|
|
||||||||




* Division of Viral Pathogenesis, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215;
New England Primate Research Center, Southborough, MA 01772; and
Crucell Holland BV, Leiden, The Netherlands
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Anatomic compartmentalization of cellular immune memory has been shown to be influenced by the initial site of Ag exposure in both humans and animal models of localized infections or malignancies (3, 4, 5). Similar anatomically biased primary and recall responses have been observed in certain models of vaccination (6, 7, 8, 9, 10). In addition, dendritic cells isolated from specific anatomic sites have been reported to influence patterns of chemokine receptor and integrin expression and tissue-homing specificities of primed CD8+ T lymphocytes (11, 12, 13). In contrast, global CD8+ T lymphocyte responses bridging systemic and mucosal compartments have been observed in models of localized infection with rotavirus, Sendai virus, and Listeria (14, 15). Moreover, the homing specificities initially imprinted on CD8+ T lymphocytes have been shown to be modulated upon subsequent trafficking to different microenvironments (16, 17). It is not known, however, whether vaccine-elicited CD8+ T lymphocytes can overcome immune compartmentalization to establish broadly distributed cellular immune memory.
Mucosal immunity will likely prove particularly important for a HIV-1 vaccine, not only because the genital and rectal mucosa represent the primary portals of virus entry but also because the gastrointestinal mucosa is the predominant site of destruction of memory CD4+ T lymphocytes during acute infection (18, 19, 20, 21). Moreover, vaccine efficacy has been correlated with preservation of mucosal memory CD4+ T lymphocytes after SIV challenge in rhesus monkeys (22). Studies in rhesus monkeys (23, 24, 25) and humans (26, 27, 28, 29) have suggested that CD8+ T lymphocyte responses likely contribute to control of SIV and HIV-1 replication, and thus vaccines that induce potent, durable and protective mucosal cellular immunity may be beneficial. However, it is also possible that vaccine-elicited mucosal CD4+ T lymphocytes could theoretically serve as increased targets of HIV-1 infection, demonstrating the importance of improving our understanding of cellular mucosal immune responses following vaccination. Although the majority of HIV-1 vaccine candidates are administered by the i.m. route, the ability of i.m. immunization to influence patterns of CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocyte trafficking and to generate potent and durable mucosal cellular immune memory has not previously been elucidated in detail.
In this study, we evaluated the magnitude, kinetics, phenotype, and durability of mucosal cellular immune responses in mice and rhesus monkeys after systemic immunization with replication-incompetent recombinant adenovirus (rAd)3 vectors administered either alone or in heterologous prime-boost regimens. We found that systemic immunization induced remarkably potent and durable CD8+ T lymphocyte responses at multiple mucosal surfaces. We also assessed the mechanism of T lymphocyte trafficking following systemic immunization. Our data show that vaccine-activated CD8+ T lymphocytes, but not quiescent CD8+ T lymphocytes, up-regulated mucosal homing markers and migrated rapidly from systemic to mucosal immune compartments to generate potent and durable mucosal immune responses. Moreover, the migration of systemic CD8+ T lymphocytes to mucosal compartments accounted for the vast majority of mucosal CD8+ T lymphocytes induced by i.m. vaccination. These results have important implications for vaccination strategies aimed at inducing mucosal cellular immunity.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The construction of rAd5, rAd26, and rAd5HVR48 vectors expressing SIVmac239 Gag has been described previously (30, 31, 32, 33). C57BL/6 and B6.SJL-Ptprca Pepcb/BoyJ mice were obtained from The Jackson Laboratory. Six- to 8-wk-old mice were injected i.m. with 109 viral particles (VP) of various replication-incompetent rAd vectors expressing SIV Gag in 100 µl of sterile PBS divided equally between both quadriceps muscles. For prime-boost regimens, mice were immunized as above with injections spaced 6–8 wk apart.
Adult, outbred rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were housed at the New England Primate Research Center (Southborough, MA). The presence of the Mamu-A*01 allele was determined by PCR and sequencing (34). Monkeys were injected i.m. with 1011 VP rAd5HVR48 expressing SIV Gag in 1 ml of sterile PBS divided equally between both quadriceps muscles. Monkeys were anesthetized before endoscopic acquisition of biopsy specimens. All animals used in this study were maintained in accordance with institutional guidelines, and studies were reviewed and approved by the relevant institutional animal care and use committees.
