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Induction of broad and potent neutralizing Abs at the mucosal portals of entry remains a primary goal for most vaccines against mucosally acquired viral infections. Selection of appropriate adjuvants capable of promoting both systemic and mucosal responses will be crucial for the development of effective immunization strategies. In this study, we investigated whether plasmid codelivery of cytokines APRIL, CCL19, or CCL28 can enhance Ag-induced immune responses to HIV-1 gp140. Our results demonstrated that pCCL19 and pCCL28, but not pAPRIL, significantly enhanced Ag-specific systemic and mucosal Ab responses. gp140-specific Abs in serum enhanced by pCCL19 or pCCL28 were broadly distributed across all four IgG subclasses, of which IgG1 was predominant. The enhanced systemic and mucosal Abs showed increased neutralizing activity against both homologous and heterologous HIV-1, and potency correlated with gp140-specific serum IgG and vaginal IgA levels. Measurement of gp140-specific cytokines produced by splenocytes demonstrated that pCCL19 and pCCL28 augmented balanced Th1/Th2 responses. pCCL19 and pCCL28 also increased IgA(+) cells in colorectal mucosal tissue. pCCL19 codelivery resulted in an increase of CCR7(+) CD11c(+) cells in mesenteric lymph nodes and both CCR7(+) CD11c(+) cells and CCR7(+) CD3e(+) cells in spleen, whereas pCCL28 codelivery resulted in an augment of CCR10(+) CD19(+) cells in both spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes. Together, our data indicate that pCCL19 and pCCL28 can enhance HIV-1 envelope-specific systemic and mucosal Ab responses, as well as T cell responses. Such enhancements appear to be associated with mobilization of responsive immunocytes into secondary lymphoid organs and mucosal tissues through interactions with corresponding receptors.

Developing an HIV-1 vaccine has been hampered by the inability of immunogens to induce broadly neutralizing Abs (BnAbs) that protect against infection. Previously, we used knockin (KI) mice expressing a prototypical gp41-specific BnAb, 2F5, to demonstrate that immunological tolerance triggered by self-reactivity of the 2F5 H chain impedes BnAb induction. In this study, we generate KI models expressing H chains from two other HIV-1 Abs, 4E10 (another self-/polyreactive, anti-gp41 BnAb) and 48d (an anti-CD4 inducible, nonpolyreactive Ab), and find a similar developmental blockade consistent with central B cell deletion in 4E10, but not in 48d VH KI mice. Furthermore, in KI strains expressing the complete 2F5 and 4E10 Abs as BCRs, we find that residual splenic B cells arrest at distinct developmental stages, yet exhibit uniformly low BCR densities, elevated basal activation, and profoundly muted responses to BCR ligation and, when captured as hybridoma mAb lines, maintain their dual (gp41/lipid) affinities and capacities to neutralize HIV-1, establishing a key role for anergy in suppressing residual 2F5- or 4E10-expressing B cells. Importantly, serum IgGs from naive 2F5 and 4E10 KI strains selectively eliminate gp41 and lipid binding, respectively, suggesting B cells expressing 2F5 or 4E10 as BCRs exhibit specificity for a distinct spectrum of host Ags, including selective interactions by 2F5 BCR(+) B cells (i.e., and not 4E10 BCR(+) B cells) with those mimicked by its gp41 neutralization epitope.

Failure to induce synthesis of neutralizing Abs to the CD4 binding determinant (CD4BD) of gp120, a central objective in HIV vaccine research, has been alternately ascribed to insufficient immunogen binding to Abs in their germline V region configuration expressed as BCRs, insufficient adaptive mutations in Ab V regions, and conformational instability of gp120. We employed peptide analogs of gp120 residues 421-433 within the CD4BD (CD4BD(core)) to identify Abs produced without prior exposure to HIV (constitutive Abs). The CD4BD(core) peptide was recognized by single-chain Fv fragments from noninfected humans with lupus that neutralized genetically diverse strains belonging to various HIV subtypes. Replacing the framework region (FR) of a V(H)4-family single-chain Fv with the corresponding V(H)3-family FRs from single-chain Fv JL427 improved the CD4BD(core) peptide-binding activity, suggesting a CD4BD(core) binding site outside the pocket formed by the CDRs. Replacement mutations in the FR site vicinity suggested the potential for adaptive improvement. A very small subset of serum CD4BD(core)-specific serum IgAs from noninfected humans without autoimmune disease isolated by epitope-specific chromatography neutralized the virus potently. A CD4BD(core)-specific, HIV neutralizing murine IgM with H and L chain V regions (V(H) and V(L) regions) free of immunogen-driven somatic mutations was induced by immunization with a CD4BD(core) peptide analog containing an electrophilic group that binds B cells covalently. The studies indicate broad and potent HIV neutralization by constitutive Abs as an innate, germline-encoded activity directed to the superantigenic CD4BD(core) epitope that is available for amplification for vaccination against HIV.

The Thai HIV phase III prime/boost vaccine trial (RV144) using ALVAC-HIV (vCP1521) and AIDSVAX B/E was, to our knowledge, the first to demonstrate acquisition efficacy. Vaccine-induced, cell-mediated immune responses were assessed. T cell epitope mapping studies using IFN-γ ELISPOT was performed on PBMCs from HIV-1-uninfected vaccine (n = 61) and placebo (n = 10) recipients using HIV-1 Env peptides. Positive responses were measured in 25 (41%) vaccinees and were predominantly CD4(+) T cell-mediated. Responses were targeted within the HIV Env region, with 15 of 25 (60%) of vaccinees recognizing peptides derived from the V2 region of HIV-1 Env, which includes the α(4)β(7) integrin binding site. Intracellular cytokine staining confirmed that Env responses predominated (19 of 30; 63% of vaccine recipients) and were mediated by polyfunctional effector memory CD4(+) T cells, with the majority of responders producing both IL-2 and IFN-γ (12 of 19; 63%). HIV Env Ab titers were higher in subjects with IL-2 compared with those without IL-2-secreting HIV Env-specific effector memory T cells. Proliferation assays revealed that HIV Ag-specific T cells were CD4(+), with the majority (80%) expressing CD107a. HIV-specific T cell lines obtained from vaccine recipients confirmed V2 specificity, polyfunctionality, and functional cytolytic capacity. Although the RV144 T cell responses were modest in frequency compared with humoral immune responses, the CD4(+) T cell response was directed to HIV-1 Env and more particularly the V2 region.

HIV selectively downregulates HLA-A and -B from the surfaces of infected cells to avoid detection by the immune system. In contrast, the HLA-C molecules are highly resistant to this downregulation. High expression level of HLA-C on the cell surface, which correlates with a single nucleotide polymorphism, is also associated with lower viral loads and slower progression to AIDS. These findings strongly suggest that HIV-1-derived peptides are efficiently presented by HLA-C and trigger the elimination of infected cells. Accordingly, the ability to detect these HLA-C-peptide complexes may be used for therapeutic targeting of HIV-1-infected cells and for measuring effective presentation of vaccine candidates after immunization with HIV-1-related proteins or genes. However, low level of HLA-C expression on the cell surface has impeded the development of such complex-recognizing reagents. In this study, we describe the development of a high-affinity human Ab that specifically interacts, at low pM concentrations, with a conserved viral T cell epitope derived from HIV-1 Nef protein and presented by HLA-C. The human Ab selectively detects this complex on different cells and does not interact with a control complex that differed only in the presented peptide. Engineering lentiviruses to display this Ab endowed them with the same specificity as the Ab, whereas coexpressing the Ab and Fas ligand enables the lentiviruses to kill specifically Nef-presenting cells. Abs and pseudoviruses with such specificity are likely to be highly valuable as building blocks for specific targeting and killing of HIV-1-infected cells.

The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) functional spike has evolved multiple immune evasion strategies, and only a few broadly neutralizing determinants on the assembled spike are accessible to Abs. Serological studies, based upon Ab binding and neutralization activity in vitro, suggest that vaccination with current Env-based immunogens predominantly elicits Abs that bind nonneutralizing or strain-restricted neutralizing epitopes. However, the fractional specificities of the polyclonal mixture of Abs present in serum, especially those directed to conformational Env epitopes, are often difficult to determine. Furthermore, serological analyses do not provide information regarding how repeated Ag inoculation impacts the expansion and maintenance of Env-specific B cell subpopulations. Therefore, we developed a highly sensitive Env-specific B cell ELISPOT system, which allows the enumeration of Ab-secreting cells (ASC) from diverse anatomical compartments directed against different structural determinants of Env. In this study, we use this system to examine the evolution of B cell responses in mice immunized with engineered Env trimers in adjuvant. We demonstrate that the relative proportion of ASC specific for defined structural elements of Env is altered significantly by homologous booster immunizations. This results in the selective expansion of ASC directed against the variable regions of Env. We suggest that the B cell specificity and compartment analysis described in this study are important complements to serological mapping studies for the examination of B cell responses against subspecificities of a variety of immunogens.

