HIV-1 antibodies and vaccine antigen selectively interact with lipid domains.

The rare, broadly neutralizing antibodies, 4E10 and 2F5, that target the HIV-1 membrane proximal external region also associate with HIV-1 membrane lipids as part of a required first-step in HIV-1 neutralization. HIV-1 virions have high concentration of cholesterol and sphingomyelin, which are able to organize into liquid-ordered domains (i.e., lipid rafts), and could influence the interaction of neutralizing antibodies with epitopes proximal to the membrane. The objective of this research is to understand how these lipid domains contribute to 2F5/4E10 membrane interactions and to antigen presentation in liposomal form of HIV-1 vaccines. To this end we have engineered biomimetic supported lipid bilayers and are able to use atomic force microscopy to visualize membrane domains, antigen clustering, and antibody-membrane interactions. Our results demonstrate that 2F5/4E10 do not interact with highly ordered gel and liquid-ordered domains and exclusively bind to a liquid-disordered lipid phase. This suggests that vaccine liposomes that contain key viral membrane components, such as high cholesterol content, may not be advantageous for 2F5/4E10 vaccine strategies. Rather, vaccine liposomes that primarily contain a liquid-disordered phase may be more likely to elicit production of lipid reactive, 2F5- and 4E10-like antibodies.

Model cell membranes: Techniques to form complex biomimetic supported lipid bilayers via vesicle fusion.

Vesicle fusion has long provided an easy and reliable method to form supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) from simple, zwitterionic vesicles on siliceous substrates. However, for complex compositions, such as vesicles with high cholesterol content and multiple lipid types, the energy barrier for the vesicle-to-bilayer transition is increased or the required vesicle-vesicle and vesicle-substrate interactions are insufficient for vesicle fusion. Thus, for vesicle compositions that more accurately mimic native membranes, vesicle fusion often fails to form SLBs. In this paper, we review three approaches to overcome these barriers to form complex, biomimetic SLBs via vesicle fusion: (i) optimization of experimental conditions (e.g., temperature, buffer ionic strength, osmotic stress, cation valency, and buffer pH), (ii) α-helical (AH) peptide-induced vesicle fusion, and (iii) bilayer edge-induced vesicle fusion. AH peptide-induced vesicle fusion can form complex SLBs on multiple substrate types without the use of additional equipment. Bilayer edge-induced vesicle fusion uses microfluidics to form SLBs from vesicles with complex composition, including vesicles derived from native cell membranes. Collectively, this review introduces vesicle fusion techniques that can be generalized for many biomimetic vesicle compositions and many substrate types, and thus will aid efforts to reliably create complex SLB platforms on a range of substrates.

Screening the interactions between HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies and model lipid surfaces.

Our work is motivated by the observation that rare, broadly neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), 4E10 and 2F5, associate with HIV-1 lipids as part of a required first step in neutralization before binding to membrane-proximal antigens. Subsequently, induction of these types of NAbs may be limited by immunologic tolerance due to autoreactivity with host cell membranes. Despite the significance of this lipid reactivity there is little experimental evidence detailing NAb-membrane interactions. Simple and efficient screening assays are needed to select antibodies that have similar lipid reactivity as known NAbs. To this end we have developed a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy based assay that monitors antibody binding to thiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) that replicate salient lipid surface chemistries and NAb binding to lipid surfaces. Specifically, we probed the relative importance of charge and hydrophobicity on antibody-surface interactions. We found that NAb binding to hydrophobic thiol surfaces was significantly greater than that of control monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Furthermore, we confirmed the importance of charge-mediated antibody surface interactions, originally suggested by results from mAb interactions with conventional lipid vesicle/bilayer surfaces. Our approach, using self-assembled thiol monolayers that replicate the binding behavior of NAbs on lipid surfaces, thus provides an efficient and useful tool to screen interactions of mAbs and lipid-reactive NAbs.

Biomimetic supported lipid bilayers with high cholesterol content formed by α-helical peptide-induced vesicle fusion.

In this study, we present a technique to create a complex, high cholesterol-containing supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) using α-helical (AH) peptide-induced vesicle fusion. Vesicles consisting of POPC : POPE : POPS : SM : Chol (9.35 : 19.25 : 8.25 : 18.15 : 45.00) were used to form a SLB that models the native composition of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) lipid envelope. In the absence of AH peptides, these biomimetic vesicles fail to form a complete SLB. We verified and characterized AH peptide-induced vesicle fusion by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, neutron reflectivity, and atomic force microscopy. Successful SLB formation entailed a characteristic frequency shift of -35.4 ± 2.0 Hz and a change in dissipation energy of 1.91 ± 0.52 × 10-6. Neutron reflectivity measurements determined the SLB thickness to be 49.9 +1.9-1.5 Å, and showed the SLB to be 100 +0.0-0.1% complete and void of residual AH peptide after washing. Atomic force microscopy imaging confirmed complete SLB formation and revealed three distinct domains with no visible defects. This vesicle fusion technique gives researchers access to a complex SLB composition with high cholesterol content and thus the ability to better recapitulate the native HIV-1 lipid membrane.