Mucosal lymphocyte isolation
Murine small and large bowel, vaginal tract, and respiratory tract were dissected free of associated connective tissue and cut into small pieces using straight scissors. Bowel specimens were washed extensively with HBSS and incubated with HBSS supplemented with 0.1 mM EDTA and 10% FBS at 37°C for 30 min with vigorous shaking. The specimens were then vortexed and washed again with fresh medium. Pooled supernatants contained the IEL population. Cells were resuspended in 40% Percoll (Sigma-Aldrich) and layered over 67% Percoll; samples were centrifuged at 1000 x g for 25 min. The interface between the two Percoll layers contained the lymphocyte population. After IEL removal, bowel specimens were washed three times with RPMI 1640 supplemented with 5% FBS to remove all traces of EDTA. Mucosal tissues were then digested by two serial 30-min incubations at 37°C in RPMI 1640 containing 5% FBS supplemented with type IV collagenase (Sigma-Aldrich) at 300 U/ml with vigorous shaking to isolate small and large bowel lamina propria lymphocytes (LPL) as well as vaginal tract and respiratory tract lymphocytes. Pooled supernatants from serial incubations were purified with a Percoll gradient as above to isolate the lymphocyte population. Lymphocytes were isolated from monkey mucosal biopsies by incubating samples in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% FBS, type IV collagenase at 300 U/ml, and DNase I (Sigma-Aldrich) at 30 U/ml at 37°C for 45 min with vigorous shaking. Cells were washed once with RPMI 1640 containing DNase I at 30 U/ml and lymphocytes were purified with a Percoll gradient as above.
Tetramer-binding assays
For murine tetramer-binding assays, H-2Db tetramers labeled with PE and folded around the immunodominant SIV Gag epitope AL11 (AAVKNWMTQTL) were used to stain peripheral blood and tissue lymphocytes as previously described (30). Samples were analyzed using an LSRII flow cytometer (BD Biosciences) and FlowJo software (Tree Star). CD8+ T lymphocytes from naive mice were used as negative controls and exhibited <0.1% tetramer staining at all anatomic sites. mAbs used in multiparameter flow cytometry were purchased from BD Biosciences (CD44-FITC (IM7), TCR
-FITC (GL3), β7 integrin-FITC (M293), CD4-PE or Pacific Blue (L3T4), CD8
-PerCP-Cy5.5 (53-6.7) and CD3-allophycocyanin (145-2C111)) and eBioscience (CD127-PE-Cy7 (A7R34), CD62L-allophycocyanin-Alexa Fluor 750 (Mel-14), CD45.1-PE-Cy7 (A20), CD45.2 allophycocyanin-Alexa Fluor 750 (104), CD3-Alexa Fluor 700 (17A2), CD103-FITC (2E7) and CCR9-FITC (eBioCW-1.2)). LIVE/DEAD Fixable Violet was used for vital dye exclusion in flow cytometric assays according to the manufacturers instructions (Invitrogen). For rhesus monkey tetramer-binding assays, Mamu-A*01 tetramers labeled with PE and folded around the immunodominant SIV Gag epitope CM9 (CTPYDINQM; also known as p11c) (35) were used in conjunction with mAbs against CD3-Alexa Fluor 700 (SP34), CD8-allophycocyanin-Cy7 (SK1), CD28-PerCP-Cy5.5 (L293), and CD95-PE (DX2) (BD Biosciences) to stain CD8+ T lymphocytes from peripheral blood and extracted from tissue biopsy specimens. Samples were analyzed using an LSRII flow cytometer and FlowJo software as described above.
Intracellular cytokine staining assays
Murine intracellular cytokine staining assays were performed as previously described (36). Briefly, lymphocytes isolated from various anatomic sites were stimulated at 37°C in 200 µl of medium containing 4 µg/ml AL11 peptide or pooled overlapping SIV Gag peptides. After 2 h, 50 µl of medium containing 100 µg/ml GolgiStop (BD Biosciences) was added, and the cells were cultured for an additional 4 h at 37°C. Cells were stained with fluorescently conjugated anti-CD3, CD4, CD8, CD44, CD62L, and CD127 mAbs as above and then fixed and permeabilized with Cytofix/Cytoperm (BD Biosciences). Permeabilized cells were incubated with PE-conjugated anti-IL-2 (JES6-5H4; BD Biosciences) and allophycocyanin-conjugated anti-IFN-
(XMG1.2; BD Biosciences) Abs and were washed and resuspended in PBS containing 1.5% formaldehyde. Samples were analyzed using an LSRII flow cytometer and FlowJo software.