Successful vaccines (i.e., tetanus and diphtheria) can induce long-lived Ab levels that are maintained by bone marrow plasma cells and plasma Ab levels do not correlate with numbers of blood memory B cells. Destruction of CD4(+) T cells early in HIV-1 acute infection may result in insufficient induction of neutralizing Ab responses; thus, an HIV-1 vaccine should elicit high levels of durable Abs by long-lived plasma cells to be protective. We asked if HIV-1 envelope-specific memory responses were sustained by memory B cells in the settings of HIV-1 gp120 envelope vaccination and chronic HIV-1 infection. Levels of anti-HIV-1 envelope plasma Abs and memory B cells were found to correlate in both settings. Moreover, whereas the expected half-life of plasma Ab levels to protein vaccines was >10 years when maintained by long-lived plasma cells, anti-envelope Ab level half-lives were approximately 33-81 wk in plasma from antiretroviral drug-treated HIV-1(+) subjects. In contrast, anti-p55 Gag Ab level half-life was 648 wk, and Ab titers against influenza did not decay in-between yearly or biennial influenza vaccine boosts in the same patients. These data demonstrated that HIV-1 envelope induces predominantly short-lived memory B cell-dependent plasma Abs in the settings of envelope vaccination and HIV-1 infection. The inability to generate high titers of long-lived anti-envelope Abs is a major hurdle to overcome for the development of a successful HIV-1 vaccine.

Tat is an early regulatory protein that plays a major role in human HIV-1 replication and AIDS pathogenesis, and therefore, it represents a key target for the host immune response. In natural infection, however, Abs against Tat are produced only by a small fraction (approximately 20%) of asymptomatic individuals and are rarely seen in progressors, suggesting that Tat may possess properties diverting the adaptive immunity from generating humoral responses. Here we show that a Th1-type T cell response against Tat is predominant over a Th2-type B cell response in natural HIV-1 infection. This is likely due to the capability of Tat to selectively target and very efficiently enter CD1a-expressing monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC), which represent a primary target for the recognition and response to virus Ag. Upon cellular uptake, Tat induces MDDC maturation and Th1-associated cytokines and beta-chemokines production and polarizes the immune response in vitro to the Th1 pattern through the transcriptional activation of TNF-alpha gene expression. This requires the full conservation of Tat transactivation activity since neither MDDC maturation nor TNF-alpha production are found with either an oxidized Tat, which does not enter MDDC, or with a Tat protein mutated in the cysteine-rich region (cys22 Tat), which enters MDDC as the wild-type Tat but is transactivation silent. Consistently with these data, inoculation of monkeys with the native wild-type Tat induced a predominant Th1 response, whereas cys22 Tat generated mostly Th2 responses, therefore providing evidence that Tat induces a predominant Th1 polarized adaptive immune response in the host.

One of the major obstacles in the design of an effective vaccine against HIV-1 is its antigenic variation, which results in viral escape from the immune system. Through a bioinformatics approach, we developed an innovative multivalent HIV-1 vaccine comprised of a pool of 176 lipidated and nonlipidated peptides representing variable regions of Env and Gag proteins. The potency and breadth of the candidate vaccine against a panel of HIV-1 subtypes was evaluated in nonhuman primate (cynomolgus macaques) and humanized mouse (HLA-A2.1) models. The results demonstrate strong immunogenicity with both breadth (humoral and cellular immunity) and depth (immune recognition of widely divergent viral sequences) against heterologous HIV-1 subtypes A-F.

Both IgG and secretory IgA Abs in mucosal secretions have been implicated in blocking the earliest events in HIV-1 transit across epithelial barriers, although the mechanisms by which this occurs remain largely unknown. In this study, we report the production and characterization of a human rIgA(2) mAb that carries the V regions of IgG1 b12, a potent and broadly neutralizing anti-gp120 Ab which has been shown to protect macaques against vaginal simian/HIV challenge. Monomeric, dimeric, polymeric, and secretory IgA(2) derivatives of b12 reacted with gp120 and neutralized CCR5- and CXCR4-tropic strains of HIV-1 in vitro. With respect to the protective effects of these Abs at mucosal surfaces, we demonstrated that IgG1 b12 and IgA(2) b12 inhibited the transfer of cell-free HIV-1 from ME-180 cells, a human cervical epithelial cell line, as well as Caco-2 cells, a human colonic epithelial cell line, to human PBMCs. Inhibition of viral transfer was due to the ability of b12 to block both viral attachment to and uptake by epithelial cells. These data demonstrate that IgG and IgA MAbs directed against a highly conserved epitope on gp120 can interfere with the earliest steps in HIV-1 transmission across mucosal surfaces, and reveal a possible mechanism by which b12 protects the vaginal mucosal against viral challenge in vivo.

Nonneutralizing Abs may play a role in protecting animals and humans from lentiviral infections. We explored the Ab-dependent, cell-mediated virus inhibition (ADCVI) Ab response to recombinant gp120 (rgp120) vaccination in sera from 530 participants in the Vax 004 trial. Serum ADCVI activity was measured against a clinical R5 strain of HIV-1 using peripheral blood mononuclear effector cells from healthy donors. The level of vaccine-induced ADCVI activity correlated inversely with the rate of acquiring HIV infection following vaccination, such that for every 10% increase in ADCVI activity, there was a 6.3% decrease in the hazard rate of infection (p=0.019). Some vaccinated individuals also mounted an ADCVI response against two other clinical R5 strains of HIV-1. However, ADCVI activity correlated poorly with neutralizing or CD4-gp120-blocking Ab activity measured against laboratory strains. Finally, the degree to which the ADCVI Ab response predicted the rate of infection was influenced by polymorphisms at the FcgammaRIIa and FcgammaRIIIa gene loci. These data indicate that rgp120 vaccination can elicit Abs with antiviral activity against clinical strains of HIV-1. However, such activity requires the presence of FcR-bearing effector cells. Our results provide further evidence that ADCVI may play a role in preventing HIV infection.

We investigated the ability of a plasmid-derived IL-21 delivered alone or in combination with the IL-15 gene to regulate immune responses to the HIV-1 envelope (Env) glycoprotein induced by DNA vaccination. Mice were injected with the gp140DeltaCFI(HXB2/89.6) vector expressing a modified Env glycoprotein with C-terminal mutations intended to mimic a fusion intermediate, in which the most divergent region encoding the variable V1, V2, and V3 domains of CXCR4-tropic HxB2 virus was replaced with the dual-tropic 89.6 viral strain. Using a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing 89.6 Env glycoprotein (vBD3) in a mouse challenge model, we observed that IL-21 plasmid produced sustained resistance to viral transmission when injected 5 days after DNA vaccination. Moreover, IL-21 in a synergistic manner with IL-15 expression vector augmented the vaccine-induced recall responses to the vBD3 challenge compared with those elicited by immunization in the presence of either cytokine alone. The synergistic combination of IL-21 and IL-15 plasmids promoted expansion of CD8+CD127+ memory T cell pools specific for a subdominant HLA-A2-restricted Env(121-129) epitope (KLTPLCVTL). Our results also show that coimmunization with IL-21 and IL-15 plasmid combination resulted in enhanced CD8+ T cell function that was partially independent of CD4+ T cell help in mediating protection against vBD3 challenge. Furthermore, the use of IL-21 and IL-15 genes was able to increase Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement-dependent lysis of Env-expressing target cells through augmentation of Env-specific IgG Ab levels. These data indicate that the plasmid-delivered IL-21 and IL-15 can increase the magnitude of the response to DNA vaccines.

