Poxvirus vectors have proven to be highly effective for boosting immune responses in diverse vaccine settings. Recent reports reveal marked differences in the gene expression of human dendritic cells infected with two leading poxvirus-based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine candidates, New York vaccinia virus (NYVAC) and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA). To understand how complex genomic changes in these two vaccine vectors translate into antigen-specific systemic immune responses, we undertook a head-to-head vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy study in the pathogenic HIV type 1 (HIV-1) model of AIDS in Indian rhesus macaques. Differences in the immune responses in outbred animals were not distinguished by enzymelinked immunospot assays, but differences were distinguished by multiparameter fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis, revealing a difference between the number of animals with both CD4 ؉ and CD8 ؉ T-cell responses to vaccine inserts (MVA) and those that elicit a dominant CD4 ؉ T-cell response (NYVAC). Remarkably, vector-induced differences in CD4 ؉ /CD8 ؉ T-cell immune responses persisted for more than a year after challenge and even accompanied antigenic modulation throughout the control of chronic infection. Importantly, strong preexposure HIV-1/simian immunodeficiency virus-specific CD4 ؉ T-cell responses did not prove deleterious with respect to accelerated disease progression. In contrast, in this setting, animals with strong vaccine-induced polyfunctional CD4 ؉ T-cell responses showed efficacies similar to those with stronger CD8 ؉ T-cell responses.
Immune correlates of vaccine protection from HIV-1 infection would provide important milestones to guide HIV-1 vaccine development. In a proof of concept study using mucosal priming and systemic boosting, the titer of neutralizing antibodies in sera were found to correlate with protection of mucosally exposed rhesus macaques from SHIV infection. Mucosal priming consisted of two sequential immunizations at 12-week intervals with replicating host range mutants of adenovirus type 5 (Ad5hr) expressing the HIV-189.6p env gene. Following boosting with either heterologous recombinant protein or alphavirus replicons at 12-week intervals animals were intrarectally exposed to infectious doses of the CCR5 tropic SHIVSF162p4. Heterologous mucosal prime systemic boost immunization elicited neutralizing antibodies (Nabs), antibody dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC), and specific patterns of antibody binding to envelope peptides. Vaccine induced protection did not correlate with the type of boost nor T-cell responses, but rather with the Nab titer prior to exposure.
Rhesus macaques (Macaca؉ and CD8 ؉ T cells of the central memory as well as the effector memory phenotype, capable of simultaneously eliciting multiple cytokines (IFN-␥, interleukin 2, and tumor necrosis factor alpha), were induced. Responses were highly similar in humans and primates, confirming earlier data indicating that priming is essential for inducing robust NYVAC-boosted IFN-␥ T-cell responses. While significant similarities were observed in Env-specific responses in both species, differences were also observed with respect to responses to other HIV antigens. Future studies with other vaccines using identical lots, immunization schedules, and readouts will establish a broader data set of species similarities and differences with which increased confidence in predicting human responses may be achieved.
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