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The development of a universal influenza vaccine likely requires an understanding of previous exposure to influenza virus (through vaccination or infection) and how that shapes the antibody repertoire to vaccination, sometimes called Original Antigenic Sin or antigenic imprinting. Whilst animal models can have a much more defined exposure history, they lack a human B cell repertoire. Transgenic mice with the complete human immunoglobulin locus enable studies of controlled infection history leading to human-like antibody evolution. Here we evaluated responses to influenza in the Intelliselect Transgenic mouse (the Kymouse). We show the Kymouse is susceptible to disease following infection with either H1N1, H3N2 or B/Yam influenza viruses and that it induces a robust binding and neutralising antibody response to all three strains of influenza virus. This study demonstrates that human B cell repertoire mice can be used for influenza virus studies, providing a tool for further interrogation of the antibody response., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

The complement system is an innate immune mechanism against microbial infections. It involves a cascade of effector molecules that is activated via classical, lectin and alternative pathways. Consequently, many pathogens bind to or incorporate in their structures host negative regulators of the complement pathways as an evasion mechanism. Factor H (FH) is a negative regulator of the complement alternative pathway that protects "self" cells of the host from non-specific complement attack. FH has been shown to bind viruses including human influenza A viruses (IAVs). In addition to its involvement in the regulation of complement activation, FH has also been shown to perform a range of functions on its own including its direct interaction with pathogens. Here, we show that human FH can bind directly to IAVs of both human and avian origin, and the interaction is mediated via the IAV surface glycoprotein haemagglutinin (HA). HA bound to common pathogen binding footprints on the FH structure, complement control protein modules, CCP 5-7 and CCP 15-20. The FH binding to H1 and H3 showed that the interaction overlapped with the receptor binding site of both HAs, but the footprint was more extensive for the H3 HA than the H1 HA. The HA - FH interaction impeded the initial entry of H1N1 and H3N2 IAV strains but its impact on viral multicycle replication in human lung cells was strain-specific. The H3N2 virus binding to cells was significantly inhibited by preincubation with FH, whereas there was no alteration in replicative rate and progeny virus release for human H1N1, or avian H9N2 and H5N3 IAV strains. We have mapped the interaction between FH and IAV, the in vivo significance of which for the virus or host is yet to be elucidated., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer AN declared a shared affiliation with the author AP at the time of review. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Rabeeah, Billington, Nal, Sadeyen, Pathan, Iqbal, Temperton, Zipfel, Skerka, Kishore and Shelton.)

Pseudotyped viruses (PVs) are molecular tools that can be used to study host-virus interactions and to test the neutralizing ability of serum samples, in addition to their better-known use in gene therapy for the delivery of a gene of interest. PVs are replication defective because the viral genome is divided into different plasmids that are not incorporated into the PVs. This safe and versatile system allows the use of PVs in biosafety level 2 laboratories. Here, we present a general methodology to produce lentiviral PVs based on three plasmids as mentioned here: (1) the backbone plasmid carrying the reporter gene needed to monitor the infection; (2) the packaging plasmid carrying the genes for all the structural proteins needed to generate the PVs; (3) the envelope surface glycoprotein expression plasmid that determines virus tropism and mediates viral entry into the host cell. In this work, SARS-CoV-2 Spike is the envelope glycoprotein used for the production of non-replicative SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped lentiviruses. Briefly, packaging cells (HEK293T) were co-transfected with the three different plasmids using standard methods. After 48 h, the supernatant containing the PVs was harvested, filtered, and stored at -80 °C. The infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 PVs was tested by studying the expression of the reporter gene (luciferase) in a target cell line 48 h after infection. The higher the value for relative luminescence units (RLUs), the higher the infection/transduction rate. Furthermore, the infectious PVs were added to the serially diluted serum samples to study the neutralization process of pseudoviruses' entry into target cells, measured as the reduction in RLU intensity: lower values corresponding to high neutralizing activity.

We have developed an influenza hemagglutinin (HA) pseudotype (PV) library encompassing all influenza A (IAV) subtypes from HA1-HA18, influenza B (IBV) subtypes (both lineages), representative influenza C (ICV), and influenza D (IDV) viruses. These influenza HA (or hemagglutinin-esterase fusion (HEF) for ICV and IDV) pseudotypes have been used in a pseudotype microneutralization assay (pMN), an optimized luciferase reporter assay, that is highly sensitive and specific for detecting neutralizing antibodies against influenza viruses. This has been an invaluable tool in detecting the humoral immune response against specific hemagglutinin or hemagglutinin-esterase fusion proteins for IAV to IDV in serum samples and for screening antibodies for their neutralizing abilities. Additionally, we have also produced influenza neuraminidase (NA) pseudotypes for IAV N1-N9 subtypes and IBV lineages. We have utilized these NA-PV as surrogate antigens in in vitro assays to assess vaccine immunogenicity. These NA PV have been employed as the source of neuraminidase enzyme activity in a pseudotype enzyme-linked lectin assay (pELLA) that is able to measure neuraminidase inhibition (NI) titers of reference antisera, monoclonal antibodies, and postvaccination sera. Here we show the production of influenza HA, HEF, and NA PV and their employment as substitutes for wild-type viruses in influenza serological and neutralization assays. We also introduce AutoPlate, an easily accessible web app that can analyze data from pMN and pELLA quickly and efficiently, plotting inhibition curves and calculating half-maximal concentration (IC 50 ) neutralizing antibody titers. These serological techniques coupled with user-friendly analysis tools are faster, safer, inexpensive alternatives to classical influenza assays while also offering the reliability and reproducibility to advance influenza research and make it more accessible to laboratories around the world., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a worldwide threat and effective antiviral drugs and vaccines are being developed in a joint global effort. However, some elderly and immune-compromised populations are unable to raise an effective immune response against traditional vaccines., Aims: We hypothesised that passive immunity engineered by the in vivo expression of anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), an approach termed vectored-immunoprophylaxis (VIP), could offer sustained protection against COVID-19 in all populations irrespective of their immune status or age., Methods: We developed three key reagents to evaluate VIP for SARS-CoV-2: (i) we engineered standard laboratory mice to express human ACE2 via rAAV9 in vivo gene transfer, to allow in vivo assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection, (ii) to simplify in vivo challenge studies, we generated SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein pseudotyped lentiviral vectors as a simple mimic of authentic SARS-CoV-2 that could be used under standard laboratory containment conditions and (iii) we developed in vivo gene transfer vectors to express anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs., Conclusions: A single intranasal dose of rAAV9 or rSIV.F/HN vectors expressing anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 mimic infection in the lower respiratory tract of hACE2-expressing mice. If translated, the VIP approach could potentially offer a highly effective, long-term protection against COVID-19 for highly vulnerable populations; especially immune-deficient/senescent individuals, who fail to respond to conventional SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. The in vivo expression of multiple anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs could enhance protection and prevent rapid mutational escape., Competing Interests: Competing interests: YD, KMM, DRG and SCH hold IP in relation to S-LV technology. DRG and SCH hold IP in relation to rSIV.F/HN technology., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

