Safety and immunogenicity of a serum-free purified Vero rabies vaccine in healthy adults: A randomised phase II pre-exposure prophylaxis study.

A serum-free, highly purified Vero cell rabies vaccine (PVRV-NG) is under development. We previously demonstrated that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with PVRV-NG had a satisfactory safety profile and was immunogenically non-inferior to the licensed purified Vero cell rabies vaccine in adults. Here, we evaluated the safety and immunogenic non-inferiority of PrEP with PVRV-NG compared to the licensed human diploid cell vaccine (HDCV) in healthy adults (NCT01784874). Participants received three vaccinations (days 0, 7, and 28) as PrEP with or without a booster injection after 12 months. Rabies virus neutralising antibodies (RVNA) were evaluated on days 0, 28 (subgroup only), and 42, and Months 6, 12, and 12 + 14 days (booster group only). Non-inferiority (first primary objective) was based on the proportion of participants with RVNA titres ≥ 0.5 IU/mL (World Health Organization criteria for seroconversion) on day 42, expected to be ≥ 99% (second primary objective). Safety was evaluated after each dose and monitored throughout the study. At day 42, PVRV-NG was non-inferior to HDCV and the first primary objective was met; seroconversion was observed for 98.3% of PVRV-NG recipients and 99.1% of HDCV recipients. As < 99% of participants in the PVRV-NG group had RVNA titres ≥ 0.5 IU/mL, the second primary objective was not met. Booster vaccination produced a strong increase in RVNA titres for all groups, primed with PVRV-NG or HDCV. RVNA geometric mean titres tended to be higher for HDCV than PVRV-NG primary vaccine recipients. In a complementary evaluation using alternative criteria for seroconversion (complete virus neutralization at 1:5 serum dilution), 99.6% and 100% of participants in the PVRV-NG and HDCV groups, respectively, achieved seroconversion across the vaccine groups. No major safety concerns were observed during the study. PVRV-NG was well tolerated, with a similar safety profile to HDCV in terms of incidence, duration, and severity of adverse events after primary and booster vaccinations. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01784874.

The fidelity of reverse transcription differs in reactions primed with RNA versus DNA primers.

Reverse transcriptase enzymes (RT) convert single-stranded retroviral RNA genomes into double-stranded DNA. The RT enzyme can use both RNA and DNA primers, the former being used exclusively during initiation of minus- and plus-strand synthesis. Initiation of minus-strand DNA synthesis occurs by extension of a tRNA primer that is associated with the viral genome, and plus-strand DNA synthesis is initiated from an RNase H- resistant polypurine tract of the genomic RNA that remains bound to the newly synthesized minus-strand DNA. All other phases of reverse transcription represent elongation of a DNA primer. We demonstrate that the polymerase fidelity of RT enzymes is significantly higher in tRNA-primed reverse transcription compared with DNA-primed reactions. Two mechanistic explanations can be proposed. First, the type of template-primer (T- P) duplex (RNA-RNA versus RNA-DNA) may affect the RT enzyme conformation such that the discrimination against incorrect nucleotides is affected. Second, the tRNA primer may act as a fidelity co-factor through specific association with the RT enzyme. According to the latter hypothesis, the increased fidelity observed for an RNA-RNA T-P should persist at a distance from the initiation site, where the enzyme-bound nucleic acid duplex will consist of RNA-cDNA. However, we measured that the effect of tRNA on the fidelity is detectable only at a short distance from the initiation site. These results indicate that the type of T-P duplex influences the fidelity of reverse transcription, suggesting that two small segments of the viral genome downstream of the initiation sites for minus- and plus-strand DNA synthesis are copied with a fidelity that is greater than average.

Increased polymerase fidelity of the 3TC-resistant variants of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) variants with resistance mutations in the reverse transcriptase (RT) gene appear during drug therapy with the nucleoside analogue 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine (3TC). These 3TC-resistant RT variants have a single point mutation that changes the 184Met residue into either Val or Ile. Both codon 184 variants are frequently observed in 3TC-treated patients and can also be selected in cell culture infections. We demonstrated previously that the 184Ile and 184Val RT enzymes exhibit a processivity defect in in vitro assays, with 184Ile being the least processive enzyme [Met(wt) >Val >Ile]. In this study, we measured the polymerase fidelity of the wild-type (184Met) and 3TC-resistant RT enzymes (184Ile and 184Val) on DNA and RNA templates. Both virion- extracted and Escherichia coli -expressed recombinant RT enzymes were used to measure the nucleotide misinsertion and mispair extension efficiencies. The 3TC-resistant enzymes were more accurate than the wild-type RT protein in both type of assays. The order of accuracy observed for the codon 184 variants [Ile >Val >Met(wt)] may suggest an inverse correlation between the fidelity and processivity properties of these enzymes.

