Reconstituted Virus Envelopes Research Articles

Incorporation of LpxL1, a detoxified lipopolysaccharide adjuvant, in influenza H5N1 virosomes increases vaccine immunogenicity

The increasing number of human influenza H5N1 infections accentuates the need for the development of H5N1 vaccine candidates to prevent a potential influenza pandemic. The use of adjuvants in such vaccines can contribute significantly to antigen dose-sparing. In this study, we evaluated the capacity of the non-toxic Neisseria meningitidis lipopolysaccharide analog LpxL1 to function as an adjuvant for an influenza H5N1 virosomal vaccine. Inactivated influenza H5N1 virus (NIBRG-14) was used to construct virosomes (reconstituted virus envelopes) with LpxL1 incorporated in the virosomal membrane thus combining the influenza hemagglutinin (HA) antigen and the adjuvant in the same particle. Mice were immunized in a one- or two-dose immunization regimen with H5N1 virosomes with or without incorporated LpxL1. After a single immunization, H5N1 virosomes with incorporated LpxL1 induced significantly enhanced H5N1-specific total IgG titers as compared to non-adjuvanted virosomes but hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers remained low. In the two-dose immunization regimen, LpxL1-modified H5N1 virosomes induced HI titers above 40 which were significantly higher than those obtained with non-adjuvanted virosomes. Incorporation of LpxL1 had little effect on virosome-induced IgG1 levels, but significantly increased IgG2a levels in both the one- and two-dose immunization regimen. Compared to non-adjuvanted virosomes, LpxL1-modified virosomes induced similar numbers of IFNγ-producing T cells but decreased numbers of IL-4-producing T cells irrespective of the number of immunizations. We conclude that LpxL1 incorporated in H5N1 influenza virosomes has the capacity to function as a potent adjuvant particularly stimulating Th1-type immune reactions.

Animal viruses are able to fuse with prokaryotic cells. Fusion between Sendai or influenza virions and Mycoplasma.

Sendai and influenza virions are able to fuse with mycoplasmata. Virus-Mycoplasma fusion was demonstrated by the use of fluorescently labeled intact virions and fluorescence dequenching, as well as by electron microscopy. A high degree of fusion was observed upon incubation of both virions with Mycoplasma gallisepticum or Mycoplasma capricolum. Significantly less virus-cell fusion was observed with Acholeplasma laidlawii, whose membrane contains relatively low amounts of cholesterol. The requirement of cholesterol for allowing virus-Mycoplasma fusion was also demonstrated by showing that a low degree of fusion was obtained with M. capricolum, whose cholesterol content was decreased by modifying its growth medium. Fluorescence dequenching was not observed by incubating unfusogenic virions with mycoplasmata. Sendai virions were rendered nonfusogenic by treatment with trypsin, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, or dithiothreitol, whereas influenza virions were made nonfusogenic by treatment with glutaraldehyde, ammonium hydroxide, high temperatures, or incubation at low pH. Practically no fusion was observed using influenza virions bearing uncleaved hemagglutinin. Trypsinization of influenza virions bearing uncleaved hemagglutinin greatly stimulated their ability to fuse with Mycoplasma cells. Similarly to intact virus particles, also reconstituted virus envelopes, bearing the two viral glycoproteins, fused with M. capricolum. However, membrane vesicles, bearing only the viral binding (HN) or fusion (F) glycoproteins, failed to fuse with mycoplasmata. Fusion between animal enveloped virions and prokaryotic cells was thus demonstrated.