Native Epitopes Research Articles

Monoclonal antibodies to thermostable surface antigens of Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 serogroups

There is delivered the panel of 9 hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies directed to surface thermo-resistant antigenic determinants of V.cholerae El Tor and O139. By immunoblotting method most of MCA were established to react with the corresponding epitopes of protein nature at the level of 38-42 kDa. There were revealed differences in the specific orientation of the MCA to Vibrio cholerae: the first group of MCA identifies antigenic determinants presented only in strains of V. cholerae O1, O139 with genetic characteristic ctx+ tcp+ and ctx- tcp+, but fails to identify strains ctx- tcp-; the second group of MCA identifies common epitopes for V.cholerae El Tor and O139 regardless of ctx and tcp genes. The new panel of MCA can be used as well for the study of the fine antigenic structure of V. cholerae El Tor and O139 as detection of epidemically dangerous strains genotype ctx+ tcp+ with ELISA methods

CD4 T Cell reactivity to both native and citrullinated-MOG epitopes identified in HLA-DR4 mouse model Of demyelinating disease (BA11P.137)

Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS). HLA-DR4 is an MHC class II gene associated with increased risk for MS. Humanized HLA-DR4-transgenic mice were used to probe T cell specificity and affinity during demyelinating disease progression in response to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). Using the micropipette adhesion frequency assay to obtain sensitive, physiologically relevant measurements, only 26% of CNS-infiltrating CD4 T cells are reactive to MOG in symptomatic HLA-DR4-expressing mice. Moreover T cells probed for specificity to a modified MOG peptide containing a citrulline residue in position 101 instead of arginine revealed T cells reactive to MOG alone, citrulline-modified MOG, or to both. Of importance, the citrullinated-MOG peptide does not induce paralytic disease on its own. We believe that these results are the first demonstration of T cell reactivity to citrullinated-MOG epitopes in the context of HLA-DR4 presentation to T cells. We suggest that T cell cross-reactivity to native and citrullinated epitopes of MOG provides a mechanism of disease progression and escape from immune tolerance. Further, reactivity to the citrullinated neoepitope has great implications for use as a potential biomarker of disease therapeutic efficacy since citrullination is the result of a deimination reaction that occurs during prolonged inflammation.

Protection against multiple influenza A virus strains induced by candidate recombinant vaccine based on heterologous M2e peptides linked to flagellin.

Matrix 2 protein ectodomain (M2e) is considered a promising candidate for a broadly protective influenza vaccine. M2e-based vaccines against human influenza A provide only partial protection against avian influenza viruses because of differences in the M2e sequences. In this work, we evaluated the possibility of obtaining equal protection and immune response by using recombinant protein on the basis of flagellin as a carrier of the M2e peptides of human and avian influenza A viruses. Recombinant protein was generated by the fusion of two tandem copies of consensus M2e sequence from human influenza A and two copies of M2e from avian A/H5N1 viruses to flagellin (Flg-2M2eh2M2ek). Intranasal immunisation of Balb/c mice with recombinant protein significantly elicited anti-M2e IgG in serum, IgG and sIgA in BAL. Antibodies induced by the fusion protein Flg-2M2eh2M2ek bound efficiently to synthetic peptides corresponding to the human consensus M2e sequence as well as to the M2e sequence of A/Chicken/Kurgan/05/05 RG (H5N1) and recognised native M2e epitopes exposed on the surface of the MDCK cells infected with A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and A/Chicken/Kurgan/05/05 RG (H5N1) to an equal degree. Immunisation led to both anti-M2e IgG1 and IgG2a response with IgG1 prevalence. We observed a significant intracellular production of IL-4, but not IFN-γ, by CD4+ T-cells in spleen of mice following immunisation with Flg-2M2eh2M2ek. Immunisation with the Flg-2M2eh2M2ek fusion protein provided similar protection from lethal challenge with human influenza A viruses (H1N1, H3N2) and avian influenza virus (H5N1). Immunised mice experienced significantly less weight loss and decreased lung viral titres compared to control mice. The data obtained show the potential for the development of an M2e-flagellin candidate influenza vaccine with broad spectrum protection against influenza A viruses of various origins.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel MUC1 glycopeptide conjugate vaccine candidate comprising a 4'-deoxy-4'-fluoro-Thomsen-Friedenreich epitope.

