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Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen presenting cells that play an important role in the induction of T cell responses. Different subsets (cDC1s, cDC2s, pDCs, and moDCs) were described based on the expression of different surface markers and functions. In the context of peritoneum, DCs are also a key population cell orchestrating immune responses against pathogens, malignant cells and tissue-damage. Furthermore, they play an important role in the promotion of an anti-inflammatory microenvironment, which is necessary to maintain tolerance and adipocyte homeostasis. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge of the functional and phenotypic features of peritoneal DCs and shed some light on the importance of these cells within this unique cavity and its associated components: the omentum, the mesentery and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT).
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Células Dendríticas , Peritônio , Tolerância Imunológica , Linfócitos TRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Pre-existing neutralising antibodies (NAbs) to adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) remain an impediment for systemically administered AAV-mediated gene therapy treatment in many patients, and various strategies are under investigation to overcome this limitation. Here, IgG-degrading enzymes (Ides) derived from bacteria of the genus Streptococcus were tested for their ability to cleave human IgG and allow AAV-mediated transduction in individuals with pre-existing NAbs. METHODS: Cleavage activity of three different Ides was evaluated in vitro in serum from different species. Passively immunised mice or non-human primates (NHP) with naturally occurring anti-AAV NAbs were used to define the optimal IdeS dose and administration window for AAVAnc80 and AAV8 vectors in mice and AAV3B in NHPs. RESULTS: The selected candidate, IdeS, was found to be highly efficient at cleaving human IgG, less efficient against NHP IgG and inefficient against mouse IgG. In vivo, we observed differences in how IdeS affected liver transduction in the presence of NAbs depending on the AAV serotype. For AAVAnc80 and AAV3B, the best transduction levels were achieved when the vector was administered after IgG digestion products were cleared from circulation. However, for AAV8 we only observed a modest and transient inhibition of transduction by IdeS cleavage products. CONCLUSION: Preconditioning with IdeS represents a unique treatment opportunity for patients primarily excluded from participation in gene therapy clinical trials because of elevated circulating anti-AAV NAb levels. However, careful determination of the optimal IdeS dose and timing for the administration of each AAV serotype is essential for optimal transduction.
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BACKGROUND: Target antigen (Ag) loss has emerged as a major cause of relapse after chimeric antigen receptor T (CART)-cell therapy. We reasoned that the combination of CART cells, with the consequent tumor debulking and release of Ags, together with an immunomodulatory agent, such as the stimulator of interferon gene ligand (STING-L) 2'3'-cyclic GMP-AMP (2'3'-cGAMP), may facilitate the activation of an endogenous response to secondary tumor Ags able to counteract this tumor escape mechanism. METHODS: Mice bearing B16-derived tumors expressing prostate-specific membrane Ag or gp75 were treated systemically with cognate CART cells followed by intratumoral injections of 2'3'-cGAMP. We studied the target Ag inmunoediting by CART cells and the effect of the CART/STING-L combination on the control of STING-L-treated and STING-L-non-treated tumors and on the endogenous antitumor T-cell response. The role of Batf3-dependent dendritic cells (DCs), stimulator of interferon gene (STING) signaling and perforin (Perf)-mediated killing in the efficacy of the combination were analyzed. RESULTS: Using an immune-competent solid tumor model, we showed that CART cells led to the emergence of tumor cells that lose the target Ag, recreating the cancer immunoediting effect of CART-cell therapy. In this setting, the CART/STING-L combination, but not the monotherapy with CART cells or STING-L, restrained tumor progression and enhanced overall survival, showing abscopal effects on distal STING-L-non-treated tumors. Interestingly, a secondary immune response against non-chimeric antigen receptor-targeted Ags (epitope spreading), as determined by major histocompatibility complex-I-tetramer staining, was fostered and its intensity correlated with the efficacy of the combination. This was consistent with the oligoclonal expansion of host T cells, as revealed by in-depth T-cell receptor repertoire analysis. Moreover, only in the combination group did the activation of endogenous T cells translate into a systemic antitumor response. Importantly, the epitope spreading and the antitumor effects of the combination were fully dependent on host STING signaling and Batf3-dependent DCs, and were partially dependent on Perf release by CART cells. Interestingly, the efficacy of the CART/STING-L treatment also depended on STING signaling in CART cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that 2'3'-cGAMP is a suitable adjuvant to combine with CART-cell therapy, allowing the induction of an endogenous T-cell response that prevents the outgrowth of Ag-loss tumor variants.
