Project description:Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) to the HIV envelope (Env) V2-apex region are important leads for HIV vaccine design. Most V2-apex bnAbs engage Env with an uncommonly long heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 (HCDR3), suggesting that rarity of bnAb precursors poses a challenge for vaccine priming. We created precursor sequence definitions for V2-apex HCDR3-dependent bnAbs and searched for related precursors in human antibody heavy chain ultradeep sequencing data from 14 HIV-unexposed donors. We found potential precursors in a majority of donors for only two long-HCDR3 V2-apex bnAbs, PCT64 and PG9, identifying these bnAbs as priority vaccine targets. We then engineered ApexGT Env trimers that bind inferred germlines for PCT64 and PG9 and have higher affinities for bnAbs; determined cryo-EM structures of ApexGT trimers bound to inferred germline and bnAb forms of PCT64 and PG9; and developed an mRNA-encoded cell-surface trimer for our lead ApexGT candidate. The methods and immunogens developed here have promise to assist the development of an HIV vaccine.
Project description:Generation of Tier 2 HIV neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses by immunization remains a challenging problem, and the immunological barriers to induction of such responses by Env immunogens remain unclear. We explored these barriers by combining a suite of innovative techniques, including longitudinal lymph node fine needle aspirates, germinal center (GC) B cell lineage tracking, and a new method for detecting and quantifying GC T follicular helper (GC Tfh) cells, in non-human primates immunized with a native-like HIV-1 Env trimer protein (BG505 SOSIP.v5.2). A majority of immunized animals (9/12) developed Tier 2 neutralizing antibodies (nAb). Tier 2 nAb development best correlated with GC B cell magnitude in response to later booster immunizations and the quality of the Tfh help. Notably, these immunological factors distinguished between qualitatively successful and unsuccessful vaccine Ab responses, as they correlated with nAb development but did not correlate with simple Env Ab binding titers. Therefore, direct probing of germinal centers in future vaccine trials is key, as this suite of technically robust approaches provides quantitation of the proximal immune correlates of neutralizing antibody development and could allow redesign of optimal multi-stage vaccination schedules.
Project description:N-glycans, which represent >50% mass of the HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimer, play important roles for virus-cell entry and immune evasion. How each glycan unit interacts to shape the Env protein-sugar complex and affects Env function is not well understood. Here, high-resolution glycomics analysis of two Env variants from the same donor, with differing functional characteristics and N-glycosylation-site composition, revealed that changes to key N-glycosylation-site not only affected the Env structure at distant locations, but also had a ripple effect on Env-wide glycan processing, virus infectivity, and antibody recognition and virus neutralization. Specifically, the N262 glycan, although not located in the CD4-binding site, controlled Env binding to the CD4 receptor, affected the recognition of Env by several glycan-dependent broadly neutralizing antibodies, and altered heterogeneity of glycosylation at several sites, with N156, N160, and N448 displaying limited glycan processing. Molecular dynamic simulations visualized how specific oligosaccharide positions can move to compensate for loss of a glycan. This study demonstrates how changes in individual glycan units can alter molecular dynamics and processing of the Env-glycan shield and, consequently, Env function.
Project description:Broadly HIV-1 neutralizing VRC01-class antibodies target the CD4-binding site of Env. They are derived from VH1-2*02 antibody heavy chains paired with rare light chains expressing five amino acid long CDRL3s. They have been isolated from infected subjects but have not yet been elicited by immunization. Env-derived immunogens capable of binding the germline forms of VRC01 B cell receptors on naïve B cells have been designed and evaluated in knock-in mice. However, the elicited antibodies cannot bypass glycans present on the conserved position N276 of Env, which restricts access to the CD4-binding site. Efforts to guide the appropriate maturation of these antibodies by sequential immunization have not yet been successful. Here, we report on a two-step immunization scheme that led to the maturation of VRC01-like antibodies capable of accommodating the N276 glycan and displaying autologous tier 2 neutralizing activities. Our results are relevant to clinical trials aiming to elicit VRC01 antibodies.