Adoptive transfer studies
Spleens from donor animals were isolated and perfused gently with cold HBSS containing 4% FBS using a 1-ml insulin syringe to release splenocytes. CD4+ or CD8+ T lymphocytes were purified from splenocytes by negative selection using immunomagnetic beads (CD4+ and CD8+ T cell isolation kits; Miltenyi Biotec), according to the manufacturers instructions. CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were >90% pure by flow cytometric analysis. Purified cells were washed twice with PBS and resuspended at 2.5–5.0 x 106 cells/10 µl in cold, sterile PBS. Cells were transferred to recipient mice by tail vein injection.
Statistical analyses
Statistical analyses were performed with GraphPad Prism version 4.01. Immune responses among groups of mice are presented as means with SEs. Comparisons of mean immune responses were performed using two-sided t tests. In all cases, p < 0.05 were considered significant.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
We first studied the ability of i.m. administered rAd serotype 5 (rAd5) vectors to elicit mucosal cellular immune responses. C57BL/6 mice were immunized i.m. with 109 VP of rAd5 expressing SIV Gag (rAd5-Gag), and Gag-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte responses specific for the dominant Db-restricted epitope AL11 (AAVKNWMTQTL) (30) were assessed by Db/AL11 tetramer-binding assays over 24 weeks. We evaluated the magnitude and kinetics of AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte responses in multiple systemic and mucosal compartments, including peripheral blood, spleen, inguinal and mesenteric lymph nodes (LN), Peyers patches, vaginal mucosa, and the IEL and LPL populations of both the small and large intestines. To determine the effector or memory phenotype of AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes, multiparameter flow cytometry was used to assess CD44, CD62L, and CD127 expression (37, 38, 39). Lymphocytes from systemic and mucosal compartments exhibited comparable viability as determined by vital dye exclusion and their ability to produce IFN-
and IL-2 following stimulation with PHA and ionomycin (data not shown). Lymphocytes isolated from mucosal effector surfaces were also free of contamination from blood or inductive lymphoid tissue, as demonstrated by minimal numbers of naive (CD44–CD62L+) and central memory (CD44+CD62L+) T lymphocytes in the cell populations isolated from these compartments (data not shown).
After a single i.m. immunization with 109 VP rAd5-Gag, high-frequency AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte responses were observed in multiple systemic and mucosal compartments, as shown for a representative experiment (Fig. 1A) or in summary for four to six mice per time point (Fig. 1B). The kinetics of the responses were similar at all anatomic sites evaluated. At week 2 following vaccination, mean peak AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte responses in blood were 6.4% of total CD8+ T lymphocytes, while mean peak responses in spleen were 4.0%. Mean peak responses in both systemic and mucosal lymphoid inductive sites were severalfold lower (inguinal LN, 0.6%; mesenteric LN, 0.7%; and Peyers patches, 1.3%). Surprisingly, mean peak responses in small and large bowel lamina propria (6.1 and 4.0%, respectively) were comparable in magnitude to those seen in blood and spleen, although mean peak responses in the small and large bowel IEL compartment were severalfold lower (1.6% in each compartment). In the vaginal tract, mean peak responses were, remarkably, 33% of CD8+ T lymphocytes. In all anatomic compartments, AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte responses exhibited considerable durability up to 24 wk following a single immunization. A similar anatomic distribution of CD8+ T lymphocyte responses was observed after s.c. immunization (data not shown).