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Epitopos/genética , Imunoterapia Adotiva/métodos , Imunoterapia/métodos , Neoplasias/genética , Evasão Tumoral/genética , Animais , Humanos , Masculino , CamundongosRESUMO
Several dinucleotide cyclases, including cyclic GMP-AMP synthase, and their involvement in STING-mediated immunity have been extensively studied. In this study, we tested five bacterial diguanylate cyclases from the Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella Enteritidis, identifying AdrA as the most potent inducer of a STING-mediated IFN response. AdrA wild-type (wt) or its inactive version AdrA mutant (mut) were delivered by an adenovirus (Ad) vector. Dendritic cells obtained from wt mice and infected in vitro with Ad vector containing AdrA wt, but not mut, had increased activation markers and produced large amounts of several immunostimulatory cytokines. For dendritic cells derived from STING-deficient mice, no activation was detected. The potential antiviral activity of AdrA was addressed in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-transgenic and adenovirus-associated virus (AAV)-HBV mouse models. Viremia in serum of Ad AdrA wt-treated mice was reduced significantly compared with that in Ad AdrA mut-injected mice. The viral load in the liver at sacrifice was in line with this finding. To further elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) by which AdrA confers its antiviral function, the response in mice deficient in STING or its downstream effector molecules was analyzed. wt and IFN-αR (IFNAR)-/- animals were additionally treated with anti-TNF-α (Enbrel). Interestingly, albeit less pronounced than in wt mice, in IFNAR-/- and Enbrel-treated wt mice, a reduction of serum viremia was achieved-an observation that was lost in anti-TNF-α-treated IFNAR-/- animals. No effect of AdrA wt was seen in STING-deficient animals. Thus, although STING is indispensable for the antiviral activity of AdrA, type I IFN and TNF-α are both required and act synergistically.
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Células Dendríticas/fisiologia , Vírus da Hepatite B/fisiologia , Hepatite B/imunologia , Proteínas de Membrana/metabolismo , Receptores Adrenérgicos alfa 1/metabolismo , Adenoviridae/genética , Animais , Antivirais/uso terapêutico , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Vetores Genéticos , Humanos , Imunomodulação , Interferon Tipo I/metabolismo , Masculino , Proteínas de Membrana/genética , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Receptor de Interferon alfa e beta/genética , Receptores Adrenérgicos alfa 1/genética , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/metabolismo , Replicação ViralRESUMO
BACKGROUND & AIMS: HDV infection induces the most severe form of human viral hepatitis. However, the specific reasons for the severity of the disease remain unknown. Recently, we developed an HDV replication mouse model in which, for the first time, liver damage was detected. METHODS: HDV and HBV replication-competent genomes and HDV antigens were delivered to mouse hepatocytes using adeno-associated vectors (AAVs). Aminotransferase elevation, liver histopathology, and hepatocyte death were evaluated and the immune infiltrate was characterized. Liver transcriptomic analysis was performed. Mice deficient for different cellular and molecular components of the immune system, as well as depletion and inhibition studies, were employed to elucidate the causes of HDV-mediated liver damage. RESULTS: AAV-mediated HBV/HDV coinfection caused hepatocyte necrosis and apoptosis. Activated T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, and proinflammatory macrophages accounted for the majority of the inflammatory infiltrate. However, depletion studies and the use of different knockout mice indicated that neither T cells, natural killer cells nor macrophages were necessary for HDV-induced liver damage. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a strong activation of type I and II interferon (IFN) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α pathways in HBV/HDV-coinfected mice. While the absence of IFN signaling had no effect, the use of a TNF-α antagonist resulted in a significant reduction of HDV-associated liver injury. Furthermore, hepatic expression of HDAg resulted in the induction of severe liver damage, which was T cell- and TNF-α-independent. CONCLUSIONS: Both host (TNF-α) and viral (HDV antigens) factors play a relevant role in HDV-induced liver damage. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of TNF-α may offer an attractive strategy to aid control of HDV-induced acute liver damage. LAY SUMMARY: Chronic hepatitis delta constitutes the most severe form of viral hepatitis. There is limited data on the mechanism involved in hepatitis delta virus (HDV)-induced liver pathology. Our data indicate that a cytokine (TNF-α) and HDV antigens play a relevant role in HDV-induced liver damage.
