Characterization of humoral immune responses and degree of protection induced by influenza vaccine in cotton rats:Effects of low vaccine dose and single vs booster vaccination

Introduction: Cotton rats are a suitable model for the study of influenza disease symptoms and responses to influenza vaccination. We have previously shown that two immunizations with 15 µg whole inactivated virus (WIV) influenza vaccine could completely protect animals from infection with the H1N1pdm09 virus. Methods: To further explore the cotton rat model, we here investigated the protective potential of a single intramuscular immunization and of prime/boost intramuscular immunizations with a low amount of antigen. Results: A single intramuscular immunization with doses more than or equal to 0.5 µg WIV reliably evoked antibody responses and doses more than or equal to 1 µg protected the animals from virus replication in the lungs and from severe weight loss. However, clinical symptoms like an increased respiration rate were still apparent. Administration of a booster dose significantly increased the humoral immune responses but did not or only moderately improved protection from clinical symptoms. Conclusion: Our data suggest that complete and partial protection by influenza vaccines can be mimicked in cotton rats by using specific vaccination regimens

Induction of Heterosubtypic Cross-Protection against Influenza by a Whole Inactivated Virus Vaccine:The Role of Viral Membrane Fusion Activity

BACKGROUND: The inability of seasonal influenza vaccines to effectively protect against infection with antigenically drifted viruses or newly emerging pandemic viruses underlines the need for development of cross-reactive influenza vaccines that induce immunity against a variety of virus subtypes. Therefore, potential cross-protective vaccines, e.g., whole inactivated virus (WIV) vaccine, that can target conserved internal antigens such as the nucleoprotein (NP) and/or matrix protein (M1) need to be explored. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the current study we show that a WIV vaccine, through induction of cross-protective cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), protects mice from heterosubtypic infection. This protection was abrogated after depletion of CD8+ cells in vaccinated mice, indicating that CTLs were the primary mediators of protection. Previously, we have shown that different procedures used for virus inactivation influence optimal activation of CTLs by WIV, most likely by affecting the membrane fusion properties of the virus. Specifically, inactivation with formalin (FA) severely compromises fusion activity of the virus, while inactivation with β-propiolactone (BPL) preserves fusion activity. Here, we demonstrate that vaccination of mice with BPL-inactivated H5N1 WIV vaccine induces solid protection from lethal heterosubtypic H1N1 challenge. By contrast, vaccination with FA-inactivated WIV, while preventing death after lethal challenge, failed to protect against development of disease and severe body weight loss. Vaccination with BPL-inactivated WIV, compared to FA-inactivated WIV, induced higher levels of specific CD8+ T cells in blood, spleen and lungs, and a higher production of granzyme B in the lungs upon H1N1 virus challenge. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The results underline the potential use of WIV as a cross-protective influenza vaccine candidate. However, careful choice of the virus inactivation procedure is important to retain membrane fusion activity and full immunogenicity of the vaccine

Heterosubtypic cross-protection induced by whole inactivated influenza virus vaccine in mice:Influence of the route of vaccine administration

Background: Development of influenza vaccines capable of inducing broad protection against different virus subtypes is necessary given the ever-changing viral genetic landscape. Previously, we showed that vaccination with whole inactivated virus (WIV) induces heterosubtypic protection against lethal virus infection in mice. Whole inactivated virus-induced cross-protection was found to be mediated primarily by flu-specific CD8+ T cells. Objectives: As it has been demonstrated that the route of vaccine administration strongly influences both the quantity and quality of vaccine-induced immunity, in this study, we determined which route of WIV administration induces optimal heterosubtypic cross-protection. Methods: We compared the magnitude of the immune response and heterosubtypic protection against lethal A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) infection after subcutaneous (SC), intramuscular (IM), and intranasal (IN) vaccination with A/NIBRG-14 (H5N1) WIV. Results: Subcutaneous and IM administration was superior to IN administration of influenza WIV in terms of flu-specific CD8+ T-cell induction and protection of mice against lethal heterosubtypic challenge. Surprisingly, despite the very low flu-specific CD8+ T-cell responses detected in IN-vaccinated mice, these animals were partially protected, most likely due to cross-reactive IgA antibodies. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the magnitude of WIV-induced flu-specific CD8+ T-cell activity depends on the applied vaccination route. We conclude that parenteral administration of WIV vaccine, in particular IM injection, is superior to IN vaccine delivery for the induction of heterosubtypic cross-protection and generally appears to elicit stronger immune responses than mucosal vaccination with WIV