The development of selective anticancer vaccines that provide enhanced protection against tumor recurrence and metastasis has been the subject of intense research in the scientific community. The tumor-associated glycoprotein MUC1 represents a well-established target for cancer immunotherapy and has been used for the construction of various synthetic vaccine candidates. However, many of these vaccine prototypes suffer from an inherent low immunogenicity and are susceptible to rapid in vivo degradation. To overcome these drawbacks, novel fluorinated MUC1 glycopeptide-BSA/TTox conjugate vaccines have been prepared. Immunization of mice with the 4’F-TF-MUC1-TTox conjugate resulted in strong immune responses overriding the natural tolerance against MUC1 and producing selective IgG antibodies that are cross-reactive with native MUC1 epitopes on MCF-7 human cancer cells.

The Carboxy Terminus of the Ligand Peptide Determines MHC Class I Complex Stability: A Combined Molecular Dynamics and Experimental Study

Major Histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I proteins bind peptides of eight to ten amino acids to present them at the cell surface to cytotoxic T cells. The class I binding groove binds the peptide via hydrogen bonds with the peptide termini and via diverse interactions with the anchor residue side chains of the peptide. To elucidate which of these interactions is most important for the thermodynamic and kinetic stability of the peptide-bound state, we have combined molecular dynamics simulations and experimental approaches in an investigation of the conformational dynamics and binding parameters of class I molecules with optimal and truncated natural peptide epitopes. We show that the F pocket region dominates the conformational and thermodynamic properties of the binding groove, and that therefore the binding of the C terminus of the peptide to the F pocket region plays a crucial role in bringing about the peptide-bound state of MHC class I.

Altered Peptide Ligands Revisited: Vaccine Design through Chemically Modified HLA-A2–Restricted T Cell Epitopes

Virus or tumor Ag-derived peptides that are displayed by MHC class I molecules are attractive starting points for vaccine development because they induce strong protective and therapeutic cytotoxic T cell responses. In thus study, we show that the MHC binding and consequent T cell reactivity against several HLA-A*02 restricted epitopes can be further improved through the incorporation of nonproteogenic amino acids at primary and secondary anchor positions. We screened more than 90 nonproteogenic, synthetic amino acids through a range of epitopes and tested more than 3000 chemically enhanced altered peptide ligands (CPLs) for binding affinity to HLA-A*0201. With this approach, we designed CPLs of viral epitopes, of melanoma-associated Ags, and of the minor histocompatibility Ag UTA2-1, which is currently being evaluated for its antileukemic activity in clinical dendritic cell vaccination trials. The crystal structure of one of the CPLs in complex with HLA-A*0201 revealed the molecular interactions likely responsible for improved binding. The best CPLs displayed enhanced affinity for MHC, increasing MHC stability and prolonging recognition by Ag-specific T cells and, most importantly, they induced accelerated expansion of antitumor T cell frequencies in vitro and in vivo as compared with the native epitope. Eventually, we were able to construct a toolbox of preferred nonproteogenic residues with which practically any given HLA-A*02 restricted epitope can be readily optimized. These CPLs could improve the therapeutic outcome of vaccination strategies or can be used for ex vivo enrichment and faster expansion of Ag-specific T cells for transfer into patients.

Generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes specific for native or modified peptides derived from the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway substrate 8 antigen.