To better understand how inhibition of the influenza neuraminidase (NA) protein contributes to protection against influenza, we produced lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with an avian H11 hemagglutinin (HA) and the NA of all influenza A (N1-N9) subtypes and influenza B (B/Victoria and B/Yamagata). These NA viral pseudotypes (PV) possess stable NA activity and can be utilized as target antigens in in vitro assays to assess vaccine immunogenicity. Employing these NA PV, we developed an enzyme-linked lectin assay (pELLA) for routine serology to measure neuraminidase inhibition (NI) titers of reference antisera, monoclonal antibodies and post-vaccination sera with various influenza antigens. We also show that the pELLA is more sensitive than the commercially available NA-Fluor™ in detecting NA inhibition in these samples. Our studies may lead to establishing the protective NA titer that contributes to NA-based immunity. This will aid in the design of superior, longer lasting and more broadly protective vaccines that can be employed together with HA-targeted vaccines in a pre-pandemic approach.

The emergence of COVID-19 has emphasised that biological assay data must be analysed quickly to develop safe, effective and timely vaccines/therapeutics. For viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, the primary way of measuring immune correlates of protection is through assays such as the pseudotype microneutralisation (pMN) assay, thanks to its safety and versatility. However, despite the presence of existing tools for data analysis such as PRISM and R the analysis of these assays remains cumbersome and time-consuming. We introduce an open-source R Shiny web application and R library (AutoPlate) to accelerate data analysis of dose-response curve immunoassays. Using example data from influenza studies, we show that AutoPlate improves on available analysis software in terms of ease of use, flexibility and speed. AutoPlate (https://philpalmer.shinyapps.io/AutoPlate/) is a tool for the use of laboratories and wider scientific community to accelerate the analysis of biological assays in the development of viral vaccines and therapeutics., Competing Interests: Authors DAW and JLH were employed by the company DIOSynVax. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Palmer, Del Rosario, da Costa, Carnell, Huang, Heeney, Temperton and Wells.)

Precision monitoring of antibody responses during the COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly important during large scale vaccine rollout and rise in prevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOC). Equally important is defining Correlates of Protection (CoP) for SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease. Data from epidemiological studies and vaccine trials identified virus neutralising antibodies (Nab) and SARS-CoV-2 antigen-specific (notably RBD and S) binding antibodies as candidate CoP. In this study, we used the World Health Organisation (WHO) international standard to benchmark neutralising antibody responses and a large panel of binding antibody assays to compare convalescent sera obtained from: a) COVID-19 patients; b) SARS-CoV-2 seropositive healthcare workers (HCW) and c) seronegative HCW. The ultimate aim of this study is to identify biomarkers of humoral immunity that could be used to differentiate severe from mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. Some of these biomarkers could be used to define CoP in further serological studies using samples from vaccination breakthrough and/or re-infection cases. Whenever suitable, the antibody levels of the samples studied were expressed in International Units (IU) for virus neutralisation assays or in Binding Antibody Units (BAU) for ELISA tests. In this work we used commercial and non-commercial antibody binding assays; a lateral flow test for detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG/IgM; a high throughput multiplexed particle flow cytometry assay for SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S), Nucleocapsid (N) and Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) proteins); a multiplex antigen semi-automated immuno-blotting assay measuring IgM, IgA and IgG; a pseudotyped microneutralisation test (pMN) and an electroporation-dependent neutralisation assay (EDNA). Our results indicate that overall, severe COVID-19 patients showed statistically significantly higher levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralising antibodies (average 1029 IU/ml) than those observed in seropositive HCW with mild or asymptomatic infections (379 IU/ml) and that clinical severity scoring, based on WHO guidelines was tightly correlated with neutralisation and RBD/S antibodies. In addition, there was a positive correlation between severity, N-antibody assays and intracellular virus neutralisation., Competing Interests: DAW, MF, RW and JH are affiliated to the company DIOSynVax. JC-O holds a position as vaccinology consultant at Oxford Expression Technologies, Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Castillo-Olivares, Wells, Ferrari, Chan, Smith, Nadesalingam, Paloniemi, Carnell, Ohlendorf, Cantoni, Mayora-Neto, Palmer, Tonks, Temperton, Peterhoff, Neckermann, Wagner, Doffinger, Kempster, Otter, Semper, Brooks, Albecka, James, Page, Schwaeble, Baxendale and Heeney.)

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses cause devastating outbreaks in farmed poultry with serious consequences for animal welfare and economic losses. Zoonotic infection of humans through close contact with H5N1 infected birds is often severe and fatal. England experienced an outbreak of H5N1 in turkeys in 1991 that led to thousands of farmed bird mortalities. Isolation of clonal populations of one such virus from this outbreak uncovered amino acid differences in the virus haemagglutinin (HA) gene whereby the different genotypes could be associated with distinct pathogenic outcomes in chickens; both low pathogenic (LP) and high pathogenic (HP) phenotypes could be observed despite all containing a multi-basic cleavage site (MBCS) in the HA gene. Using reverse genetics, three amino acid substitutions in HA were examined for their ability to affect pathogenesis in the chicken. Restoration of amino acid polymorphisms close to the receptor binding site that are commonly found in H5 viruses only partially improved viral fitness in vitro and in vivo . A third novel substitution in the fusion peptide, HA 2 G4R, enabled the HP phenotype. HA 2 G4R decreased the pH stability of HA and increased the pH of HA fusion. The substitutions close to the receptor binding site optimised receptor binding while modulating the pH of HA fusion. Importantly, this study revealed pathogenic determinants beyond the MBCS.