|
To assess the functionality of vaccine-elicited mucosal CD8+ T lymphocyte responses, we performed intracellular cytokine staining assays to evaluate Ag-specific IFN-
and IL-2 production at week 2 following i.m. vaccination with 109 VP rAd5-Gag. High-frequency IFN-
+CD8+ T lymphocyte responses were observed in multiple systemic and mucosal compartments following stimulation with either pooled SIV Gag peptides or the immunodominant AL11 peptide, and the anatomic distribution of these responses was concordant with the tetramer-binding assays, as shown in representative mice (Fig. 2A) and in summary for six mice per group (Fig. 2B). IL-2+CD8+ T lymphocyte responses were of lower magnitude as compared with IFN-
responses, consistent with our ongoing studies of rAd5 vectors in rhesus monkeys (40), but the magnitude of IL-2 responses nevertheless remained comparable between spleen and small bowel lamina propria (Fig. 2C). The majority of IL-2-secreting cells also produced IFN-
(data not shown). In contrast, little to no IL-4 and IL-10 was secreted by these cell populations (data not shown). Thus, i.m. immunization with rAd5-Gag induced the accumulation of potent, durable, and functional Ag-specific memory CD8+ T lymphocytes in multiple mucosal compartments. The functionality of the mucosal AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes elicited by this regimen was further confirmed by their capacity to expand and to control an intranasal recombinant vaccinia-Gag challenge (data not shown).
|
-secreting CD4+ T lymphocytes could be detected in spleen following stimulation with pooled SIV Gag peptides (Fig. 2D). However, IFN-
-secreting CD4+ T lymphocytes in the small bowel mucosa were not significantly above background despite clearly detectable CD8+ T lymphocyte responses in this anatomic compartment (Fig. 2, A and B). Moreover, IL-2- and IL-4-secreting CD4+ T lymphocytes were not detected in systemic or mucosal compartments (data not shown). To increase our capacity to detect mucosal CD4+ T lymphocyte responses, C57BL/6 mice were primed i.m. with 109 VP rAd5-Gag and boosted with 109 VP of the heterologous hexon-chimeric vector rAd5HVR48-Gag (31). At week 2 after the boost immunization, increased Gag-specific CD4+ T lymphocyte responses were observed in splenocytes, but only low responses were observed in the small bowel mucosa (Fig. 2E). Thus, although high-frequency IFN-
and low-frequency IL-2-secreting mucosal Gag-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes were induced following i.m. rAd5 immunization, Gag-specific CD4+ T lymphocyte responses were >10-fold lower in magnitude and only marginally detectable in this model. We also assessed Gag-specific Abs in serum, rectal washes, and vaginal washes by ELISA in similarly vaccinated mice. Gag-specific IgG was detected in serum following immunization with 1010 VP rAd5HVR48-Gag, but no Gag-specific IgG or IgA was detected in rectal or vaginal washes (data not shown).
Systemic CD8+ T lymphocytes rapidly traffic to mucosal surfaces after i.m. rAd vaccination
The comparable magnitude and kinetics of CD8+ T lymphocyte responses in systemic and mucosal compartments following i.m. rAd vaccination suggested a coordinated cellular immune response that bridged anatomic sites, contrasting with the anatomically skewed cellular immune responses reported in previous studies of several different vaccine modalities (6, 7, 8, 9, 10). One possibility is that the rAd vectors directly distributed to mucosal sites and primed local responses simultaneously in multiple anatomic compartments. However, rAd biodistribution studies in rabbits supporting regulatory submissions to the Food and Drug Administration showed no evidence of direct vector trafficking to mucosal lymphoid inductive sites following i.m. immunization using an ultrasensitive and validated quantitative PCR-based assay (D. H. Barouch., unpublished data). These data strongly suggest that T lymphocyte priming was restricted to systemic inductive sites. We therefore hypothesized that systemic CD8+ T lymphocytes may have acquired the capacity to migrate to mucosal surfaces and to persist at those sites following i.m. rAd vaccination.
