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Journal of Virology, February 2001, p. 1547-1550, Vol. 75, No. 3
Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, The
Rockefeller University, New York, New York
10021-63991; Chiron Corporation,
Emeryville, California 94608-29162; and
Tulane Regional Primate Research Center, Covington,
Louisiana 704333
Received 14 July 2000/Accepted 30 October 2000
DNA immunization of macaques with the SF162 DNA immunization stimulates both the
cellular and humoral arms of the immune system (9, 16-18)
and elicits immune responses capable of preventing infection of animals
by slowly replicating viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus
type 1 (HIV-1) in chimpanzees (3). However, when the
challenge virus replicates efficiently in the host, such as simian
immunodeficiency virus (SIV) or SIV/HIV (SHIV) in macaques, the
DNA-elicited immune responses offer only partial protection
(4, 10, 14). To increase the potency of these responses,
especially the development of high anti-HIV or -SIV envelope antibody
titers, follow-up administration of soluble viral envelope proteins,
viral particles or recombinant vaccinia-based viruses expressing the
HIV or SIV envelope is required (1, 2, 8, 12-14). This
bimodal method of immunization elicits responses capable of protecting
rhesus macaques from infection by highly replication-competent SHIV
(8, 14). It is unclear, however, whether the recorded
protection was mediated by the cellular and/or humoral antiviral
responses elicited during DNA immunization. By evaluating and comparing
the respective antiviral protective roles of these two types of
responses, we hope to develop more effective DNA immunization protocols.
Two rhesus macaques (H445 and J408) were immunized both intradermally
and intramuscularly at weeks 0, 4, and 8 with a DNA vector (5,
22) (2 mg of total DNA each time) expressing the SF162 The development of binding antibodies was evaluated by enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methodologies (20). Antibodies were detectable following the second DNA immunization, and their titers
did not increase following the third DNA immunization (Fig. 1A). During the following 5 months, the
titers decreased gradually, but were always detectable. The first
"boost" increased the titers by approximately 1 to 2 log10 from the peak value recorded following the third DNA
immunization. The titers gradually decreased and leveled off during the
following 11 weeks, at which point the animals received a second boost,
which further increased the antibody titers. Neutralizing antibodies
(NA) were evaluated by using the activated peripheral blood mononuclear
cell (PBMC) target assay (19), using preimmunization sera
to correct for nonspecific neutralization (Fig. 1B). Following the
third DNA immunization, the NA titers in animal H445 were lower than
those in animal J408, even though the binding antibody titers were
similar between the two animals. The NA titers against both SF162
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.3.1547-1550.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
DNA Vaccination with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 SF162
V2 Envelope Elicits Immune Responses That Offer Partial
Protection from Simian/Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection to
CD8+ T-Cell-Depleted Rhesus Macaques
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ABSTRACT
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Abstract
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V2 envelope elicited
lymphoproliferative responses and potent neutralizing antibodies. The
animals were depleted of their CD8+ T lymphocytes and then
challenged intravenously with SHIV162P4. Compared to unvaccinated
animals, the vaccinated macaques had lower peak viremia levels, rapidly
cleared plasma virus, and showed delayed seroconversion.
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TEXT
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Abstract
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V2
gp140 envelope with an intact gp120-gp41 cleavage site (21). The DNA construct was codon optimized for high
expression in mammalian cells. At week 27, the animals were immunized
one additional time with DNA and with the CHO-produced, purified
oligomeric SF162
V2 gp140 protein (100 µg) mixed with the MF-59C
adjuvant. At week 38, the animals were immunized one additional time
with the adjuvanted protein alone.
V2
and SF162 increased significantly during the subsequent boosts.
Vaccine-specific proliferative responses were recorded in both animals.
Stimulation indices (SIs) of 5 and 10 were recorded following the first
boost in animals J408 and H445, respectively. The second boost
increased the potency of these responses in animal H445 (SI of 25), but
not in animal J408 (SI of 5).

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FIG. 1.
Generation of anti-HIV envelope antibodies during
immunization. (A) Binding antibodies. The envelope-specific titers of
binding antibodies in animals J408 and H445 throughout our immunization
schedule were determined against the vaccine, i.e., the purified
oligomeric SF162
V2 gp140 protein. Dashed lines indicate the time of
immunization and the arrow indicates the time of viral challenge. (B)
Neutralizing antibodies. The presence of neutralizing antibodies
against the homologous SF162
V2 virus (left panels) and the parental
SF162 viruses (right panels) was determined at various time points
during the immunization schedule:
, prebleeds;
, 1 month past the
third DNA immunization;
, 2 weeks following the 1st boost; and
,
2 weeks following the 2nd boost.
To evaluate the protective role of the anti-HIV envelope antibodies
elicited by our vaccine, we depleted the CD8+ T lymphocytes
from the vaccinated animals prior to viral challenge (Fig.
