Spatial Gradients of Quantitative MRI as Biomarkers for Early Detection of Osteoarthritis: Data From Human Explants and the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

BACKGROUND: Healthy articular cartilage presents structural gradients defined by distinct zonal patterns through the thickness, which may be disrupted in the pathogenesis of several disorders. Analysis of textural patterns using quantitative MRI data may identify structural gradients of healthy or degenerating tissue that correlate with early osteoarthritis (OA). PURPOSE: To quantify spatial gradients and patterns in MRI data, and to probe new candidate biomarkers for early severity of OA. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective study. SUBJECTS: Fourteen volunteers receiving total knee replacement surgery (eight males/two females/four unknown, average age ± standard deviation: 68.1 ± 9.6 years) and 10 patients from the OA Initiative (OAI) with radiographic OA onset (two males/eight females, average age ± standard deviation: 57.7 ± 9.4 years; initial Kellgren-Lawrence [KL] grade: 0; final KL grade: 3 over the 10-year study). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3.0-T and 14.1-T, biomechanics-based displacement-encoded imaging, fast spin echo, multi-slice multi-echo T2 mapping. ASSESSMENT: We studied structure and strain in cartilage explants from volunteers receiving total knee replacement, or structure in cartilage of OAI patients with progressive OA. We calculated spatial gradients of quantitative MRI measures (eg, T2) normal to the cartilage surface to enhance zonal variations. We compared gradient values against histologically OA severity, conventional relaxometry, and/or KL grades. STATISTICAL TESTS: Multiparametric linear regression for evaluation of the relationship between residuals of the mixed effects models and histologically determined OA severity scoring, with a significance threshold at α = 0.05. RESULTS: Gradients of individual relaxometry and biomechanics measures significantly correlated with OA severity, outperforming conventional relaxometry and strain metrics. In human explants, analysis of spatial gradients provided the strongest relationship to OA severity (R2  = 0.627). Spatial gradients of T2 from OAI data identified variations in radiographic (KL Grade 2) OA severity in single subjects, while conventional T2 alone did not. DATA CONCLUSION: Spatial gradients of quantitative MRI data may improve the predictive power of noninvasive imaging for early-stage degeneration. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

Direct chemical evidence for sphingolipid domains in the plasma membranes of fibroblasts.

Sphingolipids play important roles in plasma membrane structure and cell signaling. However, their lateral distribution in the plasma membrane is poorly understood. Here we quantitatively analyzed the sphingolipid organization on the entire dorsal surface of intact cells by mapping the distribution of (15)N-enriched ions from metabolically labeled (15)N-sphingolipids in the plasma membrane, using high-resolution imaging mass spectrometry. Many types of control experiments (internal, positive, negative, and fixation temperature), along with parallel experiments involving the imaging of fluorescent sphingolipids--both in living cells and during fixation of living cells--exclude potential artifacts. Micrometer-scale sphingolipid patches consisting of numerous (15)N-sphingolipid microdomains with mean diameters of ∼200 nm are always present in the plasma membrane. Depletion of 30% of the cellular cholesterol did not eliminate the sphingolipid domains, but did reduce their abundance and long-range organization in the plasma membrane. In contrast, disruption of the cytoskeleton eliminated the sphingolipid domains. These results indicate that these sphingolipid assemblages are not lipid rafts and are instead a distinctly different type of sphingolipid-enriched plasma membrane domain that depends upon cortical actin.

Hemagglutinin clusters in the plasma membrane are not enriched with cholesterol and sphingolipids.