Tattoo Delivery of a Semliki Forest Virus-Based Vaccine Encoding Human Papillomavirus E6 and E7

The skin is an attractive organ for immunization because of the presence of antigen-presenting cells. Intradermal delivery via tattooing has demonstrated superior vaccine immunogenicity of DNA vaccines in comparison to conventional delivery methods. In this study, we explored the efficacy of tattoo injection of a tumor vaccine based on recombinant Semliki Forest virus replicon particles (rSFV) targeting human papillomavirus (HPV). Tattoo injection of rSFV particles resulted in antigen expression in both the skin and draining lymph nodes. In comparison with intramuscular injection, the overall antigen expression determined at the site of administration and draining lymph nodes was 10-fold lower upon tattoo injection. Delivery of SFV particles encoding the E6 and E7 antigens of human papillomavirus type 16 (SFVeE6,7) via tattooing resulted in HPV-specific cytotoxic T cells and in vivo therapeutic antitumor response. Strikingly, despite the observed lower overall transgene expression, SFVeE6,7 delivered via tattoo injection resulted in higher or equal levels of immune responses as compared to intramuscular injection. The intrinsic immunogenic potential of tattooing provides a benefit for immunotherapy based on an alphavirus

Cross-Protective Potential and Protection-Relevant Immune Mechanisms of Whole Inactivated Influenza Virus Vaccines Are Determined by Adjuvants and Route of Immunization

Adjuvanted whole inactivated virus (WIV) influenza vaccines show promise as broadly protective influenza vaccine candidates. Using WIV as basis we assessed the relative efficacy of different adjuvants by carrying out a head-to-head comparison of the liposome-based adjuvants CAF01 and CAF09 and the protein-based adjuvants CTA1-DD and CTA1-3M2e-DD and evaluated whether one or more of the adjuvants could induce broadly protective immunity. Mice were immunized with WIV prepared from A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1) virus intramuscularly with or without CAF01 or intranasally with or without CAF09, CTA1-DD, or CTA1-3M2e-DD, followed by challenge with homologous, heterologous or heterosubtypic virus. In general, intranasal immunizations were significantly more effective than intramuscular immunizations in inducing virus-specific serum-IgG, mucosal-IgA, and splenic IFNγ-producing CD4 T cells. Intranasal immunizations with adjuvanted vaccines afforded strong cross-protection with milder clinical symptoms and better control of virus load in lungs. Mechanistic studies indicated that non-neutralizing IgG antibodies and CD4 T cells were responsible for the improved cross-protection while IgA antibodies were dispensable. The role of CD4 T cells was particularly pronounced for CTA1-3M2e-DD adjuvanted vaccine as evidenced by CD4 T cell-dependent reduction of lung virus titers and clinical symptoms. Thus, intranasally administered WIV in combination with effective mucosal adjuvants appears to be a promising broadly protective influenza vaccine candidate.Peer Reviewe

Adjuvantation of Pulmonary-Administered Influenza Vaccine with GPI-0100 Primarily Stimulates Antibody Production and Memory B Cell Proliferation