Background: A notable feature of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is that children are less susceptible to severe disease. Children are known to experience more infections with endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) compared to adults. Little is known whether HCoV infections lead to cross-reactive anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies., Methods: We investigated the presence of cross-reactive anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies to spike 1 (S1), S1-receptor-binding domain (S1-RBD), and nucleocapsid protein (NP) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and neutralizing activity by a SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus neutralization assay, in prepandemic sera collected from children (n = 50) and adults (n = 45), and compared with serum samples from convalescent COVID-19 patients (n = 16)., Results: A significant proportion of children (up to 40%) had detectable cross-reactive antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 S1, S1-RBD, and NP antigens, and the anti-S1 and anti-S1-RBD antibody levels correlated with anti-HCoV-HKU1 and anti-HCoV-OC43 S1 antibody titers in prepandemic samples (P < .001). There were marked increases of anti-HCoV-HKU1 and - OC43 S1 (but not anti-NL63 and -229E S1-RBD) antibody titers in serum samples from convalescent COVID-19 patients (P < .001), indicating an activation of cross-reactive immunological memory to β-coronavirus spike., Conclusions: We demonstrated cross-reactive anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in prepandemic serum samples from children and young adults. Promoting this cross-reactive immunity and memory response derived from common HCoV may be an effective strategy against SARS-COV-2 and future novel coronaviruses., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

We developed an influenza hemagglutinin (HA) pseudotype library encompassing Influenza A subtypes HA1-18 and Influenza B subtypes (both lineages) to be employed in influenza pseudotype microneutralization (pMN) assays. The pMN is highly sensitive and specific for detecting virus-specific neutralizing antibodies against influenza viruses and can be used to assess antibody functionality in vitro. Here we show the production of these viral HA pseudotypes and their employment as substitutes for wildtype viruses in influenza neutralization assays. We demonstrate their utility in detecting serum responses to vaccination with the ability to evaluate cross-subtype neutralizing responses elicited by specific vaccinating antigens. Our findings may inform further preclinical studies involving immunization dosing regimens in mice and may help in the creation and selection of better antigens for vaccine design. These HA pseudotypes can be harnessed to meet strategic objectives that contribute to the strengthening of global influenza surveillance, expansion of seasonal influenza prevention and control policies, and strengthening pandemic preparedness and response.

Influenza B is responsible for a significant proportion of the global morbidity, mortality and economic loss caused by influenza-related disease. Two antigenically distinct lineages co-circulate worldwide, often resulting in mismatches in vaccine coverage when vaccine predictions fail. There are currently operational issues with gold standard serological assays for influenza B, such as lack of sensitivity and requirement for specific antigen treatment. This study encompasses the gold standard assays with the more recent Pseudotype-based Microneutralisation assay in order to study comparative serological outcomes. Haemagglutination Inhibition, Single Radial Haemolysis and Pseudotype-based Microneutralisation correlated strongly for strains in the Yamagata lineage; however, it correlated with neither gold standard assays for the Victoria lineage.

The recent outbreak of a novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and its rapid spread across the continents has generated an urgent need for assays to detect the neutralising activity of human sera or human monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and to evaluate the serological immunity in humans. Since the accessibility of live virus microneutralisation (MN) assays with SARS-CoV-2 is limited and requires enhanced bio-containment, the approach based on "pseudotyping" can be considered a useful complement to other serological assays. After fully characterising lentiviral pseudotypes bearing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, we employed them in pseudotype-based neutralisation assays in order to profile the neutralising activity of human serum samples from an Italian sero-epidemiological study. The results obtained with pseudotype-based neutralisation assays mirrored those obtained when the same panel of sera was tested against the wild type virus, showing an evident convergence of the pseudotype-based neutralisation and MN results. The overall results lead to the conclusion that the pseudotype-based neutralisation assay is a valid alternative to using the wild-type strain, and although this system needs to be optimised and standardised, it can not only complement the classical serological methods, but also allows serological assessments to be made when other methods cannot be employed, especially in a human pandemic context.

MERS-CoV seronegative and seropositive camels received a single intramuscular dose of ChAdOx1 MERS, a replication-deficient adenoviral vectored vaccine expressing MERS-CoV spike protein, with further groups receiving control vaccinations. Infectious camels with active naturally acquired MERS-CoV infection, were co-housed with the vaccinated camels at a ratio of 1:2 (infected:vaccinated); nasal discharge and virus titres were monitored for 14 days. Overall, the vaccination reduced virus shedding and nasal discharge (p = 0.0059 and p = 0.0274, respectively). Antibody responses in seropositive camels were enhancedby the vaccine; these camels had a higher average age than seronegative. Older seronegative camels responded more strongly to vaccination than younger animals; and neutralising antibodies were detected in nasal swabs. Further work is required to optimise vaccine regimens for younger seronegative camels.

Current antigenic targets for influenza vaccine development are either highly immunogenic epitopes of high variability or conserved epitopes of low immunogenicity. This requires continuous update of the variable epitopes in the vaccine formulation or boosting of immunity to invariant epitopes of low natural efficacy. Here we identify a highly immunogenic epitope of limited variability in the head domain of the H1 haemagglutinin protein. We show that a cohort of young children exhibit natural immunity to a set of historical influenza strains which they could not have previously encountered and that this is partially mediated through the epitope. Furthermore, vaccinating mice with these epitope conformations can induce immunity to human H1N1 influenza strains that have circulated since 1918. The identification of epitopes of limited variability offers a mechanism by which a universal influenza vaccine can be created; these vaccines would also have the potential to protect against newly emerging influenza strains.

