An influenza H1 hemagglutinin stem-only immunogen elicits a broadly cross-reactive B cell response in humans.

Current yearly seasonal influenza vaccines primarily induce an antibody response directed against the immunodominant but continually diversifying hemagglutinin (HA) head region. These antibody responses provide protection against the vaccinating strain but little cross-protection against other influenza strains or subtypes. To focus the immune response on subdominant but more conserved epitopes on the HA stem that might protect against a broad range of influenza strains, we developed a stabilized H1 stem immunogen lacking the immunodominant head displayed on a ferritin nanoparticle (H1ssF). Here, we evaluated the B cell response to H1ssF in healthy adults ages 18 to 70 in a phase 1 clinical trial (NCT03814720). We observed both a strong plasmablast response and sustained elicitation of cross-reactive HA stem-specific memory B cells after vaccination with H1ssF in individuals of all ages. The B cell response was focused on two conserved epitopes on the H1 stem, with a highly restricted immunoglobulin repertoire unique to each epitope. On average, two-thirds of the B cell and serological antibody response recognized a central epitope on the H1 stem and exhibited broad neutralization across group 1 influenza virus subtypes. The remaining third recognized an epitope near the viral membrane anchor and was largely limited to H1 strains. Together, we demonstrate that an H1 HA immunogen lacking the immunodominant HA head produces a robust and broadly neutralizing HA stem-directed B cell response.

A single residue in influenza virus H2 hemagglutinin enhances the breadth of the B cell response elicited by H2 vaccination.

Conserved epitopes on the influenza hemagglutinin (HA) stem are an attractive target for universal vaccine strategies as they elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies. Such antibody responses to stem-specific epitopes have been extensively characterized for HA subtypes H1 and H5 in humans. H2N2 influenza virus circulated 50 years ago and represents a pandemic threat due to the lack of widespread immunity, but, unlike H1 and H5, the H2 HA stem contains Phe45HA2 predicted to sterically clash with HA stem-binding antibodies characterized to date. To understand the effect of Phe45HA2, we compared the HA stem-specific B cell response in post hoc analyses of two phase 1 clinical trials, one testing vaccination with an H2 ferritin nanoparticle immunogen ( NCT03186781 ) and one with an inactivated H5N1 vaccine ( NCT01086657 ). In H2-naive individuals, the magnitude of the B cell response was equivalent, but H2-elicited HA stem-binding B cells displayed greater cross-reactivity than those elicited by H5. However, in individuals with childhood H2 exposure, H5-elicited HA stem-binding B cells also displayed high cross-reactivity, suggesting recall of memory B cells formed 50 years ago. Overall, we propose that a one-residue difference on an HA immunogen can alter establishment and expansion of broadly neutralizing memory B cells. These data have implications for stem-based universal influenza vaccination strategies.

Prolonged evolution of the memory B cell response induced by a replicating adenovirus-influenza H5 vaccine.

Induction of an antibody response capable of recognizing highly diverse strains is a major obstacle to the development of vaccines for viruses such as HIV and influenza. Here, we report the dynamics of B cell expansion and evolution at the single-cell level after vaccination with a replication-competent adenovirus type 4 recombinant virus expressing influenza H5 hemagglutinin. Fluorescent H1 or H5 probes were used to quantitate and isolate peripheral blood B cells and their antigen receptors. We observed increases in H5-specific antibody somatic hypermutation and potency for several months beyond the period of active viral replication that was not detectable at the serum level. Individual broad and potent antibodies could be isolated, including one stem-specific antibody that is part of a new multidonor class. These results demonstrate prolonged evolution of the B cell response for months after vaccination and should be considered in efforts to evaluate or boost vaccine-induced immunity.

Lattice engineering enables definition of molecular features allowing for potent small-molecule inhibition of HIV-1 entry.

Diverse entry inhibitors targeting the gp120 subunit of the HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimer have been developed including BMS-626529, also called temsavir, a prodrug version of which is currently in phase III clinical trials. Here we report the characterization of a panel of small-molecule inhibitors including BMS-818251, which we show to be >10-fold more potent than temsavir on a cross-clade panel of 208-HIV-1 strains, as well as the engineering of a crystal lattice to enable structure determination of the interaction between these inhibitors and the HIV-1 Env trimer at higher resolution. By altering crystallization lattice chaperones, we identify a lattice with both improved diffraction and robust co-crystallization of HIV-1 Env trimers from different clades complexed to entry inhibitors with a range of binding affinities. The improved diffraction reveals BMS-818251 to utilize functional groups that interact with gp120 residues from the conserved ß20-ß21 hairpin to improve potency.

A new approach to quantification of mAb aggregates using peptide affinity probes.

Using mAbs as therapeutic molecules is complicated by the propensity of mAbs to aggregate at elevated concentrations, which can lead to a variety of adverse events in treatment. Here, we describe a proof-of-concept for new methodology to detect and quantify mAb aggregation. Assay development included using an aggregated mAb as bait for screening of phage display peptide library and identifying those peptides with random sequence which can recognize mAb aggregates. Once identified, the selected peptides can be used for developing quantitative methods to assess mAb aggregation. Results indicate that a peptide binding method coupled with mass spectrometric detection of bound peptide can quantify mAb aggregation and potentially be useful for monitoring aggregation propensity of therapeutic protein candidates.