The ideal tumor antigen for the development of a cancer immunotherapy is one that is expressed only in tumor cells. The epidermal growth factor receptor pathway substrate 8 gene (Eps8) might be an effective antigen for cancer immunotherapy as it is overexpressed in a variety of cancer cells but not in normal tissues. In this study, the potential utility of an Eps8-derived immunotherapy was tested in vitro and in vivo. Three computer-based algorithms were used to design eight Eps8 native epitopes with potentially high binding affinity to the HLA-A2.1 molecule, which is found at a high frequency in the Chinese population. Of these eight, three peptides with a moderate affinity to the HLA-A2.1 molecule were modified at anchor residue positions to achieve stronger immunogenicity. These four modified peptides displayed stronger binding affinity to HLA-A2.1 molecules on T2 cells and a lower dissociation rate. In functional assays with human PBMCs in vitro and in HLA-A2.1/K(b) transgenic mice in vivo, CTLs primed by each native and modified peptide secreted IFN-γ and were toxic to cancer cells from a variety of tissue types in an HLA-A2.1-restricted and Eps8-specific manner. p101-109-2L and p276-284-1Y9V were superior to other modified and native epitopes both in vitro and in vivo. These results indicate that employing the native and modified epitopes identified here in Eps8-based immunotherapy for HLA-A2.1 positive cancer patients may result in efficient anticancer immune responses for diverse tumor types.

Use of Enzyme-digested Virus-like Particles as Probes for Flow Cytometric Sorting of HIV-specific Neutralizing Ab-producing B-cells

OA06.04 Background: Isolating new broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) provides fresh insights for rational HIV-1 vaccine design. Several sites of vulnerability to bnAbs are now well defined, and it is likely that additional targets exist. Virus-like particles (VLPs) that express Env trimers display all of the natural epitopes and are therefore attractive candidates for use as probes. However, VLP surfaces are also decorated with nonfunctional forms of HIV Env. Exposing VLPs to proteases clears nonfunctional Env, leaving native trimeric Env intact. The resulting “trimer-VLPs” preferentially bind to nAbs compared to non-neutralizing antibodies and therefore may have gained sufficient selective power for use as B cell probes to identify new bnAbs. Methods: PBMC from HIV-infected patients were stained with the enzyme-digested trimer-VLPs, and VLP-positive memory B cells were sorted by flow cytometry. Multiplex RT-PCR was performed on cell lysates to amplify kappa, lambda, and heavy chain genes. Cloned antibodies were assessed for neutralization breadth and potency against a panel of Env-pseudoviruses using the TZM-bl neutralization assay. Results: VLPs were used to sort B cells from the donor of the broad CD4bs antibody VRC13. The sort yielded relatives of VRC13, as well as unrelated sequences that exhibited high sequence divergence from germline VH genes and/or long CDR3 regions, which are characteristics of known bnAbs. Cloning and characterization of these Abs is ongoing. Conclusions: Unlike many previously used B cell probes, VLPs express multiple epitopes including those for trimer specific antibodies which allows for simultaneous sorting of B-cells of different specificities. Additionally, these probes are devoid of non-functional forms of Env and therefore preferentially bind to neutralizing Ab-producing B cells. VLPs therefore hold great promise for isolating novel HIV-specific bnAbs that can better inform vaccine design.

Abstract 2561: Yeast vector-encoding multiple MUC1 agonist epitopes (yeast-MUC1) can induce MUC1-specific T-cell immune responses

Abstract The tumor-associated antigen MUC1 is overexpressed on various human hematological and epithelial malignancies. The MUC1 molecule, which has an N-terminal (MUC1-N) and a C-terminal (MUC1-C, which has been shown to act as an oncogene), is an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. We have identified and reported 10 agonist epitopes (7 in the C-terminus, 2 in the N-terminus VNTR region, and 1 in the non-VNTR region) that enhance production of CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes. These epitopes span HLA-A2, HLA-A3, and HLA-A24 MHC class I alleles, thus encompassing the majority of the North American population. Compared to native epitopes, these agonist epitopes more efficiently generate MUC1-specific T cells, induce production of IFN-gamma by MUC1-specific T cells, and lyse human tumor cells expressing MUC1 native epitopes in an MHC-restricted manner. We have previously shown that heat-killed recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast genetically modified to express carcinoembryonic antigen can efficiently activate human dendritic cells (DCs) and stimulate CEA-specific CD8+ T cells. Here, we investigated the ability of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae vector containing the MUC1 transgene (yeast-MUC1) and encoding MUC1 with 8 agonist epitopes to activate human DCs, stimulate MUC1-N- and MUC1-C-specific T cells, and generate MUC1-specific T cells. We show here for the first time that human DCs treated with yeast-MUC1 vectors can activate MUC1-N and MUC1-C agonist-specific T-cell lines and can act as antigen-presenting cells to generate MUC1-N- and MUC1-C-specific T cells specific to each agonist epitopes, and that these T cells are capable of lysing MUC1-expressing tumor cells. Together, these findings provide a rationale for further clinical evaluation of yeast-MUC1 constructs encoding MUC1 agonist epitopes in cancer vaccine immunotherapy. Citation Format: Kwong Y. Tsang, Benjamin Boyerinas, Caroline Jochems, Tim Rodell, Thomas King, Jeffey Schlom. Yeast vector-encoding multiple MUC1 agonist epitopes (yeast-MUC1) can induce MUC1-specific T-cell immune responses. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2561. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2561