Generation of high-affinity Ab is impaired in mice lacking germinal center-associated DNA primase (GANP) in B cells. In this study, we examined the effect of its overexpression in ganp transgenic C57BL/6 mice (Ganp(Tg)). Ganp(Tg) displayed normal phenotype in B cell development, serum Ig levels, and responses against T cell-independent Ag; however, it generated the Ab with much higher affinity against nitrophenyl-chicken gammaglobulin in comparison with C57BL/6. To further examine the affinity increase, we established hybridomas producing high-affinity mAbs and compared their affinities using BIAcore. C57BL/6 generated high-affinity anti-nitrophenyl mAbs (K(D) approximately 2.50 x 10(-7) M) of IgG1/lambda1 and contained the V(H)186.2 region with W33L mutation. Ganp(Tg) generated much higher affinity (K(D) > 1.57 x 10(-9) M) by usage of V(H)186.2 as well as noncanonical V(H)7183 regions. Ganp(Tg) also generated exceptionally high-affinity anti-HIV-1 (V3 peptide) mAbs (K(D) > 9.90 x 10(-11) M) with neutralizing activity. These results demonstrated that GANP is involved in V region alteration generating high-affinity Ab.

An intranasal DNA vaccine prime followed by a gp41 peptide booster immunization was compared with gp41 peptide and control immunizations. Serum HIV-1-specific IgG and IgA as well as IgA in feces and vaginal and lung secretions were detected after immunizations. Long-term humoral immunity was studied for up to 12 mo after the booster immunization by testing the presence of HIV-1 gp41- and CCR5-specific Abs and IgG/IgA-secreting B lymphocytes in spleen and regional lymph nodes in immunized mice. A long-term IgA-specific response in the intestines, vagina, and lungs was obtained in addition to a systemic immune response. Mice immunized only with gp41 peptides and L3 adjuvant developed a long-term gp41-specific serum IgG response systemically, although over a shorter period (1-9 mo), and long-term mucosal gp41-specific IgA immunity. HIV-1-neutralizing serum Abs were induced that were still present 12 mo after booster immunization. HIV-1 SF2-neutralizing fecal and lung IgA was detectable only in the DNA-primed mouse groups. Intranasal DNA prime followed by one peptide/L3 adjuvant booster immunization, but not a peptide prime followed by a DNA booster, was able to induce B cell memory and HIV-1-neutralizing Abs for at least half of a mouse's life span.

The development of a safe and effective mucosal adjuvant is a crucial step toward a mucosal HIV/AIDS vaccine. This study seeks to determine the promise of a nontoxic mutant of cholera toxin (mCT; E112K) as a mucosal adjuvant in nonhuman primates. HIV-1 gp120 was nasally administered together with mCT E112K or native CT (nCT) as adjuvant on five to six occasions over a 6- to 8-wk period to groups of four rhesus macaques and alone to two monkeys that acted as controls. Macaques given nasal gp120 with either mCT E112K or nCT showed elevated gp120-specific IgG and IgA Ab responses with virus-neutralizing activity in both their plasma and mucosal external secretions, as well as higher numbers of gp120-specific IgA Ab-forming cells in their mucosal and peripheral lymphoid tissues and of IL-4-producing Th2-type CD4-positive (CD4(+)) T cells than did controls. Even though significant mucosal adjuvanticity was seen with both mCT E112K and nCT, neuronal damage was observed only in the nCT-treated, but not in the control or mCT E112K-treated groups. These results clearly show that mCT E112K is an effective and safe mucosal adjuvant for the development of a nasal HIV/AIDS vaccine.

During HIV-1 infection or vaccination, HIV-1 envelope spikes elicit Ab responses. Neutralizing Abs block viral entry by recognizing epitopes on spikes critical for their interaction with receptor, coreceptors or fusion. In contrast, nonneutralizing Abs fail to do so because they recognize epitopes either buried or exposed but not critical for viral entry. Previously, we produced a high-affinity human mAb against the cluster II determinant of gp41. This Ab or its recombinant Fab and single-chain Fv have been repeatedly shown to bind to HIV-1 gp160 or gp41, but fail to block viral entry. We report that, surprisingly, expression of this nonneutralizing anti-HIV-1 gp41 single-chain Fv on the surface of human CD4 T cells markedly inhibits HIV-1 replication and cell-cell fusion. The inhibition targets the HIV-1 envelope at the level of viral entry, regardless of HIV-1 tropism. Although this bona fide nonneutralizing Ab does not neutralize HIV-1 entry when produced as a soluble protein, it acts as a neutralizing Ab when expressed on the cell surface. Expressing Abs on the surface of HIV-1-susceptible cells can be a new way to fight HIV-1.

CD4(+) Th cells are believed to be essential for the induction of humoral and cellular immune responses. In this study we tested the effect and possible mechanisms of the major antigenic component in influenza, hemagglutinin (HA), in helping HIV Env to induce immune responses in CD4(+) T cell knockout (CD4 KO) mice. Simian HIV virus-like particles (SHIV VLPs) or phenotypically mixed chimeric influenza HA/SHIV VLPs were used as immunogens to immunize CD4 KO mice either i.p. or intranasally (i.n.). We found that chimeric HA/SHIV VLPs significantly induced a greater IgG Ab response in both i.p. and i.n. immunized mice and a greater IgA Ab response in mucosal washes in i.n. immunized mice compared with SHIV VLPs. Importantly, chimeric HA/SHIV VLPs induced approximately 3-fold higher neutralizing Ab titers against HIV 89.6 than SHIV VLPs in the absence of CD4(+) T cell help. There was also approximately 40% more specific lysis of the HIV Env-expressing target cells in chimeric HA/SHIV VLP-immunized than in SHIV VLP-immunized CD4 KO mouse splenocytes. Moreover, we have found that chimeric HA/SHIV VLPs could efficiently bind and activate dendritic cells and stimulate the activated dendritic cells to secret TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma. Therefore, chimeric HA/SHIV VLPs could efficiently prime and activate APCs, which could, in turn, induce immune responses in a CD4(+) T cell-independent manner. This study suggests a novel adjuvant role of influenza HA as well as a new strategy to develop more effective therapeutic vaccines for AIDS patients with low CD4(+) T cell counts.

Vaccines intended to prevent mucosal transmission of HIV should be able to induce multiple immune effectors in the host including Abs and cell-mediated immune responses at mucosal sites. The aim of this study was to characterize and to enhance the immunogenicity of a recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) expressing HIV-1 Env IIIB Ag (MVAenv) inoculated in BALB/c mice by mucosal routes. Intravaginal inoculation of MVAenv was not immunogenic, whereas intranasally it induced a significant immune response to the HIV Ag. Intranasal codelivery of MVAenv plus cholera toxin (CT) significantly enhanced the cellular and humoral immune response against Env in the spleen and genitorectal draining lymph nodes, respectively. Heterologous DNAenv prime-MVAenv boost by intranasal immunization, together with CT, produced a cellular immune response in the spleen 10-fold superior to that in the absence of CT. A key finding of these studies was that both MVAenv/MVAenv and DNAenv/MVAenv schemes, plus CT, induced a specific mucosal CD8(+) T cell response in genital tissue and draining lymph nodes. In addition, both immunizations also generated systemic Abs, and more importantly, mucosal IgA and IgG Abs in vaginal washings. Specific secretion of beta-chemokines was also generated by both immunizations, with a stronger response in mice immunized by the DNA-CT/MVA-CT regimen. Our findings are of relevance in the area of vaccine development and support the optimization of protocols of immunization based on MVA as vaccine vectors to induce mucosal immune responses against HIV.

Complement component C3 covalently attaches to Ags following activation, where the C3d cleavage fragment can function as a molecular adjuvant to augment humoral immune responses. C3d is proposed to exert its adjuvant-like activities by targeting Ags to the C3d receptor (CD21/35) expressed by B cells and follicular dendritic cells. To directly assess the importance of CD21/35 in mediating the immunostimulatory effects of C3d, CD21/35-deficient (CD21/35(-/-)) mice were immunized with streptavidin (SA), SA-C3dg tetramers, recombinant HIV gp120 (gp120), or gp120 fused with linear multimers of C3d. Remarkably, SA- and gp120-specific Ab responses were significantly augmented in CD21/35(-/-) mice when these Ags were complexed with C3d in comparison to Ag alone. In fact, primary and secondary Ab responses and Ab-forming cell responses of CD21/35(-/-) mice approached those of wild-type mice immunized with SA-C3dg and gp120-C3d. Thus, C3d can function as a molecular adjuvant in the absence of CD21/35 expression.

