Human inhalable antibody fragments neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 variants for COVID-19 therapy.

As of December 2021, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), remains a global emergency, and novel therapeutics are urgently needed. Here we describe human single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies (76clAbs) that block an epitope of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein essential for ACE2-mediated entry into cells. 76clAbs neutralize the Delta variant and other variants being monitored (VBMs) and inhibit spike-mediated pulmonary cell-cell fusion, a critical feature of COVID-19 pathology. In two independent animal models, intranasal administration counteracted the infection. Because of their high efficiency, remarkable stability, resilience to nebulization, and low cost of production, 76clAbs may become a relevant tool for rapid, self-administrable early intervention in SARS-CoV-2-infected subjects independently of their immune status.

HIV-1 Latency-Reversing Agents Prostratin and Bryostatin-1 Induce Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption/Inflammation and Modulate Leukocyte Adhesion/Transmigration.

A shock-and-kill approach involving the simultaneous treatment of HIV-1-infected patients with latency-reversing agents (LRAs) and combination antiretroviral therapy was proposed as a means to eradicate viral reservoirs. Currently available LRAs cannot discriminate between HIV-1-infected and uninfected cells. Therefore, the risks and benefits of using broad-spectrum LRAs need to be carefully evaluated, particularly in the CNS, where inflammation and leukocyte transmigration must be tightly regulated. We used a real-time impedance-sensing system to dynamically record the impact of different classes of LRAs on the integrity of tight monolayers of the immortalized human cerebral microvascular endothelial cell line hCMEC/D3. Results show that prostratin and bryostatin-1 can significantly damage the integrity of an endothelial monolayer. Moreover, prostratin and bryostatin-1 induce secretion of some proinflammatory cytokines and an increase of ICAM-1 expression. Additional studies demonstrated that prostratin and bryostatin-1 also affect adhesion and transmigration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells as well as monocytes in an in vitro human blood-brain barrier (BBB) model. Prostratin and bryostatin-1 could thus be considered as potent regulators of BBB permeability and inflammation that influence leukocyte transport across the BBB. Altogether, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the potential risks and benefits of using a shock-and-kill approach with LRAs on the normal physiological functions of the BBB.

HCV glycoprotein E2 is a novel BDCA-2 ligand and acts as an inhibitor of IFN production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells.

The elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in > 50% of chronically infected patients by treatment with IFN-α suggests that plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), major producers of IFN-α, play an important role in the control of HCV infection. However, despite large amounts of Toll-like receptor 7-mediated IFN-α, produced by pDCs exposed to HCV-infected hepatocytes, HCV still replicates in infected liver. Here we show that HCV envelope glycoprotein E2 is a novel ligand of pDC C-type lectin immunoreceptors (CLRs), blood DC antigen 2 (BDCA-2) and DC-immunoreceptor (DCIR). HCV particles inhibit, via binding of E2 glycoprotein to CLRs, production of IFN-α and IFN-λ in pDCs exposed to HCV-infected hepatocytes, and induce in pDCs a rapid phosphorylation of Akt and Erk1/2, in a manner similar to the crosslinking of BDCA-2 or DCIR. Blocking of BDCA-2 and DCIR with Fab fragments of monoclonal antibodies preserves the capacity of pDCs to produce type I and III IFNs in the presence of HCV particles. Thus, negative interference of CLR signaling triggered by cell-free HCV particles with Toll-like receptor signaling triggered by cell-associated HCV results in the inhibition of the principal pDC function, production of IFN.