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In vertebrates, the liver is the central metabolic organ of the body, which carries out an estimated 500 functions that range from general detoxification to protein synthesis, bile production, metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, bilirubin, vitamin and mineral storage and it even has an immune function. Hepatocytes are considered the professional liver cells, which carry out all of these functions. With such a variety of tasks to perform, it is not surprising that more than 400 rare monogenic disorders of hepatic origin have been described. For many of these, liver transplantation remains the only curative strategy, however, this is limited by organ availability and requires lifelong immune suppression. The fact that liver transplantation is curative led to the assumption that the restoration of the expression of the defective gene would result in the resolution of the disease. Indeed, liver-directed gene therapy trials for hemophilia A and B have demonstrated the potential of gene therapy to provide long-lasting clinical benefit in the treatment of monogenic liver disorders. Thus, liver-directed gene therapy and gene editing strategies have emerged as promising alternatives to transplantation in inherited monogenic liver disorders. Herein, we review the advances and limitations of gene therapy for such disorders, covering therapeutic strategies based on gene addition and gene editing and the exciting clinical results obtained with the use of ribonucleic acid as therapeutic molecules.
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Edição de Genes/métodos , Terapia Genética/métodos , Hemofilia A/terapia , Hemofilia B/terapia , Hepatopatias/terapia , Doenças Metabólicas/terapia , Animais , Ensaios Clínicos como Assunto , Dependovirus/genética , Dependovirus/metabolismo , Técnicas de Transferência de Genes , Vetores Genéticos/química , Vetores Genéticos/metabolismo , Hemofilia A/genética , Hemofilia A/metabolismo , Hemofilia A/patologia , Hemofilia B/genética , Hemofilia B/metabolismo , Hemofilia B/patologia , Hepatócitos/metabolismo , Hepatócitos/patologia , Humanos , Lentivirus/genética , Lentivirus/metabolismo , Fígado/metabolismo , Fígado/patologia , Hepatopatias/genética , Hepatopatias/metabolismo , Hepatopatias/patologia , Transplante de Fígado , Doenças Metabólicas/genética , Doenças Metabólicas/metabolismo , Doenças Metabólicas/patologiaRESUMO
Gene delivery vectors based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) are highly promising due to several desirable features of this parent virus, including a lack of pathogenicity, efficient infection of dividing and non-dividing cells and sustained maintenance of the viral genome. However, the conclusion from clinical data using these vectors is that there is a need to develop new AAVs with a higher transduction efficiency and specificity for relevant target tissues. To overcome these limitations, we chemically modified the surface of the capsid of AAV vectors. These modifications were achieved by chemical coupling of a ligand by the formation of a thiourea functionality between the amino group of the capsid proteins and the reactive isothiocyanate motif incorporated into the ligand. This strategy does not require genetic engineering of the capsid sequence. The proof of concept was first evidenced using a fluorophore (FITC). Next, we coupled the N-acetylgalactosamine ligand onto the surface of the AAV capsid for asialoglycoprotein receptor-mediated hepatocyte-targeted delivery. Chemically-modified capsids also showed reduced interactions with neutralizing antibodies. Taken together, our findings reveal the possibility of creating a specific engineered platform for targeting AAVs via chemical coupling.
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BACKGROUND: Malaria in pregnancy is a major cause of poor maternal and infant health, and is associated with the sequestration of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IE) in the placenta. The leading vaccine candidate for pregnancy malaria, VAR2CSA, has been shown to induce antibodies that inhibit IE adhesion to the placental receptor chondroitin sulfate A (CSA), potentially preventing placental infection. However, the ability of vaccination-induced antibodies to promote opsonic phagocytosis is not well defined, but likely to be an important component of protective immunity. METHODS: We investigated the use of an opsonic phagocytosis assay to evaluate antibodies induced by pregnancy malaria vaccine candidate antigens based on VAR2CSA. Opsonic phagocytosis was measured by flow cytometry and visualized by electron microscopy. We measured vaccine-induced antibody reactivity to placental type IEs from different geographical origins, and the functional ability of antibodies raised in immunized rabbits to induce phagocytosis by a human monocyte cell line. RESULTS: Immunization-induced antibodies showed a mixture of strain-specific and cross-reactive antibody recognition of different placental-binding parasite lines. Antibodies generated against the DBL5 and DBL3 domains of VAR2CSA effectively promoted the opsonic phagocytosis of IEs by human monocytes; however, these functional antibodies were largely allele-specific and not cross-reactive. This has significant implications for the development of vaccines aiming to achieve a broad coverage against diverse parasite strains. Using competition ELISAs, we found that acquired human antibodies among pregnant women targeted both cross-reactive and allele-specific epitopes, consistent with what we observed with vaccine-induced antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: Vaccines based on domains of VAR2CSA induced opsonic phagocytosis of IEs in a strain-specific manner. Assays measuring this phagocytic activity have the potential to aid the development and evaluation of vaccines against malaria in pregnancy.