The clusters of the influenza envelope protein, hemagglutinin, within the plasma membrane are hypothesized to be enriched with cholesterol and sphingolipids. Here, we directly tested this hypothesis by using high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry to image the distributions of antibody-labeled hemagglutinin and isotope-labeled cholesterol and sphingolipids in the plasma membranes of fibroblast cells that stably express hemagglutinin. We found that the hemagglutinin clusters were neither enriched with cholesterol nor colocalized with sphingolipid domains. Thus, hemagglutinin clustering and localization in the plasma membrane is not controlled by cohesive interactions between hemagglutinin and liquid-ordered domains enriched with cholesterol and sphingolipids, or from specific binding interactions between hemagglutinin, cholesterol, and/or the majority of sphingolipid species in the plasma membrane.

Resistance to infection, early and persistent suppression of simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac251 viremia, and significant reduction of tissue viral burden after mucosal vaccination in female rhesus macaques.

The efficacy of oral, intestinal, nasal, and vaginal vaccinations with DNA simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)/interleukin-2 (IL-2)/IL-15, SIV Gag/Pol/Env recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA), and AT-2 SIVmac239 inactivated particles was compared in rhesus macaques after low-dose vaginal challenge with SIVmac251. Intestinal immunization provided better protection from infection, as a significantly greater median number of challenges was necessary in this group than in the others. Oral and nasal vaccinations provided the most significant control of disease progression. Fifty percent of the orally and nasally vaccinated animals suppressed viremia to undetectable levels, while this occurred to a significantly lower degree in intestinally and vaginally vaccinated animals and in controls. Viremia remained undetectable after CD8(+) T-cell depletion in seven vaccinated animals that had suppressed viremia after infection, and tissue analysis for SIV DNA and RNA was negative, a result consistent with a significant reduction of viral activity. Regardless of the route of vaccination, mucosal vaccinations prevented loss of CD4(+) central memory and CD4(+)/α4ß7(+) T-cell populations and reduced immune activation to different degrees. None of the orally vaccinated animals and only one of the nasally vaccinated animals developed AIDS after 72 to 84 weeks of infection, when the trial was closed. The levels of anti-SIV gamma interferon-positive, CD4(+), and CD8(+) T cells at the time of first challenge inversely correlated with viremia and directly correlated with protection from infection and longer survival.

Immunogenicity of a vaccine regimen composed of simian immunodeficiency virus DNA, rMVA, and viral particles administered to female rhesus macaques via four different mucosal routes.

A comparative evaluation of the immunity stimulated with a vaccine regimen that includes simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), interleukin 2 (IL-2), and IL-15 DNAs, recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA), and inactivated SIVmac239 particles administered into the oral and nasal cavities, small intestine, and vagina was carried out in female rhesus macaques to determine the best route to induce diverse anti-SIV immunity that may be critical to protection from SIV infection and disease. All four immunizations generated mucosal SIV-specific IgA. Oral immunization was as effective as vaginal immunization in inducing SIV-specific IgA in vaginal secretions and generated greater IgA responses in rectal secretions and saliva samples compared to the other immunization routes. All four immunizations stimulated systemic T-cell responses against Gag and Env, albeit to a different extent, with oral immunization providing greater magnitude and nasal immunization providing wider functional heterogeneity. SIV-specific T cells producing gamma interferon (IFN-γ) dominated these responses. Limited levels of SIV-specific IgG antibodies were detected in plasma samples, and no SIV-specific IgG antibodies were detected in secretions. Vaccination also induced CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell responses in the rectal and vaginal mucosa with greater functional heterogeneity than in blood samples. Rectal T-cell responses were significantly greater in the orally vaccinated animals than in the other animals. The most balanced, diverse, and higher-magnitude vaginal T-cell responses were observed after intestinal vaccination. Significantly higher CD8(+) granzyme B-positive T-cell responses were observed systemically after intestinal vaccination and in rectal cells after oral immunization. The majority of SIV-specific T cells that produced granzyme B did not produce cytokines. Of the immunization routes tested, oral vaccination provided the most diverse and significant response to the vaccine.

In vivo human knee varus-valgus loading apparatus for analysis of MRI-based intratissue strain and relaxometry.