Identification and characterization of a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte agonist epitope of brachyury, a transcription factor involved in epithelial to mesenchymal transition and metastasis.

The transcription factor brachyury is a major driver of epithelial to mesenchymal transition in human carcinoma cells. It is overexpressed in several human tumor types versus normal adult tissues, except for testes and thyroid. Overexpression is associated with drug resistance and poor prognosis. Previous studies identified a brachyury HLA-A2 cytotoxic T-lymphocyte epitope. The studies reported here describe an enhancer epitope of brachyury. Compared to the native epitope, the agonist epitope: (a) has enhanced binding to MHC class I, (b) increased the IFN-γ production from brachyury-specific T cells, (c) generated brachyury-specific T cells with greater levels of perforin and increased proliferation, (d) generated T cells more proficient at lysing human carcinoma cells endogenously expressing the native epitope, and(e) achieved greater brachyury-specific T-cell responses in vivo in HLA-A2 transgenic mice. These studies also report the generation of a heat-killed recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) vector expressing the full-length brachyury gene encoding the agonist epitope. Compared to yeast-brachyury (native) devoid of the agonist epitope, the yeast-brachyury (agonist) enhanced the activation of brachyury-specific T cells, which efficiently lysed human carcinoma cells. In addition to providing the rationale for the recombinant yeast-brachyury (agonist) as a potential vaccine in cancer therapy, these studies also provide the rationale for the use of the agonist in (a) dendritic cell (DC) vaccines, (b) adjuvant or liposomal vaccines, (c) recombinant viral and/or bacterial vaccines, (d) protein/polypeptide vaccines, (e) activation of T cells ex vivo in adoptive therapy protocols, and (f) generation of genetically engineered targeted T cells.

Structural and functional correlates of enhanced antiviral immunity generated by heteroclitic CD8 T cell epitopes.

Peptides that bind poorly to MHC class I molecules often elicit low-functional avidity T cell responses. Peptide modification by altering the anchor residue facilitates increased binding affinity and may elicit T cells with increased functional avidity toward the native epitope ("heteroclitic"). This augmented MHC binding is likely to increase the half-life and surface density of the heteroclitic complex, but precisely how this enhanced T cell response occurs in vivo is not known. Furthermore, the ideal heteroclitic epitope will elicit T cell responses that completely cross-react with the native epitope, maximizing protection and minimizing undesirable off-target effects. Such epitopes have been difficult to identify. In this study, using mice infected with a murine coronavirus that encodes epitopes that elicit high (S510, CSLWNGPHL)- and low (S598, RCQIFANI)-functional avidity responses, we show that increased expression of peptide S598 but not S510 generated T cells with enhanced functional avidity. Thus, immune responses can be augmented toward T cell epitopes with low functional avidity by increasing Ag density. We also identified a heteroclitic epitope (RCVIFANI) that elicited a T cell response with nearly complete cross-reactivity with native epitope and demonstrated increased MHC/peptide abundance compared with native S598. Structural and thermal melt analyses indicated that the Q600V substitution enhanced stability of the peptide/MHC complex without greatly altering the antigenic surface, resulting in highly cross-reactive T cell responses. Our data highlight that increased peptide/MHC complex display contributes to heteroclitic epitope efficacy and describe parameters for maximizing immune responses that cross-react with the native epitope.