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Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/imunologia , Antígenos de Protozoários/imunologia , Vacinas Antimaláricas/imunologia , Fagocitose/imunologia , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/prevenção & controle , Animais , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/isolamento & purificação , Antígenos de Protozoários/química , Adesão Celular/imunologia , Linhagem Celular , Reações Cruzadas/imunologia , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Epitopos/imunologia , Eritrócitos/parasitologia , Feminino , Humanos , Imunização , Técnicas In Vitro , Malária Falciparum/parasitologia , Proteínas Opsonizantes , Placenta/imunologia , Placenta/parasitologia , Gravidez , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/parasitologia , CoelhosRESUMO
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Studying hepatitis delta virus (HDV) and developing new treatments is hampered by the limited availability of small animal models. Herein, a description of a robust mouse model of HDV infection that mimics several important characteristics of the human disease is presented. METHODS: HDV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication competent genomes were delivered to the mouse liver using adeno-associated viruses (AAV; AAV-HDV and AAV-HBV). Viral load, antigen expression and genomes were quantified at different time points after AAV injection. Furthermore, liver pathology, genome editing, and the activation of the innate immune response were evaluated. RESULTS: AAV-HDV infection initiated HDV replication in mouse hepatocytes. Genome editing was confirmed by the presence of small and large HDV antigens and sequencing. Viral replication was detected for 45days, even after the AAV-HDV vector had almost disappeared. In the presence of HBV, HDV infectious particles were detected in serum. Furthermore, as observed in patients, co-infection was associated with the reduction of HBV antigen expression and the onset of liver damage that included the alteration of genes involved in the development of liver pathologies. HDV replication induced a sustained type I interferon response, which was significantly reduced in immunodeficient mice and almost absent in mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS)-deficient mice. CONCLUSION: The animal model described here reproduces important characteristics of human HDV infection and provides a valuable tool for characterizing the viral infection and for developing new treatments. Furthermore, MAVS was identified as a main player in HDV detection and adaptive immunity was found to be involved in the amplification of the innate immune response. Lay summary: Co-infection with hepatitis B and D virus (HBV and HDV, respectively) often causes a more severe disease condition than HBV alone. Gaining more insight into HDV and developing new treatments is hampered by limited availability of adequate immune competent small animal models and new ones are needed. Here, a mouse model of HDV infection is described, which mimics several important characteristics of the human disease, such as the initiation and maintenance of replication in murine hepatocytes, genome editing and, in the presence of HBV, generation of infectious particles. Lastly, the involvement of an adaptive immunity and the intracellular signaling molecule MAVS in mounting a strong and lasting innate response was shown. Thus, our model serves as a useful tool for the investigation of HDV biology and new treatments.
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Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/imunologia , Hepatite D/imunologia , Interferon beta/biossíntese , Imunidade Adaptativa , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/deficiência , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/genética , Animais , Linhagem Celular , Coinfecção/imunologia , Coinfecção/patologia , Coinfecção/virologia , Dependovirus/genética , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Genoma Viral , Hepatite B/complicações , Hepatite B/imunologia , Hepatite B/virologia , Antígenos da Hepatite B/metabolismo , Vírus da Hepatite B/genética , Vírus da Hepatite B/imunologia , Hepatite D/complicações , Hepatite D/virologia , Vírus Delta da Hepatite/genética , Vírus Delta da Hepatite/imunologia , Vírus Delta da Hepatite/fisiologia , Antígenos da Hepatite delta/metabolismo , Humanos , Imunidade Inata , Fígado/patologia , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Camundongos Transgênicos , Modelos Imunológicos , Transdução de Sinais/imunologia , Replicação ViralRESUMO
The liver is a central organ in metabolism and can be affected by numerous inherited metabolic disorders. Recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy represents a promising therapeutic approach for such diseases. AAVs have been demonstrated to be safe, and resulted in high and long-term expression in preclinical and clinical studies. However, there are still some concerns regarding the expression levels that can be achieved and the percentage of hepatocytes that can be transduced. Because of the cell-autonomous nature of most metabolic liver disorders, a high percentage of hepatocytes needs to be corrected in order to achieve a therapeutic effect. The goal of our work was to improve transduction efficacy of the liver by conveying the vector directly to hepatic tissue. Interventional radiology procedures were used to administer an AAV5 vector expressing a secreted form of human embryonic alkaline phosphatase (hSEAP) under the control of a liver-specific promoter to a clinically relevant animal model, Macaca fascicularis. Balloon occlusion of the regional hepatic venous flow was performed while injecting the vector either into the hepatic artery (HA) or, against flow, via the suprahepatic vein (SHV). In both cases the vector was injected into the right hepatic lobules, and the two routes were compared with conventional intravenous administration. Higher hSEAP levels were obtained when the vector was administered via SHV or HA than after intravenous injection. Furthermore, higher expression levels correlated with a higher number of vector genomes in the injected lobules. In conclusion, direct administration of AAV vectors via the hepatic blood flow with simultaneous balloon occlusion of the hepatic outflow increases liver transduction efficacy in comparison with systemic delivery and can be further improved in bigger animals or humans, where it would be technically feasible to inject the vector into the hepatic vasculature in the generality of lobules.
