Protection of K18-hACE2 mice and ferrets against SARS-CoV-2 challenge by a single-dose mucosal immunization with a parainfluenza virus 5-based COVID-19 vaccine.

Transmission-blocking vaccines are urgently needed to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV 2, the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. The upper respiratory tract is an initial site of SARS-CoV-2 infection and, for many individuals, remains the primary site of virus replication. An ideal COVID-19 vaccine should reduce upper respiratory tract virus replication and block transmission as well as protect against severe disease. Here, we optimized a vaccine candidate, parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) expressing the SARS-CoV-2 S protein (CVXGA1), and then demonstrated that a single-dose intranasal immunization with CVXGA1 protects against lethal infection of K18-hACE2 mice, a severe disease model. CVXGA1 immunization also prevented virus infection of ferrets and blocked contact transmission. This mucosal vaccine strategy inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in the upper respiratory tract, thus preventing disease progression to the lower respiratory tract. A PIV5-based mucosal vaccine provides a strategy to induce protective innate and cellular immune responses and reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in populations.

Immune activation alters cellular and humoral responses to yellow fever 17D vaccine.

BACKGROUND: Defining the parameters that modulate vaccine responses in African populations will be imperative to design effective vaccines for protection against HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and dengue virus infections. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of the patient-specific immune microenvironment to the response to the licensed yellow fever vaccine 17D (YF-17D) in an African cohort. METHODS: We compared responses to YF-17D in 50 volunteers in Entebbe, Uganda, and 50 volunteers in Lausanne, Switzerland. We measured the CD8+ T cell and B cell responses induced by YF-17D and correlated them with immune parameters analyzed by flow cytometry prior to vaccination. RESULTS: We showed that YF-17D-induced CD8+ T cell and B cell responses were substantially lower in immunized individuals from Entebbe compared with immunized individuals from Lausanne. The impaired vaccine response in the Entebbe cohort associated with reduced YF-17D replication. Prior to vaccination, we observed higher frequencies of exhausted and activated NK cells, differentiated T and B cell subsets and proinflammatory monocytes, suggesting an activated immune microenvironment in the Entebbe volunteers. Interestingly, activation of CD8+ T cells and B cells as well as proinflammatory monocytes at baseline negatively correlated with YF-17D-neutralizing antibody titers after vaccination. Additionally, memory T and B cell responses in preimmunized volunteers exhibited reduced persistence in the Entebbe cohort but were boosted by a second vaccination. CONCLUSION: Together, these results demonstrate that an activated immune microenvironment prior to vaccination impedes efficacy of the YF-17D vaccine in an African cohort and suggest that vaccine regimens may need to be boosted in African populations to achieve efficient immunity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registration is not required for observational studies. FUNDING: This study was funded by Canada's Global Health Research Initiative, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and United States Agency for International Development.

Mechanistic study of broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies against dengue virus that target the fusion loop.

There are no available vaccines for dengue, the most important mosquito-transmitted viral disease. Mechanistic studies with anti-dengue virus (DENV) human monoclonal antibodies (hMAbs) provide a rational approach to identify and characterize neutralizing epitopes on DENV structural proteins that can serve to inform vaccine strategies. Here, we report a class of hMAbs that is likely to be an important determinant in the human humoral response to DENV infection. In this study, we identified and characterized three broadly neutralizing anti-DENV hMAbs: 4.8A, D11C, and 1.6D. These antibodies were isolated from three different convalescent patients with distinct histories of DENV infection yet demonstrated remarkable similarities. All three hMAbs recognized the E glycoprotein with high affinity, neutralized all four serotypes of DENV, and mediated antibody-dependent enhancement of infection in Fc receptor-bearing cells at subneutralizing concentrations. The neutralization activities of these hMAbs correlated with a strong inhibition of virus-liposome and intracellular fusion, not virus-cell binding. We mapped epitopes of these antibodies to the highly conserved fusion loop region of E domain II. Mutations at fusion loop residues W101, L107, and/or G109 significantly reduced the binding of the hMAbs to E protein. The results show that hMAbs directed against the highly conserved E protein fusion loop block viral entry downstream of virus-cell binding by inhibiting E protein-mediated fusion. Characterization of hMAbs targeting this region may provide new insights into DENV vaccine and therapeutic strategies.

Release of dengue virus genome induced by a peptide inhibitor.

Dengue virus infects approximately 100 million people annually, but there is no available therapeutic treatment. The mimetic peptide, DN59, consists of residues corresponding to the membrane interacting, amphipathic stem region of the dengue virus envelope (E) glycoprotein. This peptide is inhibitory to all four serotypes of dengue virus, as well as other flaviviruses. Cryo-electron microscopy image reconstruction of dengue virus particles incubated with DN59 showed that the virus particles were largely empty, concurrent with the formation of holes at the five-fold vertices. The release of RNA from the viral particle following incubation with DN59 was confirmed by increased sensitivity of the RNA genome to exogenous RNase and separation of the genome from the E protein in a tartrate density gradient. DN59 interacted strongly with synthetic lipid vesicles and caused membrane disruptions, but was found to be non-toxic to mammalian and insect cells. Thus DN59 inhibits flavivirus infectivity by interacting directly with virus particles resulting in release of the genomic RNA.

Viral entry inhibitors block dengue antibody-dependent enhancement in vitro.

Severe dengue virus (DENV) disease symptoms, including dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, have been correlated with the presence of pre-existing antibodies that enhance rather than neutralize infections in Fc receptor bearing cells. These antibodies can originate from previous infection with a different serotype of dengue, or from waning antibody titers that occur in infants and young children as they are weaned from breast milk that contains protective dengue-specific antibodies. Despite the apparent importance of this antibody dependent enhancement (ADE) effect, there has been no description of any specific inhibitors of this process. We explored DENV entry inhibitors as a potential strategy to block ADE. Two different peptide entry inhibitors were tested for the ability to block antibody-mediated DENV-2 infection of human, FcRII bearing K562 cells in vitro. Both peptides were able to inhibit ADE, showing that entry inhibitors are possible candidates for the development of specific treatment for severe DENV infection.