Project description:HIV-1 infection begins with binding of the viral envelope glycoprotein Env to the host receptor CD4, triggering a series of conformational changes that lead to fusion of the virus and cell membranes. Env, a trimer of gp120 and gp41 subunits, occupies a ‘closed’ conformation with contacts between gp120 subunits at the apex, and transitions through an ‘open’ conformation with the gp120 subunits spread apart following CD4 binding. Using deep mutational scanning, sequence-fitness landscapes were mapped for full-length Env from the clade B BaL strain interacting with CD4, and broadly neutralizing antibodies VRC01 and PG16, which preferentially bind closed Env. Contacting residues are conserved for CD4 binding, and glycosylation at N262 is critical for accessing the high-affinity CD4-bound state. By comparison, VRC01 binding is resistant to most single amino acid substitutions, an ideal quality in a broadly neutralizing antibody. Also in contrast to CD4 interaction, Env interfacial residues are under tight selection for PG16 binding to maintain a closed conformation. Screening for mutations that enhanced PG16 binding, we identified several important sites, in particular neutralization of the electropositive apical cavity that we hypothesize promotes trimer opening by electrostatic repulsion. Mutations were combined to generate Quaternary Epitope Stabilized (QES) mutants with enhanced presentation of the PG16 epitope, and the mutations were partially transferable to other HIV-1 strains. These mutational analyses offer insight into Env conformational stabilization that may assist immunogen design.
Project description:The HIV-1 genome gains access to the inside of a cell via the mechanism of the viral spike protein Env, which undergoes a series of major conformational rearrangements after binding target receptors that ultimately drive virus-cell membrane fusion. Env is expressed as a heterogenous ensemble of conformations, which can inappropriately misdirect the host immune response towards the production of non-protective, strain-specific antibodies. Potent, broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) frequently recognize a ‘closed’ Env conformation, and therefore Env has undergone significant engineering to stabilize the closed state for vaccine incorporation. Previously, we used deep mutational scanning of Env from a prototypical tier 1 clade B strain (BaL) to characterize the sequence-activity landscape for binding to PG16, a bnAb that preferentially binds the closed state. Mutations were identified that increased expression of closed Env and reduced conformational heterogeneity, but these mutations were only partially transferable to Env sequences from other strains. To generate an expanded set of mutations that may be broadly applicable to diverse HIV-1 strains, we present here the deep mutational scanning of Env from the tier 2 clade C strain DU422 for interactions with CD4 and PG16. Residues across the trimerization domain and trimer interface have low mutational tolerance for maintaining PG16 recognition. New mutations are identified that enhance presentation of the closed Env conformation, and these are applied to Env sequences spanning multiple clades and tiers.
Project description:Tissue-like memory, activated memory and resting memory B cells were sorted by FACS from the individual living with HIV (EC17) who was aviremic and transcriptomes generated using the SmartSeq2 protocol. This was to provide a reference set for each memory B cell subset in the context of HIV. Next, HIV-specific memory B cells from the individual with broadly neutralizing plasma were then also sorted by FACS and single cell transcriptomes generated using the SmartSeq2 protocol. The phenotypes of memory B cells from the individual with broadly neutralizing plasma (T125) were then inferred from the reference set using Glmnet and Celltypist packages.
Project description:VRC01-class broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) target the CD4-binding site (CD4BS) of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env) and are of major interest for vaccine design. Unlike mature antibodies, corresponding VRC01-class germline precursors poorly bind to Env due to their weak ability to overcome the steric hindrance imparted by the glycans surrounding the CD4 BS. To date, immunogen design initiatives have largely relied on removal of these glycans and have met limited success in eliciting VRC01-class bnAbs. To understand elicitation of such bnAbs in humans, we structurally characterized the inferred germline precursor of VRC01 in complex with wild-type core gp120 by X-ray crystallography and modified trimeric 426c Env constructs by single-particle electron microscopy. We then validated glycan length and composition of germline VRC01-compatible Env constructs by EThcD LC-MS/MS. Our results reveal that engagement of the VRC01 germline antibody by a wild-type 426c gp120 is possible and can be enhanced by tailoring glycan length in the vicinity of the CD4BS.