Hepatitis C virus fails to activate NF-κB signaling in plasmacytoid dendritic cells.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) respond to viral infection by production of alpha interferon (IFN-α), proinflammatory cytokines, and cell differentiation. The elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in more than 50% of chronically infected patients by treatment with IFN-α suggests that pDCs can play an important role in the control of HCV infection. pDCs exposed to HCV-infected hepatoma cells, in contrast to cell-free HCV virions, produce large amounts of IFN-α. To further investigate the molecular mechanism of HCV sensing, we studied whether exposure of pDCs to HCV-infected hepatoma cells activates, in parallel to interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7)-mediated production of IFN-α, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)-dependent pDC responses, such as expression of the differentiation markers CD40, CCR7, CD86, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and interleukin 6 (IL-6). We demonstrate that exposure of pDCs to HCV-infected hepatoma cells surprisingly did not induce phosphorylation of NF-κB or cell surface expression of CD40, CCR7, CD86, or TRAIL or secretion of TNF-α and IL-6. In contrast, CpG-A and CpG-B induced production of TNF-α and IL-6 in pDCs exposed to the HCV-infected hepatoma cells, showing that cell-associated virus did not actively inhibit Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated NF-κB phosphorylation. Our results suggest that cell-associated HCV signals in pDCs via an endocytosis-dependent mechanism and IRF7 but not via the NF-κB pathway. In spite of IFN-α induction, cell-associated HCV does not induce a full functional response of pDCs. These findings contribute to the understanding of evasion of immune responses by HCV.

Hepatitis C virus is a weak inducer of interferon alpha in plasmacytoid dendritic cells in comparison with influenza and human herpesvirus type-1.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are responsible for the production of type I IFN during viral infection. Viral elimination by IFN-alpha-based therapy in more than 50% of patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) suggests a possible impairment of production of endogenous IFN-alpha by pDCs in infected individuals. In this study, we investigated the impact of HCV on pDC function. We show that exposure of pDCs to patient serum- and cell culture-derived HCV resulted in production of IFN-alpha by pDCs isolated from some donors, although this production was significantly lower than that induced by influenza and human herpesvirus type 1 (HHV-1). Using specific inhibitors we demonstrate that endocytosis and endosomal acidification were required for IFN-alpha production by pDCs in response to cell culture-derived HCV. HCV and noninfectious HCV-like particles inhibited pDC-associated production of IFN-alpha stimulated with Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonists (CpG-A or HHV-1) but not that of IFN-alpha stimulated with TLR7 agonists (resiquimod or influenza virus). The blockade of TLR9-mediated production of IFN-alpha, effective only when pDCs were exposed to virus prior to or shortly after CpG-A stimulation, was already detectable at the IFN-alpha transcription level 2 h after stimulation with CpG-A and correlated with down-regulation of the transcription factor IRF7 expression and of TLR9 expression. In conclusion, rapidly and early occurring particle-host cell protein interaction during particle internalization and endocytosis followed by blockade of TLR9 function could result in less efficient sensing of HCV RNA by TLR7, with impaired production of IFN-alpha. This finding is important for our understanding of HCV-DC interaction and immunopathogenesis of HCV infection.

Vertical VEGF targeting: A combination of ligand blockade with receptor tyrosine kinase inhibition.

The aim of this study was to examine the anti-tumour effects of dual vertical VEGF targeting consisting in the association between bevacizumab, a VEGF-depleting drug, and the VEGF receptor antityrosine kinase AZD2171. Mice bearing human head and neck CAL33 xenografted tumours were treated once daily for 11 d with either vehicle (controls), AZD2171 (2.5mg/kg/day, p.o.), bevacizumab (5mg/kg/day, i.p.) or the bevacizumab-AZD2171 combination. The AZD2171-bevacizumab combination produced additive effects on tumour growth and reduced the number of proliferating cells relative to control. Bevacizumab did not influence tumour vascular necrosis whilst AZD2171 (p=0.01) and the combination (p=0.01) increased it. The number of mature tumour cells decreased significantly with the combination treatment only (p=0.001), which induced the largest increase in the Bax/Bcl2 ratio (up to 25-fold) and a progressive 3-fold decrease in HIF1-alpha expression between 24h and 192h. The present data indicate that there is no redundancy in targeting the same angiogenic pathway with the presently tested clinically applicable drugs. The study provides a strong rationale for future clinical trials.