Dissolvable microneedle (DMN) patches for immunization have multiple benefits, including vaccine stability and ease-of-use. However, conventional DMN fabrication methods have several drawbacks. Here we describe a novel, microfluidic, drop dispensing-based dissolvable microneedle production method that overcomes these issues. Uniquely, heterogeneous arrays, consisting of microneedles of diverse composition, can be easily produced on the same patch. Robustness of the process was demonstrated by incorporating and stabilizing adenovirus and MVA vaccines. Clinically-available trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) in DMN patches is fully stable for greater than 6months at 40°C. Immunization using low dose TIV-loaded DMN patches induced significantly higher antibody responses compared to intramuscular-based immunization in mice. TIV-loaded patches also induced a broader, heterosubtypic neutralizing antibody response. By addressing issues that will be faced in large-scale fill-finish DMN fabrication processes and demonstrating superior thermostable characteristics and immunogenicity, this study progresses the translation of this microneedle platform to eventual clinical deployment., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

H5N1 avian influenza viruses remain a threat to public health mainly because they can cause severe infections in humans. These viruses are widespread in birds, and they vary in antigenicity forming three major clades and numerous antigenic variants. The most important features of the human monoclonal antibody FLD194 studied here are its broad specificity for all major clades of H5 influenza HAs, its high affinity, and its ability to block virus infection, in vitro and in vivo. As a consequence, this antibody may be suitable for anti-H5 therapy and as a component of stockpiles, together with other antiviral agents, for health authorities to use if an appropriate vaccine was not available. Our mutation and structural analyses indicate that the antibody recognizes a relatively conserved site near the membrane distal tip of HA, near to, but distinct from, the receptor-binding site. Our analyses also suggest that the mechanism of infectivity neutralization involves prevention of receptor recognition as a result of steric hindrance by the Fc part of the antibody. Structural analyses by EM indicate that three Fab fragments are bound to each HA trimer. The structure revealed by X-ray crystallography is of an HA monomer bound by one Fab. The monomer has some similarities to HA in the fusion pH conformation, and the monomer's formation, which results from the presence of isopropanol in the crystallization solvent, contributes to considerations of the process of change in conformation required for membrane fusion.

Seasonal epidemics caused by influenza A (H1 and H3 subtypes) and B viruses are a major global health threat. The traditional, trivalent influenza vaccines have limited efficacy because of rapid antigenic evolution of the circulating viruses. This antigenic variability mediates viral escape from the host immune responses, necessitating annual vaccine updates. Influenza vaccines elicit a protective antibody response, primarily targeting the viral surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA). However, the predominant humoral response is against the hypervariable head domain of HA, thereby restricting the breadth of protection. In contrast, the conserved, subdominant stem domain of HA is a potential "universal" vaccine candidate. We designed an HA stem-fragment immunogen from the 1968 pandemic H3N2 strain (A/Hong Kong/1/68) guided by a comprehensive H3 HA sequence conservation analysis. The biophysical properties of the designed immunogen were further improved by C-terminal fusion of a trimerization motif, "isoleucine-zipper", or "foldon". These immunogens elicited cross-reactive, antiviral antibodies and conferred partial protection against a lethal, homologous HK68 virus challenge in vivo. Furthermore, bacterial expression of these immunogens is economical and facilitates rapid scale-up.

IFN-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) is a restriction factor that blocks cytosolic entry of numerous viruses that utilize acidic endosomal entry pathways. In humans and mice, IFITM3 limits influenza-induced morbidity and mortality. Although many IFITM3-sensitive viruses are zoonotic, whether IFITMs function as antiviral restriction factors in mammalian species other than humans and mice is unknown. Here, IFITM3 orthologues in the microbat (Myotis myotis) and pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) were identified using rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Amino acid residues known to be important for IFITM3 function were conserved in the pig and microbat orthologues. Ectopically expressed pig and microbat IFITM3 co-localized with transferrin (early endosomes) and CD63 (late endosomes/multivesicular bodies). Pig and microbat IFITM3 restricted cell entry mediated by multiple influenza haemagglutinin subtypes and lyssavirus glycoproteins. Expression of pig or microbat IFITM3 in A549 cells reduced influenza virus yields and nucleoprotein expression. Conversely, small interfering RNA knockdown of IFITM3 in pig NPTr cells and primary microbat cells enhanced virus replication, demonstrating that these genes are functional in their species of origin at endogenous levels. In summary, we showed that IFITMs function as potent broad-spectrum antiviral effectors in two mammals - pigs and bats - identified as major reservoirs for emerging viruses., (© 2015 The Authors.)

The use of vaccination against the influenza virus remains the most effective method of mitigating the significant morbidity and mortality caused by this virus. Antibodies elicited by currently licensed influenza vaccines are predominantly hemagglutination-inhibition (HI)-competent antibodies that target the globular head of hemagglutinin (HA) thus inhibiting influenza virus entry into target cells. These antibodies predominantly confer homosubtypic/strain specific protection and only rarely confer heterosubtypic protection. However, recent academia or pharma-led R&D toward the production of a "universal vaccine" has centered on the elicitation of antibodies directed against the stalk of the influenza HA that has been shown to confer broad protection across a range of different subtypes (H1-H16). The accurate and sensitive measurement of antibody responses elicited by these "next-generation" influenza vaccines is, however, hampered by the lack of sensitivity of the traditional influenza serological assays HI, single radial hemolysis, and microneutralization. Assays utilizing pseudotypes, chimeric viruses bearing influenza glycoproteins, have been shown to be highly efficient for the measurement of homosubtypic and heterosubtypic broadly neutralizing antibodies, making them ideal serological tools for the study of cross-protective responses against multiple influenza subtypes with pandemic potential. In this review, we will analyze and compare literature involving the production of influenza pseudotypes with particular emphasis on their use in serum antibody neutralization assays. This will enable us to establish the parameters required for optimization and propose a consensus protocol to be employed for the further deployment of these assays in influenza vaccine immunogenicity studies.

