A multivalent and cross-protective vaccine strategy against arenaviruses associated with human disease

• Published in: PLoS pathogens 2009-12, Vol.5 (12), p.e1000695-e1000695
• Main Authors: Kotturi, Maya F, Botten, Jason, Sidney, John, Bui, Huynh-Hoa, Giancola, Lori, Maybeno, Matt, Babin, Josie, Oseroff, Carla, Pasquetto, Valerie, Greenbaum, Jason A, Peters, Bjoern, Ting, Joey, Do, Danh, Vang, Lo, Alexander, Jeff, Grey, Howard, Buchmeier, Michael J, Sette, Alessandro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal models; Animals; Antigen-presenting cells; Antigenic determinants; Antigens, Viral - therapeutic use; Arenaviridae; Arenaviridae - immunology; Arenaviridae Infections - prevention & control; Arenaviridae Infections - therapy; Arenavirus; Arenavirus diseases; Arenaviruses; Aseptic meningitis; Care and treatment; CD8 antigen; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Computational Biology; Cross Reactions - immunology; Development and progression; Epitopes; Epitopes - therapeutic use; Ethnic groups; Experiments; Genetic diversity; Glycoproteins; Hemorrhagic fever; Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral - prevention & control; Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral - therapy; Histocompatibility antigen HLA; HLA-A Antigens - therapeutic use; Humans; Immunization; Immunology; Immunology/Immunity to Infections; Infection; Infections; Infectious Diseases/Viral Infections; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Lymphocytic choriomeningitis; Major histocompatibility complex; Meningitis; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Molecular weight; Morbidity; Mortality; Pathogens; Physiological aspects; Prevention; Proteins; RNA polymerase; Sabia; Transgenic mice; Treatment Outcome; Vaccines; Vaccinia; Viral vaccines; Viral Vaccines - immunology; Virology/Animal Models of Infection; Virology/Host Antiviral Responses; Virology/Vaccines; Viruses
• ISSN: 1553-7374; 1553-7366; 1553-7374
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000695

Arenaviruses are the causative pathogens of severe hemorrhagic fever and aseptic meningitis in humans, for which no licensed vaccines are currently available. Pathogen heterogeneity within the Arenaviridae family poses a significant challenge for vaccine development. The main hypothesis we tested in the present study was whether it is possible to design a universal vaccine strategy capable of inducing simultaneous HLA-restricted CD8+ T cell responses against 7 pathogenic arenaviruses (including the lymphocytic choriomeningitis, Lassa, Guanarito, Junin, Machupo, Sabia, and Whitewater Arroyo viruses), either through the identification of widely conserved epitopes, or by the identification of a collection of epitopes derived from multiple arenavirus species. By inoculating HLA transgenic mice with a panel of recombinant vaccinia viruses (rVACVs) expressing the different arenavirus proteins, we identified 10 HLA-A02 and 10 HLA-A03-restricted epitopes that are naturally processed in human antigen-presenting cells. For some of these epitopes we were able to demonstrate cross-reactive CD8+ T cell responses, further increasing the coverage afforded by the epitope set against each different arenavirus species. Importantly, we showed that immunization of HLA transgenic mice with an epitope cocktail generated simultaneous CD8+ T cell responses against all 7 arenaviruses, and protected mice against challenge with rVACVs expressing either Old or New World arenavirus glycoproteins. In conclusion, the set of identified epitopes allows broad, non-ethnically biased coverage of all 7 viral species targeted by our studies.