Macrophages are pivotal in promoting wound healing. We hypothesized that topical application of liposomes with glycolipids that carry Gala1-3Galb1-4GlcNAc-R epitopes (α-gal liposomes) on wounds may accelerate the healing process by rapid recruitment and activation of macrophages in wounds. Immune complexes of the natural anti-Gal Ab (constituting ~1% of Ig in humans) bound to its ligand, the α-gal epitope on α-gal liposomes would induce local activation of complement and generation of complement chemotactic factors that rapidly recruit macrophages. Subsequent binding of the Fc portion of anti-Gal coating α-gal liposomes to FcγRs on recruited macrophages may activate macrophage genes encoding cytokines that mediate wound healing. We documented the efficacy of this treatment in α1,3galactosyltrasferase knockout mice. In contrast to wild-type mice, these knockout mice lack α-gal epitopes and can produce the anti-Gal Ab. The healing time of excisional skin wounds treated with α-gal liposomes in these mice is twice as fast as that of control wounds. Moreover, scar formation in α-gal liposome-treated wounds is much lower than in physiologic healing. Additional sonication of α-gal liposomes resulted in their conversion into submicroscopic α-gal nanoparticles. These α-gal nanoparticles diffused more efficiently in wounds and further increased the efficacy of the treatment, resulting in 95–100% regeneration of the epidermis in wounds within 6 d. The study suggests that α-gal liposome and α-gal nanoparticle treatment may enhance wound healing in the clinic because of the presence of high complement activity and high anti-Gal Ab titers in humans.

This study describes a novel cancer immunotherapy treatment that exploits the natural anti-Gal Ab to destroy tumor lesions and convert them into an endogenous vaccine targeted to APC via FcγR. Anti-Gal constitutes 1% of immunoglobulins in humans and interacts specifically with α-gal epitopes (Galα1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc-R). The binding of anti-Gal to α-gal epitopes on pig cells mediates xenograft rejection. The proposed method uses glycolipid micelles with multiple α-gal epitopes (α-gal glycolipids). These glycolipids are extracted from rabbit red cell membranes and are comprised of ceramides with carbohydrate chains containing 5–25 carbohydrates, all capped with α-gal epitopes. Efficacy of this treatment was demonstrated in α1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout mice producing anti-Gal and bearing B16 melanoma or B16/OVA producing OVA as a surrogate tumor Ag. These mice are unique among nonprimate mammals in that, similar to humans, they lack α-gal epitopes and can produce the anti-Gal Ab. Intratumoral injection of α-gal glycolipids results in local inflammation mediated by anti-Gal binding to the multiple α-gal epitopes and activation of complement. These glycolipids spontaneously insert into tumor cell membranes. The binding of anti-Gal to α-gal expressing tumor cells induces the destruction of treated lesions as in anti-Gal-mediated xenograft rejection. Anti-Gal further opsonizes tumor cells within the lesion and, thus, targets them for effective uptake by APC that transport the tumor Ags to draining lymph nodes. APC further cross-present immunogenic tumor Ag peptides and elicit a systemic anti-tumor immune response. Similar intratumoral injection of α-gal glycolipids in humans is likely to induce the destruction of treated lesions and elicit a protective immune response against micrometastases.

This study describes a method for increasing the immunogenicity of influenza virus vaccines by exploiting the natural anti-Gal antibody to effectively target vaccines to antigen-presenting cells (APC). This method is based on enzymatic engineering of carbohydrate chains on virus envelope hemagglutinin to carry the ␣-Gal epitope (Gal␣1-3Gal␤1-4GlcNAc-R). This epitope interacts with anti-Gal, the most abundant antibody in humans (1% of immunoglobulins). Influenza virus vaccine expressing ␣-Gal epitopes is opsonized in situ by anti-Gal immunoglobulin G. The Fc portion of opsonizing anti-Gal interacts with Fc␥ receptors on APC and induces effective uptake of the vaccine virus by APC. APC internalizes the opsonized virus to transport it to draining lymph nodes for stimulation of influenza virus-specific T cells, thereby eliciting a protective immune response. The efficacy of such an influenza vaccine was demonstrated in ␣1,3galactosyltransferase (␣1,3GT) knockout mice, which produce anti-Gal, using the influenza virus strain A/Puerto Rico/8/34-H1N1 (PR8). Synthesis of ␣-Gal epitopes on carbohydrate chains of PR8 virus (PR8 ␣gal ) was catalyzed by recombinant ␣1,3GT, the glycosylation enzyme that synthesizes ␣-Gal epitopes in cells of nonprimate mammals. Mice immunized with PR8 ␣gal displayed much higher numbers of PR8-specific CD8 ؉ and CD4؉ T cells (determined by intracellular cytokine staining and enzyme-linked immunospot assay) and produced anti-PR8 antibodies with much higher titers than mice immunized with PR8 lacking ␣-Gal epitopes. Mice immunized with PR8 ␣gal also displayed a much higher level of protection than PR8 immunized mice after being challenged with lethal doses of live PR8 virus. We suggest that a similar method for increasing immunogenicity may be applicable to avian influenza vaccines.

The glycan shield comprised of multiple carbohydrate chains on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope glycoprotein gp120 helps the virus to evade neutralizing antibodies. The present study describes a novel method for increasing immunogenicity of gp120 vaccine by enzymatic replacement of sialic acid on these carbohydrate chains with Gal␣1-3Gal␤1-4GlcNAc-R (␣-gal) epitopes. These epitopes are ligands for the natural anti-Gal antibody constituting ϳ1% of immunoglobulin G in humans. We hypothesize that vaccination with gp120 expressing ␣-gal epitopes (gp120 ␣gal ) results in in vivo formation of immune complexes with anti-Gal, which targets vaccines for effective uptake by antigen-presenting cells (APC), due to interaction between the Fc portion of the antibody and Fc␥ receptors on APC. This in turn results in effective transport of the vaccine to lymph nodes and effective processing and presentation of gp120 immunogenic peptides by APC for eliciting a strong anti-gp120 immune response. This hypothesis was tested in ␣-1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout mice, which produce anti-Gal. Mice immunized with gp120 ␣gal produced anti-gp120 antibodies in titers that were >100-fold higher than those measured in mice immunized with comparable amounts of gp120 and effectively neutralized HIV. T-cell response, measured by ELISPOT, was much higher in mice immunized with gp120 ␣gal than in mice immunized with gp120. It is suggested that gp120 ␣gal can serve as a platform for anti-Gal-mediated targeting of additional vaccinating HIV proteins fused to gp120 ␣gal , thereby creating effective prophylactic vaccines.

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