Pseudotype viruses (PVs) are chimeric, replication-deficient virions that mimic wild-type virus entry mechanisms and can be safely employed in neutralisation assays, bypassing the need for high biosafety requirements and performing comparably to established serological assays. However, PV supernatant necessitates -80°C long-term storage and cold-chain maintenance during transport, which limits the scope of dissemination and application throughout resource-limited laboratories. We therefore investigated the effects of lyophilisation on influenza, rabies and Marburg PV stability, with a view to developing a pseudotype virus neutralisation assay (PVNA) based kit suitable for affordable global distribution. Infectivity of each PV was calculated after lyophilisation and immediate reconstitution, as well as subsequent to incubation of freeze-dried pellets at varying temperatures, humidities and timepoints. Integrity of glycoprotein structure following treatment was also assessed by employing lyophilised PVs in downstream PVNAs. In the presence of 0.5M sucrose-PBS cryoprotectant, each freeze-dried pseudotype was stably stored for 4 weeks at up to 37°C and could be neutralised to the same potency as unlyophilised PVs when employed in PVNAs. These results confirm the viability of a freeze-dried PVNA-based kit, which could significantly facilitate low-cost serology for a wide portfolio of emerging infectious viruses., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Influenza hemagglutinin (HA) is the primary target of the humoral response during infection/vaccination. Current influenza vaccines typically fail to elicit/boost broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs), thereby limiting their efficacy. Although several bnAbs bind to the conserved stem domain of HA, focusing the immune response to this conserved stem in the presence of the immunodominant, variable head domain of HA is challenging. We report the design of a thermotolerant, disulfide-free, and trimeric HA stem-fragment immunogen which mimics the native, prefusion conformation of HA and binds conformation specific bnAbs with high affinity. The immunogen elicited bnAbs that neutralized highly divergent group 1 (H1 and H5 subtypes) and 2 (H3 subtype) influenza virus strains in vitro. Stem immunogens designed from unmatched, highly drifted influenza strains conferred robust protection against a lethal heterologous A/Puerto Rico/8/34 virus challenge in vivo. Soluble, bacterial expression of such designed immunogens allows for rapid scale-up during pandemic outbreaks.

Introduction: Avian influenza viruses circulate in bird populations, and it is important to maintain and uphold our knowledge of the viral strains that are currently of interest in this context. Here, we describe the use of hemagglutinin-pseudotype retroviruses based on highly pathogenic influenza viruses for the screening of avian sera for influenza A antibodies. Our aim was also to determine whether the pseudovirus neutralization tests that we assessed were sensitive and simple to use compared to the traditional methods, including hemagglutination inhibition assays and microneutralization tests., Material and Methods: H5 and H7 pseudovirus neutralization tests were evaluated by using serum from infected rabbits. Subsequently, the assays were further investigated using a panel of serum samples from avian species. The panel contained samples that were seropositive for five different hemagglutinin subtypes as well as influenza A seronegative samples., Results and Discussion: The results suggest that the pseudovirus neutralization test is an alternative to hemagglutination inhibition assays, as we observed comparable titers to those of both standard microneutralizations assays as well as hemagglutinin inhibition assays. When evaluated by a panel of avian sera, the method also showed its capability to recognize antibodies directed toward low-pathogenic H5 and H7. Hence, we conclude that it is possible to use pseudoviruses based on highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses to screen avian sera for antibodies directed against influenza A subtypes H5 and H7.

The increased number of outbreaks of H5 and H7 LPAI and HPAI viruses in poultry has major public and animal health implications. The continuous rapid evolution of these subtypes and the emergence of new variants influence the ability to undertake effective surveillance. Retroviral pseudotypes bearing influenza haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) envelope glycoproteins represent a flexible platform for sensitive, readily standardized influenza serological assays. We describe a multiplex assay for the study of neutralizing antibodies that are directed against both influenza H5 and H7 HA. This assay permits the measurement of neutralizing antibody responses against two antigenically distinct HAs in the same serum/plasma sample thus increasing the amount and quality of serological data that can be acquired from valuable sera. Sera obtained from chickens vaccinated with a monovalent H5N2 vaccine, chickens vaccinated with a bivalent H7N1/H5N9 vaccine, or turkeys naturally infected with an H7N3 virus were evaluated in this assay and the results correlated strongly with data obtained by HI assay. We show that pseudotypes are highly stable under basic cold-chain storage conditions and following multiple rounds of freeze-thaw. We propose that this robust assay may have practical utility for in-field serosurveillance and vaccine studies in resource-limited regions worldwide.

Licensed seasonal influenza vaccines induce antibody (Ab) responses against influenza hemagglutinin (HA) that are limited in their ability to protect against different strains of influenza. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognizing the conserved internal nucleoprotein (NP) and matrix protein (M1) are capable of mediating a cross-subtype immune response against influenza. Modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus encoding NP and M1 (MVA-NP+M1) is designed to boost preexisting T-cell responses in adults in order to elicit a cross-protective immune response. We examined the coadministration of HA protein formulations and candidate MVA-NP+M1 influenza vaccines in murine, avian, and swine models. Ab responses postimmunization were measured by ELISA and pseudotype neutralization assays. Here, we demonstrate that MVA-NP+M1 can act as an adjuvant enhancing Ab responses to HA while simultaneously inducing potent T-cell responses to conserved internal Ags. We show that this regimen leads to the induction of cytophilic Ab isotypes that are capable of inhibiting hemagglutination and in the context of H5 exhibit cross-clade neutralization. The simultaneous induction of T cells and Ab responses has the potential to improve seasonal vaccine performance and could be employed in pandemic situations., (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The nature of influenza virus to randomly mutate and evolve into new types is an important challenge in the control of influenza infection. It is necessary to monitor virus evolution for a better understanding of the pandemic risk posed by certain variants as evidenced by the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses. This has been clearly recognized in Egypt following the notification of the first HPAI H5N1 outbreak. The continuous circulation of the virus and the mass vaccination programme undertaken in poultry have resulted in a progressive genetic evolution and a significant antigenic drift near the major antigenic sites. In order to establish if vaccination is sufficient to provide significant intra- and interclade cross-protection, lentiviral pseudotypes derived from H5N1 HPAI viruses (A/Vietnam/1194/04, A/chicken/Egypt-1709-01/2007) and an antigenic drift variant (A/chicken/Egypt-1709-06-2008) were constructed and used in pseudotype-based neutralization assays (pp-NT). pp-NT data obtained was confirmed and correlated with HI and MN assays. A panel of pseudotypes belonging to influenza Groups 1 and 2, with a combination of reporter systems, was also employed for testing avian sera in order to support further application of pp-NT as an alternative valid assay that can improve avian vaccination efficacy testing, vaccine virus selection, and the reliability of reference sera.

