Protective immunity against influenza virus challenge by norovirus P particle-M2e and HA2-AtCYN vaccines in chickens

Development of a broadly reactive influenza vaccine that can provide protection against emerging type A influenza viruses is a big challenge. We previously demonstrated that a vaccine displaying the extracellular domain of the matrix protein 2 (M2e) on the surface loops of norovirus P-particle (M2eP) can partially protect chickens against several subtypes of avian influenza viruses. In the current study, a chimeric vaccine containing a conserved peptide from the subunit 2 of hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein (HA2) and Arabidopsis thaliana cyanase protein (AtCYN) (HA2-AtCYN vaccine) was evaluated in 2-weeks-old chickens. Depending on the route of administration, the HA2-AtCYN vaccine was shown to induce various levels of HA2-specific IgA in tears as well as serum IgG, which were associated with partial protection of chickens against tracheal shedding of a low pathogenicity H5N2 challenge virus. Furthermore, intranasal administration with a combination of HA2-AtCYN and M2eP vaccines resulted in enhanced protection compared to each vaccine alone. Simultaneous intranasal administration of the vaccines did not interfere with secretory IgA induction by each vaccine. Additionally, significantly higher M2eP-specific proliferative responses were observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of all M2eP-vaccinated groups when compared with the mock-vaccinated group. Although tripling the number of M2e copies did not enhance the protective efficacy of the chimeric vaccine, it significantly reduced immunodominance of P-particle epitopes without affecting the robustness of M2e-specific immune responses. Taken together, our data suggests that mucosal immunization of chickens with combinations of mechanistically different cross-subtype-conserved vaccines has the potential to enhance the protective efficacy against influenza virus challenge.     

Delivery of an inactivated avian influenza virus vaccine adjuvanted with poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) encapsulated CpG ODN induces protective immune responses in chickens

In poultry, systemic administration of commercial vaccines consisting of inactivated avian influenza virus (AIV) requires the simultaneous delivery of an adjuvant (water-in-oil emulsion). These vaccines are often limited in their ability to induce quantitatively better local (mucosal) antibody responses capable of curtailing virus shedding. Therefore, more efficacious adjuvants with the ability to provide enhanced immunogenicity and protective anti-AIV immunity in chickens are needed. While the Toll-like receptor (TLR) 21 agonist, CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) has been recognized as a potential vaccine adjuvant in chickens, poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles, successfully tested as vaccine delivery systems in other species, have not been extensively explored. The present study, therefore, assessed both systemic and mucosal antibody-mediated responses following intramuscular vaccination (administered at 7 and 21 days post-hatch) of chickens with PLGA encapsulated H9N2 AIV plus encapsulated CpG ODN 2007 (CpG 2007), and nonencapsulated AIV plus PLGA encapsulated CpG 2007 vaccine formulations. Virus challenge was performed at 2 weeks post-secondary vaccination using the oculo-nasal route. Our results showed that chickens vaccinated with the nonencapsulated AIV vaccine plus PLGA encapsulated CpG 2007 developed significantly higher systemic IgY and local (mucosal) IgY antibodies as well as haemagglutination inhibition antibody titres compared to PLGA encapsulated AIV plus encapsulated CpG 2007 vaccinated chickens. Furthermore, chickens that received CpG 2007 as an adjuvant in the vaccine formulation had antibodies exhibiting higher avidity indicating that the TLR21-mediated pathway may enhance antibody affinity maturation qualitatively. Collectively, our data indicate that vaccination of chickens with nonencapsulated AIV plus PLGA encapsulated CpG 2007 results in qualitatively and quantitatively augmented antibody responses leading to a reduction in virus shedding compared to the encapsulated AIV plus PLGA encapsulated CpG 2007 formulation.     