HIV-1 reverse transcriptase discriminates against non-self tRNA primers.

The interactions between the Reverse Transcriptase (RT) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and the natural tRNA(Lys3) primer for initiation of viral DNA synthesis were examined. We constructed a set of HIV-1 RNA templates in which the wild-type primer binding site (PBS(Lys3)) is replaced by sequences complementary to tRNA(lle), tRNA(Lys1,2), tRNA(Phe), tRNA(Pro) or tRNA(Trp) and tested the ability of RT enzymes of different retroviral species to initiate cDNA synthesis from self versus non-self tRNA primers. We demonstrate that initiation of HIV-1 reverse transcription is a specific process that is most efficient with the self tRNA(Lys3) primer. Interestingly, the property of HIV-1 RT to discriminate against non-self tRNA primers is lost upon extension of the tRNA by only two deoxyribonucleotides. Furthermore, selective tRNA priming by HIV-1 RT was not observed with viral RNA-tRNA(Lys3) duplexes isolated from HIV-1 virion particles, suggesting that the majority of tRNA(Lys3) primers annealed to viral RNA in particles is extended by a variable number of deoxyribonucleotides. This result indicates that reverse transcription is initiated relatively early in nascently assembled virions.

Reduced replication of 3TC-resistant HIV-1 variants in primary cells due to a processivity defect of the reverse transcriptase enzyme.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) variants with resistance mutations in the reverse transcriptase (RT) gene appear during drug therapy with the nucleoside analogue 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine (3TC). These resistance mutations alter the methionine (Met) residue of the conserved YMDD motif, which is part of the catalytic core of the RT enzyme. Isoleucine (Ile) variants are initially observed, followed by the appearance and eventual outgrowth of viruses encoding valine (Val). Similar replication kinetics were measured for wild-type and 3TC-resistant HIV-1 viruses in tissue culture infections of a T cell line, but we measured reduced polymerase activity for the two mutant RT enzymes compared with the wild-type enzyme (Ile = 43% and Val = 67%). Gel analysis of the reverse transcription products revealed that both 3TC-resistant RT mutants produce significantly shorter cDNA molecules than the wild-type enzyme [Met (wt)>Val>Ile], indicating that 3TC-resistant RT polymerases are less processive enzymes. Interestingly, these enzyme defects were more pronounced under limiting dNTP concentrations and we therefore assayed virus replication in primary cells that contain relatively low dNTP levels. Under these conditions, we measured significantly reduced replication kinetics for the 3TC-resistant HIV-1 variants [Met (wt)>Val>Ile]. If the level of virus replication can be similarly reduced in 3TC-treated patients that develop drug-resistant HIV-1 variants, this may be of considerable clinical benefit.

Structural requirements for the binding of tRNA Lys3 to reverse transcriptase of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

Reverse transcription of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA genome is primed by the cellular tRNA Lys3 molecule. Packaging of this tRNA primer during virion assembly is thought to be mediated by specific interactions with the reverse transcriptase (RT) protein. Portions of the tRNA molecule that are required for interaction with the RT protein remain poorly defined. We have used an RNA gel mobility shift assay to measure the in vitro binding of purified RT to mutant forms of tRNA Lys3. The anticodon loop could be mutated without eliminating RT recognition. However, mutations in the T psi C stem were found to partially interfere with RT binding, and D arm mutants were completely inactive in RT binding. Interestingly, binding of the RT protein to tRNA Lys3 facilitates the subsequent annealing of template strand to the 3'-terminus of the tRNA molecule. Consistent with this finding, we demonstrate that mutant HIV-1 virions lacking the RT protein do contain a viral RNA genome without an associated tRNA Lys3 primer. We also found that a preformed primer tRNA-template complex is efficiently recognized by RT protein in vitro. Extension of the template molecule over the T psi C loop did result in complete inhibition of RT binding, suggesting the presence of additional recognition elements in the T psi C loop. These results, combined with a comparative sequence analysis of tRNA species present in HIV-1 virions and RNA motifs selected in vitro for high affinity RT binding, suggest that RT recognizes the central domain of the tRNA tertiary structure, which is formed by interaction of the D and T psi C loops.

Variable expression of class 1 outer membrane protein in Neisseria meningitidis is caused by variation in the spacing between the -10 and -35 regions of the promoter.

The class 1 outer membrane protein encoded by the porA gene of Neisseria meningitidis is a candidate for a vaccine against meningococcal infection. The expression of class 1 outer membrane protein displays phase variation between three expression levels. Northern (RNA) blot and primer extension analysis revealed that this phase variation is regulated at the transcriptional level. The start site for transcription is located 59 bp upstream of the translational initiation codon. Sequence analysis of the promoter region of the porA gene of a variant without class 1 protein expression revealed nine contiguous guanidine residues between the -10 and -35 domains. Comparison of promoter sequences of different phase variants indicated that the length of the polyguanidine stretch correlated with the expression level of the class 1 outer membrane protein; the presence of 11, 10, or 9 contiguous guanidine residues results in high levels, medium levels, or no expression of class 1 mRNA, respectively. These results suggest that the variable porA expression levels seen in different isolates are modulated by guanidine residue insertion and/or deletion due to slipped-strand mispairing on the polyguanidine stretch within the intervening sequence of the -35 and -10 regions of the promoter. The phase variation of class 1 outer membrane protein may provide a molecular mechanism to evade the host immune defense. Therefore, the protective efficacy of a vaccine based on class 1 outer membrane protein may be questioned.

Human immunodeficiency virus uses tRNA(Lys,3) as primer for reverse transcription in HeLa-CD4+ cells.

Significant amounts of different tRNA molecules are present in retroviral particles, but one specific tRNA species functions as primer in reverse transcription. It is generally believed that the HIV-1 virus uses the tRNA(Lys,3) molecule as primer. This is based on sequence complementarity between the 3' end of tRNA(Lys,3) and the primer-binding site (PBS) on HIV-1 genomic RNA. Recent biochemical analyses indicated that tRNA(LYs,3) is indeed incorporated into viral particles. Interestingly, tRNA(Lys,3) could not be detected in virions produced by HeLa-CD4+ cells [(1992) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 185, 1105-1115]. In order to test whether alternative tRNA molecules can function as primer in HIV replication, we performed a series of experiments based on the observation that tRNA primer sequences are inherited by the viral progeny. We cultured HIV-1 for prolonged periods of time in HeLa-CD4+ cells, but did not detect sequence changes in the PBS region. Furthermore, we found PBS-mutants to be replication-incompetent, again suggesting that HIV-1 solely uses tRNA(Lys,3) as primer. Most importantly, we obtained revertants of one such PBS-mutant, which had restored a wild-type PBS sequence. This tRNA(Lys,3)-mediated repair demonstrates a general requirement for this primer in HIV-1 reverse transcription.

In vitro dimerization of HIV-2 leader RNA in the absence of PuGGAPuA motifs.

Retroviral particles contain a dimeric genome consisting of two full-length, noncovalently linked RNA molecules. Linkage of the two genomes is thought to be critical for a productive reverse transcription reaction and may increase genetic recombination rates. The molecular nature of the dimer linkage structure (DLS) is poorly understood. It was recently shown that in vitro synthesized retroviral transcripts can dimerize in the absence of protein factors. We studied in vitro dimerization of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) RNA. Specific dimerization of HIV-2 RNAs was observed upon incubation at 37 degrees C in high-salt buffer. Previously, physical and biochemical studies have mapped dimer linkage structures in retroviral leader RNA close to the gag open reading frame. In this study, we found efficient dimerization of HIV-2 RNAs containing only the 5' terminal 255 nucleotides of the leader RNA. Therefore, it seems likely that multiple dimerization signals are present in retroviral leader RNA. The implications for genome dimerization and genome packaging are discussed.

Expression and aggregation of recombinant alpha A-crystallin and its two domains.

The 20 kDa alpha A and alpha B subunits of alpha-crystallin from mammalian eye lenses form large aggregates with an average molecular weight of 800,000. To get insight into the interactions responsible for aggregate formation, we expressed in Escherichia coli the putative N- and C-terminal domains of alpha A-crystallin, as well as the intact alpha A-crystallin chain. The proteins are expressed in a stable form and in relatively high amounts (20-60% of total protein). Recombinant alpha A-crystallin and the C-terminal domain are expressed in a water-soluble form. Recombinant alpha A-crystallin forms aggregates comparable with alpha-crystallin aggregates from calf lenses, whereas the C-terminal domain forms dimers or tetramers. The N-terminal domain is expressed in an initially water-insoluble form. After solubilization, denaturation and reaggregation the N-terminal domain exists in a high molecular weight multimeric form. These observations suggest that the interactions leading to aggregation of alpha A-crystallin subunits are mainly located in the N-terminal half of the chain.