Quantification of Borrelia burgdorferi Membrane Proteins in Human Serum: A New Concept for Detection of Bacterial Infection.

The Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete is the causative agent of Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne disease in the United States. The low abundance of bacterial proteins in human serum during infection imposes a challenge for early proteomic detection of Lyme disease. To address this challenge, we propose to detect membrane proteins released from bacteria due to disruption of their plasma membrane triggered by the innate immune system. These membrane proteins can be separated from the bulk of serum proteins by high-speed centrifugation causing substantial sample enrichment prior to targeted protein quantification using multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. This new approach was first applied to detection of B. burgdorferi membrane proteins supplemented in human serum. Our results indicated that detection of B. burgdorferi membrane proteins, which are ≈10(7) lower in abundance than major serum proteins, is feasible. Therefore, quantitative analysis was also carried out for serum samples from three patients with acute Lyme disease. We were able to demonstrate the detection of ospA, the major B. burgdorferi lipoprotein at the level of 4.0 fmol of ospA/mg of serum protein. The results confirm the concept and suggest that the proposed approach can be expanded to detect other bacterial infections in humans, particularly where existing diagnostics are unreliable.

Spatial regulation of gene expression during growth of articular cartilage in juvenile mice.

BACKGROUND: In juvenile mammals, the epiphyses of long bones grow by chondrogenesis within the articular cartilage. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the growth of articular cartilage may give insight into the antecedents of joint disease, such as osteoarthritis. METHODS: We used laser capture microdissection to isolate chondrocytes from the superficial, middle, and deep zones of growing tibial articular cartilage in the 1-wk-old mouse and then investigated expression patterns by microarray. To identify molecular markers for each zone of the growing articular cartilage, we found genes showing zone-specific expression and confirmed by real-time PCR and in situ hybridization. RESULTS: Bioinformatic analyses implicated ephrin receptor signaling, Wnt signaling, and bone morphogenetic protein signaling in the spatial regulation of chondrocyte differentiation during growth. Molecular markers were identified for superficial (e.g., Cilp, Prg4), middle (Cxcl14, Tnn), and deep zones (Sfrp5, Frzb). Comparison between juvenile articular and growth plate cartilage revealed that the superficial-to-deep zone transition showed similarity with the hypertrophic-to-resting zone transition. CONCLUSION: Laser capture microdissection combined with microarray analysis identified novel signaling pathways that are spatially regulated in growing mouse articular cartilage and revealed similarities between the molecular architecture of the growing articular cartilage and that of growth plate cartilage.

Natural flanking sequences for peptides included in a quantification concatamer internal standard.

Quantification by targeted proteomics has largely depended on mass spectrometry and isotope-labeled internal standards. In addition to traditionally used recombinant proteins or synthetic peptides, concatenated peptides (QconCATs) were introduced as a conceptually new source of internal standard. In the present study, we focused on assessing the length of natural flanking sequences, which surround each peptide included in QconCAT and provide for identical rates of analyte and standard digestion by trypsin. We have expressed, purified, and characterized a set of seven (15)N-labeled QconCATs that cover seven tryptic peptides from human clusterin with a length of natural flanking sequences ranging from none (+0) to six amino acid residues (+6) for each tryptic peptide. Individual QconCATs were mixed with recombinant human clusterin at a 1:1 molar ratio and digested, and the actual ratios for each combination of peptide/flanking sequence were measured with a multiple reaction monitoring assay. Data analysis suggested that natural flanking sequences shorter than +6 residues can cause a quantitative error because the random appearance of other amino acid residues in close proximity to trypsin cleavage sites has unpredictable consequences for the digestion rates of QconCATs.

Evolutionary conservation and modulation of a juvenile growth-regulating genetic program.

Body size varies enormously among mammalian species. In small mammals, body growth is typically suppressed rapidly, within weeks, whereas in large mammals, growth is suppressed slowly, over years, allowing for a greater adult size. We recently reported evidence that body growth suppression in rodents is caused in part by a juvenile genetic program that occurs in multiple tissues simultaneously and involves the downregulation of a large set of growth-promoting genes. We hypothesized that this genetic program is conserved in large mammals but that its time course is evolutionarily modulated such that it plays out more slowly, allowing for more prolonged growth. Consistent with this hypothesis, using expression microarray analysis, we identified a set of genes that are downregulated with age in both juvenile sheep kidney and lung. This overlapping gene set was enriched for genes involved in cell proliferation and growth and showed striking similarity to a set of genes downregulated with age in multiple organs of the juvenile mouse and rat, indicating that the multiorgan juvenile genetic program previously described in rodents has been conserved in the 80 million years since sheep and rodents diverged in evolution. Using microarray and real-time PCR, we found that the pace of this program was most rapid in mice, more gradual in rats, and most gradual in sheep. These findings support the hypothesis that a growth-regulating genetic program is conserved among mammalian species but that its pace is modulated to allow more prolonged growth and therefore greater adult body size in larger mammals.