To explore this possibility, we performed adoptive transfer studies to evaluate the trafficking of systemic CD8+ T lymphocytes activated by rAd immunization. C57BL/6 mice were primed i.m. with 109 VP of the rare serotype vector rAd26-Gag (32) and boosted 6 wk later with 109 VP rAd5HVR48-Gag to generate high frequencies of AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes (10% of CD8+ T lymphocytes in spleen). On day 10 after the boost immunization, systemic CD8+ T lymphocytes were purified from splenocytes by negative selection using immunomagnetic beads. CD8+ T lymphocytes were then transferred i.v. to naive recipient mice, and the anatomic distribution and phenotype of the transferred AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes were determined 14 days later. AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes rapidly migrated from the blood to all anatomic sites examined and established a tissue distribution pattern that recapitulated that seen after direct immunization, as shown for a representative experiment (Fig. 3A) and in summary for five mice per group (Fig. 3B). Moreover, the anatomic distribution of effector and memory phenotypes of the transferred AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes (Fig. 3C) proved comparable to that seen after active immunization (Fig. 1C), with central memory cells accumulating at systemic and mucosal inductive sites but largely excluded from mucosal effector surfaces. Importantly, transferred AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes that trafficked to the gastrointestinal tract also markedly increased expression of integrins and chemokine receptors critical for intestinal homing. β7 integrin, CCR9, and CD103 (integrin
IEL) (1, 41) were dramatically up-regulated on AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes migrating to gastrointestinal LPL and IEL compartments despite being expressed at very low levels on donor lymphocytes before adoptive transfer (Fig. 3D). These findings suggest that vaccine-activated systemic CD8+ T lymphocytes exhibited substantial phenotypic plasticity as well as the capacity to traffic widely to mucosal tissues.
|
|
), comparable to the restricted trafficking observed with naive CD8+ T lymphocytes (Fig. 4A). Vaccination did not detectably increase the capacity of total CD4+ T lymphocytes to migrate to mucosal surfaces (Fig. 4C,
). However, we were unable to study the trafficking of Ag-specific CD4+ T lymphocytes to mucosal surfaces as a result of the low magnitude of Gag-specific CD4+ T lymphocyte responses in this experimental model (Fig. 2, D and E). Heterologous prime-boost regimens with rare serotype and hexon-chimeric rAd vectors elicit potent anamnestic mucosal cellular immune responses
The capacity of Ag-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes to traffic from systemic to mucosal compartments after a single immunization raised the possibility that mucosal cellular immune responses may increase further following heterologous boost immunizations. However, the anatomic distribution of recall responses has previously been reported to be biased by the site of initial Ag exposure (1, 2). Therefore, we investigated whether repeated i.m. administration of rAd vectors in heterologous prime-boost regimens would augment mucosal responses or, alternatively, would bias recall responses away from mucosal surfaces. The utility of homologous rAd prime-boost regimens is limited by the inability of homologous vector readministration to boost responses efficiently, as a result of the generation of potent vector-specific neutralizing Abs by the priming immunization (30, 42, 43). Therefore, we used serologically distinct rare serotype and hexon-chimeric rAd vectors for these studies.
Naive C57BL/6 mice or mice previously primed with 109 VP rAd26-Gag were boosted i.m. with 109 VP rAd5HVR48-Gag, and CD8+ T lymphocyte responses were examined in multiple anatomic compartments. As compared with naive mice, mice previously primed with rAd26-Gag exhibited substantially higher peak frequencies of AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes following rAd5HVR48-Gag immunization in both systemic and mucosal compartments (Fig. 5A), and the magnitude of the boost effect was comparable at systemic and mucosal sites. After boosting, frequencies of AL11-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes approached 20% in the small bowel lamina propria and exceeded 60% in the vaginal tract, and these responses persisted for >12 wk. Thus, rather than directing CD8+ T lymphocyte responses away from mucosal surfaces, boosting with a heterologous vector i.m. resulted in potent and persistent secondary recall responses in multiple mucosal compartments.
|
Intramuscular rAd immunization induces high-frequency, durable mucosal CD8+ T lymphocyte memory in rhesus monkeys
We next investigated whether our findings of robust mucosal cellular immunity in i.m. rAd-vaccinated mice would translate into nonhuman primates. We immunized three rhesus monkeys (two that expressed the MHC class I allele Mamu-A*01 and one that did not express this allele) i.m. with 1011 VP of rAd5HVR48-Gag. Mamu-A*01-restricted CD8+ T lymphocyte responses to the highly immunodominant Gag epitope CM9 (CTPYDINQM) (44) were assessed by multiparameter tetramer-binding assays for up to 1 year following immunization in multiple systemic and mucosal compartments. CD8+ T lymphocyte responses were observed in duodenal mucosa as well as in blood and LN in the Mamu-A*01-positive animals at weeks 4 and 32 after vaccination, and the magnitude of mucosal responses proved comparable to the magnitude of systemic responses (Fig. 6). Moreover, CM9-specific memory CD8+ T lymphocytes persisted for at least 52 wk following vaccination. At this late time point, CM9-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes were still detected in duodenal mucosa, colorectal mucosa, bronchoalveolar lavage, and vaginal mucosa. Importantly, the magnitude of these long-term mucosal responses proved comparable to those found in blood and LN, except for responses in vaginal mucosa that were
5-fold higher in magnitude than responses in blood, consistent with our mouse studies (Figs. 1 and 2). At all anatomic sites, CM9-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes were predominantly of a CD28+CD95+ memory phenotype (45). These data demonstrate that a single i.m. rAd vaccination generated potent and durable CD8+ T lymphocyte memory that persisted for >1 year in multiple mucosal tissues in nonhuman primates.
