Co-administration of GP96 and Her2/neu DNA vaccine in a Her2 breast cancer model

Heat-shock proteins have biochemical and immunological roles in chaperoning/signaling and activation of innate and adaptive immune responses, respectively. Their effect on the immune response is due to a phenomenon known as cross-priming of antigen, in which exogenous antigens are presented via MHC class I by antigen presenting cells. GP96 exerts adjuvant activity with some viral and bacterial antigens when applied in the form of a DNA vaccine. In this study, animals with Her2-expressing tumors were vaccinated by co-administration of GP96+ Her2/neu DNA vaccines. Analyses of the immune response, 2 weeks after the last immunization revealed decreased CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ naturally occurring regulatory T cells (Tregs) at the tumor site and increased IFN-γ/IL-4 level. Nevertheless, the graph of tumor size demonstrated a bi-phasic pattern in which partial control of tumor progression initially occurred, but finally its effectiveness was inversely affected by tumor size.     

N-terminally fusion of Her2/neu to HSP70 decreases efficiency of Her2/neu DNA vaccine

DNA vaccines consisted of tumor-associated antigen (TAA) are well suited for immunotherapy against tumor. The construct can contain TAA fused to an appropriate molecule (biologic adjuvant) to improve the efficacy of anti-tumor immune response. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) has been shown to be an excellent candidate, capable of cross-priming TAA by antigen presenting cells leading to a robust T-cell response. However, the relationship between strong T-cell responses and tumor rejection is not always mutually exclusive, for which TAA loss or activation of suppressive mechanisms may occur. HSP70 fused to downstream of Her2/neu as DNA vaccine has been shown to be efficient against Her2-expressing tumors. In this study, we examined if N-terminally fusion of Her2/neu to HSP70 could also improve efficiency of Her2/neu DNA vaccine. Therefore, mice with an established Her2/neu expressing tumor were immunized with DNA vaccine consisting of extracellular and trans-membrane domain (EC+TM) of rat Her2/neu alone or N-terminally fused to HSP70 and immune response was evaluated. Administration of rat Her2/neu led to partial control of tumor progression. Surprisingly, fusion of HSP70 to N-terminal of rat Her2/neu led to tumor progression. Our result proposes that fusion direction of biologic adjuvant is an important consideration when Her2/neu is used.     

Comparison of adjuvant activity of N- and C-terminal domain of gp96 in a Her2-positive breast cancer model

It has been frequently reported that gp96 acts as a strong biologic adjuvant. Some studies have even investigated adjuvant activity of the gp96 C- or N-terminal domain. The controversy surrounding adjuvant activity of gp96 terminal domains prompted us to compare adjuvant activity of gp96 C- or N-terminal domain toward Her2/neu, as DNA vaccine in a Her2/neu-positive breast cancer model. To do so, mice were immunized with DNA vaccine consisting of transmembrane and extracellular domain (TM + ECD) of rat Her2/neu alone or fused to N- or C-terminal domain of gp96. Treatment with Her2/neu fused to N-terminal domain of gp96 resulted in tumor progression, compared to the groups vaccinated with pCT/Her2 or pHer2. Immunological examination revealed that treatment with Her2/neu fused to N-terminal domain of gp96 led to significantly lower survival rates, higher interferon-γ secretion, and induced infiltration of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ cells to the tumor site. However, it could not induce cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity, did not decrease regulatory T cell percentage at the tumor site, and eventually led to tumor progression. Our results reveal that gp96 N-terminal domain does not have adjuvant activity toward Her2/neu. It is also proposed that adjuvant activity and the resultant immune response of gp96 terminal domains may be directed by the antigen applied.     