The diagnosis of early-stage osteoarthritis remains as an unmet challenge in medicine and a roadblock to evaluating the efficacy of disease-modifying treatments. Recent studies demonstrate that unique patterns of intratissue cartilage deformation under cyclic loading can serve as potential biomarkers to detect early disease pathogenesis. However, a workflow to obtain deformation, strain maps, and quantitative MRI metrics due to the loading of articular cartilage in vivo has not been fully developed. In this study, we characterize and demonstrate an apparatus that is capable of applying a varus-valgus load to the human knee in vivo within an MRI environment to enable the measurement of cartilage structure and mechanical function. The apparatus was first tested in a lab environment, then the functionality and utility of the apparatus were examined during varus loading in a clinical 3T MRI system for human imaging. We found that the device enables quantitative MRI metrics for biomechanics and relaxometry data acquisition during joint loading leading to compression of the medial knee compartment. Integration with spiral DENSE MRI during cyclic loading provided time-dependent displacement and strain maps within the tibiofemoral cartilage. The results from these procedures demonstrate that the performance of this loading apparatus meets the design criteria and enables a simple and practical workflow for future studies of clinical cohorts, and the identification and validation of imaging-based biomechanical biomarkers.

Quantifying the molar percentages of cholesterol in supported lipid membranes by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and multivariate analysis.

The uneven cholesterol distribution among organelles and within the plasma membrane is postulated to be critical for proper cellular function. To study how interactions between cholesterol and specific lipid species contribute to the uneven cholesterol distribution between and within cellular membranes, model lipid membranes are frequently employed. Although the cholesterol distributions within membranes can be directly imaged without labels by using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), quantifying the cholesterol abundance at specific membrane locations in a label-free manner remains a challenge. Here, partial least-squares regression (PLSR) of TOF-SIMS data is used to quantitatively measure the local molar percentage (mol %) of cholesterol within supported lipid membranes. With the use of TOF-SIMS data from lipid membranes of known composition, a PLSR model was constructed that correlated the spectral variation to the mol % cholesterol in the membrane. The PLSR model was then used to measure the mol % cholesterol in test membranes and to measure cholesterol exchange between vesicles and supported lipid membranes. The accuracy of these measurements was assessed by comparison to the mol % cholesterol measured with conventional assays. By using this TOF-SIMS/PLSR approach to quantify the mol % cholesterol with location specificity, a better understanding of how the regional lipid composition influences cholesterol abundance and exchange in membranes may be obtained.

Long-term control of simian immunodeficiency virus mac251 viremia to undetectable levels in half of infected female rhesus macaques nasally vaccinated with simian immunodeficiency virus DNA/recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara.

The efficacy of two SIV DNA plus recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara nasal vaccine regimens, one combined with plasmids expressing IL-2 and IL-15, the other with plasmids expressing GM-CSF, IL-12, and TNF-α, which may better stimulate humoral responses, was evaluated in two female rhesus macaque groups. Vaccination stimulated significant SIV-specific mucosal and systemic cell-mediated immunity in both groups, whereas SIV-specific IgA titers were sporadic and IgG titers negative. All vaccinated animals, except one, became infected after intravaginal SIV(mac251) low-dose challenge. Half of the vaccinated, infected animals (7/13) promptly controlled virus replication to undetectable viremia for the duration of the trial (130 wk) and displayed virological and immunological phenotypes similar to those of exposed, uninfected individuals. When all vaccinated animals were considered, a 3-log viremia reduction was observed, compared with controls. The excellent viral replication containment achieved in vaccinated animals translated into significant preservation of circulating α4ß7(high+)/CD4(+) T cells and of circulating and mucosal CD4(+)/C(M) T cells and in reduced immune activation. A more significant long-term survival was also observed in these animals. Median survival was 72 wk for the control group, whereas >50% of the vaccinated animals were still disease free 130 wk postchallenge, when the trial was closed. There was a statistically significant correlation between levels of CD4(+)/IFN-γ(+) and CD8(+)/IFN-γ(+) T cell percentages on the day of challenge and the control of viremia at week 60 postchallenge or survival. Postchallenge immunological correlates of protection were systemic anti-SIV Gag + Env CD4(+)/IL-2(+), CD4(+)/IFN-γ(+), and CD8(+)/TNF-α(+) T cells and vaginal anti-SIV Gag + Env CD8(+) T cell total monofunctional responses.