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Dependovirus/genética , Terapia Genética/métodos , Vetores Genéticos/administração & dosagem , Fígado/metabolismo , Transdução Genética , Fosfatase Alcalina/genética , Fosfatase Alcalina/metabolismo , Animais , Injeções Intra-Arteriais , Injeções Intravenosas , Fígado/irrigação sanguínea , Macaca fascicularis , Regiões Promotoras GenéticasRESUMO
Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have become highly promising tools for research and clinical applications in the central nervous system (CNS). However, specific delivery of genes to the cell type of interest is essential for the success of gene therapy and therefore a correct selection of the promoter plays a very important role. Here, AAV8 vectors carrying enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) as reporter gene under the transcriptional control of different CNS-specific promoters were used and compared with a strong ubiquitous promoter. Since one of the main limitations of AAV-mediated gene delivery lies in its restricted cloning capacity, we focused our work on small-sized promoters. We tested the transduction efficacy and specificity of each vector after stereotactic injection into the mouse striatum. Three glia-specific AAV vectors were generated using two truncated forms of the human promoter for glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP) as well as a truncated form of the murine GFAP promoter. All three vectors resulted in predominantly glial expression; however we also observed eGFP expression in other cell-types such as oligodendrocytes, but never in neurons. In addition, robust and neuron-specific eGFP expression was observed using the minimal promoters for the neural protein BM88 and the neuronal nicotinic receptor ß2 (CHRNB2). In summary, we developed a set of AAV vectors designed for specific expression in cells of the CNS using minimal promoters to drive gene expression when the size of the therapeutic gene matters.
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UNLABELLED: In chronic hepatitis B (CHB), failure to control hepatitis B virus (HBV) is associated with T cell dysfunction. HBV transgenic mice mirror many features of the human disease, including T cell unresponsiveness, and thus represent an appropriate model in which to test novel therapeutic strategies. To date, the tolerant state of CD8(+) T cells in these animals could be altered only by strong immunogens or by immunization with HBV antigen-pulsed dendritic cells; however, the effectors induced were unable to suppress viral gene expression or replication. Because of the known stimulatory properties of alpha interferon (IFN-α) and interleukin-15 (IL-15), this study explored the therapeutic potential of liver-directed gene transfer of these cytokines in a murine model of CHB using adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery. This combination not only resulted in a reduction in the viral load in the liver and the induction of an antibody response but also gave rise to functional and specific CD8(+) immunity. Furthermore, when splenic and intrahepatic lymphocytes from IFN-α- and IL-15-treated animals were transferred to new HBV carriers, partial antiviral immunity was achieved. In contrast to previous observations made using either cytokine alone, markedly attenuated PD-L1 induction in hepatic tissue was observed upon coadministration. An initial study with CHB patient samples also gave promising results. Hence, we demonstrated synergy between two stimulating cytokines, IL-15 and IFN-α, which, given together, constitute a potent approach to significantly enhance the CD8(+) T cell response in a state of immune hyporesponsiveness. Such an approach may be useful for treating chronic viral infections and neoplastic conditions. IMPORTANCE: With 350 million people affected worldwide and 600,000 annual deaths due to HBV-induced liver cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a major health problem. However, current treatment options are costly and not very effective and/or need to be administered for life. The unprecedented efficacy of the strategy described in our paper may offer an alternative and is relevant for a broad spectrum of readers because of its clear translational importance to other chronic viral infections in which a hyporesponsive antigen-specific T cell repertoire prevents clearance of the pathogen.
