Background DNA vaccines remain an important component of HIV vaccination strategies, typically as part of a prime/boost vaccination strategy with viral vector or protein boost. A number of DNA prime/viral vector boost vaccines are currently being evaluated for both preclinical studies and in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. These vaccines would benefit from molecular adjuvants that increase correlates of immunity during the DNA prime. While HIV vaccine immune correlates are still not well defined, there are a number of immune assays that have been shown to correlate with protection from viral challenge including CD8+ T cell avidity, antigen-specific proliferation, and polyfunctional cytokine secretion. Methodology and Principal Findings Recombinant DNA vaccine adjuvants composed of a fusion between Surfactant Protein D (SP-D) and either CD40 Ligand (CD40L) or GITR Ligand (GITRL) were previously shown to enhance HIV-1 Gag DNA vaccines. Here we show that similar fusion constructs composed of the TNF superfamily ligands (TNFSFL) 4-1BBL, OX40L, RANKL, LIGHT, CD70, and BAFF can also enhanced immune responses to a HIV-1 Gag DNA vaccine. BALB/c mice were vaccinated intramuscularly with plasmids expressing secreted Gag and SP-D-TNFSFL fusions. Initially, mice were analyzed 2 weeks or 7 weeks following vaccination to evaluate the relative efficacy of each SP-D-TNFSFL construct. All SP-D-TNFSFL constructs enhanced at least one Gag-specific immune response compared to the parent vaccine. Importantly, the constructs SP-D-4-1BBL, SP-D-OX40L, and SP-D-LIGHT enhanced CD8+ T cell avidity and CD8+/CD4+ T cell proliferation 7 weeks post vaccination. These avidity and proliferation data suggest that 4-1BBL, OX40L, and LIGHT fusion constructs may be particularly effective as vaccine adjuvants. Constructs SP-D-OX40L, SP-D-LIGHT, and SP-D-BAFF enhanced Gag-specific IL-2 secretion in memory T cells, suggesting these adjuvants can increase the number of self-renewing Gag-specific CD8+ and/or CD4+ T cells. Finally adjuvants SP-D-OX40L and SP-D-CD70 increased TH1 (IgG2a) but not TH2 (IgG1) antibody responses in the vaccinated animals. Surprisingly, the B cell-activating protein BAFF did not enhance anti-Gag antibody responses when given as an SP-D fusion adjuvant, but nonetheless enhanced CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. Conclusions We present evidence that various SP-D-TNFSFL fusion constructs can enhance immune responses following DNA vaccination with HIV-1 Gag expression plasmid. These data support the continued evaluation of SP-D-TNFSFL fusion proteins as molecular adjuvants for DNA and/or viral vector vaccines. Constructs of particular interest included SP-D-OX40L, SP-D-4-1BBL, SP-D-LIGHT, and SP-D-CD70. SP-D-BAFF was surprisingly effective at enhancing T cell responses, despite its inability to enhance anti-Gag antibody secretion.

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) specific for conserved epitopes on the HIV-1 envelope (Env) are believed to be essential for protection against multiple HIV-1 clades. However, vaccines capable of stimulating the production of bNAbs remain a major challenge. Given that polyreactivity and autoreactivity are considered important characteristics of anti-HIV bNAbs, we designed an HIV vaccine incorporating the molecular adjuvants BAFF (B cell activating factor) and APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand) with the potential to facilitate the maturation of polyreactive and autoreactive B cells as well as to enhance the affinity and/or avidity of Env-specific antibodies. We designed recombinant DNA plasmids encoding soluble multitrimers of BAFF and APRIL using surfactant protein D as a scaffold, and we vaccinated mice with these molecular adjuvants using DNA and DNAprotein vaccination strategies. We found that immunization of mice with a DNA vaccine encoding BAFF or APRIL multitrimers, together with interleukin 12 (IL-12) and membrane-bound HIV-1 Env gp140, induced neutralizing antibodies against tier 1 and tier 2 (vaccine strain) viruses. The APRIL-containing vaccine was particularly effective at generating tier 2 neutralizing antibodies following a protein boost. These BAFF and APRIL effects coincided with an enhanced germinal center (GC) reaction, increased anti-gp120 antibody-secreting cells, and increased anti-gp120 functional avidity. Notably, BAFF and APRIL did not cause indiscriminate B cell expansion or an increase in total IgG. We propose that BAFF and APRIL multitrimers are promising molecular adjuvants for vaccines designed to induce bNAbs against HIV-1. IMPORTANCERecent identification of antibodies that neutralize most HIV-1 strains has revived hopes and efforts to create novel vaccines that can effectively stimulate HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies. However, the multiple immune evasion properties of HIV have hampered these efforts. These include the instability of the gp120 trimer, the inaccessibility of the conserved sequences, highly variable protein sequences, and the loss of HIV-1-specific antibody-producing cells during development. We have shown previously that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily ligands, including BAFF and APRIL, can be multitrimerized using the lung protein SP-D (surfactant protein D), enhancing immune responses. Here we show that DNA or DNA-protein vaccines encoding BAFF or APRIL multitrimers, IL-12p70, and membrane-bound HIV-1 Env gp140 induced tier 1 and tier 2 neutralizing antibodies in a mouse model. BAFF and APRIL enhanced the immune reaction, improved antibody binding, and increased the numbers of anti-HIV-1 antibody-secreting cells. Adaptation of this vaccine design may prove useful in designing preventive HIV-1 vaccines for humans.

