RESUMEN
Seasonal influenza vaccines are updated almost annually to match the antigenic drift in influenza hemagglutinin (HA) surface glycoprotein. A new HA stem-based antigen, the so-called "mini-HA," was recently shown to induce cross-protective antibodies. However, cross-reactive antibodies targeting the HA stem can also be found in mice and humans after administration of seasonal vaccine. This has raised the question whether in similar conditions such a mini-HA would be able to show an increased breadth of protection over immunization with full length (FL) HA. We show in mice that in a direct comparison to H1 FL HA, using the same immunization regimen, dosing and adjuvant, a group 1 mini-HA has a higher protective efficacy against group 1 influenza virus challenges not homologous to the H1 FL HA. Although both antigens induce a similar breadth of HA subtype binding, mini-HA immunization induces significantly more HA stem-specific antibodies correlating with survival. In addition, both mini-HA and H1 FL HA immunization induce influenza neutralizing antibodies while mini-HA induces significantly higher levels of mFcγRIII activation, involved in Fc-mediated antibody effector functions. In agreement with previous findings, this confirms that more than one mechanism contributes to protection against influenza. Together our results further warrant the development of a universal influenza vaccine based on the HA stem region.
Asunto(s)
Anticuerpos Antivirales/inmunología , Especificidad de Anticuerpos/inmunología , Glicoproteínas Hemaglutininas del Virus de la Influenza/inmunología , Inmunización , Vacunas contra la Influenza/inmunología , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/inmunología , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/prevención & control , Animales , Anticuerpos Neutralizantes/inmunología , Citotoxicidad Celular Dependiente de Anticuerpos , Antígenos Virales/inmunología , Reacciones Cruzadas/inmunología , Glicoproteínas Hemaglutininas del Virus de la Influenza/química , Inmunidad Celular , Inmunoglobulina G/inmunología , Subtipo H1N1 del Virus de la Influenza A/inmunología , Subtipo H5N1 del Virus de la Influenza A/inmunología , Vacunas contra la Influenza/administración & dosificación , Ratones , Pruebas de Neutralización , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/mortalidad , Unión Proteica/inmunologíaRESUMEN
Seasonal vaccines are currently the most effective countermeasure against influenza. However, seasonal vaccines are only effective against strains closely related to the influenza strains contained in the vaccine. Recently a new hemagglutinin (HA) stem-based antigen, the so-called "mini-HA", has been shown to induce a cross-protective immune response in influenza-naive mice and non-human primates (NHP). However, prior exposure to influenza can have a profound effect on the immune response to subsequent influenza infection and the protective efficacy of vaccination. Here we show that mini-HA, compared to a trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV), elicits a broadened influenza-specific humoral immune response in NHP previously exposed to influenza. Serum transfer experiments showed that antibodies induced by both mini-HA and seasonal vaccine protected mice against lethal challenge with a H1N1 influenza strain heterologous to the H1 HA included in the TIV. However, antibodies elicited by mini-HA showed an additional benefit of protecting mice against lethal heterosubtypic H5N1 influenza challenge, associated with H5 HA-specific functional antibodies.