Chimeric Rodent Research Articles

Screening of viral-vectored P. falciparum pre-erythrocytic candidate vaccine antigens using chimeric rodent parasites.

To screen for additional vaccine candidate antigens of Plasmodium pre-erythrocytic stages, fourteen P. falciparum proteins were selected based on expression in sporozoites or their role in establishment of hepatocyte infection. For preclinical evaluation of immunogenicity of these proteins in mice, chimeric P. berghei sporozoites were created that express the P. falciparum proteins in sporozoites as an additional copy gene under control of the uis4 gene promoter. All fourteen chimeric parasites produced sporozoites but sporozoites of eight lines failed to establish a liver infection, indicating a negative impact of these P. falciparum proteins on sporozoite infectivity. Immunogenicity of the other six proteins (SPELD, ETRAMP10.3, SIAP2, SPATR, HT, RPL3) was analyzed by immunization of inbred BALB/c and outbred CD-1 mice with viral-vectored (ChAd63 or ChAdOx1, MVA) vaccines, followed by challenge with chimeric sporozoites. Protective immunogenicity was determined by analyzing parasite liver load and prepatent period of blood stage infection after challenge. Of the six proteins only SPELD immunized mice showed partial protection. We discuss both the low protective immunogenicity of these proteins in the chimeric rodent malaria challenge model and the negative effect on P. berghei sporozoite infectivity of several P. falciparum proteins expressed in the chimeric sporozoites.

Generation of a Genetically Modified Chimeric Plasmodium falciparum ParasiteExpressing Plasmodium vivax Circumsporozoite Protein for Malaria Vaccine Development.

Chimeric rodent malaria parasites with the endogenous circumsporozoite protein (csp) gene replaced with csp from the human parasites Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and P. vivax (Pv) are used in preclinical evaluation of CSP vaccines. Chimeric rodent parasites expressing PfCSP have also been assessed as whole sporozoite (WSP) vaccines. Comparable chimeric P. falciparum parasites expressing CSP of P. vivax could be used both for clinical evaluation of vaccines targeting PvCSP in controlled human P. falciparum infections and in WSP vaccines targeting P. vivax and P. falciparum. We generated chimeric P. falciparum parasites expressing both PfCSP and PvCSP. These Pf-PvCSP parasites produced sporozoite comparable to wild type P. falciparum parasites and expressed PfCSP and PvCSP on the sporozoite surface. Pf-PvCSP sporozoites infected human hepatocytes and induced antibodies to the repeats of both PfCSP and PvCSP after immunization of mice. These results support the use of Pf-PvCSP sporozoites in studies optimizing vaccines targeting PvCSP.

Chimeric Plasmodium falciparum parasites expressing Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein fail to produce salivary gland sporozoites

BackgroundRodent malaria parasites where the gene encoding circumsporozoite protein (CSP) has been replaced with csp genes from the human malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum or Plasmodium vivax, are used as pre-clinical tools to evaluate CSP vaccines in vivo. These chimeric rodent parasites produce sporozoites in Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes that are capable of infecting rodent and human hepatocytes. The availability of chimeric P. falciparum parasites where the pfcsp gene has been replaced by the pvcsp would open up possibilities to test P. vivax CSP vaccines in small scale clinical trials using controlled human malaria infection studies.MethodsUsing CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing two chimeric P. falciparum parasites, were generated, where the pfcsp gene has been replaced by either one of the two major pvcsp alleles, VK210 or VK247. In addition, a P. falciparum parasite line that lacks CSP expression was also generated. These parasite lines have been analysed for sporozoite production in An. stephensi mosquitoes.ResultsThe two chimeric Pf-PvCSP lines exhibit normal asexual and sexual blood stage development in vitro and produce sporozoite-containing oocysts in An. stephensi mosquitoes. Expression of the corresponding PvCSP was confirmed in oocyst-derived Pf-PvCSP sporozoites. However, most oocysts degenerate before sporozoite formation and sporozoites were not found in either the mosquito haemocoel or salivary glands. Unlike the chimeric Pf-PvCSP parasites, oocysts of P. falciparum parasites lacking CSP expression do not produce sporozoites.ConclusionsChimeric P. falciparum parasites expressing P. vivax circumsporozoite protein fail to produce salivary gland sporozoites. Combined, these studies show that while PvCSP can partially complement the function of PfCSP, species-specific features of CSP govern full sporozoite maturation and development in the two human malaria parasites.

An in vitro assay to measure antibody-mediated inhibition of P. berghei sporozoite invasion against P. falciparum antigens

A large research effort is currently underway to find an effective and affordable malaria vaccine. Tools that enable the rapid evaluation of protective immune responses are essential to vaccine development as they can provide selection criteria to rank order vaccine candidates. In this study we have revisited the Inhibition of Sporozoite Invasion (ISI) assay to assess the ability of antibodies to inhibit sporozoite infection of hepatocytes. By using GFP expressing sporozoites of the rodent parasite P. berghei we are able to robustly quantify parasite infection of hepatocyte cell lines by flow cytometry. In conjunction with recently produced transgenic P. berghei parasites that express P. falciparum sporozoite antigens, we have been able to use this assay to measure antibody mediated inhibition of sporozoite invasion against one of the lead malaria antigens P. falciparum CSP. By combining chimeric rodent parasites expressing P. falciparum antigens and a flow cytometric readout of infection, we are able to robustly assess vaccine-induced antibodies, from mice, rhesus macaques and human clinical trials, for their functional ability to block sporozoite invasion of hepatocytes.