Genetic immunization in the lung induces potent local and systemic immune responses.

Successful vaccination against respiratory infections requires elicitation of high levels of potent and durable humoral and cellular responses in the lower airways. To accomplish this goal, we used a fine aerosol that targets the entire lung surface through normal respiration to deliver replication-incompetent recombinant adenoviral vectors expressing gene products from several infectious pathogens. We show that this regimen induced remarkably high and stable lung T-cell responses in nonhuman primates and that it also generated systemic and respiratory tract humoral responses of both IgA and IgG isotypes. Moreover, strong immunogenicity was achieved even in animals with preexisting antiadenoviral immunity, overcoming a critical hurdle to the use of these vectors in humans, who commonly are immune to adenoviruses. The immunogenicity profile elicited with this regimen, which is distinct from either intramuscular or intranasal delivery, has highly desirable properties for protection against respiratory pathogens. We show that it can be used repeatedly to generate mucosal humoral, CD4, and CD8 T-cell responses and as such may be applicable to other mucosally transmitted pathogens such as HIV. Indeed, in a lethal challenge model, we show that aerosolized recombinant adenoviral immunization completely protects ferrets against H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. Thus, genetic immunization in the lung offers a powerful platform approach to generating protective immune responses against respiratory pathogens.

Dynamic biophysical responses of neuronal cell nuclei and cytoskeletal structure following high impulse loading.

Cells are continuously exposed to dynamic environmental cues that influence their behavior. Mechanical cues can influence cellular and genomic architecture, gene expression, and intranuclear mechanics, providing evidence of mechanosensing by the nucleus, and a mechanoreciprocity between the nucleus and environment. Force disruption at the tissue level through aging, disease, or trauma, propagates to the nucleus and can have lasting consequences on proper functioning of the cell and nucleus. While the influence of mechanical cues leading to axonal damage has been well studied in neuronal cells, the mechanics of the nucleus following high impulse loading is still largely unexplored. Using an in vitro model of traumatic neural injury, we show a dynamic nuclear behavioral response to impulse stretch (up to 170% strain per second) through quantitative measures of nuclear movement, including tracking of rotation and internal motion. Differences in nuclear movement were observed between low and high strain magnitudes. Increased exposure to impulse stretch exaggerated the decrease in internal motion, assessed by particle tracking microrheology, and intranuclear displacements, assessed through high-resolution deformable image registration. An increase in F-actin puncta surrounding nuclei exposed to impulse stretch additionally demonstrated a corresponding disruption of the cytoskeletal network. Our results show direct biophysical nuclear responsiveness in neuronal cells through force propagation from the substrate to the nucleus. Understanding how mechanical forces perturb the morphological and behavioral response can lead to a greater understanding of how mechanical strain drives changes within the cell and nucleus, and may inform fundamental nuclear behavior after traumatic axonal injury. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The nucleus of the cell has been implicated as a mechano-sensitive organelle, courting molecular sensors and transmitting physical cues in order to maintain cellular and tissue homeostasis. Disruption of this network due to disease or high velocity forces (e.g., trauma) can not only result in orchestrated biochemical cascades, but also biophysical perturbations. Using an in vitro model of traumatic neural injury, we aimed to provide insight into the neuronal nuclear mechanics and biophysical responses at a continuum of strain magnitudes and after repetitive loads. Our image-based methods demonstrate mechanically-induced changes in cellular and nuclear behavior after high intensity loading and have the potential to further define mechanical thresholds of neuronal cell injury.