The monomer of influenza haemagglutinin is synthesized as a single polypeptide precursor that during maturation is cleaved by proteases into two active subunits. Other studies have demonstrated that the human Transmembrane Protease Serine 2 (TMPRSS2) can cleave the HA of human seasonal influenza viruses. Consequently, we have investigated the use of human Transmembrane Protease Serine 2 to produce high titre influenza haemmagglutinin (HA) lentiviral pseudotypes from Group 2 influenza viruses. Such pseudotypes represent powerful and safe tools to study viral entry and immune responses. Influenza pseudotype particles are obtained by co-transfecting human embryonic kidney HEK293T/17 cells using plasmids coding for the influenza HA, HIV gag-pol and a lentiviral vector incorporating firefly luciferase. However, in order to produce Group 2 pseudotypes, it was necessary to co-transfect a plasmid expressing the TMPRSS2 endoprotease, to achieve the necessary HA cleavage for infective particle generation. These lentiviral pseudotypes were shown to transduce HEK293T/17 cells with high efficiency. This demonstrates that TMPRSS2 is necessary for the functional activation, in vitro, of both the HA of human seasonal influenza and other Group 2 HA influenza strains. Additionally, we show that the Group 2 influenza pseudotype particles can be used as surrogate antigens in neutralization assays and are efficiently neutralized by corresponding influenza virus reference sera. These data demonstrate that the viral pseudotype system is a powerful method for serological surveillance of a wide range of influenza viruses.

For efficient prevention of viral infections and cross protection, simultaneous targeting of multiple viral epitopes is a powerful strategy. Llama heavy chain antibody fragments (VHH) against the trimeric envelope proteins of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (Fusion protein), Rabies virus (Glycoprotein) and H5N1 Influenza (Hemagglutinin 5) were selected from llama derived immune libraries by phage display. Neutralizing VHH recognizing different epitopes in the receptor binding sites on the spikes with affinities in the low nanomolar range were identified for all the three viruses by viral neutralization assays. By fusion of VHH with variable linker lengths, multimeric constructs were made that improved neutralization potencies up to 4,000-fold for RSV, 1,500-fold for Rabies virus and 75-fold for Influenza H5N1. The potencies of the VHH constructs were similar or better than best performing monoclonal antibodies. The cross protection capacity against different viral strains was also improved for all three viruses, both by multivalent (two or three identical VHH) and biparatopic (two different VHH) constructs. By combining a VHH neutralizing RSV subtype A, but not subtype B with a poorly neutralizing VHH with high affinity for subtype B, a biparatopic construct was made with low nanomolar neutralizing potency against both subtypes. Trivalent anti-H5N1 VHH neutralized both Influenza H5N1 clade1 and 2 in a pseudotype assay and was very potent in neutralizing the NIBRG-14 Influenza H5N1 strain with IC(50) of 9 picomolar. Bivalent and biparatopic constructs against Rabies virus cross neutralized both 10 different Genotype 1 strains and Genotype 5.The results show that multimerization of VHH fragments targeting multiple epitopes on a viral trimeric spike protein is a powerful tool for anti-viral therapy to achieve "best-in-class" and broader neutralization capacity.

The hemagglutinins (HAs) of human H1 and H3 influenza viruses and avian H5 influenza virus were produced as recombinant fusion proteins with the human immunoglobulin Fc domain. Recombinant HA-human immunoglobulin Fc domain (HA-HuFc) proteins were secreted from baculovirus-infected insect cells as glycosylated oligomer HAs of the anticipated molecular mass, agglutinated red blood cells, were purified on protein A, and were used to immunize mice in the absence of adjuvant. Immunogenicity was demonstrated for all subtypes, with the serum samples demonstrating subtype-specific hemagglutination inhibition, epitope specificity similar to that seen with virus infection, and neutralization. HuFc-tagged HAs are potential candidates for gene-to-vaccine approaches to influenza vaccination.

It is likely that phylogroup 2 lyssaviruses circulate within bat reservoirs. We adapted a pseudotype (pt) neutralisation assay (PNA) to a multiplex format enabling serosurveillance for Lagos bat virus (LBV), Mokola virus (MOKV) and West Caucasian bat virus (WCBV) in a potential reservoir, the African straw-coloured fruit bat, Eidolon helvum. Highly correlated titres were observed between single and multiplex PNAs using ptLBV and ptMOKV (r=0.97, p<0.0001), validating its use for bat serosurveillance. Of the bat serum samples screened 56% neutralised ptLBV, 27% ptMOKV and 1% ptWCBV. Mean VNAb titres were 1:266, 1:35 and 1:7 against ptLBV, ptMOKV and ptWCBV respectively. The high seroprevalence estimates suggest that the infection rate of LBV in E. helvum remains high enough to persist in this species. This supports the hypothesis that LBV is endemic in Ghanaian E. helvum and we speculate that LBV may have co-evolved with African megachiroptera., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The target of neutralizing antibodies that protect against influenza virus infection is the viral protein HA. Genetic and antigenic variation in HA has been used to classify influenza viruses into subtypes (H1-H16). The neutralizing antibody response to influenza virus is thought to be specific for a few antigenically related isolates within a given subtype. However, while heterosubtypic antibodies capable of neutralizing multiple influenza virus subtypes have been recently isolated from phage display libraries, it is not known whether such antibodies are produced in the course of an immune response to influenza virus infection or vaccine. Here we report that, following vaccination with seasonal influenza vaccine containing H1 and H3 influenza virus subtypes, some individuals produce antibodies that cross-react with H5 HA. By immortalizing IgG-expressing B cells from 4 individuals, we isolated 20 heterosubtypic mAbs that bound and neutralized viruses belonging to several HA subtypes (H1, H2, H5, H6, and H9), including the pandemic A/California/07/09 H1N1 isolate. The mAbs used different VH genes and carried a high frequency of somatic mutations. With the exception of a mAb that bound to the HA globular head, all heterosubtypic mAbs bound to acid-sensitive epitopes in the HA stem region. Four mAbs were evaluated in vivo and protected mice from challenge with influenza viruses representative of different subtypes. These findings reveal that seasonal influenza vaccination can induce polyclonal heterosubtypic neutralizing antibodies that cross-react with the swine-origin pandemic H1N1 influenza virus and with the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus.