电转联合热休克蛋白佐剂疫苗引发抗HBV的免疫应答

针对HBV感染的治疗性DNA疫苗虽然具有很好的应用前景,但目前抗病毒效果并不高,表明在病毒长期感染过程中存在免疫抑制机制。以HBV的表面蛋白(HBsAg)和核心蛋白(HBcAg)为DNA疫苗抗原,采用gp96和HSP70作为佐剂联合电转以提高疫苗的活性。将gp96为佐剂的HBsAg/HBcAg DNA疫苗免疫HBV转基因鼠后引发抗原特异性的细胞免疫和体液免疫应答。使用gp96和HSP70佐剂引起Treg下调20%。与没有免疫的小鼠相比,以gp96和HSP70为佐剂的DNA疫苗显著降低血清中病毒S抗原水平和DNA拷贝数,大幅降低小鼠肝脏中HBc的表达。该研究为设计以gp96为佐剂的乙肝治疗性DNA疫苗提供了依据。     

C-terminal domain of the Uup ATP-binding cassette ATPase is an essential folding domain that binds to DNA

The Uup protein belongs to a subfamily of soluble ATP-binding cassette (ABC) ATPases that have been implicated in several processes different from transmembrane transport of molecules, such as transposon precise excision. We have demonstrated previously that Escherichia coli Uup is able to bind DNA. DNA binding capacity is lowered in a truncated Uup protein lacking its C-terminal domain (CTD), suggesting a contribution of CTD to DNA binding. In the present study, we characterize the role of CTD in the function of Uup, on its overall stability and in DNA binding. To this end, we expressed and purified isolated CTD and we investigated the structural and functional role of this domain. The results underline that CTD is essential for the function of Uup, is stable and able to fold up autonomously. We compared the DNA binding activities of three versions of the protein (Uup, UupΔCTD and CTD) by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. CTD is able to bind DNA although less efficiently than intact Uup and UupΔCTD. These observations suggest that CTD is an essential domain that contributes directly to the DNA binding ability of Uup.     

Enhancing the potency of HBV DNA vaccines using fusion genes of HBV-specific antigens and the N-terminal fragment of gp96

BACKGROUND: Many clinical trials show that DNA vaccine potency needs to be greatly enhanced. We have reported that the N-terminal fragment of glycoprotein 96 (gp96) is able to produce an adjuvant effect for production of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific peptides. Here, we report a new strategy for HBV DNA vaccine design using a partial gp96 sequence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We linked the N-terminal 1-355aa (N355) of gp96 to HBV genes encoding for structural proteins, the major S and middle S2S envelope proteins and the truncated core HBcAg (1-149aa). ELISPOT, tetramer staining and intracellular IFN-gamma assay were performed to analyze the induced cellular immune responses of our DNA constructs in BALB/c mice and HLA-A2 transgenic mice. The relative humoral immune responses were analyzed in different IgG isotypes. RESULTS: The fusion genes induced 2- to 6-fold higher HBV-specific CD8(+) T cells as compared to the antigens alone. There was an approximate 10-fold decrease in the humoral immune responses with fusion genes based on HBV envelope proteins. Interestingly, the decreased humoral immune responses were not observed when antigens and plasmid encoding N355 were co-delivered. However, an approximate 20-fold higher antibody level was induced when linking N355 to a truncated HBcAg. Immunization by intramuscular injection resulted in predominantly IgG2a antibodies, which indicated that these vaccines preferentially prime Th1 responses. CONCLUSIONS: We constructed highly immunogenic fusions by linking the N-terminal fragment of gp96 to HBV antigens. Our results imply that the N-terminal fragment of gp96 may be used as a molecular adjuvant to enhance the potency of DNA vaccines.     

Activity of DNA vaccines encoding self or heterologous Her-2/neu in Her-2 or neu transgenic mice

To assess the efficacy of self versus heterologous ErbB-2 vaccines, the reactivity to human and rat ErbB-2 (Her-2 and neu, respectively) DNA vaccines were tested in normal, Her-2 or neu transgenic mice. When immunized with either Her-2 or neu DNA, normal BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice produced cross-reactive T cells, but only antigen specific antibodies. In Her-2 Tg mice, weak to no anti-Her-2 response was induced by either self Her-2 or heterologous neu DNA, demonstrating profound tolerance to Her-2 and the inability to induce anti-Her-2 immunity with either vaccine. In NeuT mice, vaccination with self neu but not heterologous Her-2 DNA induced anti-neu antibodies and delayed spontaneous tumorigenesis. Both neu and Her-2 DNA induced anti-neu T cell response, but depletion of CD8 T cells did not change the delay in tumorigenesis. Therefore, in NeuT mice, both self and heterologous DNA activated anti-neu T cells, although T cell response did not reach sufficient level to suppress spontaneous tumorigenesis. Rather, induction of anti-neu antibodies by self neu DNA is associated with the delay in spontaneous tumor growth. Overall, NeuT mice were more responsive to DNA vaccination than Her-2 Tg mice and this may be associated with the continuous production of neu by the 10 mammary glands undergoing tumor progression.     