Intervertebral Disc Elastography to Relate Shear Modulus and Relaxometry in Compression and Bending.

Intervertebral disc degeneration is the most recognized cause of low back pain, characterized by the decline of tissue structure and mechanics. Image-based mechanical parameters (e.g., strain, stiffness) may provide an ideal assessment of disc function that is lost with degeneration but unfortunately remains underdeveloped. Moreover, it is unknown whether strain or stiffness of the disc may be predicted by MRI relaxometry (e.g. T1 or T2), an increasingly accepted quantitative measure of disc structure. In this study, we quantified T1 and T2 relaxation times and in-plane strains using displacement-encoded MRI within the disc under physiological levels of compression and bending. We then estimated shear modulus in orthogonal image planes and compared these values to relaxation times and strains within regions of the disc. Intratissue strain depended on the loading mode, and shear modulus in the nucleus pulposus was typically an order of magnitude lower than the annulus fibrosis, except in bending, where the apparent stiffness depended on the loading. Relative shear moduli estimated from strain data derived under compression generally did not correspond with those from bending experiments, with no correlations in the sagittal plane and only 4 of 15 regions correlated in the coronal plane, suggesting that future inverse models should incorporate multiple loading conditions. Strain imaging and strain-based estimation of material properties may serve as imaging biomarkers to distinguish healthy and diseased discs. Additionally, image-based elastography and relaxometry may be viewed as complementary measures of disc structure and function to assess degeneration in longitudinal studies.

Identifying differentiation stage of individual primary hematopoietic cells from mouse bone marrow by multivariate analysis of TOF-secondary ion mass spectrometry data.

The ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple types of blood and immune cells renders hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) valuable for clinical treatment of hematopoietic pathologies and as models of stem cell differentiation for tissue engineering applications. To study directed hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) differentiation and identify the conditions that recreate the native bone marrow environment, combinatorial biomaterials that exhibit lateral variations in chemical and mechanical properties are employed. New experimental approaches are needed to facilitate correlating cell differentiation stage with location in the culture system. We demonstrate that multivariate analysis of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) data can be used to identify the differentiation state of individual hematopoietic cells (HCs) isolated from mouse bone marrow. Here, we identify primary HCs from three distinct stages of B cell lymphopoiesis at the single cell level: HSPCs, common lymphoid progenitors, and mature B cells. The differentiation state of individual HCs in a test set could be identified with a partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model that was constructed with calibration spectra from HCs of known differentiation status. The lowest error of identification was obtained when the intrapopulation spectral variation between the cells in the calibration and test sets was minimized. This approach complements the traditional methods that are used to identify HC differentiation stage. Further, the ability to gather mass spectrometry data from single HSCs cultured on graded biomaterial substrates may provide significant new insight into how HSPCs respond to extrinsic cues as well as the molecular changes that occur during cell differentiation.

Fluorinated colloidal gold immunolabels for imaging select proteins in parallel with lipids using high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry.

The local abundance of specific lipid species near a membrane protein is hypothesized to influence the protein's activity. The ability to simultaneously image the distributions of specific protein and lipid species in the cell membrane would facilitate testing these hypotheses. Recent advances in imaging the distribution of cell membrane lipids with mass spectrometry have created the desire for membrane protein probes that can be simultaneously imaged with isotope labeled lipids. Such probes would enable conclusive tests to determine whether specific proteins colocalize with particular lipid species. Here, we describe the development of fluorine-functionalized colloidal gold immunolabels that facilitate the detection and imaging of specific proteins in parallel with lipids in the plasma membrane using high-resolution SIMS performed with a NanoSIMS. First, we developed a method to functionalize colloidal gold nanoparticles with a partially fluorinated mixed monolayer that permitted NanoSIMS detection and rendered the functionalized nanoparticles dispersible in aqueous buffer. Then, to allow for selective protein labeling, we attached the fluorinated colloidal gold nanoparticles to the nonbinding portion of antibodies. By combining these functionalized immunolabels with metabolic incorporation of stable isotopes, we demonstrate that influenza hemagglutinin and cellular lipids can be imaged in parallel using NanoSIMS. These labels enable a general approach to simultaneously imaging specific proteins and lipids with high sensitivity and lateral resolution, which may be used to evaluate predictions of protein colocalization with specific lipid species.

