Distinct roles of vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibodies and T cells in protection and disease.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) lack cross-reactivity between SARS-CoV species and variants and fail to mediate long-term protection against infection. The maintained protection against severe disease and death by vaccination suggests a role for cross-reactive T cells. We generated vaccines containing sequences from the spike or receptor binding domain, the membrane and/or nucleoprotein that induced only T cells, or T cells and NAbs, to understand their individual roles. In three models with homologous or heterologous challenge, high levels of vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 NAbs protected against neither infection nor mild histological disease but conferred rapid viral control limiting the histological damage. With no or low levels of NAbs, vaccine-primed T cells, in mice mainly CD8+ T cells, partially controlled viral replication and promoted NAb recall responses. T cells failed to protect against histological damage, presumably because of viral spread and subsequent T cell-mediated killing. Neither vaccine- nor infection-induced NAbs seem to provide long-lasting protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Thus, a more realistic approach for universal SARS-CoV-2 vaccines should be to aim for broadly cross-reactive NAbs in combination with long-lasting highly cross-reactive T cells. Long-lived cross-reactive T cells are likely key to prevent severe disease and fatalities during current and future pandemics.

A universal SARS-CoV DNA vaccine inducing highly cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies and T cells.

New variants in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic are more contagious (Alpha/Delta), evade neutralizing antibodies (Beta), or both (Omicron). This poses a challenge in vaccine development according to WHO. We designed a more universal SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine containing receptor-binding domain loops from the huCoV-19/WH01, the Alpha, and the Beta variants, combined with the membrane and nucleoproteins. The vaccine induced spike antibodies crossreactive between huCoV-19/WH01, Beta, and Delta spike proteins that neutralized huCoV-19/WH01, Beta, Delta, and Omicron virus in vitro. The vaccine primed nucleoprotein-specific T cells, unlike spike-specific T cells, recognized Bat-CoV sequences. The vaccine protected mice carrying the human ACE2 receptor against lethal infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant. Interestingly, priming of cross-reactive nucleoprotein-specific T cells alone was 60% protective, verifying observations from humans that T cells protect against lethal disease. This SARS-CoV vaccine induces a uniquely broad and functional immunity that adds to currently used vaccines.

High-activity p-glycoprotein, multidrug resistance protein 2, and breast cancer resistance protein membrane vesicles prepared from transiently transfected human embryonic kidney 293-epstein-barr virus nuclear antigen cells.

Membrane-bound transporter proteins play an important role in the efflux of drugs from cells and can significantly influence the pharmacokinetics of drug molecules. This study describes the production of large amounts of high-activity transporter membrane vesicles from human embryonic kidney 293-Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen cells transiently transfected using a Gateway-adapted pCEP4 plasmid. Transfections were scaled up to 10-liter cell cultures, and vesicle preparations were optimized using ultracentrifugation with a sucrose cushion, which enabled us to produce hundreds of milligrams of membrane vesicles expressing human efflux transporter proteins P-glycoprotein (P-gp)/multidrug resistance 1 (ABCB1), multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2) (ABCC2), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) (ABCG2). Assays were developed and optimized for analyzing the ATP-dependent functionality of the transporters using probe substrates and specific inhibitors. Excellent signal/noise ratios of ATP-stimulated uptake for P-gp, MRP2, and BCRP vesicles were obtained, indicating high expression of functioning transporters. The uptake kinetics of the transporters was investigated by determining K(m) and V(max) using the model substrates N-methylquinidine (P-gp), estradiol-17beta-glucuronide (MRP2), and estrone-3-sulfate (BCRP). The ATP-dependent transport was inhibited by the model inhibitors verapamil (P-gp), benzbromarone (MRP2), and sulfasalazine (BCRP). The vesicles are thus well suited to screen for possible substrates and inhibitors in high throughput systems or are used for detailed mechanistic investigations of transporter kinetics of specific substances.

Development of a generic transient transfection process at 100 L scale.

We have developed a generic transient transfection process at 100 L scale, using HEK293-EBNA cells and PEI as the transfection reagent for the production of recombinant IgG. The process, including large-scale plasmid preparation, expression at bioreactor scale, capture, purification and, if necessary, endotoxin removal allows reproducible production of more than 0.5 g IgG for in vitro and in vivo studies. We compared the performance of two HEK cell lines, investigated the effect of conditioned medium, optimized the DNA:PEI ratio and implemented a feed strategy to prolong the culture time to increase product yield. The transient transfection protocol developed enables a closed process from seeding culture to protein capture. The challenge of performing a medium exchange before transfection at large scale is solved by applying a continuous centrifugation step between the seeding bioreactor and the production bioreactor. After 7-8 days the harvest and capture is performed in a one-step operation using a Streamline expanded bed chromatography system. Following a polishing step the purified antibody is transferred to the final formulation buffer. The method has shown to be reproducible at 10, 50, and 100 L scale expressing between 5 and 8 mg L(-1) IgG.