A successful HIV vaccine may need to stimulate antiviral immunity in mucosal and systemic immune compartments, because HIV transmission occurs predominantly at mucosal sites. We report here the results of a combined DNA-modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vaccine approach that stimulated simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-specific immune responses by vaccination at the nasal mucosa. Fifteen male rhesus macaques, divided into three groups, received three nasal vaccinations on day 1, wk 9, and wk 25 with a SHIV DNA plasmid producing noninfectious viral particles (group 1), or SHIV DNA plus IL-2/Ig DNA (group 2), or SHIV DNA plus IL-12 DNA (group 3). On wk 33, all macaques were boosted with rMVA expressing SIV Gag-Pol and HIV Env 89.6P, administered nasally. Humoral responses were evaluated by measuring SHIV-specific IgG and neutralizing Abs in plasma, and SHIV-specific IgA in rectal secretions. Cellular responses were monitored by evaluating blood-derived virus-specific IFN-gamma-secreting cells and TNF-alpha-expressing CD8+ T cells, and blood- and rectally derived p11C tetramer-positive T cells. Many of the vaccinated animals developed both mucosal and systemic humoral and cell-mediated anti-SHIV immune responses, although the responses were not homogenous among animals in the different groups. After rectal challenge of vaccinated and naive animals with SHIV89.6P, all animals became infected. However a subset, including all group 2 animals, were protected from CD4+ T cell loss and AIDS development. Taken together, these data indicate that nasal vaccination with SHIV-DNA plus IL-2/Ig DNA and rMVA can provide significant protection from disease progression.

Antibodies against various proteins of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) can be detected in HIV-1-infected individuals. We previously reported that the level of Ab response against one Nef epitope is correlated with HIV-1 disease progression. To elucidate the mechanism for this correlation, we examined Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against target cells expressing Nef. We observed efficient cytotoxicity against Nef-expressing target cells in the presence of patient plasma and PBMCs. This ADCC activity was correlated with the dilution of plasma from HIV-1-infected patients. Addition of a specific synthetic peptide (peptide 31:FLKEKGGLE) corresponding to the Nef epitope reduced cell lysis to approximately 50%. These results suggest that PBMCs of HIV-1-infected patients may exert ADCC via anti-Nef Abs in the patients' own plasma and serve as a mechanism used by the immune system to regulate HIV-1 replication.

A long-standing question in the field of immunology concerns the factors that contribute to Th cell epitope immunodominance. For a number of viral membrane proteins, Th cell epitopes are localized to exposed protein surfaces, often overlapping with Ab binding sites. It has therefore been proposed that Abs on B cell surfaces selectively bind and protect exposed protein fragments during Ag processing, and that this interaction helps to shape the Th cell repertoire. While attractive in concept, this hypothesis has not been thoroughly tested. To test this hypothesis, we have compared Th cell peptide immunodominance in normal C57BL/6 mice with that in C57BL/6( micro MT/ micro MT) mice (lacking normal B cell activity). Animals were first vaccinated with DNA constructs expressing one of three different HIV envelope proteins, after which the CD4(+) T cell response profiles were characterized toward overlapping peptides using an IFN-gamma ELISPOT assay. We found a striking similarity between the peptide response profiles in the two mouse strains. Profiles also matched those of previous experiments in which different envelope vaccination regimens were used. Our results clearly demonstrate that normal Ab activity is not required for the establishment or maintenance of Th peptide immunodominance in the HIV envelope response. To explain the clustering of Th cell epitopes, we propose that localization of peptide on exposed envelope surfaces facilitates proteolytic activity and preferential peptide shuttling through the Ag processing pathway.

A prophylactic vaccine for HIV-1 will probably require the induction and maintenance of both humoral and cellular immunity. One current strategy to achieve such long term immune responses is a prime-boost vaccination approach using a DNA priming inoculation, followed by recombinant viral boost. In this report we use a novel prime-boost approach in which the priming injections consist of recombinant HIV-1 Gag protein mixed with cytosine phosphate guanosine oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG ODN), followed by recombinant adenoviral boost expressing HIV-1 Gag. Analysis of the immune responses indicates that HIV-1 Gag protein plus CpG ODN immunization alone induces potent humoral as well as Th1 and CD8+ T cell responses. Boosting with recombinant adenovirus strikingly enhances CD8+, but not Th1, T cell responses, resulting in CD8+ T cell responses far greater in magnitude than Th1 responses. Furthermore, the Th1 and CD8+ T cell responses following prime-boost immunization were seen in both lymphoid and peripheral mucosal organs and were sustained over several months. Together, these data suggest a new immunization approach for elicitation of long term humoral and cellular immune responses.

The neutralizing Ab response after primary HIV-1 infection is delayed relative to the virus-specific CD8(+) T cell response and the initial decline in plasma viremia. Because nearly all HIV-1 infections result in AIDS, it would be instructive to study cases where neutralizing Ab production commenced sooner. This was done in subject AC10, an individual treated during early infection and in whom a rapid autologous neutralizing Ab response was detected after therapy cessation as rebound viremia declined and remained below 1000 RNA copies/ml of blood for over 2.5 years. This subject's Abs were capable of reducing the infectivity of his rebound virus by >4 logs in vitro at a time when rebound viremia was down-regulated and virus-specific CD8(+) T cells were minimal, suggesting that neutralizing Abs played an important role in the early control of viremia. The rebound virus did not exhibit an unusual phenotype that might explain its high sensitivity to neutralization by autologous sera. Neutralization escape occurred within 75 days and was proceeded by neutralizing Ab production to the escape variant and subsequent escape. Notably, escape was not associated with a significant rise in plasma viremia, perhaps due to increasing CD8(+) T cell responses. Sequence analysis of gp160 revealed a growing number of mutations over time, suggesting ongoing viral evolution in the face of potent antiviral immune responses. We postulate that an early effective neutralizing Ab response can provide long-term clinical benefits despite neutralization escape.

DNA vaccines target dendritic cells (DC) to induce Ag-specific immune responses in animals. Potent HIV-specific immunity could be achieved by efficient priming of the immune system by DNA vaccines. We investigated a novel DNA vaccine approach based on the role of growth factors in DC expansion and differentiation. To this end, we constructed chimeric genes encoding the HIV envelope glycoproteins physically linked to the extracellular domain of Fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-3 ligand (FLex; a DC growth factor; both mouse (m)FLex and human (h)FLex). These chimeric gene constructs synthesized biologically active, oligomeric FLex:gp120 fusion proteins and induced DC expansion (CD11c(+)CD11b(+)) when injected i.v. into mice. This DC expansion is comparable to that achieved by FLex DNA encoding native FLex protein. When delivered intramuscularly as DNA vaccines, hFLex:gp120 induced high frequencies of gp120-specific CD8(+) T cells in the presence or absence of FLex DNA-induced DC expansion, but gp120 and mFLex:gp120 elicited only low to moderate levels of Ag-specific CD8(+) T cells. In contrast, mFLex:gp120 induced high levels of anti-gp120 Abs under identical conditions of DNA vaccination. However, the Ab levels in mice immunized with DNA vaccines encoding hFLex:gp120 and gp120 proteins were low without DC expansion, but reached high levels comparable to that elicited by mFLex:gp120 only after the second boost in the presence of DC expansion. Importantly, the gp120-specific CD8(+) T cells persisted at high frequency for 114 days (16 wk) after a booster injection. These experiments provide insight into the importance of modulating DC function in vivo for effective genetic vaccination in animals.

Nasal immunization of normal mice with HIVgp160-encapsulated hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ)-liposome induced high titers of gp160-specific neutralizing IgG in serum and IgA in nasal wash, saliva, fecal extract, and vaginal wash, along with both Th1- and Th2-type responses. HIVgp160-specific IgG- and IgA-producing cells were also detected in mononuclear cells isolated from spleen, nasal cavity, salivary gland, intestinal lamina propria, and vaginal tissue of nasally immunized mice. In addition, CD8(+) CTLs were induced in mice nasally immunized with gp160-HVJ-liposome. These findings suggest that two layers of effective HIV-specific humoral and cellular immunity, in mucosal and systemic sites, were induced by this nasal vaccine. In immunodeficient mice, nasal immunization with gp160-HVJ-liposome induced Ag-specific immune responses for the systemic and mucosal compartments of both Th1 (IFN-gamma(-/-)) and Th2 (IL-4(-/-)). In vitro Ag-specific serum IgG Ab and vaginal wash samples possessing IgA and IgG Abs that had been induced by nasal immunization with gp160-HVJ-liposome were able to neutralize a clinically isolated strain of HIV-MN strain isolated from Japanese hemophiliac patients. Taken together, these results suggest that, for the prevention and control of AIDS, nasally administered gp160-HVJ-liposome is a powerful immunization tool that induces necessary Ag-specific immune responses at different stages of HIV infection.