Adjuvants are key components in vaccines, they help in reducing the required antigen dose but also modulate the phenotype of the induced immune response. We previously showed that GPI-0100, a saponin-derived adjuvant, enhances antigen-specific mucosal and systemic antibody responses to influenza subunit and whole inactivated influenza virus (WIV) vaccine administered via the pulmonary route. However, the impact of the GPI-0100 dose on immune stimulation and the immune mechanisms stimulated by GPI-0100 along with antigen are poorly understood. Therefore, in this study we immunized C57BL/6 mice via the pulmonary route with vaccine consisting of WIV combined with increasing amounts of GPI-0100, formulated as a dry powder. Adjuvantation of WIV enhanced influenza-specific mucosal and systemic immune responses, with intermediate doses of 5 and 7.5 μg GPI-0100 being most effective. The predominant antibody subtype induced by GPI-0100-adjuvanted vaccine was IgG1. Compared to non-adjuvanted vaccine, GPI-0100-adjuvanted WIV vaccine gave rise to higher numbers of antigen-specific IgA- but not IgG-producing B cells in the lungs along with better mucosal and systemic memory B cell responses. The GPI-0100 dose was negatively correlated with the number of influenza-specific IFNγ- and IL17-producing T cells and positively correlated with the number of IL4-producing T cells observed after immunization and challenge. Overall, our results show that adjuvantation of pulmonary-delivered WIV with GPI-0100 mostly affects B cell responses and effectively induces B cell memory

Enhanced antiviral activity of human surfactant protein d by site-specific engineering of the carbohydrate recognition domain

Innate immunity is critical in the early containment of influenza A virus (IAV) infection and surfactant protein D (SP-D) plays a crucial role in innate defense against IAV in the lungs. Multivalent lectin-mediated interactions of SP-D with IAVs result in viral aggregation, reduced epithelial infection, and enhanced IAV clearance by phagocytic cells. Previous studies showed that porcine SP-D (pSP-D) exhibits distinct antiviral activity against IAV as compared to human SP-D (hSP-D), mainly due to key residues in the lectin domain of pSP-D that contribute to its profound neutralizing activity. These observations provided the basis for the design of a full-length recombinant mutant form of hSP-D, designated as “improved SP-D” (iSP-D). Inspired by pSP-D, the lectin domain of iSP-D has 5 amino acids replaced (Asp324Asn, Asp330Asn, Val251Glu, Lys287Gln, Glu289Lys) and 3 amino acids inserted (326Gly-Ser-Ser). Characterization of iSP-D revealed no major differences in protein assembly and saccharide binding selectivity as compared to hSP-D. However, hemagglutination inhibition measurements showed that iSP-D expressed strongly enhanced activity compared to hSP-D against 31 different IAV strains tested, including (pandemic) IAVs that were resistant for neutralization by hSP-D. Furthermore, iSP-D showed increased viral aggregation and enhanced protection of MDCK cells against infection by IAV. Importantly, prophylactic or therapeutic application of iSP-D decreased weight loss and reduced viral lung titers in a murine model of IAV infection using a clinical isolate of H1N1pdm09 virus. These studies demonstrate the potential of iSP-D as a novel human-based antiviral inhalation drug that may provide immediate protection against or recovery from respiratory (pandemic) IAV infections in humans

Immunogenicity and Protective Capacity of a Virosomal Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Adjuvanted with Monophosphoryl Lipid A in Mice

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major cause of viral brochiolitis in infants and young children and is also a significant problem in elderly and immuno-compromised adults. To date there is no efficacious and safe RSV vaccine, partially because of the outcome of a clinical trial in the 1960s with a formalin-inactivated RSV vaccine (FI-RSV). This vaccine caused enhanced respiratory disease upon exposure to the live virus, leading to increased morbidity and the death of two children. Subsequent analyses of this incident showed that FI-RSV induces a Th2-skewed immune response together with poorly neutralizing antibodies. As a new approach, we used reconstituted RSV viral envelopes, i.e. virosomes, with incorporated monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) adjuvant to enhance immunogenicity and to skew the immune response towards a Th1 phenotype. Incorporation of MPLA stimulated the overall immunogenicity of the virosomes compared to non-adjuvanted virosomes in mice. Intramuscular administration of the vaccine led to the induction of RSV-specific IgG2a levels similar to those induced by inoculation of the animals with live RSV. These antibodies were able to neutralize RSV in vitro. Furthermore, MPLA-adjuvanted RSV virosomes induced high amounts of IFNγ and low amounts of IL5 in both spleens and lungs of immunized and subsequently challenged animals, compared to levels of these cytokines in animals vaccinated with FI-RSV, indicating a Th1-skewed response. Mice vaccinated with RSV-MPLA virosomes were protected from live RSV challenge, clearing the inoculated virus without showing signs of lung pathology. Taken together, these data demonstrate that RSV-MPLA virosomes represent a safe and efficacious vaccine candidate which warrants further evaluation