The effect of C-terminal domain deletion on the catalytic activity of Leishmania donovani surface proteinase GP63: Role of Ser446 in proteolysis

The kinetoplastid protozoan Leishmania encodes major surface glycoprotein GP63, a zinc metallo-peptidase (EC.3.4.24.36) expressed both in promastigote and amastigote life stages. In the present study, we explored for the first time the role of C-terminal domain (CTD) in proteinase activity by serial truncation of Leishmania donovani GP63 (LdGP63) from carboxyl terminal end (CTend). Deletion of 180–211 amino acids from CTend (Δ420 and Δ389) resulted in almost 50% loss of catalytic activity against azocasein, casein and gelatin. Moreover, all the truncated constructs showed reduced activity towards immunoglobulin (IgG). Upon homology modeling, we identified two residues, S446, and F448 in CTD, conserved in different Leishmania species, which were positioned 6.8–11 Å apart from the active site. To ascertain the role of S446 and F448 in catalysis, we replaced S446 with Ala and Thr, and F448 with Val and Tyr by site-directed mutagenesis. The variant enzymes (S446T, F448V, and F448Y) maintained near wild-type activity, whereas S446A demonstrated 50% loss of catalytic activity towards the cleavage of various biological substrates. Kinetic analysis of S446A resulted in a 2.6-fold decrease in the affinity, 10-fold decrease in turn-over rates, and large increase in transition-state binding energy (1.4 kcal/mol) for the quenched peptide substrates. These results emphasize the relevance of CTD in the proteolytic activity of LdGP63. Fluorescence spectroscopy, and CD analysis however, indicated that the reduced activities showed by Δ389 and S446A were not due to global changes in the enzyme structures. Indeed, identification of S446 and its possible role in the stabilization of transition-state binding between enzyme and substrate can be exploited towards understanding of structure–function relationship of GP63.     

The C-terminal domain is sufficient for host-binding activity of the Mu phage tail-spike protein

The Mu phage virion contains tail-spike proteins beneath the baseplate, which it uses to adsorb to the outer membrane of Escherichia coli during the infection process. The tail spikes are composed of gene product 45 (gp45), which contains 197 amino acid residues. In this study, we purified and characterized both the full-length and the C-terminal domains of recombinant gp45 to identify the functional and structural domains. Limited proteolysis resulted in a Ser64-Gln197 sequence, which was composed of a stable C-terminal domain. Analytical ultracentrifugation of the recombinant C-terminal domain (gp45-C) indicated that the molecular weight of gp45-C was about 58 kDa and formed a trimeric protomer in solution. Coprecipitation experiments and a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) demonstrated that gp45-C irreversibly binds to the E. coli membrane. These results indicate that gp45 shows behaviors similar to tail-spike proteins of other phages; however, gp45 did not show significant sequence homology with the other phage tail-spike structures that have been identified.     

Synergistic antitumor effect of a human papillomavirus DNA vaccine harboring E6E7 fusion gene and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 gene