The standard serological methods present limitations for the measurement of immunity against H5N1 influenza strains. The hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay lacks sensitivity and requires standardization, while the viral micro-neutralization (MN) assay needs handling of live virus. We produced pseudoparticles expressing hemagglutinin from clades 1 or 2 H5N1 in order to measure neutralizing antibodies in human sera after prime-boost vaccination with plain or MF59-adjuvanted H5N1 clade 1 subunit vaccines. Titers measured by pseudoparticle neutralization (PPN) assay significantly correlated with those measured by HI, single radial haemolysis or MN, with a PPN titer of 1:357 corresponding to an MN titer of 1:80. Notably, results from the PPN assay, confirm that MF59-H5N1 vaccine induces potent and long-lasting neutralizing antibody responses not only against the vaccine strain, but also against several heterologous clade 2 strains. Overall, the PPN assay represents a valid alternative to conventional serological methods for the evaluation of H5N1 vaccine immunogenicity.

Effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are needed to control and combat the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (AIV) subtype H5N1. To this end, we developed human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in single chain fragment variable (scFv) format towards the H5N1 avian influenza virus to gain new insights for the development of immunotherapy against human cases of H5N1. Using a biopanning based approach a large array of scFvs against H5N1 virus were isolated from the human semi-synthetic ETH-2 phage antibody library. H5N1 ELISA-positive scFvs with unique variable heavy (VH) and light (VL) chain gene sequences showed different biochemical properties and neutralization activity across H5N1 viral strains. In particular, the scFv clones AV.D1 and AV.C4 exerted a significant inhibition of the H5N1 A/Vietnam/1194/2004 virus infection in a pseudotype-based neutralization assay. Interestingly, these two scFvs displayed a cross-clade neutralizing activity versus A/whooping swan/Mongolia/244/2005 and A/Indonesia/5/2005 strains. These studies provide proof of the concept that human mAbs in scFv format with well-defined H5N1 recognition patterns and in vitro neutralizing activity can be easily and rapidly isolated by biopanning selection of an entirely artificial antibody repertoire using inactivated H5N1 virus as a bait.

Four IgG(1kappa) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Influenza A/Chicken/Vietnam/8/2004 (H5N1) virus are described. Three of these showed neutralizing activities against H5N1 strains from clades 1, 2 and 3 using a retroviral pseudotype or live virus microneutralization assay. In the pseudotype assay, the IC(90) neutralizing titre range was >1600-51,200, and with the microneutralization was 80> or =10,240. MAb 1C1 showed strong neutralizing activities in both assays. All four mAbs reacted specifically to the immunogen by immunohistochemical staining and to A/Hong Kong/483/1997 (H5N1) and A/Thailand/1(KAN-1)/2004 (H5N1)-infected MDCK cells by immunofluorescence. ELISA titrations of the mAbs showed specificity for H5N1 haemagglutinin (HA) and no cross-reactivity to 15 other Influenza A subtypes. Only mAbs 1C1 and the non-neutralizing 1F7 reacted with HA(1), the cleaved subunit of HA, by Western blot. These results suggest that the mAbs recognize distinct or overlapping epitopes and will be useful reagents for construction of specific rapid point-of-care assays or for therapeutic use.

Effective vaccines should confer long-term protection against future outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by a novel zoonotic coronavirus (SARS-CoV) with unknown animal reservoirs. We conducted a cohort study examining multiple parameters of immune responses to SARS-CoV infection, aiming to identify the immune correlates of protection. We used a matrix of overlapping peptides spanning whole SARS-CoV proteome to determine T cell responses from 128 SARS convalescent samples by ex vivo IFN-gamma ELISPOT assays. Approximately 50% of convalescent SARS patients were positive for T cell responses, and 90% possessed strongly neutralizing Abs. Fifty-five novel T cell epitopes were identified, with spike protein dominating total T cell responses. CD8(+) T cell responses were more frequent and of a greater magnitude than CD4(+) T cell responses (p < 0.001). Polychromatic cytometry analysis indicated that the virus-specific T cells from the severe group tended to be a central memory phenotype (CD27(+)/CD45RO(+)) with a significantly higher frequency of polyfunctional CD4(+) T cells producing IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-2, and CD8(+) T cells producing IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and CD107a (degranulation), as compared with the mild-moderate group. Strong T cell responses correlated significantly (p < 0.05) with higher neutralizing Ab. The serum cytokine profile during acute infection indicated a significant elevation of innate immune responses. Increased Th2 cytokines were observed in patients with fatal infection. Our study provides a roadmap for the immunogenicity of SARS-CoV and types of immune responses that may be responsible for the virus clearance, and should serve as a benchmark for SARS-CoV vaccine design and evaluation.

For the treatment of influenza virus infections, neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) that prevent the release of virus particles have been effective against most influenza strains. Several neuraminidase (NA) assays are available for the evaluation of NAIs. To understand the NAI functions under physiological conditions, assays mimicking viral particle release should be useful. We have constructed retrovirus-based reporter viruses that are pseudotyped with hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein by transfection of producer cells using plasmids expressing retroviral gag-pol, influenza HA, NA, and firefly luciferase genes. Similarly to the life cycle of influenza viruses, the release of pseudotype viruses also requires neuraminidase functions. This requirement was used to develop an assay to evaluate NAI activities by measuring inhibition of pseudotype virus production at different NAI concentrations. The pseudotype virus release assay was used to determine the IC(50) values of Oseltamivir carboxylate, Zanamivir, and the novel phosphonate congeners of Oseltamivir against N1 group neuraminidases and their H274Y Oseltamivir carboxylate-resistant mutants. The deduced IC(50) values obtained using the release assay correlated with those determined using the fluorogenic substrate 2'-(4-methylumbelliferyl)-alpha-d-N-acetylneuraminic acid (MUNANA) and also correlated with the infectivity results.