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Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/imunologia , Vírus da Hepatite B/imunologia , Hepatite B Crônica/imunologia , Hepatite B Crônica/virologia , Interferon-alfa/administração & dosagem , Interleucina-15/administração & dosagem , Adenoviridae/genética , Animais , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Portadores de Fármacos , Terapia Genética , Anticorpos Anti-Hepatite B/sangue , Interferon-alfa/genética , Interleucina-15/genética , Fígado/virologia , Camundongos Transgênicos , Resultado do Tratamento , Carga ViralRESUMO
BACKGROUND: How antimalarial antibodies are acquired and maintained during pregnancy and boosted after reinfection with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax is unknown. METHODS: A nested case-control study of 467 pregnant women (136 Plasmodium-infected cases and 331 uninfected control subjects) in northwestern Thailand was conducted. Antibody levels to P. falciparum and P. vivax merozoite antigens and the pregnancy-specific PfVAR2CSA antigen were determined at enrollment (median 10 weeks gestation) and throughout pregnancy until delivery. RESULTS: Antibodies to P. falciparum and P. vivax were highly variable over time, and maintenance of high levels of antimalarial antibodies involved highly dynamic responses resulting from intermittent exposure to infection. There was evidence of boosting with each successive infection for P. falciparum responses, suggesting the presence of immunological memory. However, the half-lives of Plasmodium antibody responses were relatively short, compared with measles (457 years), and much shorter for merozoite responses (0.8-7.6 years), compared with PfVAR2CSA responses (36-157 years). The longer half-life of antibodies to PfVAR2CSA suggests that antibodies acquired in one pregnancy may be maintained to protect subsequent pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may have important practical implications for predicting the duration of vaccine-induced responses by candidate antigens and supports the development of malaria vaccines to protect pregnant women.
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Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/sangue , Malária Falciparum/imunologia , Malária Vivax/imunologia , Plasmodium falciparum/imunologia , Plasmodium vivax/imunologia , Complicações Parasitárias na Gravidez/imunologia , Adulto , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/imunologia , Antimaláricos/farmacologia , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Cloroquina/farmacologia , Feminino , Humanos , Imunoglobulina G/sangue , Malária Falciparum/complicações , Malária Falciparum/epidemiologia , Malária Falciparum/prevenção & controle , Malária Vivax/complicações , Malária Vivax/epidemiologia , Malária Vivax/prevenção & controle , Gravidez , Complicações Parasitárias na Gravidez/sangue , Complicações Parasitárias na Gravidez/prevenção & controle , Tailândia/epidemiologia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Rel/NF-κB transcription factors regulate inflammatory and immune responses. Despite possible subunit redundancy, NF-κB1-deficient (Nfkb1(-/-)) mice were profoundly protected from sterile CD4 T cell-dependent acute inflammatory arthritis and peritonitis. We evaluated CD4 T cell function in Nfkb1(-/-) mice and found increased apoptosis and selectively reduced GM-CSF production. Apoptosis was blocked by expression of a Bcl-2 transgene without restoring a disease response. In contrast with wild-type cells, transfer of Nfkb1(-/-) or GM-CSF-deficient CD4 T cells into RAG-1-deficient (Rag1(-/-)) mice failed to support arthritis induction. Injection of GM-CSF into Nfkb1(-/-) mice fully restored the disease response, suggesting that T cells are an important source of GM-CSF during acute inflammation. In Ag-induced peritonitis, NF-κB1-dependent GM-CSF production in CD4 T cells was required for disease and for generation of inflammatory monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDC), but not conventional dendritic cells. MoDC were identified in inflamed synovium and draining lymph nodes during arthritis. These MoDC produced high levels of MCP-1, a potent chemoattractant for monocytes. This study revealed two important findings: NF-κB1 serves a critical role in the production of GM-CSF by activated CD4 T cells during inflammatory responses, and GM-CSF derived from these cells drives the generation of MoDC during inflammatory disease.
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Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/imunologia , Diferenciação Celular/imunologia , Células Dendríticas/citologia , Fator Estimulador de Colônias de Granulócitos e Macrófagos/biossíntese , Subunidade p50 de NF-kappa B/imunologia , Animais , Apoptose/imunologia , Artrite Experimental/imunologia , Artrite Experimental/metabolismo , Western Blotting , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/metabolismo , Separação Celular , Células Dendríticas/imunologia , Ensaio de Desvio de Mobilidade Eletroforética , Citometria de Fluxo , Inflamação/imunologia , Ativação Linfocitária/imunologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Subunidade p50 de NF-kappa B/metabolismoRESUMO