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been identified as the primary etiological factor in cervical cancer as well as in subsets of anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers. The two HPV viral oncoproteins, E6 and E7, are uniquely and consistently expressed in all HPV‐infected cells and are therefore promising targets for therapeutic vaccination. In order to achieve a synergistic antitumor and anti‐angiogenesis effect, we designed and constructed a novel DNA vaccine that can express the HPV 16 E6E7 fusion protein and VEGFR2 in the same reading frame. A series of DNA plasmids encoding E6E7, VEGFR2 and their conjugates were constructed and injected into mice. The resultant humoral and cellular immune responses were detected by ELISA and enzyme‐linked immunospot (ELISPOT), respectively. To evaluate the antitumor efficacy of these plasmids, tumor‐bearing mice expressing the E6E7 fusion protein were constructed. After injection into the tumor‐bearing mouse model, the plasmid harboring the E6E7 fusion gene and VEGFR2 showed stronger inhibition of tumor growth than the plasmid expressing E6E7 or VEGFR2 alone, which indicated that the combination of E6E7 and VEGFR2 could exert a synergistic antitumor effect. These observations emphasize the potential of a synergistic antitumor and anti‐angiogenesis strategy using a DNA vaccine, which could be a promising approach for tumor immunotherapy.     

HER-2/neu mediated down-regulation of MHC class I antigen processing prevents CTL-mediated tumor recognition upon DNA vaccination in HLA-A2 transgenic mice

To study DNA vaccination directed against human HER-2 in the HHD mouse Tg strain, we created a novel HER-2-expressing syngeneic tumor transplantation model. We found that a DNA vaccine encoding the full length HER-2 DNA protected HHD mice from HER-2⁺ tumor challenge by a CTL independent mechanism. A more efficient approach to induce HLA-A2 restricted CTLs, through immunization with a multi-epitope DNA vaccine expressing the HLA-A2 restricted HER-2 369–377, 435–443 and 689–697 epitopes, resulted in high numbers of peptide specific T cells but failed to induce tumor protection. Subsequently we discovered that HER-2 transfected tumor cells down-regulated MHC class I antigen expression and exhibited a series of defects in the antigen processing pathway which impaired the capacity to produce and display MHC class I peptide-ligands to specific CTLs. Our data demonstrate that HER-2 transfection is associated with defects in the MHC class I presentation pathway, which may be the underlying mechanism behind the inability of CTLs to recognize tumors in this HLA-A2 transgenic model. As defective MHC class I presentation may be a common characteristic of HER-2 expressing tumors, vaccines targeting HER-2 should aim at inducing an integrated immune response where also CD4⁺ T cells and antibodies are important components. S. Vertuani and C. Triulzi contributed equally to this work.     

Characterization of a human SWI2/SNF2 like protein hINO80: demonstration of catalytic and DNA binding activity

The proteins belonging to SWI2/SNF2 family of DNA dependent ATPases are important members of the chromatin remodeling complexes that are implicated in epigenetic control of gene expression. We have identified a human gene with a putative DNA binding domain, which belongs to the INO80 subfamily of SWI2/SNF2 proteins. Here we report the cloning, expression, and functional activity of the domains from hINO80 gene both in terms of the DNA dependent ATPase as well as DNA binding activity. A differential expression of the various domains within this gene is detected in human tissues while a ubiquitous expression is detected in mice. The intranuclear localization is demonstrated using antibodies directed against the DBINO domain of hINO80.     

Cross immunity of DNA vaccine pVAX1-cSZ2-IL-2 to Eimeria tenella, E. necatrix and E. maxima

The study describes cross protection experiments with chimeric DNA vaccine pVAX1-cSZ2-IL-2 to determine its efficacy against four important Eimeria species. Seven-day-old chickens were randomly divided into nine groups; group 1 negative control, groups 2, 3, 4, 5 positive controls; and groups 6, 7, 8 and 9 experimental groups. On days 7 and 14, groups 1-5 were injected with TE buffer, and groups 6-9 with the vaccine. At 21 days of age, all chickens were inoculated with 5 × 10⁴ sporulated oocysts except for the negative control. Groups 2 and 6 were inoculated with Eimeria tenella, groups 3 and 7 with Eimerianecatrix, groups 4 and 8 with Eimeria acervulina and groups 5 and 9 with Eimeria maxima. Seven days later, all chickens were weighed and slaughtered to obtain intestinal samples. Efficacy of immunization was evaluated on the basis of oocyst decrease ratio, lesion score, body-weight gain and anti-coccidial index. The results indicated that the recombinant plasmid can induce host immune responses by alleviating intestinal lesions, body weight loss and oocyst ratio and imparting good protection against E. tenella and E.acervulina, medium protection against E. necatrix but little effect against E. maxima. It is concluded that the conserved antigen can provide cross protection and should be explored further.     