Cross-neutralization between rabies virus (RABV) and two European bat lyssaviruses (EBLV-1 and -2) was analysed using lentiviral pseudotypes as antigen vectors. Glycoprotein (G-protein) cDNA from RABV challenge virus standard-11 (CVS-11) and EBLV-1 and -2 were cloned and co-expressed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or murine leukemia virus (MLV) gag-pol and packageable green fluorescent protein (GFP) or luciferase reporter genes in human cells. The harvested lentiviral (HIV) vector infected over 40% of baby hamster kidney (BHK) target cells, providing high-titre pseudotype stocks. Tests on blinded antibody-positive (n=15) and -negative (n=45) sera, predetermined by the fluorescent antibody virus neutralization (FAVN) test approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Office International des Epizooties (OIE), revealed that the CVS-11 pseudotype assay had 100% concordance with FAVN and strongly correlated with neutralization titres (r2=0.89). Cross-neutralization tests using sera from RABV-vaccinated humans and animals on pseudotypes with CVS-11, EBLV-1 and EBLV-2 envelopes showed that the relative neutralization titres correlated broadly with the degree of G-protein diversity. Pseudotypes have three major advantages over live-virus neutralization tests: (i) they can be handled in low-biohazard-level laboratories; (ii) the use of reporter genes such as GFP or beta-galactosidase will allow the assay to be undertaken at low cost in laboratories worldwide; (iii) each assay requires <10 microl serum. This robust microassay will improve our understanding of the protective humoral immunity that current rabies vaccines confer against emerging lyssaviruses, and will be applicable to surveillance studies, thus helping to control the spread of rabies.

Background: The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended the development of simple, safe, sensitive and specific neutralization assays for avian influenza antibodies. We have used retroviral pseudotypes bearing influenza H5 hemagglutinin (HA) as safe, surrogate viruses for influenza neutralization assays which can be carried out at Biosafety Level 2., Results: Using our assay, sera from patients who had recovered from infection with influenza H5N1, and sera from animals experimentally immunized or infected with H5 tested positive for the presence of neutralizing antibodies to H5N1. Pseudotype neutralizing antibody titers were compared with titers obtained by hemagglutinin inhibition (HI) assays and microneutralization (MN) assays using live virus, and showed a high degree of correlation, sensitivity and specificity., Conclusions: The pseudotype neutralization assay is as sensitive as horse erythrocyte HI and MN for the detection of antibodies to H5N1. It is safer, and can be applied in a high-throughput format for human and animal surveillance and for the evaluation of vaccines.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) spike protein (S) is a major target for neutralizing antibodies. Retroviral SARS-CoV S pseudotypes have been constructed and used to develop an in vitro microneutralization assay that is both sensitive and specific for SARS-CoV neutralizing antibodies. Neutralization titers measured by this assay are highly correlated to those measured by an assay using replication-competent SARS-CoV. No cross-neutralization occurred with human sera known to contain antibodies to coronavirus strains OC43 and 229E. The pseudotype assay was used to profile neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV S in sequential serum samples taken from 41 confirmed SARS patients during the 2003 outbreak in Hong Kong and shows long-lasting immunity in most recovered patients. The pseudotype assay does not require handling live SARS virus; it is a useful tool to determine neutralizing titers during natural infection and the preclinical evaluation of candidate vaccines.

A human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein B (gpUL55) DNA vaccine has been evaluated in BALB/c mice. Intramuscular immunization of these mice with pRc/CMV2-gB resulted in the generation of high levels of gpUL55-specific antibody (geometric mean titer [GMT] 1:8900) and neutralizing antibody (GMT 1:74) after 2 booster doses given 5 and 10 weeks after primary inoculation. Emulsifying the construct with the aluminum phosphate gel adjuvant Adju-Phos before immunization enhanced gpUL55-specific antibody responses (GMT 1:17800, P = 0.04). Co-immunization with CpG oligodeoxynucleotides was shown to enhance levels of neutralizing antibodies generated by immunization of mice with a pRc/CMV2-gB/Adju-Phos emulsion (P = 0.04). The results provide a rationale for evaluating combinations of other HCMV proteins for incorporation into a multi-target DNA vaccine, and for the optimization of adjuvant usage, to elicit enhanced levels of neutralizing antibodies. 2003., (Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

The development of a vaccine for the prevention of primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major public health priority. Live attenuated virus, recombinant viral vector, recombinant protein and peptide vaccines have been studied as potential vaccine candidates. In recent years, DNA vaccination strategies have been developed for many pathogens, including CMV. This review aims to bring together many aspects of this relatively new vaccine technology as applied to current research into the development of vaccines against CMV.

The American trypanosome Trypanosoma cruzi is exposed to toxic oxygen metabolites that are generated by drug metabolism and immune responses in addition to those produced by endogenous processes. However, much remains to be resolved about the parasite oxidative defense system, including the mechanism(s) of peroxide reduction. Here we show that reduction of peroxides in T. cruzi is catalyzed by two distinct trypanothione-dependent enzymes. These were localized to the cytosol and mitochondrion. Both are members of the peroxiredoxin family of antioxidant proteins and are characterized by the presence of two conserved domains containing redox active cysteines. The role of these proteins in protecting T. cruzi from peroxide-mediated damage was demonstrated following overexpression of enzyme activity. The parasite-specific features of T. cruzi cytoplasmic peroxiredoxin and T. cruzi mitochondrial peroxiredoxin may be exploitable in terms of drug development.

The parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is exposed to toxic oxygen metabolites which arise from drug metabolism or immune mechanisms, in addition to those produced by endogenous processes. Identification and functional analysis of parasite enzymes which confer protection against oxidative stress is therefore of importance. To investigate the role of T. cruzi superoxide dismutase (SOD) we transfected epimastigotes with an expression vector containing a putative Fe-SOD gene homologue and achieved overexpression of enzyme activity (5-8 fold). Inhibition studies carried out on the partially purified enzyme revealed azide and H2O2 sensitivity and cyanide insensitivity, the profile expected of an Fe-isoform. Phenotypic analysis of transformed parasites showed that they were more susceptible than control cells to growth inhibition by the trypanocidal drug benznidazole and by gentian violet, an agent which can be used to decontaminate blood supplies in endemic areas. These results may reflect an imbalance in the antioxidant defences of the parasite produced as a result of overexpression of Fe-SOD.