Preexisting vaccinia virus immunity decreases SIV-specific cellular immunity but does not diminish humoral immunity and efficacy of a DNA/MVA vaccine.

The influence of preexisting immunity to viral vectors is a major issue for the development of viral-vectored vaccines. In this study, we investigate the effect of preexisting vaccinia virus immunity on the immunogenicity and efficacy of a DNA/modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) SIV vaccine in rhesus macaques using a pathogenic intrarectal SIV251 challenge. Preexisting immunity decreased SIV-specific CD8 and CD4 T cell responses but preserved the SIV-specific humoral immunity. In addition, preexisting immunity did not diminish the control of an SIV challenge mediated by the DNA/MVA vaccine. The peak and set point viremia was 150- and 17-fold lower, respectively, in preimmune animals compared with those of control animals. The peak and set point viremia correlated directly with colorectal virus at 2 wk postchallenge suggesting that early control of virus replication at the site of viral challenge was critical for viral control. Factors that correlated with early colorectal viral control included 1) the presence of anti-SIV IgA in rectal secretions, 2) high-avidity binding Ab for the native form of Env, and 3) low magnitude of vaccine-elicited SIV-specific CD4 T cells displaying the CCR5 viral coreceptor. The frequency of SIV-specific CD8 T cells in blood and colorectal tissue at 2 wk postchallenge did not correlate with early colorectal viral control. These results suggest that preexisting vaccinia virus immunity may not limit the potential of recombinant MVA vaccines to elicit humoral immunity and highlight the importance of immunodeficiency virus vaccines achieving early control at the mucosal sites of challenge.

Raman spectroscopy-based water measurements identify the origin of MRI T2 signal in human articular cartilage zones and predict histopathologic score.

We investigated for the first time zonal-dependent water distribution in articular cartilage by Raman spectroscopy (RS). We further investigated the association of histopathologic score with RS- and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based water measurements. Cadaveric human cartilage plugs (N = 16) with different osteoarthritis (OA) severity were used. Water content distribution in cartilage zones was probed using RS- and MRI-based techniques. Histopathologic scoring was performed by two independent observers blindly. Moderate associations existed between RS- and MRI-based water measurements across all cartilage zones. RS-based analysis of different water compartments helped assign the origin of the T2 signal collected from the various cartilage zones. RS-based water parameters significantly correlated with OA-severity score, whereas MRI-based water measurements did not. RS can probe different water compartments in cartilage zones and predict up to 66% of the variation observed in the histopathologic score. RS-based water measurement could be developed further to assess cartilage quality in the clinic.

Envelope-modified single-cycle simian immunodeficiency virus selectively enhances antibody responses and partially protects against repeated, low-dose vaginal challenge.