不同职业暴露人群感染H5N1禽流感病毒风险性分析

目的了解长沙地区不同类型禽类职业暴露人群高致病性禽流感H5N1亚型病毒的抗体分布状况,分析不同职业暴露人群H5N1感染的风险性。方法采集菜市场家禽屠宰零售人员、大型家禽饲养企业工人和农村个体家禽散养人员的血清标本,用单放射免疫扩散溶血技术（SRH）检测H5N1抗体。结果市场零售人员、农村个体家禽散养人员、企业饲养人员H5N1感染率分别为25%、1%和1.92%,男性从业人员H5N1抗体阳性率为10%,女性为23.88%。结论市场零售人员感染H5N1风险性远高于农村散养人员和企业饲养人员,不同职业人员中女性H5N1抗体阳性率高于男性从业人员。     

Multiple amino acid substitutions involved in enhanced pathogenicity of LPAI H9N2 in mice

Human infection of avian influenza H9N2 virus highlighted the need to better understand the mechanism of interspecies transmission. In this study, we generated mouse-adapted influenza virus (ma01) through serial lung-to-lung passages of a wild-type H9N2 (A/chicken/Hubei/01/1999). Ma01 caused highly lethal infection in mice with severe lung pathology and extended tissue tropism. Nine amino acid substitutions of ma01 were observed in five viral genes (those for PB2, PA, NA, M1, and NS1). Of these mutations, substitutes of PB2₆₂₇, PA₃₄₉, PA₆₀₅, NA₈₈, and NA₃₅₆ were absent in influenza H9N2. Furthermore, the targets of wild-type virus responding to mouse microRNA mmu-mir-1940 and mmu-mir-1904 were eliminated in ma01. The mutation PB2₆₂₇ of ma01 confirmed as a key virulence determinant of influenza H5N1 was responsible for the altered recognition of mmu-mir-1904. In addition, induction of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-β was found in significantly higher levels in ma01 infected mouse peripheral blood than parental strain. These results demonstrate that multiple amino acid substitutions and avoidance of microRNA recognitions may be essential for lethal infection and high speed of virus growth can outcompete the antiviral response of infected host.     

检测禽流感病毒的压电免疫芯片两种抗体固定方法的研究

目的探讨构建检测禽流感病毒压电免疫芯片的2种抗体固定方法。方法以AT切型、基频10 MHz的石英晶体为材料,分别采用聚乙烯亚胺-戊二醛交联法(简称戊二醛法)、葡萄球菌A蛋白(SPA)法将禽流感病毒H5亚型单克隆抗体固定在石英晶体的金膜电极表面,构建检测禽流感病毒压电免疫芯片。结果戊二醛法构建的压电免疫芯片检测H5抗原的线性范围为稀释度1∶2~1∶40,Y=75.814-13.748X,r2=0.978 9,与H9抗原不存在交叉反应,与鸡胚分离法的符合率达到91.7%。SPA法若先固定抗体,则无法检测到抗原;如先进行抗原抗体反应再与SPA结合,可以达到定性检测的效果。结论戊二醛法适合于构建禽流感病毒压电免疫芯片,其检测线性满足检测要求;SPA法在检测抗原时存在局限性,尚不能直接检测病毒抗原。     

Increase in viral yield in eggs and MDCK cells of reassortant H5N1 vaccine candidate viruses caused by insertion of 38 amino acids into the NA stalk

Background

The H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses has spread to over 63 countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa and has become endemic in poultry. Since 2004, vaccination against H5N1 influenza has become common in domestic poultry operations in China. Most influenza vaccines have been produced in embryonated chicken eggs. High yield is the essential feature of a good vaccine candidate virus.

Objective

Therefore, the large-scale manufacture of such a vaccine requires that the viral yield of H5N1 reassortant vaccine viruses in eggs and MDCK cells be increased.

Methods

We generated two sets of reassortant H5N1 viruses based on backbone viruses A/Chicken/F/98 (H9N2) and A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1) using reverse genetics. The HAs and NAs of the reassortants were derived from the three epidemic H5N1 strains found in China. We compared the replication properties of these recombinant H5N1 viruses in embryonated chicken eggs and MDCK cells after inserting either 20 or 38 amino acids into their NA stalks.

Results

In this study, we demonstrated that inserting 38 amino acids into the NA stalks can significantly increase the viral yield of H5N1 reassortant viruses in both embryonated chicken eggs and MDCK cells, while inserting only 20 amino acids into the same NA stalks does not. Hemagglutinin inhibition testing and protection assays indicated that recombinant H5N1 viruses with 38 aa inserted into their NA stalks had the same antigenicity as the viruses with wt-NA.

Conclusion

These results suggest that the generation of an H5N1 recombinant vaccine seed by the insertion of 38 aa into the NA stalk may be a suitable and more economical strategy for the increase in viral yield in both eggs and MDCK cells for the purposes of vaccine production.     