Multivalent glycoconjugates as vaccines and potential drug candidates

Pathogens adhere to the host cells during the first steps of infection through multivalent interactions which involve protein–glycan recognition. Multivalent interactions are also involved at different stages of immune response. Insights into these multivalent interactions generate a way to use suitable carbohydrate ligands that are attached to a basic scaffold consisting of e.g., dendrimer, polymer, nanoparticle, etc., with a suitable linker. Thus a multivalent architecture can be obtained with controllable spatial and topology parameters which can interfere with pathogen adhesion. Multivalent glycoconjugates bearing natural or unnatural carbohydrate antigen epitopes have also been used as carbohydrate based vaccines to stimulate an innate and adaptive immune response. Designing and synthesizing an efficient multivalent architecture with optimal ligand density and a suitable linker is a challenging task. This review presents a concise report on the endeavors to potentially use multi- and polyvalent glycoconjugates as vaccines as well as anti-infectious and anti-inflammatory drug candidates.

Anti-β2-glycoprotein I paratopes and β2-glycoprotein I epitopes characterization using random peptide libraries

Studies concerning interactions between anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies (anti-β2GPI) and β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) suggest relevance of charge interactions and hydrogen bonds. However, paratope of diagnostically and clinically relevant anti-β2GPI and epitope characteristics of β2GPI, still remain unclear. The aim of our study was to determine paratope characteristics of various anti-β2GPI antibodies and epitope characteristics of β2GPI using phage display. Monoclonal IgG anti-β2GPI, purified polyclonal high avidity and low avidity IgG anti-β2GPI derived from plasma of APS patients were used to screen phage display libraries. The affinity and competition ability of selected clones were evaluated. Various heptapeptides presenting putative paratopes of anti-β2GPI and specific heptapeptides presenting putative epitopes of β2GPI were determined. Epitope presenting peptides bind to the respective anti-β2GPI and consequently interrupt antibody–antigen interaction. The amino acid composition of selected peptides confirmed the importance of hydrogen bonds and charge interactions in the binding of anti-β2GPI to the antigen. Epitopes recognized by high avidity anti-β2GPI predominately contain hydrogen bond forming side chains, while in low avidity anti-β2GPI epitope the charged side chains prevail. The alignment of selected sequences to three-dimensional antigen structure revealed that polyclonal high avidity anti-β2GPI recognize native epitopes that are accessible regardless of β2GPI's conformation whereas the epitope recognized by low avidity anti-β2GPI is cryptic and cannot be accessed when β2GPI takes the closed plasma conformation.

DH reading frame usage influences HIV-1 epitope recognition (MPF2P.804)

Abstract Background: Some HIV-1-specific neutralizing antibodies, such as 2F5 and 4E10, contain a long H chain complementarity determining region 3 (CDR-H3) includes patches of hydrophobic and charged amino acids, but B cells bearing Igs with charged or hydrophobic CDR-H3s are normally culled from mature B cell subsets. Thus, DH influence on neutralizing antibody generation is very worth to explore. Methods: Mice-BALB/c mice cohort limited to the use of single DH gene segments were generated. ΔD-DFL is a human-like repertoire control. ΔD-DµFS promotes the use of hydrophobic amino acid repertoire. The ΔD-iD is charged amino acid enriched repertoire. Immunization-each strain of 10 mice was immunized with HIV-1 JR-FL gp140 protein. Epitope Identification, serum Assay were conducted. Results: As a general rule, the heterogeneity of the anti-JR-FL gp140 response varied by DH genotype with ΔD-DFL>Wild Type (WT)>>ΔD-DμFS, ΔD-iD. Conversely, the intensity of the response was greatest in the ΔD-iD. However, linear response was not identified with the response to natural HIV-1 epitope. Anti-JR-FL gp140 antibodies present in the sera of the DH altered did not block HIV-1 envelope CD4, 2F5, 2G12 binding site. Conclusion: The pattern of epitope recognition and antigen binding in the response to T dependent antigen, in part, on DH gene segment sequence. Restrictions imposed by natural selection of DH sequence may underlie some of the difficulty that patients generate neutralizing antibody.

