Modification of Asparagine-Linked Glycan Density for the Design of Hepatitis B Virus Virus-Like Particles with Enhanced Immunogenicity.

UNLABELLED: The small envelope proteins (HBsAgS) derived from hepatitis B virus (HBV) represent the antigenic components of the HBV vaccine and are platforms for the delivery of foreign antigenic sequences. To investigate structure-immunogenicity relationships for the design of improved immunization vectors, we have generated biochemically modified virus-like particles (VLPs) exhibiting glycoengineered HBsAgS. For the generation of hypoglycosylated VLPs, the wild-type (WT) HBsAgS N146 glycosylation site was converted to N146Q; for constructing hyperglycosylated VLPs, potential glycosylation sites were introduced in the HBsAgS external loop region at positions T116 and G130 in addition to the WT site. The introduced T116N and G130N sites were utilized as glycosylation anchors resulting in the formation of hyperglycosylated VLPs. Mass spectroscopic analyses showed that the hyperglycosylated VLPs carry the same types of glycans as WT VLPs, with minor variations regarding the degree of fucosylation, bisecting N-acetylglucosamines, and sialylation. Antigenic fingerprints for the WT and hypo- and hyperglycosylated VLPs using a panel of 19 anti-HBsAgS monoclonal antibodies revealed that 15 antibodies retained their ability to bind to the different VLP glyco-analogues, suggesting that the additional N-glycans did not shield extensively for the HBsAgS-specific antigenicity. Immunization studies with the different VLPs showed a strong correlation between N-glycan abundance and antibody titers. The T116N VLPs induced earlier and longer-lasting antibody responses than did the hypoglycosylated and WT VLPs. The ability of nonnative VLPs to promote immune responses possibly due to differences in their glycosylation-related interaction with cells of the innate immune system illustrates pathways for the design of immunogens for superior preventive applications. IMPORTANCE: The use of biochemically modified, nonnative immunogens represents an attractive strategy for the generation of modulated or enhanced immune responses possibly due to differences in their interaction with immune cells. We have generated virus-like particles (VLPs) composed of hepatitis B virus envelope proteins (HBsAgS) with additional N-glycosylation sites. Hyperglycosylated VLPs were synthesized and characterized, and the results demonstrated that they carry the same types of glycans as wild-type VLPs. Comparative immunization studies demonstrated that the VLPs with the highest N-glycan density induce earlier and longer-lasting antibody immune responses than do wild-type or hypoglycosylated VLPs, possibly allowing reduced numbers of vaccine injections. The ability to modulate the immunogenicity of an immunogen will provide opportunities to develop optimized vaccines and VLP delivery platforms for foreign antigenic sequences, possibly in synergy with the use of suitable adjuvanting compounds.

Modulation of the immunogenicity of virus-like particles composed of mutant hepatitis B virus envelope subunits.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are non-infectious subviral protein complexes, which possess structural features identical or closely related to infectious virions. They are utilized as delivery tools for immunologically relevant antigenic sequences. In order to investigate whether mutant subunits can modulate the VLP immunogenicity, comparative immunization studies with wild-type and non-native VLPs were performed. To determine whether disulfide bonding impacts on the immunogenicity of hepatitis B virus envelope proteins (HBsAg), mutant HBsAg subunits with single, double and triple cysteine residue substitutions were generated. The mutant proteins were expressed in cell culture, secretion competent non-native VLPs generated, followed by immunization studies in mice to measure the cellular immune response. The reduced ability of mutant HBsAg proteins to form disulfide bonds does not interfere with their ability to assemble into secretion competent VLPs. Depending on specific cysteine to alanine changes, VLPs could be generated with or without an increased ratio of monomeric versus dimeric/oligomeric subunits compared to wild-type VLPs. The utilization of non-native VLPs resulted in enhanced cellular immune responses and does not seem to depend on the ratio between monomeric or dimeric/oligomeric subunits. Comparative immunization studies strongly indicate that changes in the disulfide bonding modulate the VLP immunogenicity most likely due to structural changes. We hypothesize that structural features have evolved with reduced immunogenicity to evade the constraints imposed by the immune system. Altering VLP conformation may represent an attractive strategy to modulate antigen processing resulting in an enhanced immune response and/or a changed hierarchy of epitope presentation.