2). CD8 depletion was achieved by three
intravenous administrations of the anti-CD8 MAb OKT8F (2 mg/kg of body
weight) at daily intervals (7). CD8+ T
lymphocytes remained undetectable for approximately 10 days. Concomitantly, we recorded a decrease in the total number of
circulating CD3+ T cells. This indicates that the recorded
depletion of CD8+ T cells from the periphery is due to
their actual elimination. Although we did not evaluate CD8 depletion
from the lymph nodes, it was previously demonstrated that a concomitant
depletion of CD8+ T cells from the periphery and lymph
nodes occurs when anti-CD8 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are introduced
into the blood circulation of macaques (11, 15).
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One day following the last administration of OKT8F, the immunized and two unimmunized naive animals were challenged intravenously with 100 50% tissue culture infective doses of a cell-free stock of the SHIV162P4 virus (6). This isolate was neutralized by 50 and 90% by sera (1:5 dilution) collected at the day of challenge from animals H445 and J408, respectively.
Both vaccinated and unvaccinated animals became infected; however,
differences in the peak viral load levels and viral set points were
noted between the two groups (Fig. 3A).
Eleven days postchallenge, plasma viremia in the vaccinated animal H445
was lower by 2 and 4 log10 compared to that of the
unvaccinated animals A141 and AT54, respectively, while the vaccinated
animal J408 was aviremic. At peak viremia, plasma viral levels in the
vaccinated animals were 1 to 4 log10 lower than those in
the unvaccinated animals. Following peak viremia, an initial rapid
decrease followed by a more gradual decrease in plasma viral loads was
recorded in the unvaccinated animal A141, while sustained high viral
loads were recorded in the second unvaccinated animal, AT54. A very rapid decrease to undetectable levels was recorded in both vaccinated animals within 35 days postchallenge.
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Concomitant with the appearance of plasma viremia in the vaccinated animal H445, a rapid increase (by approximately fivefold) of the anti-HIV envelope antibody titers was monitored (Fig. 3B). Subsequently, as the viral load in this animal decreased to undetectable levels, the antibody titers gradually decreased to prechallenge titers. In contrast, the antienvelope antibody titers did not increase in the second vaccinated animal, J408, which had the lowest levels of peak plasma viremia. In the unvaccinated animals, anti-HIV envelope antibodies became detectable approximately 30 days postchallenge. Although their titers increased over time in animal A141 they remained weak and eventually declined prior to death in animal AT54.
The two unvaccinated animals seroconverted to SIV p27gag and pol 31 proteins within 2 weeks postchallenge, while the two vaccinated animals remained seronegative for the first 17 weeks postchallenge (data not shown). Also, although virus was recoverable from rhesus macaque PBMCs collected from the unvaccinated animals at 18, 42, and 48 days postchallenge, it was only recoverable at day 18 from the vaccinated animals (data not shown). Finally, in contrast to the two vaccinated animals and the unvaccinated animal A141, which have remained healthy so far, the second unvaccinated animal, AT54, died from simian AIDS 16 weeks postchallenge.
We believe that the anti-HIV envelope antibodies elicited by our vaccination, although not capable of completely eliminating all the infectious SHIV162P4 viral particles introduced in the blood circulation during challenge, reduced their number, so that fewer numbers of CD4+ T lymphocytes became initially infected in the vaccinated than the unvaccinated animals. This in turn resulted in lower peak levels of plasma viremia during acute infection in the vaccinated animals. The observation that the lowest levels of peak plasma viremia were recorded in the vaccinated animal J408, whose serum had the strongest neutralizing activity against SHIV162P4 at the day of challenge, suggests that neutralizing antibodies played an important protective role during the first 7 days postchallenge. However, in addition to neutralizing antibodies, envelope-specific antibodies without neutralizing activity may have been elicited by our vaccine and may also have contributed to viral clearance. The fact that strong anamnestic anti-HIV envelope responses were developed in animal H445 immediately following SHIV challenge indicates that antibodies contributed to the rapid viral clearance to undetectable levels. However, because the CD8+ lymphocytes reappeared in the periphery of the vaccinated animals 7 days postchallenge, they may also have contributed to this rapid viral clearance.
We should point out, however, that in addition to protective antibody responses, our vaccination might have elicited CD4+ T-cell-mediated protective responses, which most likely were present during CD8 depletion. It would be important to assess whether DNA vaccination elicits such responses.
In summary, these pilot studies highlight the important protective role of non-CD8-mediated DNA-vaccine-induced anti-HIV envelope responses and strongly suggest that efforts to develop an effective anti-HIV vaccine should not only aim at eliciting strong cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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This study was supported in part by NIH grant AI 42670-01 (L.S.).
We are grateful to T. Mercalino from R. W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute for providing the anti-CD8 MAb OKT8F and to Jenny Booth at the Bayer Reference Testing Laboratory for performing the b-DNA assays. We thank A. Ly, Y. Liang, S. Hilt, and A. Fong for technical assistance. We acknowledge Cecilia Cheng-Mayer and Janet Harouse (ADARC) for many helpful discussions throughout this study and for providing the SHIV162P4 virus.
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FOOTNOTES |
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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, 455 First Ave., 7th floor, New York, NY 10016. Phone: (212) 448-5000. Fax: (212) 725-1126. E-mail: 1stamata{at}adarc.org.
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