Ag-presenting dendritic cells present viral Ags to T cells after uptake of apoptotic bodies derived from virus-infected cells in vitro. However, it is unclear whether apoptotic virus-infected cells are capable of generating immunity in vivo. In this study, we show that inoculation of mice with apoptotic HIV-1/murine leukemia virus (MuLV)-infected cells induces HIV-1-specific immunity. Immunization with apoptotic HIV-1/MuLV-infected syngeneic splenocytes resulted in strong Nef-specific CD8(+) T cell proliferation and p24-induced CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell proliferation as well as IFN-gamma production. In addition, systemic IgG and IgA as well as mucosa-associated IgA responses were generated. Moreover, mice vaccinated with apoptotic HIV-1/MuLV cells were protected against challenge with live HIV-1/MuLV-infected cells, whereas mice vaccinated with apoptotic noninfected or MuLV-infected splenocytes remained susceptible to HIV-1/MuLV. These data show that i.p. immunization with apoptotic HIV-1-infected cells induces high levels of HIV-1-specific systemic immunity, primes for mucosal immunity, and induces protection against challenge with live HIV-1-infected cells in mice. These findings may have implications for the development of therapeutic and prophylactic HIV-1 vaccines.

Superantigens are microbial proteins that induce massive activation, proliferation, and cytokine production by CD4+ T cells via specific Vbeta elements on the TCR. In this study we examine superantigen enhancement of Ag-specific CD4+ T cell activity for humoral B cell responses to T-dependent Ags BSA and HIV gp120 envelope, type I T-independent Ag LPS, and type II T-independent Ag pneumococcal polysaccharides. Injection of BSA followed by a combination of superantigens staphylococcal enterotoxin A and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) 7 days later enhanced the anti-BSA Ab response in mice approximately 4-fold as compared with mice given BSA alone. The anti-gp120 response was enhanced approximately 3-fold by superantigens. The type II T-independent Ag pneumococcal polysaccharide response was enhanced approximately 2.3-fold by superantigens, whereas no effect was observed on the response to the type I T-independent Ag LPS. The superantigen effect was completely blocked by the CD4+ T cell inhibitory cytokine IL-10. SEB-stimulated human CD4+ T cells were examined to determine the role of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signal transduction pathway in superantigen activation of T cells. Inhibitors of the mitogen pathway of MAP kinase blocked SEB-induced proliferation and IFN-gamma production, while an inhibitor of the p38 stress pathway had no effect. Consistent with this, SEB activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase/MAP kinase as well as MAP kinase-interacting kinase, a kinase that phosphorylates eIF4E, which is an important component of the eukaryotic protein synthesis initiation complex. Both kinases were inhibited by IL-10. Thus, superantigens enhance humoral immunity via Ag-specific CD4+ T cells involving the stress-independent pathway of MAP kinase.

Despite considerable interest in the isolation of mAbs with potent neutralization activity against primary HIV-1 isolates, both for identifying useful targets for vaccine development and for the development of therapeutically useful reagents against HIV-1 infection, a relatively limited number of such reagents have been isolated to date. Human mAbs (hu-mAbs) are preferable to rodent mAbs for treatment of humans, but isolation of hu-mAbs from HIV-infected subjects by standard methods of EBV transformation of B cells or phage display of Ig libraries is inefficient and limited by the inability to control or define the original immunogen. An alternative approach for the isolation of hu-mAbs has been provided by the development of transgenic mice that produce fully hu-mAbs. In this report, we show that immunizing the XenoMouse G2 strain with native recombinant gp120 derived from HIV(SF162) resulted in robust humoral Ab responses against gp120 and allowed the efficient isolation of hybridomas producing specific hu-mAbs directed against multiple regions and epitopes of gp120. hu-mAbs possessing strong neutralizing activity against the autologous HIV(SF162) strain were obtained. The epitopes recognized were located in three previously described neutralization domains, the V2-, V3- and CD4-binding domains, and in a novel neutralization domain, the highly variable C-terminal region of the V1 loop. This is the first report of neutralizing mAbs directed at targets in the V1 region. Furthermore, the V2 and V3 epitopes recognized by neutralizing hu-mAbs were distinct from those of previously described human and rodent mAbs and included an epitope requiring a full length V3 loop peptide for effective presentation. These results further our understanding of neutralization targets for primary, R5 HIV-1 viruses and demonstrate the utility of the XenoMouse system for identifying new and interesting epitopes on HIV-1.

In the vaccine strategy against HIV, bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a live attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis, is considered to be one of potential vectors for mucosal delivery of vaccine Ag. We analyzed the induction of the Ag-specific Ab response by nasal immunization with recombinant BCG vector-based vaccine (rBCG-V3J1) that can secrete the V3 principal neutralizing epitope of HIV. Mice were nasally immunized with rBCG-V3J1 (10 microg) three times at weekly intervals. Four weeks after the initial immunization, high titers of V3J1-specific IgG Abs were seen in serum. These high levels of HIV-specific serum IgG responses were maintained for >12 mo following nasal immunization without any booster immunization. V3J1-specific IgG-producing cells were detected in mononuclear cells isolated from spleen, nasal cavity, and salivary gland of the nasally vaccinated mice. Nasal rBCG-V3J1 also induced high levels of prolonged HIV-specific serum IgG responses in Th1 (IFN-gamma(-/-))- or Th2 (IL-4(-/-))-immunodeficient mice. Further, IgG3 was highest among V3 peptide-specific IgG subclass Ab responses in these immunodeficient mice as well as in wild-type mice. In addition, this Ag-specific serum IgG Abs induced by nasal immunization with rBCG-V3J1 possessed the ability to neutralize clinical isolate of HIV in vitro. These results suggested that the nasal rBCG-V3J1 system might be used as a therapeutic vaccine in addition to a prophylaxis vaccine for the control of AIDS.

Induction of T cell help is critical in HIV-1 control and potentially in prevention by immunization. A practical approach is needed to identify HIV-1-specific helper activities in vivo. We explored the feasibility of measuring delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) following intradermal injection of recombinant soluble HIV-1(MN) glycoprotein 120 in HIV-1-infected, vaccinated, and exposed individuals. DTH reactions were elicited within 48 h in 16 of 29 untreated, infected patients and in 24 of 30 uninfected vaccinees. Concomitant envelope-specific lymphoproliferation in vitro was undetectable among 9 infected patients tested with positive envelope-specific DTH. By contrast, no 48-h DTH reactions occurred among 25 high risk and 32 low risk, uninfected volunteers. However, 7--12 days after injection, 10 (40%) high risk and 11 (34%) low risk individuals developed induration resembling DTH, and the cellular infiltrates contained monocytes and T cells. Five of 18 examined also developed anti-gp120 Abs. The very delayed time course and lack of correlation with previous Ag exposure clearly distinguish this reaction from DTH. Thus, HIV-1 skin testing can identify persons with HIV-specific recall responses resulting from infection, in the absence of in vitro lymphoproliferation, and from vaccination. In contrast, very late reactivities may signify chemotactic properties of the envelope protein and/or herald the induction of primary HIV-specific Th1-type immunity.

Intramuscular injection of DNA vaccines elicits potent humoral and cellular immune responses in mice. However, DNA vaccines are less efficient in larger animal models and humans. To gain a better understanding of the factors limiting the efficacy of DNA vaccines, we used fluorescence-labeled plasmid DNA in mice to 1) define the macroscopic and microscopic distribution of DNA after injection into the tibialis anterior muscle, 2) characterize cellular uptake and expression of DNA in muscle and draining lymph nodes, and 3) determine the effect of modifying DNA distribution and cellular uptake by volume changes or electroporation on the magnitude of the immune response. Injection of a standard 50-microl dose resulted in the rapid dispersion of labeled DNA throughout the muscle. DNA was internalized within 5 min by muscle cells near the injection site and over several hours by cells that were located along muscle fibers and in the draining lymph nodes. Histochemical staining and analysis of mRNA expression in isolated cells by RT-PCR showed that the transgene was detectably expressed only by muscle cells, despite substantial DNA uptake by non-muscle cells. Reduction of the injection volume to 5 microl resulted in substantially less uptake and expression of DNA by muscle cells, and correspondingly lower immune responses against the transgene product. However, expression and immunogenicity were restored when the 5-microl injection was followed by electroporation in vivo. These findings indicate that distribution and cellular uptake significantly affect the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines.