Immunization of rhesus macaques with strains of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) that are limited to a single cycle of infection elicits T-cell responses to multiple viral gene products and antibodies capable of neutralizing lab-adapted SIV, but not neutralization-resistant primary isolates of SIV. In an effort to improve upon the antibody responses, we immunized rhesus macaques with three strains of single-cycle SIV (scSIV) that express envelope glycoproteins modified to lack structural features thought to interfere with the development of neutralizing antibodies. These envelope-modified strains of scSIV lacked either five potential N-linked glycosylation sites in gp120, three potential N-linked glycosylation sites in gp41, or 100 amino acids in the V1V2 region of gp120. Three doses consisting of a mixture of the three envelope-modified strains of scSIV were administered on weeks 0, 6, and 12, followed by two booster inoculations with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) G trans-complemented scSIV on weeks 18 and 24. Although this immunization regimen did not elicit antibodies capable of detectably neutralizing SIV(mac)239 or SIV(mac)251(UCD), neutralizing antibody titers to the envelope-modified strains were selectively enhanced. Virus-specific antibodies and T cells were observed in the vaginal mucosa. After 20 weeks of repeated, low-dose vaginal challenge with SIV(mac)251(UCD), six of eight immunized animals versus six of six naïve controls became infected. Although immunization did not significantly reduce the likelihood of acquiring immunodeficiency virus infection, statistically significant reductions in peak and set point viral loads were observed in the immunized animals relative to the naïve control animals.

Oral Vaccination Approaches for Anti-SHIV Immunity.

We modified a Sabin Oral Poliovirus Vaccine (OPV) vector to permit secretion of the antigens of interest with the goal of improving anti-HIV Env humoral responses in a SHIV mucosal immunization composed of DNA and recombinant OPVs. We evaluated stimulation of systemic and mucosal cell-mediated and humoral immunity in Rhesus macaques by two regimens, both involving a prime with a SHIVBG505 DNA construct producing non-infectious particles formulated in lipid nanoparticles, administered in the oral cavity, and two different viral vector boostings, administered in the oral cavity and intestinally. Group 1 was boosted with rMVA-SHIVBG505, expressing SIV Gag/Pol and HIVBG505 Env. Group 2 was boosted with a SHIVBG505-OPV vaccine including a non-secreting SIVmac239CA-p6-OPV, expressing Gag CA, NC and p6 proteins, and a HIVBG505C1-V2-OPV, secreting the C1-V2 fragment of HIV EnvBG505, recognized by the broadly neutralizing antibody PG16. A time course analysis of anti-SHIV Gag and Env CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses in PBMC and in lymph node, rectal, and vaginal MNC was carried out. Both regimens stimulated significant cell-mediated responses in all compartments, with SHIVBG505-OPV immunization stimulating more significant levels of responses than rMVA- SHIVBG505. Boolean analysis of these responses revealed predominantly monofunctional responses with multifunctional responses also present in all tissues. Stimulation of antibody responses was disappointing in both groups with negative anti-SHIV IgG in plasma, and IgA in salivary, rectal and vaginal secretions being restricted to a few animals. After repeated rectal challenge with SHIVBG505, two Group 1 animals remained uninfected at challenge termination. No significant differences were observed in post-infection viral loads between groups. After the acute phase decline, CD4+ T cell percentages returned to normal levels in vaccinated as well as control animals. However, when compared to controls, vaccinate groups had more significant preservation of PBMC and rectal MNC Th17/Treg ratios, considered the strongest surrogate marker of progression to AIDS. We conclude that the vaccine platforms used in this study are insufficient to stimulate significant humoral immunity at the tested doses and schedule but sufficient to stimulate significant mucosal and systemic cell-mediated immunity, impacting the preservation of key Th17 CD4+ T cells in blood and rectal mucosa.

Invaplex functions as an intranasal adjuvant for subunit and DNA vaccines co-delivered in the nasal cavity of nonhuman primates.