P10.22 Engineering human rhinovirus serotype-a1 as a vaccine vector

Introduction Vaccination is the optimal long-term solution to the human immuno-defficiency virus (HIV) pandemic. A majority of new HIV infections result from mucosal transmission, highlighting the need for novel vaccines that primarily generate mucosal immunity. Like HIV, human rhinovirus serotype-A1 (HRV-A1, the common cold virus) is primarily transmitted via mucosal surfaces. This makes HRV-A1 a potential vector for mucosally targeted vaccines to generate robust protection against HIV at the vaginal and other distant mucosal surfaces, and systemically. Methods Using recombinant technology, we inserted discrete overlapping fragments of HIV gag and full-length tat into the junction between genes that encode HRV-A1 structural and non-structural proteins to generate recombinant HRV-A1s (rHRV-A1s) encoding HIV Gag and Tat proteins. Results Transfection of H1-HeLa cells with rHRV-A1s transcripts yielded infectious and replication-competent rHRV-A1s with similar growth characteristics as wildtype HRV-A1. We also confirmed that cells infected with rHRV-A1s stably expressed Gag and Tat (beyond 5 passages), of the correct sizes and mainly localised in the cytoplasm as revealed by western blot assay, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence. These results have been recently accepted for publication in Virus Research Journal (reference number: VIRUS96578, April 2015). Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time replication-competent and stable HRV-A1 vectors have been generated. The individual rHRV-A1gag/tat generated in this study have been mixed into a cocktail vaccine and administered intranasally to female Balb/C mice to evaluate its immunogenicity (animal experiments currently on-going). The protective efficacy of the resultant HIV-Gag-specific cell-mediated and Tat humoral responses will be documented in mice challenged intravaginally with chimeric rodent ecotropic murine leukaemia virus (EcoHIV). EcoHIV was developed by replacing the coding region of glycoprotein-120 (gp-120) of HIV strain NL4–3 with gp80 of EcoHIV to ensure that the chimeric virus infected murine cells only. Disclosure of interest statement This work was supported by a grant from The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF), Woodville, South Australia and grant number APP1026293 from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia. TK is a post-graduate Fellow supported by THRF while SA and GE are Senior Research Fellows of the NHMRC. The authors declare no financial or commercial conflict of interest.

Development of a Chimeric Plasmodium berghei Strain Expressing the Repeat Region of the P. vivax Circumsporozoite Protein forIn VivoEvaluation of Vaccine Efficacy

The development of vaccine candidates against Plasmodium vivax-the most geographically widespread human malaria species-is challenged by technical difficulties, such as the lack of in vitro culture systems and availability of animal models. Chimeric rodent Plasmodium parasites are safe and useful tools for the preclinical evaluation of new vaccine formulations. We report the successful development and characterization of chimeric Plasmodium berghei parasites bearing the type I repeat region of P. vivax circumsporozoite protein (CSP). The P. berghei-P. vivax chimeric strain develops normally in mosquitoes and produces highly infectious sporozoites that produce patent infection in mice that are exposed to the bites of as few as 3 P. berghei-P. vivax-infected mosquitoes. Using this transgenic parasite, we demonstrate that monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against P. vivax CSP strongly inhibit parasite infection and thus support the notion that these antibodies play an important role in protective immunity. The chimeric parasites we developed represent a robust model for evaluating protective immune responses against P. vivax vaccines based on CSP.

A Rose by Any Other Name? The Potential Consequences of Microglial Heterogeneity During CNS Health and Disease

Microglial activation and macrophage infiltration into the CNS are common features of CNS autoimmune disease and of chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Because these cells largely express an overlapping set of common macrophage markers, it has been difficult to separate their respective contributions to disease onset and progression. This problem is further confounded by the many types of macrophages that have been termed microglia. Several approaches, ranging from molecular profiling of isolated cells to the generation of irradiation chimeric rodent models, are now beginning to generate rudimentary definitions distinguishing the various types of microglia and macrophages found within the CNS and the potential roles that these cells may play in health and disease.

O.055 The human liver-uPA-SCID mouse: a chimeric rodent model for the study of viral hepatitis

O.055 The human liver-uPA-SCID mouse: a chimeric rodent model for the study of viral hepatitis

Functional properties of an H,K-ATPase/Na,K-ATPase chimera

Cultured pig kidney epithelial cells were transfected with a chimeric P-type ATPase catalytic subunit composed of the NH2-terminal half of the rat gastric H,K-ATPase and the COOH-terminal half of the rat Na,K-ATPase (alpha 1 isoform). Low concentrations of ouabain (< or = 0.2 mM) were used to inhibit completely the endogenous pig Na,K-ATPase and high concentrations (5 nM) to test the sensitivity of the chimeric rodent pump. In the presence of a low concentration of ouabain, a small but significant inhibition of residual Rb+(K+) influx by 5 mM ouabain was observed in only the transfected cells. Conditions were found in which a similar component of Rb+ influx was inhibited by the gastric H,K-ATPase inhibitor SCH28080, consistent with SCH28080 binding to the extracellular H1-H2 loop of this enzyme. These experiments demonstrate that this chimera behaves as a functional ion pump and indicate that the protein domains involved in cardiac glycoside binding are not confined to the amino-terminal half of the Na,K-ATPase.