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Intramuscular rAd vaccination resulted in substantial alterations to the patterns of CD8+ T lymphocyte trafficking. Although naive systemic CD8+ T lymphocytes were highly restricted in their ability to migrate to mucosal surfaces (Fig. 4A), vaccine-activated systemic CD8+ T lymphocytes trafficked readily to these anatomic compartments (Figs. 3, A and B, and 4B), where they established persistent populations of memory CD8+ T lymphocytes. This trafficking was accompanied by substantial up-regulation of β7 integrin, CD103 (
E integrin), and CCR9, which are critical for T lymphocyte homing to intestinal mucosa (Fig. 3D), as well as the acquisition of an effector/effector memory phenotype (CD44–CD62L–) typical of mucosal lymphocytes (Fig. 3C). Moreover, in congenic adoptive transfer studies, comparable tetramer responses in mucosal compartments were generated by i.v. transferred CD8+ T lymphocytes as compared with native CD8+ T lymphocytes (Fig. 4B), suggesting that the migration of systemic lymphocytes to mucosal sites after vaccination likely accounted for the vast proportion of responses observed at mucosal surfaces. Thus, i.m. rAd vaccination confers remarkable migratory and phenotypic plasticity on systemic CD8+ T lymphocytes. We hypothesize that the mechanism underlying this observation involves cellular activation and up-regulation of mucosal homing markers following vaccination, although it has also been reported that specific imprinting may occur following migration of CD8+ T lymphocytes to tissue-specific lymphoid inductive sites (16). Our data extend previous observations that highlight the plasticity of memory CD8+ T lymphocyte phenotypes in systemic and mucosal microenvironments (17, 47) and demonstrate for the first time the functional relevance of this phenomenon for vaccine-elicited mucosal immunity.
Several preclinical and clinical studies of localized infection and vaccination using different vaccine modalities have shown anatomic skewing of primary and recall responses to the initial site of Ag exposure (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). For example, Gallichan and Rosenthal (6) observed durable mucosal CD8+ T lymphocyte responses in mice challenged intranasally with HSV following intranasal but not systemic immunization with a rAd vector expressing HSV glycoprotein B. Similarly, Belyakov et al. (7, 8) observed that intrarectal immunization of mice and macaques with a peptide vaccine generated CD8+ T lymphocyte memory in intestinal mucosa but not in systemic compartments, while systemic immunization induced CD8+ T lymphocyte memory systemically but not in the mucosa. In contrast with these studies, we observed that systemic vaccination with rAd vectors elicited rapid, potent, and durable mucosal cellular immune responses in both mice and rhesus monkeys with magnitudes that were comparable to systemic cellular immune responses. It is possible that intrinsic biologic differences among the vectors as well as differences in the immunologic assays may be responsible for these divergent observations. Importantly, the degree to which other vaccine modalities may similarly generate robust and widespread mucosal cellular immune responses remains to be determined, although the anatomically widespread cellular immune responses reported in murine models of localized rotavirus, Sendai virus, and Listeria infection (14, 15) suggest the potential generalizability of our findings.
