Browsing by keyword "DNA Vaccines"
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Adjuvant-Specific Serum Cytokine Profiles in the Context of a DNA Prime-Protein Boost HIV-1 Vaccine: A DissertationIn recent years, heterologous prime-boost vaccination constructs have emerged as a promising strategy to generate broad and protective immunity against a variety of pathogens. The utility of DNA vaccination in priming the immune system, in particular, has improved the immunogenicity of vaccines against difficult pathogens such as HIV-1. In addition, many vaccine formulations include an adjuvant to augment immune responses. However, the mechanisms and profiles of many adjuvants remain largely unknown, particularly in the context of such combination immunization approaches. My thesis research studied the effects of several adjuvants, QS-21, aluminum hydroxide, MPL, and ISCOMATRIX™ adjuvant in the context of a previously described pentavalent HIV-1 Env DNA prime-protein boost vaccine, DP6-001. In a murine model, we quantified HIV antigen-specific humoral and T cell responses, as well as pro-inflammatory serum cytokine and chemokines, both shortly after immunization and at the termination of studies. Our data indicates that each candidate adjuvant generates a unique pattern of biomarkers as well as improved immunogenicity in the context of the DP6-001 DNA prime-protein boost vaccine. Additionally, we examined the impact of several innate signaling pathways on the adaptive immunity raised by DP6-001 and adjuvants, as well as on the unique serum cytokine profiles. These studies provide valuable information in selection of an adjuvant for inclusion in future prime-boost strategies, with the goal of enhancing immunogenicity while minimizing reactogenicity. Furthermore, these studies provided insight about the utility of different current adjuvants in a prime-boost formulation, and the unique immune environment induced by DNA priming.
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Characterization of Envelope-Specific Antibody Response Elicited by HIV-1 Vaccines: A DissertationDespite 30 years of intensive research,an effective human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine still remains elusive. The desirable immune response capable of providing protection against HIV acquisition is still not clear. The accumulating evidence learned from a recent vaccine efficacy correlate study not only confirmed the importance of antibody responses, but also highlighted potential protective functions of antibodies with a broad repertoire of HIV-1 epitope specificities and a wide range of different antiviral mechanisms. This necessitates a deep understanding of the complexity and diversity of antibody responses elicited by HIV-1 vaccines. My dissertation characterizes antibody response profiles of HIV-1 Env antibodies elicited by several novel immunogens or different immunization regimens, in terms of magnitude, persistence, epitope specificity, binding affinity, and biological function. First, to overcome the challenge of studying polyclonal sera without established assays, we expanded a novel platform to isolate Env-specific Rabbit mAbs (RmAb) elicited by DNA prime-protein boost immunization. These RmAbs revealed diverse epitope specificity and cross-reactivity against multiple gp120 antigens from more than one subtype, and several had potent and broad neutralizing activities against sensitive Tier 1 viruses. Further, structural analysis of two V3 mAbs demonstrated that a slight shift of the V3 epitope might have a dramatic impact on their neutralization activity. All of these observations provide a useful tool to study the induction of a desired type of antibody by different immunogens or different immunization regimens. Since heavily glycosylated HIV Env protein is a critical component of an HIV vaccine, we wanted to determine the impact of the HIV Env-associated glycan shield on antibody responses. We were able to produce Env proteins with a selective and homogeneous pattern of N-glycosylation using a glycoengineered yeast cell line. Antigenicity of these novel Env proteins was examined by well-characterized human mAbs. Immunogenicity studies showed that they were immunogenic and elicited gp120- specific antibody responses. More significantly, sera elicited by glycan-modified gp120 protein immunogens revealed better neutralizing activities and increased diversity of epitopes compared to sera elicited by traditional gp120 produced in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. Further, we examined the impact of the delivery order of DNA and protein immunization on antibody responses. We found that DNA prime-protein boost induced a comparable level of Env-specific binding Abs at the peak immunogenicity point to codelivery of DNA. However, antibody responses from DNA prime-protein boost had high avidity and diverse specificities, which improved potency and breadth of neutralizing Abs against Tier 1 viruses. Our data indicate that DNA vaccine priming of the immune system is essential for generation of high-quality antibodies. Additionally, we determined the relative immunogenicity of gp120 and gp160 Env in the context of DNA prime-protein boost vaccination to induce high-quality antibody responses. Immunized sera from gp120 DNA primed animals, but not those primed with gp160 DNA, presented with distinct antibody repertoire specificities, a high magnitude of CD4 binding site-directed binding capabilities as well as neutralizing activities. We confirmed the importance of using the gp120 Env form at the DNA priming phase, which directly determined the quality of antibody response.
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Characterization of Innate Immune Pathways in DNA Vaccine-Induced, Antigen-Specific Immune Responses: A DissertationA major advantage of DNA vaccination is the ability to induce both humoral and cellular immune responses. DNA vaccines are currently used in veterinary medicine, but their tendency to display low immunogenicity in humans has hindered their usage, despite excellent tolerability and safety profiles. Various approaches have been used to improve the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines. Recent human study data re-established the value of DNA vaccines, especially in priming high-level antigen-specific antibody responses. Data suggests that innate immune responses to the DNA vaccine plasmid itself contribute to the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines, however the underlying mechanisms responsible remain unclear. In this dissertation, we investigate the role of innate immunity in shaping antigen-specific adaptive immune responses following DNA vaccination. The current belief is that the cytosolic DNA sensing pathways govern DNA vaccine immunogenicity. To date, only the type I interferon inducing STING/TBK1 regulatory pathway has been identified as required for DNA vaccine immunogenicity. Surprisingly, neither the upstream receptor nor the downstream signaling molecules in this pathway have been characterized. I therefore investigated a candidate cytosolic DNA receptor, as well as the downstream transcription factors required for generation of antigen-specific immune responses. Additionally, the effects of pro-inflammatory signaling on DNA vaccine immunogenicity have yet to be comprehensively studied. Previous studies have only provided indirect evidence for the role of inflammatory v signaling in DNA vaccination. As such, I also investigated the role of the DNA sensing AIM2 inflammasome in DNA vaccination. My data indicates that AIM2 is a key modulator in DNA vaccination via a previously unrecognized connection to type I interferon. Importantly, this marks the first time a DNA vaccine sensor has been identified. Of note, this dissertation represents a departure from many published works in the field. Whereas previous studies have mostly utilized model antigens and only focused on the adaptive immune responses generated, I analyzed the effects on innate immunity as well. Using various innate gene knockout murine models, I quantified antigen-specific humoral and T cell responses, as well as serum cytokine and chemokines following immunization with a clinically relevant DNA vaccine. Overall, this data provides a basis for understanding the mechanisms of DNA vaccination, allowing for the design of more effective vaccines.