The high molecular weight, multidomain VAR2CSA protein mediating adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in the placenta is the leading candidate for a pregnancy malaria vaccine. However, it has been difficult so far to generate strong and consistent adhesion blocking antibody responses against most single-domain VAR2CSA immunogens. Recent advances in expression of the full-length recombinant protein showed it binds with much greater specificity and affinity to chondroitin sulphate A (CSA) than individual VAR2CSA domains. This raises the possibility that a specific CSA binding pocket(s) is formed in the full length antigen and could be an important target for vaccine development. In this study, we compared the immunogenicity of a full-length VAR2CSA recombinant protein containing all six Duffy binding-like (DBL) domains to that of a three-domain construct (DBL4-6) in mice and rabbits. Animals immunized with either immunogen acquired antibodies reacting with several VAR2CSA individual domains by ELISA, but antibody responses against the highly conserved DBL4 domain were weaker in animals immunized with full-length DBL1-6 recombinant protein compared to DBL4-6 recombinant protein. Both immunogens induced cross-reactive antibodies to several heterologous CSA-binding parasite lines expressing different VAR2CSA orthologues. However, antibodies that inhibited adhesion of parasites to CSA were only elicited in rabbits immunized with full-length immunogen and inhibition was restricted to the homologous CSA-binding parasite. These findings demonstrate that partial and full-length VAR2CSA immunogens induce cross-reactive antibodies, but inhibitory antibody responses to full-length immunogen were highly allele-specific and variable between animal species.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/farmacologia , Especificidade de Anticorpos , Antígenos de Protozoários/imunologia , Placenta/parasitologia , Complicações Parasitárias na Gravidez/parasitologia , Sequência de Aminoácidos/fisiologia , Animais , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/imunologia , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/uso terapêutico , Especificidade de Anticorpos/imunologia , Especificidade de Anticorpos/fisiologia , Antígenos de Protozoários/química , Antígenos de Protozoários/isolamento & purificação , Células Cultivadas , Reações Cruzadas/imunologia , Feminino , Humanos , Imunização , Vacinas Antimaláricas/imunologia , Vacinas Antimaláricas/farmacologia , Vacinas Antimaláricas/uso terapêutico , Malária Falciparum/parasitologia , Malária Falciparum/patologia , Malária Falciparum/prevenção & controle , Malária Falciparum/transmissão , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Placenta/imunologia , Gravidez , Complicações Parasitárias na Gravidez/patologia , Complicações Parasitárias na Gravidez/terapia , Isoformas de Proteínas/imunologia , Coelhos , Especificidade da EspécieRESUMO
Pregnancy-associated malaria is a severe clinical syndrome associated with the sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in the placenta. Placental binding is mediated by VAR2CSA, a member of the large and diverse P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane 1 (PfEMP1) protein family. To better understand if conserved regions in VAR2CSA can be targeted by antibodies, we immunized rabbits with VAR2CSA-DBL1 and -DBL5 recombinant proteins produced in Pichia pastoris and developed a panel of seven chondroitin sulfate A (CSA)-binding parasites from diverse geographic origins. Overall, no two parasites in the panel expressed the same VAR2CSA sequence. The DBL1 domains averaged 80% amino acid identity (range, 72 to 89%), and the DBL5 domains averaged 86% amino acid identity (range, 83 to 99%), similar to a broader sampling of VAR2CSA sequences from around the world. Whereas antibodies generated against the VAR2CSA-DBL1 recombinant protein had only limited breadth and reacted with three or four parasites in the panel, immunization with DBL5 recombinant proteins elicited broadly cross-reactive antibodies against all or most parasites in the panel, as well as to fresh clinical isolates from pregnant women. These findings demonstrate that the major PfEMP1 variant expressed by placental isolates exposes strain-transcendent epitopes that can be targeted by vaccination and may have application for pregnancy malaria vaccine development.
Assuntos
Antígenos de Protozoários/imunologia , Eritrócitos/parasitologia , Vacinas Antimaláricas/imunologia , Malária Falciparum/imunologia , Placenta/parasitologia , Adulto , Animais , Antígenos de Protozoários/genética , Análise por Conglomerados , Feminino , Humanos , Vacinas Antimaláricas/genética , Masculino , Pichia/genética , Plasmodium falciparum/genética , Plasmodium falciparum/imunologia , Plasmodium falciparum/isolamento & purificação , Gravidez , Coelhos , Homologia de Sequência de Aminoácidos , Vacinas Sintéticas/genética , Vacinas Sintéticas/imunologia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Pregnant women are infected by specific variants of Plasmodium falciparum that adhere and accumulate in the placenta. Using serological and molecular approaches, we assessed the global antigenic diversity of surface antigens expressed by placenta-binding isolates to better understand immunity to malaria in pregnancy and evolution of polymorphisms and to inform vaccine development. We found that placenta-binding isolates originating from all major regions where malaria occurs were commonly recognized by antibodies in different populations of pregnant women. There was substantial antigenic overlap and sharing of epitopes between isolates, including isolates from distant geographic locations, suggesting that there are limitations to antigenic diversity; however, differences between populations and isolates were also seen. Many women had cross-reactive antibodies