Development of intranasal vaccines for HIV-1 and other mucosal pathogens has been hampered by the lack of adjuvants that can be given safely to humans. We have found that an intranasal Shigella vaccine (Invaplex) which is well tolerated in humans can also function as an adjuvant for intranasal protein and DNA vaccines in mice. To determine whether Invaplex could potentially adjuvant similar vaccines in humans, we simultaneously administered a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) envelope (Env) protein and DNA encoding simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) with or without Invaplex in the nasal cavity of female rhesus macaques. Animals were intranasally boosted with adenoviral vectors expressing SIV env or gag,pol to evaluate memory responses. Anti-SIV antibodies in sera and nasal, genital tract and rectal secretions were quantitated by ELISA. Intracellular cytokine staining was used to measure Th1-type T cells in blood. Macaques given DNA/protein immunizations with 0.5 mg Invaplex developed greater serum IgG, nasal IgA and cervicovaginal IgA responses to SIV Env and SHIV Gag,Pol proteins when compared to non-adjuvanted controls. Rectal IgA responses to Env were only briefly elevated and not observed to Gag,Pol. Invaplex increased frequencies of IFNγ-producing CD4 and CD8 T cells to the Env protein, but not T cell responses induced by the DNA. Ad-SIV boosting increased Env-specific polyfunctional T cells and Env- and Gag,Pol-specific antibodies in serum and all secretions. The data suggest that Invaplex could be highly effective as an adjuvant for intranasal protein vaccines in humans, especially those intended to prevent infections in the genital or respiratory tract.

In vivo intervertebral disc deformation: intratissue strain patterns within adjacent discs during flexion-extension.

The biomechanical function of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is a critical indicator of tissue health and pathology. The mechanical responses (displacements, strain) of the IVD to physiologic movement can be spatially complex and depend on tissue architecture, consisting of distinct compositional regions and integrity; however, IVD biomechanics are predominately uncharacterized in vivo. Here, we measured voxel-level displacement and strain patterns in adjacent IVDs in vivo by coupling magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with cyclic motion of the cervical spine. Across adjacent disc segments, cervical flexion-extension of 10° resulted in first principal and maximum shear strains approaching 10%. Intratissue spatial analysis of the cervical IVDs, not possible with conventional techniques, revealed elevated maximum shear strains located in the posterior disc (nucleus pulposus) regions. IVD structure, based on relaxometric patterns of T2 and T1ρ images, did not correlate spatially with functional metrics of strain. Our approach enables a comprehensive IVD biomechanical analysis of voxel-level, intratissue strain patterns in adjacent discs in vivo, which are largely independent of MRI relaxometry. The spatial mapping of IVD biomechanics in vivo provides a functional assessment of adjacent IVDs in subjects, and provides foundational biomarkers for elastography, differentiation of disease state, and evaluation of treatment efficacy.

DNA-MVA vaccine protection after X4 SHIV challenge in macaques correlates with day-of-challenge antiviral CD4+ cell-mediated immunity levels and postchallenge preservation of CD4+ T cell memory.

The ability of vaccines to induce immunity both in mucosal and systemic compartments may be required for prevention of HIV infection and AIDS. We compared DNA-MVA vaccination regimens adjuvanted by IL-12 DNA, administered intramuscularly and nasally or only nasally. Most of the vaccinated Rhesus macaques developed mucosal and systemic humoral and cell-mediated SHIV-specific immune responses. Stimulation of mucosal anti-Env IgA responses was limited. After rectal challenge with SHIV 89.6P, all vaccinated and naive animals became infected. However, most of the vaccinated animals showed significant control of viremia and protection from CD4(+) T cell loss and AIDS progression compared to the control animals. The levels of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell virus-specific responses measured on the day of challenge correlated with the level of viremia control observed later during the chronic infection. Postchallenge viremia levels inversely correlated with the preservation of SHIV-specific CD4(+)/IL-2(+) and CD8(+)/TNF-alpha(+) T cells but not with CD4(+)/IFN-gamma(+) T cells measured over time after challenge. We also found that during the early chronic infection SHIV vaccination permitted a more significant preservation of both naive and memory CD4(+) T cells compared to controls. In addition, we observed a more significant and prolonged preservation of memory CD4(+) T cells after SHIV vaccination and challenge than that observed after SIV vaccination and challenge. As the antiviral immunity stimulated by vaccination is present in the memory CD4(+) T cell subpopulations, its more limited targeting by SHIV compared to SIV may explain the better control of X4 tropic SHIV than R5 tropic SIVs by vaccination.