Interplay of diverse adjuvants and nanoparticle presentation of native-like HIV-1 envelope trimers.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Sliepen K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8371121 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:UnlabelledSoluble forms of trimeric HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) have long been sought as immunogens and as reagents for analysis of Env structure and function. Isolation of trimers that mimic native Env, derived from diverse viruses, however, represents a major challenge. Thus far, the most promising native-like (NL) structures have been obtained by engineering trimer-stabilizing mutations, termed SOSIP, into truncated Env sequences. However, the abundances of NL trimeric conformers vary among Envs, necessitating purification by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) like PGT145, which target specific epitopes. To surmount this inherent limitation, we developed an approach that uses lectin affinity chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, hydrophobic-interaction chromatography (HIC), and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) to isolate NL trimers from nonnative Env species. We validated this method with SOSIP trimers from HIV-1 clades A and B. Analyses by SEC, blue native PAGE, SDS-PAGE, and dynamic light scattering indicated that the resulting material was homogeneous (>95% pure), fully cleaved, and of the appropriate molecular weight and size for SOSIP trimers. Negative-stain electron microscopy further demonstrated that our preparations were composed of NL trimeric structures. By hydrogen/deuterium-exchange mass spectrometry, these HIC-pure trimers exhibited structural organization consistent with NL trimers and inconsistent with profiles seen in nonnative Envs. Screened for antigenicity, some Envs, like BS208.b1 and KNH1144 T162A, did not present the glycan/quaternary structure-dependent epitope for PGT145 binding, suggesting that these SOSIPs would be challenging to isolate by existing MAb affinity methods. By selecting based on biochemical rather than antigenic properties, our method offers an epitope-independent alternative to MAbs for isolation of NL Env trimers.ImportanceThe production and purification of diverse soluble Env trimers that maintain native-like (NL) structure present technical challenges that must be overcome in order to advance vaccine development and provide reagents for HIV research. Low levels of NL trimer expression amid heterogeneous Env conformers, even with the addition of stabilizing mutations, have presented a major challenge. In addition, it has been difficult to separate the NL trimers from these heterogeneous mixtures. While MAbs with specificity for quaternary NL trimer epitopes have provided one approach to purifying the desirable species, such methods are dependent on the Env displaying the proper epitope. In addition, MAb affinity chromatography can be expensive, the necessary MAb may be in limited supply, and large-scale purification may not be feasible. Our method based on biochemical separation techniques offers an epitope-independent approach to purification of NL trimers with general application to diverse Envs.
| S-EPMC5044855 | biostudies-literature
Project description:One of the major goals in HIV-1 vaccine development is to achieve properly folded and stabilized envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers that mimic the native Env on the mature virion. Here, we design and characterize uncleaved prefusion-optimized (UFO) trimers for 12 Envs currently circulating in China. Biochemical and biophysical characterization of these UFO trimers identified two subtype B/B' Envs, CNE6 and MG13, which exhibited the highest trimer content and stability at a level comparable to the subtype A reference, BG505. Replacing the gp41 ectodomain (gp41ECTO) of CRF01_AE trimers with that of CNE6, MG13, and BG505 resulted in chimeric constructs with significantly improved trimer content and stability. Negative-stain electron microscopy (EM) confirmed the structural integrity of these chimeric UFO trimers with CNE6 gp41ECTO. Antibody binding assays showed that the chimeric trimers shared similar antigenic profiles to those with their original gp41ECTO domains. Our results thus revealed the intrinsic differences among HIV-1 Envs of diverse origins and the critical role of gp41ECTO in stabilizing the trimeric spike. By taking advantage of naturally stable Envs, gp41ECTO swapping may represent a universal approach for the generation of stable trimers with the desired structural and antigenic properties for downstream in vivo evaluation and vaccine development.
| S-EPMC7178897 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The development of native-like HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimer antigens has enabled the induction of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses against neutralization-resistant HIV-1 strains in animal models. However, NAb responses are relatively weak and narrow in specificity. Displaying antigens in a multivalent fashion on nanoparticles (NPs) is an established strategy to increase their immunogenicity. Here we present the design and characterization of two-component protein NPs displaying 20 stabilized SOSIP trimers from various HIV-1 strains. The two-component nature permits the incorporation of exclusively well-folded, native-like Env trimers into NPs that self-assemble in vitro with high efficiency. Immunization studies show that the NPs are particularly efficacious as priming immunogens, improve the quality of the Ab response over a conventional one-component nanoparticle system, and are most effective when SOSIP trimers with an apex-proximate neutralizing epitope are displayed. Their ability to enhance and shape the immunogenicity of SOSIP trimers make these NPs a promising immunogen platform.
| S-EPMC6753213 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A challenge for HIV-1 immunogen design is the difficulty of inducing neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against neutralization-resistant (tier 2) viruses that dominate human transmissions. We show that a soluble recombinant HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimer that adopts a native conformation, BG505 SOSIP.664, induced NAbs potently against the sequence-matched tier 2 virus in rabbits and similar but weaker responses in macaques. The trimer also consistently induced cross-reactive NAbs against more sensitive (tier 1) viruses. Tier 2 NAbs recognized conformational epitopes that differed between animals and in some cases overlapped with those recognized by broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), whereas tier 1 responses targeted linear V3 epitopes. A second trimer, B41 SOSIP.664, also induced a strong autologous tier 2 NAb response in rabbits. Thus, native-like trimers represent a promising starting point for the development of HIV-1 vaccines aimed at inducing bNAbs.