幽门螺杆菌Lpp20-IL2核酸疫苗免疫活性

【目的】观察pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2免疫C57BL/6小鼠后所产生的体液免疫和细胞免疫应答水平,为研制高效、新型的幽门螺杆菌核酸疫苗提供实验依据。【方法】构建pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2重组载体,并转染HeLa细胞,用Western-blot观察鉴定其在真核细胞得到表达后免疫C57BL/6小鼠,ELISA间接法测定小鼠血清中抗Lpp20IgG抗体水平,ELISA双抗体夹心法检测脾淋巴细胞培养上清中IFN-γ、IL4水平,MTT比色法检测脾淋巴细胞增殖反应,免疫荧光组化法检测Lpp20蛋白在小鼠肌肉组织中的表达情况。【结果】成功构建了pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2真核表达载体,且重组质粒能在HeLa细胞内有效表达目的蛋白;小鼠接种pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2核酸疫苗后能产生特异性IgG抗体,8w后ELISA测定血清抗体A450值明显升高。核酸疫苗pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2免疫组小鼠脾淋巴细胞经特异性抗原刺激后,培养上清中IFN-γ、IL4含量明显升高。pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2和pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20核酸疫苗组小鼠脾淋巴细胞经特异性抗原刺激后,刺激指数明显高于空质粒组和PBS组。Lpp20蛋白在小鼠肌肉组织中能够有效表达。【结论】幽门螺杆菌Lpp20-IL2融合基因核酸疫苗和Lpp20单基因核酸疫苗均能刺激机体产生较强细胞免疫应答和体液免疫应答,且前者能诱导更强的细胞免疫应答。     

Human CD80/IL2 lentivirus transduced acute myeloid leukaemia cells enhance cytolytic activity in vitro in spite of an increase in regulatory CD4<Superscript>+</Superscript> T cells in a subset of cultures

Immunotherapeutic strategies are increasingly being explored as a method of enhancing anti-tumour immune responses in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Regulatory CD4⁺ T cells (Tregs) suppress effector T and natural killer (NK) cells and therefore pose a potential challenge to the efficacy of immunotherapy. AML cells transduced with a lentivirus expressing CD80 (B7.1) and IL2 (LV-CD80/IL2) are capable of stimulating T and NK cell cytotoxicity in vitro. This study examines the effect of CD80/IL2 modified AML cells on Treg number and function. We report a significant increase in the number of CD8⁺ T cells (P = 0.046) CD3⁻CD56⁺ NK cells (P = 0.028) and CD3⁺CD4⁺CD25^highFoxp3⁺ Tregs (P = 0.043) following stimulation for 7 days with allogeneic LV-CD80/IL2 AMLs. In contrast, autologous LV-CD80/IL2 AML cell cultures provide a weaker stimulation with a lower number of CD8⁺ T cells (P = 0.011) and no change in NK cell or Treg numbers. However, an increase in cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells and NK cells are detected following both allogeneic and autologous LV-CD80/IL2 stimulation as demonstrated by an increase in IFN-γ and CD107a expression. Despite the presence of increased numbers of Tregs with suppressive activity in a subset of cultures, increased lysis of unmodified AMLs was still achieved following allogeneic (day 0, 2.2%; day 7, 20.4%) and more importantly, autologous LV-CD80/IL2 culture in which AML patients had recently received intensive chemotherapy (day 0, 0%; day 7, 16%). Vaccination with LV-CD80/IL2 therefore provides a potential strategy to enhance anti-leukaemia immune responses without a concomitant stimulation of Treg-mediated inhibition of cytotoxic immunological responses.     

