Structure-Based Design of Head-Only Fusion Glycoprotein Immunogens for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant cause of severe respiratory illness worldwide, particularly in infants, young children, and the elderly. Although no licensed vaccine is currently available, an engineered version of the metastable RSV fusion (F) surface glycoprotein-stabilized in t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jeffrey C Boyington, M Gordon Joyce, Mallika Sastry, Guillaume B E Stewart-Jones, Man Chen, Wing-Pui Kong, Joan O Ngwuta, Paul V Thomas, Yaroslav Tsybovsky, Yongping Yang, Baoshan Zhang, Lei Chen, Aliaksandr Druz, Ivelin S Georgiev, Kiyoon Ko, Tongqing Zhou, John R Mascola, Barney S Graham, Peter D Kwong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2016-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0159709&type=printable
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849472584867905536
author Jeffrey C Boyington
M Gordon Joyce
Mallika Sastry
Guillaume B E Stewart-Jones
Man Chen
Wing-Pui Kong
Joan O Ngwuta
Paul V Thomas
Yaroslav Tsybovsky
Yongping Yang
Baoshan Zhang
Lei Chen
Aliaksandr Druz
Ivelin S Georgiev
Kiyoon Ko
Tongqing Zhou
John R Mascola
Barney S Graham
Peter D Kwong
author_facet Jeffrey C Boyington
M Gordon Joyce
Mallika Sastry
Guillaume B E Stewart-Jones
Man Chen
Wing-Pui Kong
Joan O Ngwuta
Paul V Thomas
Yaroslav Tsybovsky
Yongping Yang
Baoshan Zhang
Lei Chen
Aliaksandr Druz
Ivelin S Georgiev
Kiyoon Ko
Tongqing Zhou
John R Mascola
Barney S Graham
Peter D Kwong
author_sort Jeffrey C Boyington
collection DOAJ
description Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant cause of severe respiratory illness worldwide, particularly in infants, young children, and the elderly. Although no licensed vaccine is currently available, an engineered version of the metastable RSV fusion (F) surface glycoprotein-stabilized in the pre-fusion (pre-F) conformation by "DS-Cav1" mutations-elicits high titer RSV-neutralizing responses. Moreover, pre-F-specific antibodies, often against the neutralization-sensitive antigenic site Ø in the membrane-distal head region of trimeric F glycoprotein, comprise a substantial portion of the human response to natural RSV infection. To focus the vaccine-elicited response to antigenic site Ø, we designed a series of RSV F immunogens that comprised the membrane-distal head of the F glycoprotein in its pre-F conformation. These "head-only" immunogens formed monomers, dimers, and trimers. Antigenic analysis revealed that a majority of the 70 engineered head-only immunogens displayed reactivity to site Ø-targeting antibodies, which was similar to that of the parent RSV F DS-Cav1 trimers, often with increased thermostability. We evaluated four of these head-only immunogens in detail, probing their recognition by antibodies, their physical stability, structure, and immunogenicity. When tested in naïve mice, a head-only trimer, half the size of the parent RSV F trimer, induced RSV titers, which were statistically comparable to those induced by DS-Cav1. When used to boost DS-Cav1-primed mice, two head-only RSV F immunogens, a dimer and a trimer, boosted RSV-neutralizing titers to levels that were comparable to those boosted by DS-Cav1, although with higher site Ø-directed responses. Our results provide proof-of-concept for the ability of the smaller head-only RSV F immunogens to focus the vaccine-elicited response to antigenic site Ø. Decent primary immunogenicity, enhanced physical stability, potential ease of manufacture, and potent immunogenicity upon boosting suggest these head-only RSV F immunogens, engineered to retain the pre-fusion conformation, may have advantages as candidate RSV vaccines.