Characterization of a trypsin-dependent avian influenza H5N1-pseudotyped HIV vector system for high throughput screening of inhibitory molecules

In this study, we have generated and characterized an avian influenza H5N1 hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA) and M2 ion channel pseudotyped HIV-based vector system (HaNaM-pseudotyped HIV vector). The cleavage site of the HA protein was modified to necessitate trypsin-dependent maturation of the glycoprotein. HA, NA and M2 were efficiently incorporated in HIV vector particles which could transduce different cell lines in a trypsin-dependent manner. Results also showed that the presence of avian influenza M2 and NA proteins maximized both vector production and transduction and that transduction was highly sensitive to the specific NA inhibitor oseltamivir (Tamiflu). H5N1 HaNaM-pseudotyped HIV vector system was also adapted for cell-based high throughput screening of drug candidates against influenza virus infection, and its high sensitivity to the specific oseltamivir validates its potential utility in the identification of new influenza inhibitors. Overall, the trypsin-dependent H5N1-pseudotyped HIV vector can mimic avian influenza virus infection processes with sufficient precision to allow for the identification of new antivirals and to study avian influenza virus biology in a lower biosafety level laboratory environment.     

Genetic characterization of two low pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 isolates from Ontario, Canada

Genomes of two low pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (LPAI) viruses, A/Turkey/ON/84/1983 and A/Mallard/ON/499/2005 from Ontario, Canada were cloned and genetically characterized. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Canadian isolates cluster with other North American AIVs and are distinct from the Euro-Asian H5N1 isolates. Individual gene comparisons demonstrated that the Ontario isolates were most similar to the viruses isolated from around the same time period and geographical area. A long deletion of 22 amino acids was identified in the stalk region of NA of A/Turkey/ON/84/1983 isolate, a characteristic mutation related to its adaptation to domestic birds. To our knowledge A/Turkey/ON/84/1983 genomic sequence is the first and only available entire genomic sequence of a H5N1 AIV from domestic birds in Canada and USA. This work is a joint collaboration between the principal investigators Davor Ojkic and Shayan Sharif.     

云南境外禽流感H5N1亚型病毒神经氨酸酶基因进化及分子结构特征分析

目的:禽流感病毒神经氨酸酶(NA)是病毒粒子重要表面抗原之一,其抗原性差异决定病毒神经氨酸酶亚型(N1-N9)的划分。NA介导病毒对敏感细胞的侵染及协助子代病毒粒子的成熟和释放,与病毒的宿主嗜性及毒力有关。方法:对2003~2009年期间采集自云南境外家禽的H5N1亚型阳性样品中病毒NA基因进行测序,并与国内外已知代表毒株进行序列比对及系统发育分析。认识云南境外禽流感H5N1亚型病毒神经氨酸酶(NA)基因分子结构特征。结果:21份代表性病毒样品NA基因核苷酸和氨基酸序列同源性介于94.3%~99.3%、93.1%~99.3%。系统发育分析表明可划分为6个不同进化(亚)分支(1、7、9、2.4、2.3.2、2.3.4),其中进化亚分支2.3.4毒株已成为当前云南境外流行的优势毒株;所有云南境外毒株NA蛋白的49-68位氨基酸均存在缺失。结论:糖基化位点存在特有变异;云南境外毒株对Oseltam ivir(达菲)类抗病毒药物可能无耐药性。     

广西禽流感H5N1亚型病毒HA基因序列分析

目的了解广西禽流感H5N1亚型病毒的基因特性.方法2011年在广西农贸市场采集污水、笼具涂抹、粪便标本,经H5亚型特异实时荧光定量PCR方法(Real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR)检测,阳性样本进行病毒血凝素(hemagglutinin,HA)基因扩增后对产物直接测序,测序结果与已知参考毒株进行序列比对及系统进化分析.结果对阳性样本病毒HA基因测序获得6份HA序列,均分布在进化分支2.3.2的Ⅱ-1分支下.广西的6序列无论是氨基酸还是核苷酸的都是高度同源的,其核苷酸同源性在99.5%~100%,氨基酸同源性在99.5%~99.8%;序列测定的结果同时表明无论是受体特异性还是连接肽都是禽源的.结论2011年广西农贸市场流行的禽流感H5N1亚型病毒主要以进化分支2.3.2Ⅱ-1为主,均为禽源性的病毒.