SUMO ligase activity of vertebrate Mms21/Nse2 is required for efficient DNA repair but not for Smc5/6 complex stability

Nse2/Mms21 is an E3 SUMO ligase component of the Smc5/6 complex, which plays multiple roles in maintaining genome stability. To study the functions of the vertebrate Nse2 orthologue, we generated Nse2-deficient chicken DT40 cells. Nse2 was dispensable for DT40 cell viability and required for efficient repair of bulky DNA lesions, although Nse2-deficient cells showed normal sensitivity to ionising radiation-induced DNA damage. Homologous recombination activities were reduced in Nse2^−/−/− cells. Nse2 deficiency destabilised Smc5, but not Smc6. In rescue experiments, we found that the SUMO ligase activity of Nse2 was required for an efficient response to MMS- or cis-platin-induced DNA damage, and for homologous recombination, but not for Smc5 stability. Gel filtration analysis indicated that Smc5 and Nse2 remain associated during the cell cycle and after DNA damage and Smc5/Smc6 association is independent of Nse2. Analysis of Nse2^−/−/−Smc5⁻ clones, which were viable although slow-growing, showed no significant increase in DNA damage sensitivity. We propose that Nse2 determines the activity, but not the assembly, of the Smc5/6 complex in vertebrate cells, and this activity requires the Nse2 SUMO ligase function.     

Crystal structural analysis and metal-dependent stability and activity studies of the ColE7 endonuclease domain in complex with DNA/Zn2+ or inhibitor/Ni2+

The nuclease domain of ColE7 (N-ColE7) contains an H-N-H motif that folds in a beta beta alpha-metal topology. Here we report the crystal structures of a Zn2+-bound N-ColE7 (H545E mutant) in complex with a 12-bp duplex DNA and a Ni2+-bound N-ColE7 in complex with the inhibitor Im7 at a resolution of 2.5 A and 2.0 A, respectively. Metal-dependent cleavage assays showed that N-ColE7 cleaves double-stranded DNA with a single metal ion cofactor, Ni2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+. ColE7 purified from Escherichia coli contains an endogenous zinc ion that was not replaced by Mg2+ at concentrations of <25 mM, indicating that zinc is the physiologically relevant metal ion in N-ColE7 in host E. coli. In the crystal structure of N-ColE7/DNA complex, the zinc ion is directly coordinated to three histidines and the DNA scissile phosphate in a tetrahedral geometry. In contrast, Ni2+ is bound in N-ColE7 in two different modes, to four ligands (three histidines and one phosphate ion), or to five ligands with an additional water molecule. These data suggest that the divalent metal ion in the His-metal finger motif can be coordinated to six ligands, such as Mg2+ in I-PpoI, Serratia nuclease and Vvn, five ligands or four ligands, such as Ni2+ or Zn2+ in ColE7. Universally, the metal ion in the His-metal finger motif is bound to the DNA scissile phosphate and serves three roles during hydrolysis: polarization of the P-O bond for nucleophilic attack, stabilization of the phosphoanion transition state and stabilization of the cleaved product.     

Helicase associated 2 domain is essential for helicase activity of RNA helicase A

RNA helicase A (RHA), a DExD/H box protein, plays critical roles in a wide variety of cellular or viral functions. RHA contains a conserved core helicase domain that is flanked by five other domains. Two double-stranded RNA binding domains (dsRBD1 and dsRBD2) are at the N-terminus, whereas HA2 (helicase associated 2), OB-fold (oligonucleotide- or oligosaccharide-binding fold), and RGG (repeats of arginine and glycine–glycine residues) domains are at the C-terminus. The role of these domains in the helicase activity of RHA is still elusive due to the difficulty of obtaining enzymatically active mutant RHA. Here, we purified a series of mutant RHAs containing deletions in either N-terminus or C-terminus. Analysis of these mutant RHAs reveals that the dsRBDs are not required for RNA unwinding, but can enhance the helicase activity by promoting the binding of RHA to substrate RNA. In contrast, deletion of C-terminal domains including RGG, OB-fold, and HA2 does not significantly affect the binding of RHA to substrate RNA. However, HA2 is essential for the RNA unwinding by RHA whereas the RGG and OB-fold are dispensable. The results indicate that the core helicase domain alone is not enough for RHA to execute the unwinding activity.