After mucosal transmission, HIV-1 replicates locally within the genital or rectal mucosa and associated lymphoid tissues before disseminating (48, 49, 50). Potent mucosal immune responses at the portal of virus entry might therefore be able to alter dynamics between the virus and the host. Moreover, peak viral replication in acute HIV-1 infection is accompanied by a massive, irreversible destruction of memory CD4+ T lymphocytes, particularly in gastrointestinal mucosal tissues (18, 19, 20, 21). HIV-1 vaccination strategies that drive potent mucosal cellular immune responses may therefore prove critical for CD4+ T lymphocyte preservation and control of viral replication. In the present study, we demonstrated that novel heterologous rAd prime-boost regimens generated potent secondary mucosal cellular immune responses that were significantly superior to those induced by homologous rAd regimens (Fig. 5), which are limited by vector-specific neutralizing Abs as a result of the priming immunization (30, 42, 43).
It is also possible that the potential utility of vaccine-elicited mucosal CD8+ T lymphocytes could be counterbalanced by the induction of activated CD4+ T lymphocytes that could theoretically increase the number of target cells available for HIV-1 infection in the mucosa. Whether or not this mechanism might account for the observed increase in HIV-1 acquisition in rAd5 vaccinees with preexisting Ad5-specific neutralizing Abs in the STEP study (51) is unclear but is an area of active investigation. In the present study, we observed only minimal Ag-specific mucosal CD4+ T lymphocyte responses by intracellular cytokine staining assays (Fig. 2D), despite high frequency mucosal CD8+ T lymphocyte responses (Fig. 2, A–C). As a result, we were unable to perform a detailed analysis of the trafficking or the phenotypes of Ag-specific CD4+ T lymphocyte responses in this experimental system. Further studies will therefore be required to evaluate Ag-specific and vector-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocyte responses induced by i.m. rAd vaccination in mucosal tissues in nonhuman primates.
Our data demonstrate that systemic immunization with rAd vectors can overcome immune compartmentalization and generate potent and durable mucosal cellular immunity. Moreover, the capacity of heterologous rAd prime-boost regimens to induce high frequency recall responses in mucosal compartments suggests the functional quality of these mucosal immune responses. These findings suggest that mucosal immunization strategies may not be required for inducing mucosal immunity as a result of the plasticity of vaccine-activated systemic T lymphocytes. Further delineation of the detailed molecular events associated with lymphocyte activation and mucosal trafficking following systemic immunization will facilitate the future development of vaccines against mucosal pathogens.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Disclosures |
|---|
|
|
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
1 This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants U19 AI066305, U19 AI078526, and R01 AI066924, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant 38614 (to D.H.B.), and National Institutes of Health Training Grant T32 AI07387 (to D.R.K.). ![]()
2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Dan H. Barouch, Division of Viral Pathogenesis, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215. E-mail address: dbarouch{at}bidmc.harvard.edu ![]()
3 Abbreviations used in this paper: rAd, recombinant adenovirus; VP, viral particle; IEL, intraepithelial lymphocyte; LPL, lamina propria lymphocyte. ![]()
Received for publication May 20, 2008. Accepted for publication July 20, 2008.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
J. D. Finn, J. Bassett, J. B. Millar, N. Grinshtein, T. C. Yang, R. Parsons, C. Evelegh, Y. Wan, R. J. Parks, and J. L. Bramson Persistence of Transgene Expression Influences CD8+ T-Cell Expansion and Maintenance following Immunization with Recombinant Adenovirus J. Virol., December 1, 2009; 83(23): 12027 - 12036. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
I. M. Belyakov and J. D. Ahlers What Role Does the Route of Immunization Play in the Generation of Protective Immunity against Mucosal Pathogens? J. Immunol., December 1, 2009; 183(11): 6883 - 6892. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Sexton, R. De Rose, J. C. Reece, S. Alcantara, L. Loh, J. M. Moffat, K. Laurie, A. Hurt, P. C. Doherty, S. J. Turner, et al. Evaluation of Recombinant Influenza Virus-Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Vaccines in Macaques J. Virol., August 1, 2009; 83(15): 7619 - 7628. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
I. M. Belyakov and J. D. Ahlers Comment on "Trafficking of Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Lymphocytes to Mucosal Surfaces following Intramuscular Vaccination" J. Immunol., February 15, 2009; 182(4): 1779 - 1779. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. R. Kaufman and D. H. Barouch Response to Comment on "Trafficking of Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Lymphocytes to Mucosal Surfaces following Intramuscular Vaccination" J. Immunol., February 15, 2009; 182(4): 1779 - 1780. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |