Project description:Introduction: Systems vaccinology is a novel approach to predict immune response in vaccines. We have used a systems biology approach to identify early gene ‘signatures’ that predicted viral load control after analytical therapy interruption (ATI) in HIV-1 infected patients vaccinated with a dendritic cell-based (DC) HIV-1 vaccine. Methods: Frozen post-vaccination PBMC samples from participants of a previously published DC vaccine (DCV2) clinical trial were used for the study. mRNA and miRNA were extracted and gene expression was determined by microarray method. Differential gene expression analysis was performed on both mRNA and miRNA between responders (> 1 log10 copies/mL drop of VL after 12 weeks of ATI) and non-responders (<= 1 log10 copies/mL drop in VL at week 12 of ATI). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was carried out with the hallmark gene sets of the Broad Institute on the mRNA data. After the stand-alone analyses of mRNA and miRNA we performed an additional GSEA with gene sets defined by the genes regulated by significantly differentially expressed miRNAs. Statistical analysis was done using R and the GSEA software of the Broad Institute. Results: There were 15 responders and 20 non-responders. No differentially expressed mRNAs were observed between responders and non-responders. As compared with non-responders, responders showed an up-regulation of gene sets corresponding to TNF- alpha signaling via the NFkB pathway, inflammatory response, coagulation, the complement system, Il6 and Il2 JAK-STAT signaling, or reactive oxygen-species pathways were up-regulated, and a down-regulation of gene sets corresponding to E2F targets, oxidative phosphorylation, or interferon alpha response. We found 9 differentially expressed miRNAs between responders and non-responders: miR-32-3p, miR-185-3p, miR-223-3p, miR-500b-3p, miR-550a-3p, miR-1183, miR-1184, miR-4455, and miR-8063. Twelve Broad hallmark gene sets that were significantly deregulated in the GSEA showed significant overlap with genes regulated by one or more of these miRNAs, 10 of them with genes regulated by miR-223-3p. We also observed that the expression of genes regulated by miR-223-3p, miR-1183 and miR-8063 was significantly down-regulated in responders as compared with non-responders. Conclusions: Deregulation of certain gene sets related to inflammatory processes seems fundamental in viral control during ATI. miR-223-3p may be one of the miRNAs that fine tune part of these processes.

Project description:The goal of HIV therapeutic vaccination is to induce HIV-specific immune response able to control HIV replication. We previously reported that vaccination with ex vivo generated Dendritic Cells (DC) loaded with HIV-lipopeptides in HIV-infected patients (n = 19) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) was well-tolerated and immunogenic. Vaccine-elicited HIV-specific T cell responses were associated with improved control of viral replication following antiretroviral interruption (ATI from w24 to w48). We show an inverse relationship between HIV-specific responses (production of IL-2, IL-13, IL-21, IFN-g, CD4 polyfunctionality, i.e., production of at least two cytokines) and the peak of viral load during ATI. Here we have performed an integrative systems vaccinology analysis including: (i) post vaccination (w16) immune responses assessed by cytometry, cytokine secretion, and Interferon-γ ELISPOT assays; (ii) whole blood and cellular gene expression measured during vaccination; and (iii) viral parameters following ATI, with the objective to disentangle the relationships between these markers and to identify vaccine signatures. During vaccination, 69 gene expression modules out of 260 varied significantly including (by order of significance) modules related to inflammation (Chaussabel Modules M3.2, M4.13, M4.6, M5.7, M7.1, M4.2), plasma cells (M4.11) and T cells (M4.1, 4.15). Cellular immune responses were positively correlated to genes belonging to T cell functional modules (M4.1, M4.15) at w16 and negatively correlated to genes belonging to inflammation modules (M7.1, M5.7, M3.2, M4.13, M4.2). More specifically, we show that prolonged increased abundance of inflammatory gene pathways related to toll-like receptor signaling (especially TLR4) are associated with both lower vaccine immune responses and control of viral replication post ATI. Further comparison of DC vaccine gene signatures with previously reported non-HIV vaccine signatures, such as flu and pneumococcal vaccines, revealed common pathways across vaccines. Overall, these results show that too long duration and too high intensity of vaccine inflammatory responses hamper the magnitude of effector responses.

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Impact of Transcriptome and Gut Microbiome on the Response of HIV-1 Infected Individuals to a Dendritic Cell-Based HIV Therapeutic Vaccine.

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