Broad shifts in gene expression during early postnatal life are associated with shifts in histone methylation patterns.

During early postnatal life, extensive changes in gene expression occur concomitantly in multiple major organs, indicating the existence of a common core developmental genetic program. This program includes hundreds of growth-promoting genes that are downregulated with age in liver, kidney, lung, and heart, and there is evidence that this component of the program drives the widespread decline in cell proliferation that occurs in juvenile life, as organs approach adult sizes. To investigate epigenetic changes that might orchestrate this program, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation-promoter tiling array to assess temporal changes in histone H3K4 and H3K27 trimethylation (me3) at promoter regions throughout the genome in kidney and lung, comparing 1- to 4-wk-old mice. We found extensive genome-wide shifts in H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 occurring with age in both kidney and lung. The number of genes with concordant changes in the two organs was far greater than expected by chance. Temporal changes in H3K4me3 showed a strong, positive association with changes in gene expression, assessed by microarray, whereas changes in H3K27me3 showed a negative association. Gene ontology analysis indicated that shifts in specific histone methylation marks were associated with specific developmental functions. Of particular interest, genes with decreases in H3K4me3 with age in both organs were strongly implicated in cell cycle and cell proliferation functions. Taken together, the findings suggest that the common core developmental program of gene expression which occurs in multiple organs during juvenile life is associated with a common core developmental program of histone methylation. In particular, declining H3K4me3 is strongly associated with gene downregulation and occurs in the promoter regions of many growth-regulating genes, suggesting that this change in histone methylation may contribute to the component of the genetic program that drives juvenile body growth deceleration.

Preclinical evaluation of the mTOR-PI3K inhibitor BEZ235 in nasopharyngeal cancer models.

The dual PI3K-mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 was evaluated in preclinical models of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The IC50 value of BEZ235 for growth was in the nanomolar range in vitro, induce G1 cycle arrest and apoptosis, and inhibited AKT and mTOR signaling in most NPC cell lines. No synergistic effect was observed when BEZ235 was combined with chemotherapy. BEZ235 increased MAPK activation in vitro but not in vivo. A daily schedule was more effective than a weekly schedule on tumor growth and inhibition of downstream mTOR signaling in vivo. The activity of BEZ235 maybe independent of the PIK3CA amplification and mutation status.

Identification of chondrocyte-binding peptides by phage display.

As an initial step toward targeting cartilage tissue for potential therapeutic applications, we sought cartilage-binding peptides using phage display, a powerful technology for selection of peptides that bind to molecules of interest. A library of phage displaying random 12-amino acid peptides was iteratively incubated with cultured chondrocytes to select phage that bind cartilage. The resulting phage clones demonstrated increased affinity to chondrocytes by ELISA, when compared to a wild-type, insertless phage. Furthermore, the selected phage showed little preferential binding to other cell types, including primary skin fibroblast, myocyte and hepatocyte cultures, suggesting a tissue-specific interaction. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the selected phage bound chondrocytes themselves and the surrounding extracellular matrix. FITC-tagged peptides were synthesized based on the sequence of cartilage-binding phage clones. These peptides, but not a random peptide, bound cultured chondrocytes, and extracelluar matrix. In conclusion, using phage display, we identified peptide sequences that specifically target chondrocytes. We anticipate that such peptides may be coupled to therapeutic molecules to provide targeted treatment for cartilage disorders.

Preclinical evaluation of sunitinib as single agent or in combination with chemotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Sunitinib is a multi-target receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor against vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR), c-kit and RET. Several of these RTKs are known to be involved in the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Here, we evaluated the preclinical activities of sunitinib in NPC. METHOD: We determined the basal level of total and phosphorylated PDGFR, c-kit and RET by immunoblotting in a panel of five NPC cell lines. The effect of sunitinib on NPC cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay. We further studied the effect of sunitinib on NPC cell cycle progression and apoptosis. We investigated the in vitro and in vivo activities of sunitinib as single agent and in combination with cisplatin or docetaxel in NPC cell lines and tumor xenografts. RESULTS: Sunitinib exhibited dose-dependent growth inhibition in all NPC cell lines tested with IC(50) between 2-7.5 µM and maximum inhibition of over 97%. Sunitinib induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G(0)/G(1) phase. In vitro, sunitinib moderately enhanced the growth inhibition of cisplatin or docetaxel. Single agent sunitinib demonstrated significant growth inhibition, reduced microvessel density and caused extensive tumor necrosis in a NPC xenograft model. However, concurrent administration of sunitinib and docetaxel induced severe toxicity in mice without enhanced antitumor effect. CONCLUSIONS: Single agent sunitinib demonstrated potent in vitro and in vivo growth inhibition in NPC. When combined with chemotherapy, sequential instead of concurrent administration schedule should be further explored.