DNA vaccines have been demonstrated to be potent in small animals but are less effective in primates. One limiting factor may be inefficient uptake of DNA by cells in situ. In this study, we evaluated whether cellular uptake of DNA was a significant barrier to efficient transfection in vivo and subsequent induction of immune responses. For this purpose, we used the technique of electroporation to facilitate DNA delivery in vivo. This technology was shown to substantially increase delivery of DNA to cells, resulting in increased expression and elevated immune responses. The potency of a weakly immunogenic hepatitis B surface Ag DNA vaccine was increased in mice, as seen by a more rapid onset and higher magnitude of anti-hepatitis B Abs. In addition, the immunogenicity of a potent HIV gag DNA vaccine was increased in mice, as seen by higher Ab titers, a substantial reduction in the dose of DNA required to induce an Ab response, and an increase in CD8+ T cell responses. Finally, Ab responses were enhanced by electroporation against both components of a combination HIV gag and env DNA vaccine in guinea pigs and rabbits. Therefore, cellular uptake of DNA is a significant barrier to transfection in vivo, and electroporation appears able to overcome this barrier.

Using a strain of Listeria monocytogenes that stably expresses and secretes HIV gag to deliver this Ag to the MHC class I pathway of Ag processing, we have identified the immunodominant CTL epitope to gag in the BALB/c mouse and shown that it is Kd restricted. The specific motif for the peptides that bind the MHC class I molecule H-2 Kd is believed to be a nonamer with residues tyrosine or phenylalanine in the second amino acid position and leucine or isoleucine in the carboxyl-terminal or ninth amino acid position as dominant anchoring positions. Surprisingly, the identified gag peptide, AMQMLKETI, does not contain an anchoring aromatic residue in position two although competition assays with other Kd-restricted epitopes indicated that it binds to Kd with comparable affinity. Using a theoretical molecular dynamics approach to probe the stability of peptide binding to MHC class I molecules, we show that the absence of an appropriate anchor residue at P2 in AMQMLKETI is compensated by favorable interactions of the glutamine at P3 with pocket D of Kd. These findings were verified experimentally, demonstrating the predictive power of this theoretical approach in analyzing MHC class I/peptide interactions. These studies also indicate that CTL epitope prediction that relies on dominant peptide motifs may not always identify the correct epitope.

Because mucosal surfaces are a primary route of HIV-1 infection, we evaluated the mucosal immunogenicity of a candidate HIV-1 vaccine, oligomeric gp160 (o-gp160). In prior studies, parenteral immunization of rabbits with o-gp160 elicited broad neutralizing serum Ab responses against both T cell line-adapted HIV-1 and some primary HIV-1 isolates. In this study, nasal immunization of mice with o-gp160, formulated with liposomes containing monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), MPL-AF, proteosomes, emulsomes, or proteosomes with emulsomes elicited strong gp160-specific IgG and IgA responses in serum as well as vaginal, lung, and intestinal washes and fecal pellets. The genital, respiratory, and intestinal Abs were determined to be locally produced. No mucosal immune responses were measurable when the immunogen was given s.c. Abs from sera and from vaginal and lung washes preferentially recognized native forms of monomeric gp120, suggesting no substantial loss in protein tertiary conformation after vaccine formulation and mucosal administration. Inhibition of HIV-1MN infection of H9 cells was found in sera from mice immunized intranasally with o-gp160 formulated with liposomes plus MPL, proteosomes, and proteosomes plus emulsomes. Formulations of o-gp160 with MPL-AF, proteosomes, emulsomes, or proteosomes plus emulsomes elicited HIV-1MN-neutralizing Ab in lung wash, and formulations with proteosomes, emulsomes, or proteosomes plus emulsomes elicited HIV-1MN-neutralizing Ab in vaginal wash. These data demonstrate the feasibility of inducing both systemic and mucosal HIV-1-neutralizing Ab by intranasal immunization with an oligomeric gp160 protein.

A DNA vaccine constructed with the CMV promoter conjugated to env gp160 and rev genes has been shown to induce an effective Th1-type immune response when inoculated via an intramuscular route. In the present study, we obtained high levels of both humoral and cell-mediated immune activity by intranasal administration of this DNA vaccine. The production of mucosal IgA Ab in feces and vaginal fluid was stimulated significantly by intranasal DNA administration. This route of administration resulted in a significant level of HIV-1-neutralizing Abs in feces and serum. Cytokine assays revealed that intranasal administration of this DNA vaccine induces a Th2-type immune response. Interestingly, cationic liposomes greatly enhanced these activities. Abs against HIV-1 were present for at least 10 mo. Coadministration of the DNA vaccine with IL-12- and granulocyte/macrophage-CSF-expressing plasmids induced high levels of HIV-specific CTLs and an increase in delayed type hypersensitivity when administered by the intranasal route. These results clearly demonstrate that intranasal administration of this DNA vaccine with liposomes, together with IL-12- and/or granulocyte/macrophage-CSF-expressing plasmids, induces a strong level of anti-HIV-1 immune response.

A series of protocols were tested to examine the adjuvant effects of IL-12 on humoral and type 1 cytokine responses elicited in mice by recombinant gp120 envelope protein from HIV-1. This Ag fails to induce detectable Ab responses when administered s.c. alone, but stimulates low Ab levels when combined with aluminum hydroxide (alum). Moreover, when i.p. injected rIL-12 was included in the immunization, no increase in Ab production was observed. Importantly, optimal gp120 Ab responses were achieved by immunizing mice s.c. with gp120 and rIL-12 simultaneously coadsorbed to alum. These animals displayed a highly polarized, type 1 cytokine profile, with the emergence of anti-gp120 Ig belonging to the IgG2 and IgG3 isotypes. In addition, a major increase occurred in Ab of the IgG1 subclass. The superior adjuvant activity of alum-adsorbed IL-12 compared with that of the free cytokine correlated with the prolonged detection of IFN-gamma in the sera of animals immunized using the former procedure. In related experiments, in vitro neutralization of IL-12 was shown to inhibit IFN-gamma production by spleen cells from mice immunized with gp120 plus alum, but not by splenocytes from mice primed in the presence of IL-12, suggesting that the latter protocol induces a stable type 1 phenotype. These studies demonstrate that presentation of IL-12 on alum enhances its immunomodulatory effects and establish a protocol for the use of the cytokine as an adjuvant for simultaneously promoting both humoral Ab and type 1 cytokine responses.

Recent studies support the importance of investigating a DNA vaccination approach for the immunologic control of HIV-1. In this regard, it may be important to specifically engineer immune responses in order to improve on first generation vaccine attempts. Especially for HIV, induction of cell-mediated immunity may be an important feature for any candidate vaccine. In an attempt to engineer in vivo the enhancement of cellular immune response and to direct Ag-dependent immune response from Th2 to Th1 type, we investigated the role of codelivery of genes for IL-12 and granulocyte-macrophage-CSF along with DNA vaccine formulations for HIV-1 Ag. We found that codelivery of IL-12 expression cassettes with DNA vaccines for HIV-1 in mice resulted in splenomegaly as well as a shift in the specific immune responses induced. The codelivery of IL-12 genes resulted in the reduction of specific Ab response, while the coinjection of granulocyte-macrophage-CSF genes resulted in the enhancement of specific Ab response. In addition, we observed a significant Ag-specific stimulation of T cells with codelivery of both cytokines. Most importantly, we observed a dramatic increase in specific CTL response from the group coimmunized with the HIV-1 DNA vaccine and IL-12 genes. This work demonstrates the power of DNA delivery in vivo for both the production of a new generation of more effective and targeted vaccines or immunotherapies as well as an analytic tool for the molecular dissection of the mechanisms of immune function.

To optimize mucosal immune responses to the HIV-1 peptide vaccine candidate T1SP10 MN(A), we intranasally immunized BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice with C4/V3 HIV-1 peptide together with the mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin (CT). Four doses over a 4-wk period resulted in peak serum anti-peptide IgG titers of > 1:160,000 in BALB/c mice and > 1:520,000 in C57BL/6 mice, and significant levels (>1:30,000) persisted in both strains of mice for longer than 6 mo. Furthermore, intranasal immunization with peptide and CT induced serum IgG reactivity to HIV-1 gp120 and HIV-1(MN) neutralizing responses. The primary anti-peptide IgG subclass was IgG1, suggesting a predominant Th2-type response. In addition to elevated serum anti-peptide A responses, intranasal immunization with T1SP10 MN(A) and CT induced both vaginal anti-peptide IgG and IgA responses, which persisted for 91 days in both strains of mice. Vaginal anti-HIV IgA was frequently associated with secretory component, suggesting transepithelial transport of IgA into vaginal secretions. Cervical lymph nodes contained the highest relative concentration of anti-T1SP10 MN(A) IgG-producing cells, while the spleen was the next major site of anti-T1SP10 MN(A) IgG-producing cells. Ag-specific proliferative responses were also detected in cervical lymph node and spleen cell populations after intranasal immunization with T1SP10 MN(A) and CT. In addition, intranasal immunization with T1SP10 MN(A) and CT was able to induce anti-HIV cell-mediated immunity in vivo as indicated by the induction of delayed-type hypersensitivity. Therefore, intranasal immunization with hybrid HIV peptides provides a noninvasive route of immunization that induces both long-lived systemic and mucosal Ab responses as well as cell-mediated immunity to HIV.

Heat shock proteins are major targets of the immune response to bacterial and parasitic pathogens. Mycobacterium tuberculosis hsp70 is an especially powerful Ag containing multiple B and T cell epitopes. We investigated whether M. tuberculosis hsp70 can be used as an adjuvant-free carrier to stimulate the humoral and cellular immune response to an accompanying protein. A recombinant hsp70 protein expression vector was developed that permits the production of any protein fused to the amino terminus of mycobacterial hsp70. We found that a recombinant HIV p24-hsp70 fusion protein produced with this vector elicited both humoral and cellular immune responses against p24 in mice when administered in saline in the absence of adjuvant. Covalent linkage of hsp70 to p24 was essential to elicit immune responses to p24 under these conditions. The anti-p24 IgG1 Abs induced in p24-hsp70-immunized mice persisted at high levels for more than 1 yr after immunization. These results demonstrate that the antigenic properties of M. tuberculosis hsp70 can be exploited to enhance the humoral and cellular immune response to an attached protein.

We examined the humoral immune response in both HIV-1 infected and uninfected volunteers immunized with candidate HIV-1 recombinant envelope subunit vaccines (Genentech gp120IIIB, MicroGeneSys gp160IIIB, or ImmunoAG gp160IIIB). Immunization of both HIV-1 infected and uninfected volunteers with these immunogens resulted in the induction of Abs preferentially reactive with epitopes accessible on a denatured form of gp120. While sera from HIV-1 uninfected gp120/gp160IIIB vaccinees bound gp120/gp41, which was expressed on the surface of H9 cells infected with HIV-1IIIB, minimal binding to HIV-1MN or HIV-1RF infected cells was obtained. Induction of qualitatively similar immune responses by these immunogens would not have been predicted based on their different tertiary structures. These data indicate a restriction of the immune response to linear, conserved epitopes poorly accessible on both monomeric gp120 and cell-surface expressed oligomeric gp120/gp41 and a lack of Abs specific for conformational epitopes conserved across divergent HIV-1 strains. Poor recognition of HIV-1 envelope tertiary and quaternary structure may explain the restricted neutralization profiles of vaccinee sera against laboratory-adapted strains of HIV-1 and their inability to neutralize primary HIV-1 isolates. Alternate immunogens or reformulations with the capacity to elicit Abs that preferentially bind to natively folded gp120 should be investigated and correlated with their ability to neutralize more diverse laboratory-adapted and primary HIV-1 isolates.

We have tested synthetic peptides composed of Th (T1) and V3 loop B cell neutralizing determinants [SP10 MN(A)] of HIVMN gp120 and the fusogenic (F) domain of gp41 as immunogens in rhesus monkeys. After two immunizations with either HIV env peptide T1-SP10 MN(A) or F-T1-SP10 MN(A), rhesus monkey serum neutralization titers against the HIVMN isolate ranged from 1:160 to 1:1400, and in cell-cell syncytium inhibition assay ranged from 1:20 to 1:80. However, in contrast to animals immunized with T1-SP10 MN(A), animals immunized twice with F-T1-SP10 MN(A) had no rise in anti-gp120 and neutralizing antibodies with an additional immunization with F-T1-SP10 MN(A) peptide. One of 4 rhesus monkeys (18987) had anti-HIVMN antibodies that cross-neutralized divergent HIV isolates HIVIIIB and HIVRF. Serum from animal 18987 neutralized 5 of 10 HIV isolates tested, and neutralizing activity against HIVIIIB of 18987 serum was absorbed with the conserved gp120 loop V3 sequence IGPGRAF. Anti-HIV neutralizing antibodies were boosted after a 6-mo rest by 500 micrograms of T1-SP10 MN(A) in 4 of 4 animals previously immunized with T1-SP10 MN(A) and in 2 of 2 animals previously immunized with F-T1-SP10 MN(A). However, immunization after 6-mo rest of animal 18987 with 500 micrograms of T1-SP10 MN(A) peptide, although boosting anti-HIVMN neutralizing antibodies, selectively did not boost cross-neutralizing anti-HIVIIIB antibodies. Thus, synthetic peptides containing T and B cell epitopes of HIV gp120 can induce high levels of anti-HIVMN neutralizing antibodies in primates.

Peptide constructs comprised of multideterminant Th peptides from the envelope glycoprotein of HIV previously identified to induce proliferative responses in four different haplotypes of mice and IL-2 responses in 52 to 73% of HIV positive, Ag-responsive patients, were colinearly synthesized with the peptide 18 of the V3 loop of HIV-1 gp 160, corresponding to the principal neutralizing determinant of HIV-IIIB. The segments containing clusters of overlapping Th epitopes were called cluster peptides. Cognate help for peptide 18 antibody was elicited after a single immunization in all strains of mice that had previously responded to a T cell epitope encompassed by the cluster peptides. Animals boosted with cluster peptide-peptide 18 constructs 36 to 52 wk later displayed secondary antibody responses. Cluster peptide 3-peptide 18 induced antibody that neutralized homologous virus in one strain of mice although strong peptide 18 antibody responses were detected in all four strains of mice. The most promising construct, cluster peptide 6-peptide 18, induced neutralizing antibody in all strains of mice tested, and in two strains the level of neutralizing antibody achieved was comparable to levels adequate for protection from homologous viral challenge in chimpanzees. After a single boost, antibody titers for 90% neutralization in the range of 1/1000 to 1/16,000 were achieved. These neutralizing titers against the homologous viral strain, after just two immunizations, are at least four- to eightfold higher than the highest titered other polyclonal V3-specific immune sera we have ever observed in our laboratories. We also asked why some sera neutralized and others with similar ELISA titers did not. No correlation was found between neutralization and isotype or affinity for peptide or gp 120. We could not account for neutralization by antibodies to the helper sites. Substitutions made in the central loop region of peptide 18, amino acid residues PGRAF, dramatically reduced binding of both neutralizing and non-neutralizing sera although some fine specificity differences between neutralizing and nonneutralizing sera were noted. These results have implications for the design of synthetic peptide vaccines for HIV.

Peptide-based vaccines that directly target T cell or B cell epitopes may have significant advantages over conventional vaccines. Further, synthetic chimeric peptides that combine strong T cell epitopes with poorly immunogenic, but immunodominant, B cell epitopes or strain-conserved B cell epitopes may be useful in eliciting antibody to such important regions. Here we characterize a human T cell epitope analyzed in 54 individuals immunized with a hepatitis B virus surface Ag vaccine. Primary cultures from a total of 59 immunized donors were assessed for their ability to respond to hepatitis B virus surface Ag and peptides, and five were non-responders (8.5%). T cell lines were established from the remaining 54 responders. Of the responders, it was found that the peptide representing amino acids 19 through 33 (19-33) elicited significant proliferation in lines derived from 50 donors. This "universal" T cell epitope, which was recognized in donors of many different HLA-DR and -DQ haplotypes, was then used to construct a chimeric peptide containing 19-33 and the third V region loop structure (V3 loop) of HIV-1 envelope gp 120, in an attempt to augment the immune response to the V3 loop peptide. The V3 loop is the region to which significant neutralizing antibody is directed. Thus, a strong immune response to a synthetic peptide that contains the strain-conserved V3 loop region could have significant therapeutic implications. The V3 loop/19-33 peptide was then used to prime mice, to determine whether V3 loop-specific antibody could be induced. The peptide elicited potent 19-33-specific proliferation in T cells isolated from draining lymph nodes, and in six of six mice anti-V3 loop antibody was elicited. Further, V3 loop/19-33-primed animals made significant levels of antibody that bound rgp120. These data suggest that, when a major T cell epitope is synthesized in tandem with the V3 loop, a significant immune response against the loop can be elicited. Thus, given the finding that neutralizing antibody may play a role in the control and/or prevention of HIV infection, an HIV vaccine composed of a T cell epitope-containing peptide may prove effective. In addition, this type of approach can be generalized to the design of peptide-based vaccines.

