Mucosal IL-4R antagonist HIV vaccination with SOSIP-gp140 booster can induce high-quality cytotoxic CD4+/CD8+ T cells and humoral responses in macaques

Sci Rep. 2020 Dec 16;10(1):22077. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-79172-7.

Abstract

Inducing humoral, cellular and mucosal immunity is likely to improve the effectiveness of HIV-1 vaccine strategies. Here, we tested a vaccine regimen in pigtail macaques using an intranasal (i.n.) recombinant Fowl Pox Virus (FPV)-gag pol env-IL-4R antagonist prime, intramuscular (i.m.) recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara Virus (MVA)-gag pol-IL-4R antagonist boost followed by an i.m SOSIP-gp140 boost. The viral vector-expressed IL-4R antagonist transiently inhibited IL-4/IL-13 signalling at the vaccination site. The SOSIP booster not only induced gp140-specific IgG, ADCC (antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity) and some neutralisation activity, but also bolstered the HIV-specific cellular and humoral responses. Specifically, superior sustained systemic and mucosal HIV Gag-specific poly-functional/cytotoxic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were detected with the IL-4R antagonist adjuvanted strategy compared to the unadjuvanted control. In the systemic compartment elevated Granzyme K expression was linked to CD4+ T cells, whilst Granzyme B/TIA-1 to CD8+ T cells. In contrast, the cytotoxic marker expression by mucosal CD4+ and CD8+ T cells differed according to the mucosal compartment. This vector-based mucosal IL-4R antagonist/SOSIP booster strategy, which promotes cytotoxic mucosal CD4+ T cells at the first line of defence, and cytotoxic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells plus functional antibodies in the blood, may prove valuable in combating mucosal infection with HIV-1 and warrants further investigation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • AIDS Vaccines / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Immunity, Cellular / drug effects*
  • Immunity, Humoral / drug effects*
  • Immunization, Secondary*
  • Interleukin-4 Receptor alpha Subunit / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Interleukin-4 Receptor alpha Subunit / immunology
  • Macaca nemestrina
  • env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / pharmacology*

Substances

  • AIDS Vaccines
  • Interleukin-4 Receptor alpha Subunit
  • env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
  • gp140 envelope protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1