Neil Almond

Protection by attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus in macaques against challenge with virus-infected cells.

A vaccine against AIDS will probably have to protect against challenge both by viable virus-infected cells and by cell-free virus. Eight cynomolgus macaques infected with attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) were challenged (four each) with cell-free and cell-associated SIV. All were protected, whereas eight controls were all infected after challenge. These findings show that live-attenuated vaccine can confer protection against SIV in macaques. Extrapolation to human beings will require extensive evaluation of the safety of attenuated retroviruses. Alternatively, the mechanism of this potent protection must be understood and reproduced by less hazardous means.

'Chemical condoms' for the prevention of HIV infection: evaluation of novel agents against SHIV(89.6PD) in vitro and in vivo.

Background Vaginal agents which are antiviral and/or inhibit the entry of HIV into the cell could prevent heterosexual transmission of HIV, and protect women who cannot negotiate condom use. Methods Four agents have been investigated for activity in vitro and in vivo against SHIV89.6PD: two anionic polymers, dextrin-2-sulphate (D2S) and PRO 2000 (P2K), and two virucidal agents; a non-ionic detergent, nonoxynol-9 (N9) and a cyclic peptide ionophore, gramicidin-D (GD). All four agents were investigated in rhesus macaques, using an intra-vaginal challenge of two inoculations of 1 × 104 50% tissue culture infectious doses (TCID)50of SHIV89.6PD. Results D2S, P2K, GD and N9 all inhibited SHIV89.6PDin vitro. In vivo, three out of four control macaques were infected as judged by viral culture, seroconversion, DNA and RNA PCR; infection was confirmed in four out of eight macaques pre-treated with P2K, two out of four pre-treated with D2S, one out of four pre-treated with N9, two out of four pre-treated with GD and four out of four pre-treated with D2S + GD, a combination additive in vitro. Interpretation D2S and PRO-2000, novel inhibitors of HIV entry, showed evidence of protection in vivo, comparable to that seen with the virucide, N9. These data, together with the results of phase I and phase II studies in healthy women which have shown minimal toxicity, support plans for a phase III efficacy trial of chemically simple inhibitors of HIV entry with low toxicity, for the prevention of HIV infection in women.

Adaptation of the genetically tractable malaria pathogen Plasmodium knowlesi to continuous culture in human erythrocytes

Research into the aetiological agent of the most widespread form of severe malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, has benefitted enormously from the ability to culture and genetically manipulate blood-stage forms of the parasite in vitro. However, most malaria outside Africa is caused by a distinct Plasmodium species, Plasmodium vivax, and it has become increasingly apparent that zoonotic infection by the closely related simian parasite Plasmodium knowlesi is a frequent cause of life-threatening malaria in regions of southeast Asia. Neither of these important malarial species can be cultured in human cells in vitro, requiring access to primates with the associated ethical and practical constraints. We report the successful adaptation of P. knowlesi to continuous culture in human erythrocytes. Human-adapted P. knowlesi clones maintain their capacity to replicate in monkey erythrocytes and can be genetically modified with unprecedented efficiency, providing an important and unique model for studying conserved aspects of malarial biology as well as species-specific features of an emerging pathogen.

Immunization with class I human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen can protect macaques against challenge infection with SIVmac-32H.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of immunopurified class I human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) to protect against SIV infection. Methods: HLA class I antigens were immunopurified from a human B‐lymphoblastoid cell line. Groups of four macaques were vaccinated subcutaneously with four doses of the immunogen in adjuvant, or with adjuvant alone and subsequently challenged intravenously with 10 median monkey infectious doses of cell‐free SIVmac‐32H. Infection was determined by polymerase chain reaction for SIVmac proviral DNA and by virus isolation. Antigen‐specific humoral and cellular immune responses were monitored. Results: Macaques immunized with the HLA molecules produced anti‐HLA class I antibodies that inhibited SIV replication in vitro and downregulated autologous T‐cell proliferation against irradiated C8166 cells. They were partially protected (two out of four) from virus infection for at least 33 weeks when challenged with SIV grown in human cells. All four control animals were infected. Conclusions: This demonstration of partial protection, together with our previous work reporting that vaccination with allogenic cynomolgus lymphocytes can protect against challenge infection with SIV grown in simian cells, suggests that allogenic immune response induced before or during establishment of HIV infection may have important implications for AIDS disease progression.

Mechanisms of protection induced by attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus. I. Protection cannot be transferred with immune serum.

To evaluate its role in protection, immune serum was collected from four macaques which were chronically infected with live attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVmacC8) and had resisted challenge with wild-type SIVmacJ5. The immune serum was transferred to two naive cynomolgus macaques by intraperitoneal injection (11 ml/kg). Four control macaques received an intraperitoneal injection of normal saline. One day later, all macaques were challenged with 10 MID50 of the J5M challenge stock of SIV. After challenge, all macaques became infected as determined by virus co-culture and diagnostic PCR. Virus loads in PBMC at 2 weeks post-challenge were indistinguishable between the two groups of macaques. Thus, the failure of passive immunization to transfer protection indicates that serum components alone are not sufficient to mediate the potent protection obtained using live attenuated vaccines. This is the first time that serum has been transferred from animals known to be protected against superinfection.

Increased antibody responses to human papillomavirus type 16 L1 protein expressed by recombinant vaccinia virus lacking serine protease inhibitor genes.

The L1 gene of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) driven by the vaccinia virus major late 4b gene promoter has been inserted into three different sites of the vaccinia virus genome. Insertion into the thymidine kinase (TK) gene was achieved by selection of TK- mutants in BUdR on TK- cells. Insertion into two vaccinia virus serine protease inhibitor (serpin) genes was achieved by co-insertion of the Escherichia coli xanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase gene linked to the vaccinia virus 7.5K promoter and selection of mycophenolic acid-resistant recombinant viruses. Each recombinant virus expressed a 57K L1 protein at similar levels and with similar kinetics. However, immunization of mice with these recombinant viruses induced different levels of antibody to the L1 protein. Viruses lacking serpin genes B13R and B24R induced significantly higher antibody levels than did viruses lacking the TK gene. The presence of functional B13R and B24R gene products is therefore somehow immunosuppressive at least for antibody responses to the L1 protein of HPV-16.

Evaluation of a candidate human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccine in macaques: effect of vaccination with HIV-1 gp120 on subsequent challenge with heterologous simian immunodeficiency virus-HIV-1 chimeric virus.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope vaccines can now be evaluated for efficacy in macaques by challenging with chimeric viruses in which the env, tat and rev genes of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) have been replaced by those of HIV-1. Most experiments have so far been conducted using gp120 molecules derived from T-cell-adapted LAI or MN strains of HIV-1, which predominantly use the CXCR-4 co-receptor. These vaccines protect against infection by apathogenic chimeric virus carrying the same envelope sequences. In the experiment described here, four macaques were vaccinated with W61D gp120 derived from a low passage Dutch isolate and capable of inhibiting the binding of MIP1beta to the co-receptor CCR-5. This vaccine was potent, inducing high titres of binding and neutralizing antibodies against the homologous HIV-1 and tenfold lower titres against a heterologous challenge virus (SHIV(SF33)) in which the env, tat and rev genes of SIV had been replaced by those of a San Francisco isolate, HIV-1(SF33). Despite strong immune responses to the vaccine there was no evidence that it protected against challenge with this chimeric virus. The antigenic divergence between vaccine and challenge virus or the increased virulence of the challenge virus may be responsible for the inability of this vaccine to protect against infection by SHIV(SF33).

Mhc haplotype H6 is associated with sustained control of SIVmac251 infection in Mauritian cynomolgus macaques

The restricted diversity of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of Mauritian cynomolgus macaques provides powerful opportunities for insight into host-viral interactions and cellular immune responses that restrict lentiviral infections. However, little is known about the effects of Mhc haplotypes on control of SIV in this species. Using microsatellite-based genotyping and allele-specific PCR, Mhc haplotypes were deduced for 35 macaques infected with the same stock of SIVmac251. Class I haplotype H6 was associated with a reduction in chronic phase viraemia (p = 0.0145) while a similar association was observed for H6 class II (p = 0.0063). An increase in chronic phase viraemia, albeit an insignificant trend, was observed in haplotype H5-positive animals. These results further emphasise the value of genetically defined populations of non-human primates in AIDS research and provide a foundation for detailed characterisation of MHC restricted cellular immune responses and the effects of host genetics on SIV replication in cynomolgus macaques.

Live attenuated HIV vaccines: a proposal for further research and development.

THERE IS VIRTUALLY UNANIMOUS AGREEMENT that the global HIV pandemic will not be substantially contained or eliminated without a prophylactic HIV vaccine that would prevent chronic HIV infection, or failing that, would slow disease progression in those becoming infected. As live attenuated vaccines against a variety of other viral infections including smallpox, polio, and measles have had a dramatic effect on the global incidence and prevalence of these infections, the possibility of developing a live attenuated vaccine for prevention of HIV infection has attracted considerable attention from both scientists and a wide range of interested individuals and organizations. However, proposals to develop a live attenuated HIV vaccine have generated considerable controversy. Protagonists of development of live attenuated HIV vaccines have highlighted the advantages of such a vaccine, particularly the likelihood that it would elicit longstanding and high-level protection against both homologous and heterologous challenge as has been demonstrated in the SIV–macaque model system.1 Further, live attenuated vaccines have been used highly successfully to control or eradicate other viral diseases.2 Opponents of the development effort have justifiably focused on the potential adverse effects of a live HIV vaccine that might be given to many millions of persons in regions of the world with a high incidence of HIV infection. To help to focus the issues in this debate, a meeting was held at the headquarters of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative in New York on November 17–18, 1999. The aim was to bring together scientists actively involved in AIDS vaccine research as well as industrial and regulatory scientists to review research progress, and especially to identify the crucial issues needing to be addressed in order for live HIV vaccine development to proceed efficiently. BACKGROUND

Mutations of the human papillomavirus type 16 E7 gene that affect transformation, transactivation and phosphorylation by the E7 protein

The human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) E7 gene cooperates with an activated ras oncogene to transform primary rodent cells and is important in the immortalization of cervical keratinocytes. We have generated a series of point mutations within the E7 gene and show that mutation of residues serine 31 and serine 71 affect the phosphorylation of the E7 protein, but do not alter its ability to cooperate with ras. Further mutations which alter cysteine residues in a -Cys-X-X-Cys- motif decrease transformation markedly, although they do not abolish it entirely. All the mutations generated displayed a decreased ability to transactivate the adenovirus E2 promoter. These results show that neither phosphorylation of E7 nor its ability to transactivate are required for transformation by E7.