Enhancement of MHC-I antigen presentation via architectural control of pH-responsive, endosomolytic polymer nanoparticles

AAPS J. 2015 Mar;17(2):358-69. doi: 10.1208/s12248-014-9697-1. Epub 2014 Dec 12.

Abstract

Protein-based vaccines offer a number of important advantages over organism-based vaccines but generally elicit poor CD8(+) T cell responses. We have previously demonstrated that pH-responsive, endosomolytic polymers can enhance protein antigen delivery to major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) antigen presentation pathways thereby augmenting CD8(+) T cell responses following immunization. Here, we describe a new family of nanocarriers for protein antigen delivery assembled using architecturally distinct pH-responsive polymers. Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was used to synthesize linear, hyperbranched, and core-crosslinked copolymers of 2-(N,N-diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) and butyl methacrylate (BMA) that were subsequently chain extended with a hydrophilic N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) segment copolymerized with thiol-reactive pyridyl disulfide (PDS) groups. In aqueous solution, polymer chains assembled into 25 nm micellar nanoparticles and enabled efficient and reducible conjugation of a thiolated protein antigen, ovalbumin. Polymers demonstrated pH-dependent membrane-destabilizing activity in an erythrocyte lysis assay, with the hyperbranched and cross-linked polymer architectures exhibiting significantly higher hemolysis at pH ≤ 7.0 than the linear diblock. Antigen delivery with the hyperbranched and cross-linked polymer architecture enhanced in vitro MHC-I antigen presentation relative to free antigen, whereas the linear construct did not have a discernible effect. The hyperbranched system elicited a four- to fivefold increase in MHC-I presentation relative to the cross-linked architecture, demonstrating the superior capacity of the hyperbranched architecture in enhancing MHC-I presentation. This work demonstrates that the architecture of pH-responsive, endosomolytic polymers can have dramatic effects on intracellular antigen delivery, and offers a promising strategy for enhancing CD8(+) T cell responses to protein-based vaccines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acrylamides / chemistry
  • Animals
  • Antigen Presentation / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Cross-Linking Reagents / chemistry
  • Endosomes / metabolism
  • Hemolysis / drug effects
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Mice
  • Micelles
  • Nanoparticles*
  • Ovalbumin / immunology
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Vaccines / immunology*

Substances

  • Acrylamides
  • Cross-Linking Reagents
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
  • Micelles
  • Polymers
  • Vaccines
  • Ovalbumin
  • N,N-dimethylacrylamide