Developing bacteriophage Qβ as versatile carrier for anti-carbohydrate cancer vaccine: influence of antigen design on antibody responses (VAC8P.998)

Abstract Vaccines that aim to stimulate the immune system to eradicate tumor cells are very attractive method for cancer therapy. One such strategy, active vaccination against tumor associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), which are overexpressed on malignant cells and strongly correlated with tumor progression and metastasis, has shown high potential in clinical studies. However, two major challenges need be circumvented to develop effective TACA anticancer vaccines. First, TACAs are self-antigens and tolerated by the immune system; Second, TACAs are weak T cell independent antigens and cannot generate long lasting immune responses when administered alone. We are interested in exploration of bacteriophage Qβ as versatile platforms for the development of carbohydrate based cancer vaccine. The highly repetitive array of subunit in Qβ permits the organized display of antigens on the surface of the particle. The Qβ also contains natural T-helper epitopes and pathogen associated molecular patterns, which can engage innate immunity and activate the immune system. Herein, we present the vaccination studies with Tn antigen conjugated to bacteriophage Qβ. The effect of antigen density, nature of linker, and immunization routes on the quality and diversity of antibody responses was analyzed. With the optimal construct, significant preventive and therapeutic effects were achieved on highly aggressive TA3Ha tumor model.

Structural Documentation of Glycan Epitopes: Sequential Mass Spectrometry and Spectral Matching

Documenting mass spectral data is a fundamental aspect of accepted protocols. In this report, we contrast MS(n) sequential disassembly spectra obtained from natural and synthetic glycan epitopes. The epitopes considered are clusters found on conjugate termini of lipids and N- and O-glycans of proteins. The latter are most frequently pendant through a CID-labile HexNAc glycosidic linkage. The synthetic samples were supplied by collaborating colleagues and commercial sources and usually possessed a readily released reducing-end linker, a by-product of synthesis. All samples were comparably methylated, extracted, and MS(n) disassembled to compare their linkage and branching spectral details. Both sample types provide B-ion type fragments early in a disassembly pathway and their compositions are a suggestion of structure. Further steps of disassembly are necessary to confirm the details of linkage and branching. Included in this study were various Lewis and H antigens, 3- and 6-linked sialyl-lactosamine, NeuAc-2,8-NeuAc dimer, and Galα1,3Gal. Sample infusion provided high quality spectral data whereas disassembly to small fragments generates reproducible high signal/noise spectra for spectral matching. All samples were analyzed as sodium adducted positive ions. This study includes comparability statistics and evaluations on several mass spectrometers.

Selection of aptamers targeting the sialic acid receptor of hemagglutinin by epitope-specific SELEX.

A new SELEX scheme is proposed for the selection of aptamers targeting a specific epitope of a native protein. Anti-sialic acid receptor (SAR) aptamers that inhibit H1 hemagglutination at a low picomole dose are selected accordingly.

Use of glycan-targeted antibodies/lectins to study the expression/function of glycosyltransferases in the nervous system.

In the nervous system, various unique glycans not found in other tissues are expressed on glycoproteins, and their expression/functions have been studied using specific antibodies/lectins. Among brain-specific glycans in mammals, we focus on human natural killer-1 (HNK-1) and related Cat-315 epitopes, which can be detected using specific antibodies. It is known that the HNK-1 epitope is expressed on N- and O-mannosylated glycans and that Cat-315 mAb preferentially recognizes the HNK-1 epitope on brain-specific "branched O-mannose glycan." The β1,6-branched O-mannose structure is synthesized by a brain-specific glycosyltransferase, N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-IX (GnT-IX, also designated as GnT-Vb). Using GnT-IX gene-deficient mice and specific antibodies/lectins, the function of GnT-IX was found to be quite different from that of its ubiquitous homologue, GnT-V. Using Cat-315 mAb, the receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase-beta (RPTPβ) was identified as an in vivo target glycoprotein for GnT-IX. Analysis of the function of branched O-mannose glycan on RPTPβ indicated that its loss promoted the recovery process after myelin injury (called remyelination) in brain and that this phenomenon is probably caused in vivo by reduced activation of astrocytes in GnT-IX-deficient brain.

