the D1 and D3 arms of the Man(9)GlcNAc(2) moiety, which would provide more flexibility to make the required multivalent interactions between the antibody and the gp120 oligomannose cluster than thought previously. These results have important consequences for the design of immunogens to elicit 2G12-like neutralizing antibodies as a component of an HIV vaccine

Chemical labelling of active serum thioester proteins for quantification

The complement serum proteins C3 and C4 and the protease inhibitor α-2 macroglobulin are all members of the C3/α-2M thioester protein family, an evolutionarily ancient and conserved family that contains an intrachain thioester bond. The chemistry of the thioester bond is a key to the function of the thioester proteins. All these proteins function by covalently linking to their target by acyl transfer of the protein via the thioester moiety. We show that the signature thioester bond can be targeted with nucleophiles linked to a bioreporter molecule, site-specifically modifying the whole, intact thioester protein. Conditions were optimised to label selectively and efficiently pull-down unprocessed thioester-containing proteins from serum. We demonstrated pull-down of full-length C3, α-2M and C4 from sera in high salt, using a biotinylated nucleophile and streptavidin-coated resin, confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS identification of the gel bands. The potential for the development of a quantitative method for measuring active C3 in serum was investigated in patient sera pre and post operation. Quantifying active C3 in clinical assays using current methods is difficult. Methods based on antibody detection (e.g. nephelometry) do not distinguish between active C3 and inactive breakdown products. C3-specific haemolytic assays can be used, but these require use of relatively unstable reagents. The current work represents a promising robust, enzyme- and antibody-free chemical method for detecting active thioester proteins in blood, plasma or serum