format Article
id doaj-art-9fdbd01144bd4280a256c1969d2c1378
institution Kabale University
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2016-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-9fdbd01144bd4280a256c1969d2c13782025-08-20T03:24:29ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-01117e015970910.1371/journal.pone.0159709Structure-Based Design of Head-Only Fusion Glycoprotein Immunogens for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.Jeffrey C BoyingtonM Gordon JoyceMallika SastryGuillaume B E Stewart-JonesMan ChenWing-Pui KongJoan O NgwutaPaul V ThomasYaroslav TsybovskyYongping YangBaoshan ZhangLei ChenAliaksandr DruzIvelin S GeorgievKiyoon KoTongqing ZhouJohn R MascolaBarney S GrahamPeter D KwongRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant cause of severe respiratory illness worldwide, particularly in infants, young children, and the elderly. Although no licensed vaccine is currently available, an engineered version of the metastable RSV fusion (F) surface glycoprotein-stabilized in the pre-fusion (pre-F) conformation by "DS-Cav1" mutations-elicits high titer RSV-neutralizing responses. Moreover, pre-F-specific antibodies, often against the neutralization-sensitive antigenic site Ø in the membrane-distal head region of trimeric F glycoprotein, comprise a substantial portion of the human response to natural RSV infection. To focus the vaccine-elicited response to antigenic site Ø, we designed a series of RSV F immunogens that comprised the membrane-distal head of the F glycoprotein in its pre-F conformation. These "head-only" immunogens formed monomers, dimers, and trimers. Antigenic analysis revealed that a majority of the 70 engineered head-only immunogens displayed reactivity to site Ø-targeting antibodies, which was similar to that of the parent RSV F DS-Cav1 trimers, often with increased thermostability. We evaluated four of these head-only immunogens in detail, probing their recognition by antibodies, their physical stability, structure, and immunogenicity. When tested in naïve mice, a head-only trimer, half the size of the parent RSV F trimer, induced RSV titers, which were statistically comparable to those induced by DS-Cav1. When used to boost DS-Cav1-primed mice, two head-only RSV F immunogens, a dimer and a trimer, boosted RSV-neutralizing titers to levels that were comparable to those boosted by DS-Cav1, although with higher site Ø-directed responses. Our results provide proof-of-concept for the ability of the smaller head-only RSV F immunogens to focus the vaccine-elicited response to antigenic site Ø. Decent primary immunogenicity, enhanced physical stability, potential ease of manufacture, and potent immunogenicity upon boosting suggest these head-only RSV F immunogens, engineered to retain the pre-fusion conformation, may have advantages as candidate RSV vaccines.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0159709&type=printable
spellingShingle Jeffrey C Boyington
M Gordon Joyce
Mallika Sastry
Guillaume B E Stewart-Jones
Man Chen
Wing-Pui Kong
Joan O Ngwuta
Paul V Thomas
Yaroslav Tsybovsky
Yongping Yang
Baoshan Zhang
Lei Chen
Aliaksandr Druz
Ivelin S Georgiev
Kiyoon Ko
Tongqing Zhou
John R Mascola
Barney S Graham
Peter D Kwong
Structure-Based Design of Head-Only Fusion Glycoprotein Immunogens for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
PLoS ONE
title Structure-Based Design of Head-Only Fusion Glycoprotein Immunogens for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
title_full Structure-Based Design of Head-Only Fusion Glycoprotein Immunogens for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
title_fullStr Structure-Based Design of Head-Only Fusion Glycoprotein Immunogens for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
title_full_unstemmed Structure-Based Design of Head-Only Fusion Glycoprotein Immunogens for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
title_short Structure-Based Design of Head-Only Fusion Glycoprotein Immunogens for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
title_sort structure based design of head only fusion glycoprotein immunogens for respiratory syncytial virus
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0159709&type=printable
work_keys_str_mv AT jeffreycboyington structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT mgordonjoyce structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT mallikasastry structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT guillaumebestewartjones structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT manchen structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT wingpuikong structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT joanongwuta structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT paulvthomas structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT yaroslavtsybovsky structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT yongpingyang structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT baoshanzhang structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT leichen structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT aliaksandrdruz structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT ivelinsgeorgiev structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT kiyoonko structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT tongqingzhou structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT johnrmascola structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT barneysgraham structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus
AT peterdkwong structurebaseddesignofheadonlyfusionglycoproteinimmunogensforrespiratorysyncytialvirus