| S-EPMC4498988 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The HIV-1-envelope glycoprotein (Env) is the main target of antigen design for antibody-based prophylactic vaccines. The generation of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAb) likely requires the appropriate presentation of stabilized trimers preventing exposure of non-neutralizing antibody (nNAb) epitopes. We designed a series of membrane-bound Envs with increased trimer stability through the introduction of key stabilization mutations. We derived a stabilized HIV-1 trimer, ConSOSL.UFO.750, which displays a dramatic reduction in nNAb binding while maintaining high quaternary and MPER-specific bNAb binding. Its soluble counterpart, ConSOSL.UFO.664, displays similar antigenicity, and its native-like Env structure is confirmed by negative stain-EM and glycosylation profiling of the soluble ConSOSL.UFO.664 trimer. A rabbit immunization study demonstrated that the ConSOSL.UFO.664 can induce autologous tier 2 neutralization. We have successfully designed a stabilized native-like Env trimer amenable to nucleic acid or viral vector-based vaccination strategies.
| S-EPMC6167709 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The production of native-like recombinant versions of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer requires overcoming the natural flexibility and instability of the complex. The engineered BG505 SOSIP.664 trimer mimics the structure and antigenicity of native Env. Here, we describe how the introduction of new disulfide bonds between the glycoprotein (gp)120 and gp41 subunits of SOSIP trimers of the BG505 and other genotypes improves their stability and antigenicity, reduces their conformational flexibility, and helps maintain them in the unliganded conformation. The resulting next-generation SOSIP.v5 trimers induce strong autologous tier-2 neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses in rabbits. In addition, the BG505 SOSIP.v6 trimers induced weak heterologous NAb responses against a subset of tier-2 viruses that were not elicited by the prototype BG505 SOSIP.664. These stabilization methods can be applied to trimers from multiple genotypes as components of multivalent vaccines aimed at inducing broadly NAbs (bNAbs).
| S-EPMC5590011 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Presenting vaccine antigens in particulate form can improve their immunogenicity by enhancing B cell activation.We describe ferritin-based protein nanoparticles that display multiple copies of native-like HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimers (BG505 SOSIP.664). Trimer-bearing nanoparticles were significantly more immunogenic than trimers in both mice and rabbits. Furthermore, rabbits immunized with the trimer-bearing nanoparticles induced significantly higher neutralizing antibody responses against most tier 1A viruses, and higher responses (but not significantly), to several tier 1B viruses and the autologous tier 2 virus than when the same trimers were delivered as soluble proteins.This or other nanoparticle designs may be practical ways to improve the immunogenicity of envelope glycoprotein trimers.
| S-EPMC4583754 | biostudies-literature
Project description:An HIV vaccine capable of eliciting durable neutralizing antibody responses continues to be an important unmet need. Multivalent nanoparticles displaying a high density of envelope trimers may be promising immunogen forms to elicit strong and durable humoral responses to HIV, but critical particle design criteria remain to be fully defined. To this end, we developed strategies to covalently anchor a stabilized gp140 trimer, BG505 MD39, on the surfaces of synthetic liposomes to study the effects of trimer density and vesicle stability on vaccine-elicited humoral responses in mice. CryoEM imaging revealed homogeneously distributed and oriented MD39 on the surface of liposomes irrespective of particle size, lipid composition, and conjugation strategy. Immunization with covalent MD39-coupled liposomes led to increased germinal center and antigen-specific T follicular helper cell responses and significantly higher avidity serum MD39-specific IgG responses compared to immunization with soluble MD39 trimers. A priming immunization with liposomal-MD39 was important for elicitation of high avidity antibody responses, regardless of whether booster immunizations were administered with either soluble or particulate trimers. The stability of trimer anchoring to liposomes was critical for these effects, as germinal center and output antibody responses were further increased by liposome compositions incorporating sphingomyelin that exhibited high in vitro stability in the presence of serum. Together these data highlight key liposome design features for optimizing humoral immunity to lipid nanoparticle immunogens.
| S-EPMC6224390 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The HIV-1 envelope (Env) mediates viral entry into host cells. To enable the direct imaging of conformational dynamics within Env, we introduced fluorophores into variable regions of the glycoprotein gp120 subunit and measured single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer within the context of native trimers on the surface of HIV-1 virions. Our observations revealed unliganded HIV-1 Env to be intrinsically dynamic, transitioning between three distinct prefusion conformations, whose relative occupancies were remodeled by receptor CD4 and antibody binding. The distinct properties of neutralization-sensitive and neutralization-resistant HIV-1 isolates support a dynamics-based mechanism of immune evasion and ligand recognition.
| S-EPMC4304640 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Soluble HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) immunogens are a prime constituent of candidate vaccines designed to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies. Several lines of evidence suggest that enhancing Env immunogen thermostability can improve neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses. Here, we generated BG505 SOSIP.v9 trimers, which displayed virtually no reactivity with non-neutralizing antibodies and showed increased global and epitope thermostability, compared to previous BG505 SOSIP versions. Chemical crosslinking of BG505 SOSIP.v9 further increased the melting temperature to 91.3 °C, which is almost 25 °C higher than that of the prototype SOSIP.664 trimer. Next, we compared the immunogenicity of a palette of BG505-based SOSIP trimers with a gradient of thermostabilities in rabbits. We also included SOSIP.v9 proteins in which a strain-specific immunodominant epitope was masked by glycans to redirect the NAb response to other subdominant epitopes. We found that increased trimer thermostability correlated with increased potency and consistency of the autologous NAb response. Furthermore, glycan masking steered the NAb response to subdominant epitopes without decreasing the potency of the autologous NAb response. In summary, SOSIP.v9 trimers and their glycan masked versions represent an improved platform for HIV-1 Env based vaccination strategies.
| S-EPMC8885667 | biostudies-literature