A chimeric peptide that included sequences from gp120 and gp41 of HIV type 1 was synthesized. Cleavage from solid support yielded a composite of self-oligomerized products with molecular masses ranging from 5 to about 9 kDa. The oligomer but not its reduced, monomeric form was recognized by human anti-HIV sera and at least one of the two lysines in the sequence was involved in antibody binding. The oligomeric peptide was immunogenic, yielding a conformation-specific antibody response. Co-oligomerization of a hepatitis B surface Ag-derived peptide and the HIV type 1-derived peptide yielded a bivalent product in which conformational integrity of the individual components was maintained. Immunization with this hybrid peptide resulted in conformation-specific antibodies to both epitopes in all four murine strains tested. Lymphocyte proliferation assays revealed that the T epitopes resident in both peptide sequences remained active in the hybrid peptide. These results demonstrate the potential of this approach in generating multi- and heterovalent immunogens which may eventually find application as vaccines.

Multiple Ag peptide (MAP) system without the use of a protein carrier was used as a vaccine model in three species of animals. Synthetic peptides from the V3 region of the gp120 of IIIB, RF and MN HIV-1 isolates were used as the Ag. MAP consisting of various chain lengths, from 11 to 24 residues, were prepared in a monoepitope configuration containing four repeats of each individual peptide. In parallel, they were synthesized in a diepitope configuration adding at the carboxyl-terminus of the V3 peptides a conserved sequence, known to be a Th cell epitope of gp120. The antibody response elicited by the monoepitope constructs was species-dependent. Rabbits produced immunity against all nine peptides, whereas mice were strongly reactive mainly to the longest sequence of the IIIB isolate. The immune response of guinea pigs was intermediate to those of rabbits and mice. Diepitope MAPs were immunogenic in all three species and elicited significantly higher titers than those raised by the immunization with the monoepitope MAPs. The response was type specific; the high-titered antibodies were reactive mostly against the isolate from which the peptides were derived, with a small cross-reactivity in ELISA between IIIB and RF strains. The dominant antigenic site of the B cell epitope, IIIB sequence, was located at the amino and central part of the MAP and a sequence overlapping the putative V3 reverse-turn was particularly reactive with the raised antibodies. Moreover, sera from the immunized animals inhibited virus-dependent cell fusion. These results show that MAP, with a chemically defined structure and without the use of a protein carrier, can be potentially useful for the design of synthetic HIV-1 vaccine candidates.

The induction of a memory immune response to HIV, mediated by any kind of effector mechanism, requires the induction of T cell help. In previous studies performed in different murine MHC haplotypes, three immunodominant T cell epitopes (T1, T2, and TH4.1) had been identified in the HIV envelope glycoprotein. Moreover, these peptides were proliferative T cell epitopes in humans. In this study, rhesus monkeys, Macaca mulatta, were primed with these three peptides either in combination or given separately. Half of the monkeys had a proliferative response to one or more of the priming peptide(s). Those monkeys who had a T cell proliferative response also had a high antibody response after one boost with a suboptimal dose of the native protein gp 160, whereas three of four control monkeys who had received only the native protein immunization gave no detectable antibody response, and one displayed a very weak response. For reasons that are unclear, antibodies only to the gp41 portion of gp 160 could be detected in the sera. Thus, the peptides can prime Th cells in primates for an enhanced antibody response on first exposure to the whole protein. The three peptides belong to highly conserved and nonglycosylated regions of the envelope protein. The fact that the peptides acted as immunogenic T cell proliferative and helper epitopes in nonhuman primates is very encouraging for including them in future vaccine studies in humans.

This study examined the mechanisms underlying the intense activation of HIV-1-specific B cells observed in peripheral blood of HIV-1-infected subjects. Spontaneous in vitro synthesis of anti-HIV-1 antibodies, as well as total Ig production, were dramatically reduced by accessory cell, but not T cell removal. This fall was counteracted by addition of rIL-6, but not other cytokines, to monocyte-depleted cultures; moreover, antisera against IL-6 suppressed spontaneous anti-HIV-1 antibody synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Although IL-6 apparently sustained HIV-1-specific B cell activation, no increase in serum IL-6 levels was observed; PBMC from seropositive subjects did not produce increased amounts of IL-6 in vitro, compared to seronegative controls, both spontaneously and in the presence of LPS stimulation; finally, no constitutive expression of IL-6 gene could be documented in freshly isolated PBMC. These findings indicate that IL-6 may play a central role in HIV-1-specific B cell activation in seropositive patients, and further stress the importance of this cytokine during HIV-1 infection.

We have previously described a synthetic peptide (T1-SP10) derived from two noncontiguous regions of HTLVIIIB envelope gp120 (T1, amino acids 428-443; SP10, amino acids 303-321) that induced type-specific anti-HIV neutralizing antibodies and T cell proliferative responses against native HIV gp120 when used as a carrier-free immunogen in goats. In this study, HTLVIIIB T1-SP10 synthetic peptides were used to immunize rhesus monkeys to determine if the peptides were capable of eliciting HIV-specific neutralizing antibody and proliferative responses in primates. Four compounds (alum, polyA:polyU, threonyl-muramyldipeptide (MDP) and IFA) were also compared for efficacy as adjuvants in this system. Rhesus monkeys immunized with T1-SP10 peptides generated high titers of antibodies against the immunogens and also against HTLVIIIB gp120. Sera from all four animals given T1-SP10 in IFA or threonyl-MDP neutralized infection by HTLVIIIB and blocked virus-dependent cell fusion events. A peak neutralization titer of 1:940 was seen in one animal given IFA (19600) and a titer of 1:900 was seen in one of the monkeys (17371) given threonyl-MDP. Proliferative responses of immune rhesus PBMC to T1-SP10 appeared after the first injection. After eight immunizations, two of eight monkeys (one injected with peptides in threonyl-MDP and one given peptides in IFA) had PBMC proliferative responses to native HTLVIIIB gp120. These data demonstrate that the carrier-free T1-SP10 synthetic peptide construct can induce high titers of neutralizing anti-HIV antibody responses and PBMC proliferative responses to HIV in primates.

A murine mAb BAT123 (Ab1) directing to the principal neutralization site of human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV)-IIIB gp120 (amino acid residue 308-322) was used to generate syngeneic anti-Id mAb (Ab2). Among the Ab2, a mAb AB19-4 was characterized by both serologic and biologic methods to be paratope-specific (Ab2 beta), bearing the internal image of the neutralization site. AB19-4 was found to bind specifically to BAT123 and also to its mouse-human chimeric form in ELISA. The binding of AB19-4 to BAT123 was specifically inhibited by HTLV-IIIB gp120 and the synthetic epitope peptides of HTLV-IIIB and HTLV-IIIMN defined by BAT123. AB19-4 also inhibited the binding of BAT123 to HTLV-IIIB-infected H9 cells in flow cytometric studies. Polyclonal goat and sheep antisera against HTLV-IIIB gp120 reacted specifically with AB19-4, suggesting that AB19-4 may recognize cross-species idiotopes. Rabbits immunized with purified AB19-4 generated anti-anti-Id antibodies (Ab3) that reacted specifically with HTLV-IIIB gp120 and the BAT123-binding epitope peptides of HTLV-IIIB and HTLV-IIIMN. The Ab3 bound to H9 cells infected by HTLV-IIIB or HTLV-IIIMN and inhibited the infection of CEM cells by HTLV-IIIB or HTLV-IIIMN, whereas BAT123 also bound H9 cells infected by HTLV-IIIB or HTLV-IIIMN but neutralized only HTLV-IIIB. Our data suggest that AB19-4 mimics the neutralization site on HIV-1 gp120 defined by BAT123. The induction of immunity to HIV using internal-image Ab2 to HIV-neutralizing antibodies may provide a viable approach for developing effective vaccines for AIDS.