Presenting native-like HIV-1 envelope trimers on ferritin nanoparticles improves their immunogenicity

• Published in: Retrovirology Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 82
• Main Authors: Sliepen, Kwinten, Ozorowski, Gabriel, Burger, Judith A, van Montfort, Thijs, Stunnenberg, Melissa, LaBranche, Celia, Montefiori, David C, Moore, John P, Ward, Andrew B, Sanders, Rogier W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 26.09.2015; BioMed Central
• Subjects: AIDS vaccines; AIDS Vaccines - chemistry; AIDS Vaccines - immunology; Air pollution; Analysis; Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Neutralizing - biosynthesis; Antigens; env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus - chemistry; env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus - immunology; Female; Ferritin; Ferritins - immunology; Health aspects; HIV (Viruses); HIV Antibodies - biosynthesis; HIV-1 - chemistry; HIV-1 - immunology; Humans; Immune response; Immunization; Mice; Nanoparticles; Protein Multimerization; Rabbits; Short Report; Viral antibodies
• ISSN: 1742-4690; 1742-4690
• DOI: 10.1186/s12977-015-0210-4

Presenting vaccine antigens in particulate form can improve their immunogenicity by enhancing B cell activation. We describe ferritin-based protein nanoparticles that display multiple copies of native-like HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimers (BG505 SOSIP.664). Trimer-bearing nanoparticles were significantly more immunogenic than trimers in both mice and rabbits. Furthermore, rabbits immunized with the trimer-bearing nanoparticles induced significantly higher neutralizing antibody responses against most tier 1A viruses, and higher responses (but not significantly), to several tier 1B viruses and the autologous tier 2 virus than when the same trimers were delivered as soluble proteins. This or other nanoparticle designs may be practical ways to improve the immunogenicity of envelope glycoprotein trimers.