Pharmacological inhibition of BLT1 diminishes early abdominal aneurysm formation.

Leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) is a pro-inflammatory lipid mediator generated by the enzymes 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) and LTA(4)-hydrolase. LTB(4) signals primarily through its G protein-coupled receptor BLT1, which is highly expressed on specific leukocyte subsets. Recent genetic studies in humans as well as knockout studies in mice have implicated the leukotriene synthesis pathway in several vascular pathologies. Here we tested the hypothesis that pharmacological inhibition of BLT1 diminishes abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) formation, a major complication associated with atherosclerotic vascular disease. Chow-fed Apoe(-/-) mice were treated with a 4-week infusion of Angiotensin II (AngII, 1000 ng/(kg min)) beginning at 10 weeks of age, in a well-established murine AAA model. Administration of the selective BLT1 antagonist CP-105,696 beginning simultaneously with AngII infusion reduced the incidence of AAA formation from 82% to 40% (p<0.05). There was a concordant reduction in maximal aortic diameter from 2.35 mm to 1.56 mm (p<0.05). While administration of the antagonist on day 14 after the onset of AngII infusion diminished lesional macrophage accumulation, it did not significantly alter the size of AAA by day 42. Thus, pharmacological inhibition of BLT1 may ultimately hold clinical promise, but early intervention may be critical.

Kynurenic acid triggers firm arrest of leukocytes to vascular endothelium under flow conditions.

Recent studies have demonstrated that kynurenic acid (KYNA), a compound produced endogenously by the interferon-gamma-induced degradation of tryptophan by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, activates the previously orphaned G protein-coupled receptor, GPR35. This receptor is expressed in immune tissues, although its potential function in immunomodulation remains to be explored. We determined that GPR35 was most highly expressed on human peripheral monocytes. In an in vitro vascular flow model, KYNA triggered the firm arrest of monocytes to both fibronectin and ICAM-1, via beta(1) integrin- and beta(2) integrin-mediated mechanisms, respectively. Incubation of monocytes with pertussis toxin prior to use in flow experiments significantly reduced the KYNA-induced monocyte adhesion, suggesting that adhesion is triggered by a G(i)-mediated process. Furthermore, KYNA-triggered adhesion of monocytic cells was reduced by short hairpin RNA-mediated silencing of GPR35. Although GPR35 is expressed at slightly lower levels on neutrophils, KYNA induced firm adhesion of these cells to an ICAM-1-expressing monolayer as well. KYNA also elicited neutrophil shedding of surface L-selectin, another indicator of leukocyte activation. Taken together, these data suggest that KYNA could be an important early mediator of leukocyte recruitment.

Interferon-gamma and the interferon-inducible chemokine CXCL10 protect against aneurysm formation and rupture.

BACKGROUND: Vascular disease can manifest as stenotic plaques or ectatic aneurysms, although the mechanisms culminating in these divergent disease manifestations remain poorly understood. T-helper type 1 cytokines, including interferon-gamma and CXCL10, have been strongly implicated in atherosclerotic plaque development. METHODS AND RESULTS: Here, we specifically examined their role in the formation of abdominal aortic aneurysms in the angiotensin II-induced murine model. Unexpectedly, we found increased suprarenal aortic diameters, abdominal aortic aneurysm incidence, and aneurysmal death in apolipoprotein E- and interferon-gamma-deficient (Apoe(-/-)/Ifng(-/-)) mice compared with Apoe(-/-) controls, although atherosclerotic luminal plaque formation was attenuated. The interferon-gamma-inducible T-cell chemoattractant CXCL10 was highly induced by angiotensin II infusion in Apoe(-/-) mice, but this induction was markedly attenuated in Apoe(-/-)/Ifng(-/-) mice. Apoe(-/-)/Cxcl10(-/-) mice had decreased luminal plaque but also increased aortic size, worse morphological grades of aneurysms, and a higher incidence of death due to aortic rupture than Apoe(-/-) controls. Furthermore, abdominal aortic aneurysms in Apoe(-/-)/Cxcl10(-/-) mice were enriched for non-T-helper type 1-related signals, including transforming growth factor-beta1. Treatment of Apoe(-/-)/Cxcl10(-/-) mice with anti-transforming growth factor-beta neutralizing antibody diminished angiotensin II-induced aortic dilation. CONCLUSIONS: The present study defines a novel pathway in which interferon-gamma and its effector, CXCL10, contribute to divergent pathways in abdominal aortic aneurysm versus plaque formation, inhibiting the former pathology but promoting the latter. Thus, efforts to develop antiinflammatory strategies for atherosclerosis must carefully consider potential effects on all manifestations of vascular disease.