Improved Vaccine Design For Adoptive Immunotherapy In Hematological Malignancies Through Chemically Modified Minor Histocompatibility Antigen Epitopes

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT), alone or followed by donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI), is a potentially curative treatment for various hematological malignancies. In an HLA-matched transplantation setting, the therapeutic graft-versus-tumor (GvT) effect is mediated by donor T-cells directed at minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags), which are HLA-bound polymorphic peptides. Unfortunately, most patients don't achieve complete response or relapse after allogeneic stem cell transplantation and thus still require additional therapies. Immunotherapy aimed at hematopoietically restricted mHags could theoretically provide an ideal method to augment the GvT effect, without causing GvHD. The most relevant mHags for immunotherapy are those antigens that are only expressed on hematopoietic tissue, are presented by frequent HLA molecules and display an equally balanced population frequency. UTA2-1 and HA-1 are two of these most broadly applicable mHags identified up until now and are therefore included in on-going clinical trials of mHag-peptide loaded dendritic cell vaccination in patients with various hematological malignancies. Another method for mHag-based immunotherapy could be adoptive transfer of ex vivo cultured mHag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). However, initial results of both methods, also from preclinical models and trials in patients with solid tumors, postulate the necessity for improved strategies for efficient ex vivo and in vivo induction of tumour specific CTLs.We here show for the HLA-A*02 restricted epitopes UTA2-1 and HA-1 that their MHC binding and consequent T cell reactivity can be improved through the incorporation of certain newly designed non-proteogenic amino acids at crucial MHC anchoring positions. With this novel approach we designed superior altered peptide ligands (APLs) for both epitopes, of which the best modifications not only increased MHC binding and stability, but also improved recognition by antigen specific T cells. Most importantly, these optimised peptides gave rise to superior antitumor T cell responses in vitro and in vivo in comparison to the native epitope, as they induced significantly enhanced proliferation of peptide-specific T cells with retained cytotoxic potential against malignant targets expressing the natural UTA2-1 antigen. Hence, these APLs designed with non-proteogenic amino acids with enhanced MHC-affinity and immunogenicity may improve the therapeutic outcome of mHag-based vaccination strategies, or can be utilized for ex vivo antigen-specific T cell enrichment and expansion for transfer into patients with haematological malignancies. Disclosures:Lokhorst:Genmab A/S: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Johnson-Cilag: Honoraria; Mudipharma: Honoraria.

Lipid core peptide targeting the cathepsin D hemoglobinase of Schistosoma mansoni as a component of a schistosomiasis vaccine

The self-adjuvanting lipid core peptide (LCP) system offers a safe alternative vaccine delivery strategy, eliminating the need for additional adjuvants such as CpG Alum. In this study, we adopted the LCP as a scaffold for an epitope located on the surface of the cathepsin D hemoglobinase (Sm-CatD) of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni. Sm-CatD plays a pivotal role in digestion of the fluke’s bloodmeal and has been shown to be efficacious as a subunit vaccine in a murine model of human schistosomiasis. Using molecular modeling we showed that S. mansoni cathepsin D possesses a predicted surface exposed α-helix (A263K) that corresponds to an immunodominant helix and target of enzyme–neutralizing antibodies against Necator americanus APR-1 (Na-APR-1), the orthologous protease and vaccine antigen from blood-feeding hookworms. The A263K epitope was engineered as two peptide variants, one of which was flanked at both termini with a coil maintaining sequence, thereby promoting the helical characteristics of the native A263K epitope. Some of the peptides were fused to a self-adjuvanting lipid core scaffold to generate LCPs. Mice were vaccinated with unadjuvanted peptides, peptides formulated with Freund’s adjuvants, or LCPs. Antibodies generated to LCPs recognized native Sm-CatD within a soluble adult schistosome extract, and almost completely abolished its enzymatic activity in vitro. Using immunohistochemistry we showed that anti-LCP antibodies bound to the native Sm-CatD protein in the esophagus and anterior regions of the gastrodermis of adult flukes. Vaccines offer an alternative control strategy in the fight against schistosomiasis, and further development of LCPs containing multiple epitopes from this and other vaccine antigens should become a research priority.