Evaluation of an Intranasal Virosomal Vaccine against Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Mice:Effect of TLR2 and NOD2 Ligands on Induction of Systemic and Mucosal Immune Responses

<p>Introduction: RSV infection remains a serious threat to newborns and the elderly. Currently, there is no vaccine available to prevent RSV infection. A mucosal RSV vaccine would be attractive as it could induce mucosal as well as systemic antibodies, capable of protecting both the upper and lower respiratory tract. Previously, we reported on a virosomal RSV vaccine for intramuscular injection with intrinsic adjuvant properties mediated by an incorporated lipophilic Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) ligand. However, it has not been investigated whether this virosomal RSV vaccine candidate would be suitable for use in mucosal immunization strategies and if additional incorporation of other innate receptor ligands, like NOD2-ligand, could further enhance the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the vaccine.</p><p>Objective: To explore if intranasal (IN) immunization with a virosomal RSV vaccine, supplemented with TLR2 and/or NOD2-ligands, is an effective strategy to induce RSV-specific immunity.</p><p>Methods: We produced RSV-virosomes carrying TLR2 (Pam(3)CSK(4)) and/or NOD2 (L18-MDP) ligands. We tested the immunopotentiating properties of these virosomes in vitro, using TLR2- and/or NOD2-ligand-responsive murine and human cell lines, and in vivo by assessing induction of protective antibody and cellular responses upon IN immunization of BALB/c mice.</p><p>Results: Incorporation of Pam(3)CSK(4) and/or L18-MDP potentiates the capacity of virosomes to activate (antigen-presenting) cells in vitro, as demonstrated by NF-kappa B induction. In vivo, incorporation of Pam(3)CSK(4) in virosomes boosted serum IgG antibody responses and mucosal antibody responses after IN immunization. While L18-MDP alone was ineffective, incorporation of L18-MDP in Pam(3)CSK(4)-carrying virosomes further boosted mucosal antibody responses. Finally, IN immunization with adjuvanted virosomes, particularly Pam(3)CSK(4)/L18-MDP-adjuvanted-virosomes, protected mice against infection with RSV, without priming for enhanced disease.</p><p>Conclusion: Mucosal immunization with RSV-virosomes, supplemented with incorporated TLR2- and/or NOD2-ligands, represents a promising approach to induce effective and safe RSV-specific immunity.</p>

The role of membrane fusion activity of a whole inactivated influenza virus vaccine in (re)activation of influenza-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Induction of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity against conserved influenza antigens, e.g. nucleoprotein (NP) could be a step towards cross-protective influenza vaccine. The major challenge for non-replicating influenza vaccines aiming for activation of CTLs is targeting of antigen to the MHC class I processing and presentation pathway of professional antigen presenting cells, in particular dendritic cells (DCs). Intrinsic fusogenic properties of the vaccine particle itself can enable direct cytosolic delivery of the antigen by enhancing release of the antigen from the endosome to the cytosol. Alternatively, the vaccine particle would need to possess the capacity to activate DCs thereby triggering cell-intrinsic mechanisms of cross-presentation, processes that do not require fusion. Here, using fusion-active and fusion-inactive whole inactivated virus (WIV) as a vaccine model, we studied the relative contribution of these two pathways on priming and reactivation of influenza NP-specific CTLs in a murine model. We show that activation of bone marrow-derived DCs by WIV, as well as reactivation of NP-specific CTLs in vitro and in vivo were not affected by inactivation of membrane fusion of the WIV particles. However, in vivo priming of naive CTLs was optimal only upon vaccination with fusion-active WIV. Thus, DC-intrinsic mechanisms of cross-presentation are involved in the activation of CTLs upon vaccination with WIV. However, for optimal priming of naive CTLs these mechanisms should be complemented by delivery of antigen to the cytosol mediated by the membrane fusion capacity of the WIV particles. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved