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Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2017 Jan 18. pii: CVI.00548-16. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00548-16. [Epub ahead of print]
Avian-derived and human, seasonal-derived hemagglutinin proteins elicit CD4 T cell responses that are comparable in epitope abundance and diversity.
DiPiazza A1, Richards K1, Poulton N1, Sant AJ2.
Author information
Abstract
Avian influenza viruses remain a significant concern due to their pandemic potential. Vaccine trials have suggested that humans respond poorly to avian influenza vaccines, relative to seasonal vaccines. It is important to understand, first, if there is a general deficiency in the ability of avian HA proteins to generate immune responses and if so, what underlies this defect. This question is of particular interest because it has been suggested that in humans, the poor immunogenicity of H7 vaccines may be due to a paucity of CD4 T cell epitopes. Because of the generally high levels of cross-reactive CD4 T cells in humans, it is not possible to compare the inherent immunogenicity of avian and seasonal HA proteins in an unbiased manner. Here, we empirically examine the epitope diversity and abundance of CD4 T cells elicited by seasonal and avian HA proteins. HLA-DR1 and HLA-DR4 transgenic mice were vaccinated with purified HA proteins and CD4 T cells to specific epitopes were identified and quantified. These studies revealed that the diversity and abundance of CD4 T cells specific for HA do not segregate on the basis of whether the HA was derived from human-seasonal or avian influenza viruses. Therefore, we conclude that failure in responses to avian vaccines in humans is likely due to a lack of cross-reactive CD4 T cell memory perhaps coupled with competition with or suppression of na?ve, HA-specific CD4 T cells by memory CD4 T cells specific for more highly conserved proteins.
Copyright ? 2017 American Society for Microbiology.
PMID: 28100497 DOI: 10.1128/CVI.00548-16
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Avian-derived and human, seasonal-derived hemagglutinin proteins elicit CD4 T cell responses that are comparable in epitope abundance and diversity.
DiPiazza A1, Richards K1, Poulton N1, Sant AJ2.
Author information
Abstract
Avian influenza viruses remain a significant concern due to their pandemic potential. Vaccine trials have suggested that humans respond poorly to avian influenza vaccines, relative to seasonal vaccines. It is important to understand, first, if there is a general deficiency in the ability of avian HA proteins to generate immune responses and if so, what underlies this defect. This question is of particular interest because it has been suggested that in humans, the poor immunogenicity of H7 vaccines may be due to a paucity of CD4 T cell epitopes. Because of the generally high levels of cross-reactive CD4 T cells in humans, it is not possible to compare the inherent immunogenicity of avian and seasonal HA proteins in an unbiased manner. Here, we empirically examine the epitope diversity and abundance of CD4 T cells elicited by seasonal and avian HA proteins. HLA-DR1 and HLA-DR4 transgenic mice were vaccinated with purified HA proteins and CD4 T cells to specific epitopes were identified and quantified. These studies revealed that the diversity and abundance of CD4 T cells specific for HA do not segregate on the basis of whether the HA was derived from human-seasonal or avian influenza viruses. Therefore, we conclude that failure in responses to avian vaccines in humans is likely due to a lack of cross-reactive CD4 T cell memory perhaps coupled with competition with or suppression of na?ve, HA-specific CD4 T cells by memory CD4 T cells specific for more highly conserved proteins.
Copyright ? 2017 American Society for Microbiology.
PMID: 28100497 DOI: 10.1128/CVI.00548-16
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]