Cross-protection against influenza viruses by chimeric M2e-H3 stalk protein or multi-subtype neuraminidase plus M2e virus-like particle vaccine in ferrets.

Current influenza vaccine is not effective in providing cross-protection against variants. We evaluated the immunogenicity and efficacy of multi-subtype neuraminidase (NA) and M2 ectodomain virus-like particle (m-cNA-M2e VLP) and chimeric M2e-H3 stalk protein vaccines (M2e-H3 stalk) in ferrets. Our results showed that ferrets with recombinant m-cNA-M2e VLP or M2e-H3 stalk vaccination induced multi-vaccine antigen specific IgG antibodies (M2e, H3 stalk, NA), NA inhibition, antibody-secreting cells, and IFN-γ secreting cell responses. Ferrets immunized with either m-cNA-M2e VLP or M2e-H3 stalk vaccine were protected from H1N1 and H3N2 influenza viruses by lowering viral titers in nasal washes, trachea, and lungs after challenge. Vaccinated ferret antisera conferred broad humoral immunity in naïve mice. Our findings provide evidence that immunity to M2e and HA-stalk or M2e plus multi-subtype NA proteins induces cross-protection in ferrets.

Supplementation of seasonal vaccine with multi-subtype neuraminidase and M2 ectodomain virus-like particle improves protection against homologous and heterologous influenza viruses in aged mice.

The conventional inactivated split seasonal influenza vaccine offers low efficacy, particularly in the elderly and against antigenic variants. Here, to improve the efficacy of seasonal vaccination for the elderly population, we tested whether supplementing seasonal bivalent (H1N1 + H3N2) split (S) vaccine with M2 ectodomain repeat and multi-subtype consensus neuraminidase (NA) proteins (N1 NA + N2 NA + flu B NA) on a virus-like particle (NA-M2e) would induce enhanced cross-protection against different influenza viruses in aged mice. Immunization with split vaccine plus NA-M2e (S + NA-M2e) increased vaccine-specific IgG antibodies towards T-helper type 1 responses and hemagglutination inhibition titers. Aged mice with NA-M2e supplemented vaccination were protected against homologous and heterologous viruses at higher efficacies, as evidenced by preventing weight loss, lowering lung viral loads, inducing broadly cross-protective humoral immunity, and IFN-γ+ CD4 and CD8 T cell responses than those with seasonal vaccine. Overall, this study supports a new strategy of NA-M2e supplemented vaccination to enhance protection against homologous and antigenically different viruses in the elderly.

Heterologous Prime-Boost Vaccination with Inactivated Influenza Viruses Induces More Effective Cross-Protection than Homologous Repeat Vaccination.

With concerns about the efficacy of repeat annual influenza vaccination, it is important to better understand the impact of priming vaccine immunity and develop an effective vaccination strategy. Here, we determined the impact of heterologous prime-boost vaccination on inducing broader protective immunity compared to repeat vaccination with the same antigen. The primed mice that were intramuscularly boosted with a heterologous inactivated influenza A virus (H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, H7N9, H9N2) vaccine showed increased strain-specific hemagglutination inhibition titers against prime and boost vaccine strains. Heterologous prime-boost vaccination of mice with inactivated viruses was more effective in inducing high levels of IgG antibodies specific for groups 1 and 2 hemagglutinin stalk domains, as well as cross-protection, compared to homologous vaccination. Both humoral and T cell immunity were found to play a critical role in conferring cross-protection by heterologous prime-boost vaccination. These results support a strategy to enhance cross-protective efficacy by heterologous prime-boost influenza vaccination.

Identification and molecular characterization of the second Chlamydomonas gun4 mutant, gun4-II.

The green micro-alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is an elegant model organism to study all aspects of oxygenic photosynthesis. Chlorophyll (Chl) and heme are major tetrapyrroles that play an essential role in energy metabolism in photosynthetic organisms. These tetrapyrroles are synthesized via a common branched pathway that involves mainly nuclear encoded enzymes. One of the enzymes in the pathway is Mg chelatase (MgChel) which inserts Mg (2+) into protoporphyrin IX (PPIX, proto) to form Magnesium-protoporphyrin IX (MgPPIX, Mgproto), the first biosynthetic intermediate in the Chl branch. The GUN4 (genomes uncoupled 4) protein is not essential for the MgChel activity but has been shown to significantly stimulate its activity. We have isolated a light sensitive mutant, 6F14, by random DNA insertional mutagenesis. 6F14 cannot tolerate light intensities higher than 90-100 µmol photons m (-2) s (-1). It shows a light intensity dependent progressive photo-bleaching. 6F14 is incapable of photo-autotrophic growth under light intensity higher than 100 µmol photons m (-2) s (-1). PCR based analyses show that in 6F14 the insertion of the plasmid outside the GUN4 locus has resulted in a genetic rearrangement of the GUN4 gene and possible deletions in the genomic region flanking the GUN4 gene. Our gun4 mutant has a Chl content very similar to that in the wild type in the dark and is very sensitive to fluctuations in the light intensity in the environment unlike the earlier identified Chlamydomonas gun4 mutant. Complementation with a functional copy of the GUN4 gene restored light tolerance, Chl biosynthesis and photo-autotrophic growth under high light intensities in 6F14. 6F14 is the second gun4 mutant to be identified in C. reinhardtii. Additionally, we show that our two gun4 complements over-express the GUN4 protein and show a higher Chl content per cell compared to that in the wild type strain.

Identification and molecular characterization of a novel Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant defective in chlorophyll biosynthesis.

The green micro-alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is an elegant model organism to study all aspects of oxygenic photosynthesis. Chlorophyll (Chl) and heme are major tetrapyrroles that play an essential role in energy metabolism in photosynthetic organisms and are synthesized via a common branched tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway. One of the enzymes in the pathway is Mg chelatase (MgChel) which inserts Mg (2+) into protoporphyrin IX (PPIX, proto) to form magnesium-protoporphyrin IX (MgPPIX, Mgproto), the first biosynthetic intermediate in the Chl branch. MgChel is a multimeric enzyme that consists of three subunits designated CHLD, CHLI and CHLH. Plants have two isozymes of CHLI (CHLI1 and CHLI2) which are 70%-81% identical in protein sequences. Although the functional role of CHLI1 is well characterized, that of CHLI2 is not. We have isolated a non-photosynthetic light sensitive mutant 5A7 by random DNA insertional mutagenesis that is devoid of any detectable Chl. PCR based analyses show that 5A7 is missing the CHLI1 gene and at least eight additional functionally uncharacterized genes. 5A7 has an intact CHLI2 gene. Complementation with a functional copy of the CHLI1 gene restored Chl biosynthesis, photo-autotrophic growth and light tolerance in 5A7. We have identified the first chli1 (chli1-1) mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and in green algae. Our results show that in the wild type Chlamydomonas CHLI2 protein amount is lower than that of CHLI1 and the chli1-1 mutant has a drastic reduction in CHLI2 protein levels although it possesses the CHLI2 gene. Our chli1-1 mutant opens up new avenues to explore the functional roles of CHLI1 and CHLI2 in Chl biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas, which has never been studied before.