Here we describe derivatives of the HEK293T cell line that are defective in their ability to generate mucin-type O-linked glycosylation. Using CRISPR/Cas9 and a single-cell GFP-sorting procedure, the UDP-galactose-4-epimerase (GALE), galactokinase 1 (GALK1), and galactokinase 2 (GALK2) genes were knocked out individually and in combinations with greater than 90% of recovered clones having the desired mutations. Although HEK293T cells are tetraploid, we found this approach to be an efficient method to target and disrupt all 4 copies of the target gene. Deficient glycosylation in the GALE knockout cell line could be rescued by the addition of galactose and N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) to the cell culture media. However, when key enzymes of the galactose/GalNAc salvage pathways were disrupted in tandem (GALE+GALK1 or GALE+GALK2), O-glycosylation was eliminated and could not be rescued by the addition of either galactose plus GalNAc or UDP-galactose plus UDP-GalNAc. GALK1 and GALK2 are key enzymes of the galactose/GalNAc salvage pathways. Mass spectrometry was performed on whole cell lysate of the knockout cell lines to verify the glycosylation phenotype. As expected, the GALE knockout was almost completely devoid of all O-glycosylation, with minimal glycosylation as a result of functional salvage pathways. However, the GALE+GALK1 and GALE+GALK2 knockout lines were devoid of all O-glycans. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the disruption of GALE, GALK1, and GALE+GALK2 had little effect on the N-glycome. But when GALE was knocked out in tandem with GALK1, N-glycans were exclusively of the high mannose type. Due to the well-characterized nature of these five knockout cell lines, they will likely prove useful for a wide variety of applications.

Background-Dendritic cell (DC) therapy is a promising technology for the treatment of HIV infected individuals. HIV-1 Gag-and Nef RNA-loaded DC have previously been shown to induce immune responses ex vivo following coculture with autologous lymphocytes. However, polyfunctionality and memory responses following coculture have not been evaluated. In addition, little is known regarding whether specific HIV-1 proteome components, such as highly conserved regions of the HIV-1, could enhance clinical responses following DC therapy.

HIV-1 does not significantly activate cellular immunity, which has made it difficult to use attenuated forms of HIV-1 as a vaccine. In contrast, EBV induces robust T cell responses in most infected individuals, perhaps as this virus contains LMP1, a viral mimic of CD40, which is a key activating molecule for DCs and macrophages. Consequently, studies were conducted using LMP1 and LMP1-CD40, a related construct formed by replacing the intracellular signaling domain of LMP1 with that of CD40. Upon electroporation into DCs, LMP1 and LMP1-CD40 mRNAs were sufficient to up-regulate costimulatory molecules and proinflammatory cytokines, indicating that these molecules can function in isolation as adjuvant-like molecules. As a first step toward an improved HIV vaccine, LMP1 and LMP1-CD40 were introduced into a HIV-1 construct to produce virions encoding these proteins. Transduction of DCs and macrophages with these viruses induced morphological changes and up-regulated costimulatory molecules and cytokine production by these cells. HIV-LMP1 enhanced the antigen-presenting function of DCs, as measured in an in vitro immunization assay. Taken together, these data show that LMP1 and LMP1-CD40 are portable gene cassettes with strong adjuvant properties that can be introduced into viruses such as HIV, which by themselves, are insufficient to induce protective cellular immunity.

Vaccination with tumor-associated antigens can induce cancer-specific CD8+ T cells. A recent improvement has been the targeting of antigen to dendritic cells (DC) using antibodies that bind DC surface molecules. This study explored the use of multi-trimers of CD40L to target the gp100 melanoma tumor antigen to DC. The spontaneously-multimerizing gene Surfactant Protein D (SPD) was used to fuse gp100 tumor antigen and CD40L, creating the recombinant protein SPD-gp100-CD40L. This ―third generation‖ DC-targeting vaccine was designed to both target antigen to DC and optimally activate dendritic cells by aggregating CD40 trimers on the DC membrane surface. SPD-gp100-CD40L expressed as a 110 kDa protein. Analytical light scattering analysis gave elution data corresponding to 4-trimer and multi-trimer SPD-gp100-CD40L oligomers. The protein was biologically active on dendritic cells and induced CD40-mediated NF-κB signaling. DNA vaccination with SPD-gp100-CD40L plasmid, together with plasmids encoding IL-12p70 and GM-CSF, significantly enhanced survival and inhibited tumor growth in a B16-F10 melanoma model. Expression of gp100 and SPD-CD40L as separate molecules did not enhance survival, highlighting the requirement to encode gp100 within SPD-CD40L for optimal vaccine activity. These data support a model where DNA vaccination with SPD-gp100-CD40L targets gp100 to DC in situ, induces activation of these DC, and generates a protective anti-tumor response when given in combination with IL-12p70 and GM-CSF plasmids.

b CD40 ligand (CD40L, CD154) is a membrane protein that is important for the activation of dendritic cells (DCs) and DC-induced CD8؉ T cell responses. To be active, CD40L must cluster CD40 receptors on responding cells. To produce a soluble form of CD40L that clusters CD40 receptors necessitates the use of a multitrimer construct. With this in mind, a tripartite fusion protein was made from surfactant protein D (SPD), HIV-1 Gag as a test antigen, and CD40L, where SPD serves as a scaffold for the multitrimer protein complex. This SPD-Gag-CD40L protein activated CD40-bearing cells and bone marrow-derived DCs in vitro. Compared to a plasmid for Gag antigen alone (pGag), DNA vaccination of mice with pSPD-Gag-CD40L induced an increased number of Gag-specific CD8 ؉ T cells with increased avidity for major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted Gag peptide and improved vaccine-induced protection from challenge by vaccinia-Gag virus. The importance of the multitrimeric nature of the complex was shown using a plasmid lacking the N terminus of SPD that produced a single trimer fusion protein. This plasmid, pTrimer-Gag-CD40L, was only weakly active on CD40-bearing cells and did not elicit strong CD8؉ T cell responses or improve protection from vaccinia-Gag challenge. An adenovirus 5 (Ad5) vaccine incorporating SPD-Gag-CD40L was much stronger than Ad5 expressing Gag alone (Ad5-Gag) and induced complete protection (i.e., sterilizing immunity) from vaccinia-Gag challenge. Overall, these results show the potential of a new vaccine design in which antigen is introduced into a construct that expresses a multitrimer soluble form of CD40L, leading to strongly protective CD8 ؉ T cell responses.

Adenoviral vectored vaccines have shown considerable promise but could be improved by molecular adjuvants. Ligands in the TNF superfamily (TNFSF) are potential adjuvants for adenoviral vector (Ad5) vaccines based on their central role in adaptive immunity. Many TNFSF ligands require aggregation beyond the trimeric state (multi-trimerization) for optimal biological function. Here we describe Ad5 vaccines for HIV-1 Gag antigen (Ad5-Gag) adjuvanted with the TNFSF ligands 4-1BBL, BAFF, GITRL and CD27L constructed as soluble multi-trimeric proteins via fusion to Surfactant Protein D (SP-D) as a multimerization scaffold. Mice were vaccinated with Ad5-Gag combined with Ad5 expressing one of the SP-D-TNFSF constructs or single-chain IL-12p70 as adjuvant. To evaluate vaccine-induced protection, mice were challenged with vaccinia virus expressing Gag (vaccinia-Gag) which is known to target the female genital tract, a major route of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection. In this system, SP-D-4-1BBL or SP-D-BAFF led to significantly reduced vaccinia-Gag replication when compared to Ad5-Gag alone. In contrast, IL-12p70, SP-D-CD27L and SP-D-GITRL were not protective. Histological examination following vaccinia-Gag challenge showed a dramatic lymphocytic infiltration into the uterus and ovaries of SP-D-4-1BBL and SP-D-BAFF-treated animals. By day 5 post challenge, proinflammatory cytokines in the tissue were reduced, consistent with the enhanced control over viral replication. Splenocytes had no specific immune markers that correlated with protection induced by SP-D-4-1BBL and SP-D-BAFF versus other groups. IL-12p70, despite lack of anti-viral efficacy, increased the total numbers of splenic dextramer positive CD8+ T cells, effector memory T cells, and effector Gag-specific CD8+ T cells, suggesting that these markers are poor predictors of anti-viral immunity in this model. In conclusion, soluble multi-trimeric 4-1BBL and BAFF adjuvants led to strong protection from vaccinia-Gag challenge, but the protection was independent of standard immune markers. Soluble multi-trimeric SP-D-4-1BBL and SP-D-BAFF provide a novel technology to enhance adenoviral vector vaccines against HIV-1.