and/or a broad repertoire of antibodies to different isolates. Studying VAR2CSA as the major antigen expressed by placenta-binding isolates, we identified antibody epitopes encoded by variable sequence blocks in the DBL3 domain. Analysis of global var2csa DBL3 sequences demonstrated that there was extensive sharing of variable blocks between Africa, Asia, Papua New Guinea, and Latin America, which likely contributes to the high level of antigenic overlap between different isolates. However, there was also evidence of geographic clustering of sequences and differences in VAR2CSA sequences between populations. The results indicate that there is limited antigenic diversity in placenta-binding isolates and may explain why immunity to malaria in pregnancy can be achieved after exposure during one pregnancy. Inclusion of a limited number of variants in a candidate vaccine may be sufficient for broad population coverage, but geographic considerations may also have to be included in vaccine design.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/imunologia , Variação Antigênica , Antígenos de Protozoários/genética , Malária Falciparum/imunologia , Placenta/parasitologia , Plasmodium falciparum/genética , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/imunologia , Animais , Antígenos de Protozoários/imunologia , Reações Cruzadas , DNA de Protozoário/química , DNA de Protozoário/genética , Epitopos/genética , Epitopos/imunologia , Feminino , Geografia , Humanos , Malária Falciparum/parasitologia , Malaui , Masculino , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Plasmodium falciparum/classificação , Plasmodium falciparum/isolamento & purificação , Gravidez , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/parasitologia , Coelhos , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
Cytoadherance of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in the brain, organs and peripheral microvasculature is linked to morbidity and mortality associated with severe malaria. Parasite-derived P. falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 (PfEMP1) molecules displayed on the erythrocyte surface are responsible for cytoadherance and undergo antigenic variation in the course of an infection. Antigenic variation of PfEMP1 is achieved by in situ switching and mutually exclusive transcription of the var gene family, a process that is controlled by epigenetic mechanisms. Here we report characterisation of the P. falciparum silent information regulator's A and B (PfSir2A and PfSir2B) and their involvement in mutual exclusion and silencing of the var gene repertoire. Analysis of P. falciparum parasites lacking either PfSir2A or PfSir2B shows that these NAD(+)-dependent histone deacetylases are required for silencing of different var gene subsets classified by their conserved promoter type. We also demonstrate that in the absence of either of these molecules mutually exclusive expression of var genes breaks down. We show that var gene silencing originates within the promoter and PfSir2 paralogues are involved in cis spreading of silenced chromatin into adjacent regions. Furthermore, parasites lacking PfSir2A but not PfSir2B have considerably longer telomeric repeats, demonstrating a role for this molecule in telomeric end protection. This work highlights the pivotal but distinct role for both PfSir2 paralogues in epigenetic silencing of P. falciparum virulence genes and the control of pathogenicity of malaria infection.
Assuntos
Variação Antigênica , Inativação Gênica , Plasmodium falciparum/genética , Plasmodium falciparum/imunologia , Sirtuínas/fisiologia , Virulência/genética , Animais , Antígenos de Protozoários/biossíntese , Antígenos de Protozoários/genética , Adesão Celular/genética , Eritrócitos/metabolismo , Eritrócitos/parasitologia , Humanos , Malária Falciparum/parasitologia , Malária Falciparum/fisiopatologia , Proteínas de Membrana/biossíntese , Proteínas de Membrana/genética , Plasmodium falciparum/metabolismo , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/fisiologia , Proteínas de Protozoários/biossíntese , Proteínas de Protozoários/genética , Proteínas de Protozoários/fisiologia , Telômero/metabolismo , Ativação Transcricional , Virulência/imunologiaRESUMO
Virulence of Plasmodium falciparum, the most lethal parasitic disease in humans, results in part from adhesiveness and increased rigidity of infected erythrocytes. Pf332 is trafficked to the parasite-infected erythrocyte via Maurer's clefts, structures for protein sorting and export in the host erythrocyte. This protein has a domain similar to the Duffy-binding-like (DBL) domain, which functions by binding to receptors for adherence and invasion. To address structure of the Pf332 DBL domain, we expressed this region, and validated its fold on the basis of the disulphide bond pattern, which conformed to the generic pattern for DBL domains. The modelled structure for Pf332 DBL had differences compared with the erythrocyte-binding region of the alphaDBL domain of Plasmodium knowlesi Duffy-binding protein (Pk alpha-DBL). We addressed the function of Pf332 by constructing parasites that either lack expression of the protein or express an altered form. We found no evidence that Pf332 is involved in cytoadhesion or merozoite invasion. Truncation of Pf332 had a significant effect on deformability of the P. falciparum-infected erythrocyte, while loss of the full protein deletion did not. Our data suggest that Pf332 may contribute to the overall deformability of the P. falciparum-infected erythrocyte by anchoring and scaffolding.