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M Wyand

Publications and source records attributed to M Wyand.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) gag DNA-vaccinated rhesus monkeys develop secondary cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses and control viral replication after pathogenic SIV infection.

The potential contribution of a plasmid DNA construct to vaccine-elicited protective immunity was explored in the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)/macaque model of AIDS. Making use of soluble major histocompatibility class I/peptide tetramers and peptide-specific killing assays to monitor CD8(+) T-lymphocyte responses to a dominant SIV Gag epitope in genetically selected rhesus monkeys, a codon-optimized SIV gag DNA vaccine construct was shown to elicit a high-frequency SIV-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response. This CTL response was demonstrable in both peripheral blood and lymph node lymphocytes. Following an intravenous challenge with the highly pathogenic viral isolate SIVsm E660, these vaccinated monkeys developed a secondary CTL response that arose with more rapid kinetics and reached a higher frequency than did the postchallenge CTL response in control plasmid-vaccinated monkeys. While peak plasma SIV RNA levels were comparable in the experimentally and control-vaccinated monkeys during the period of primary infection, the gag plasmid DNA-vaccinated monkeys demonstrated better containment of viral replication by 50 days following SIV challenge. These findings indicate that a plasmid DNA vaccine can elicit SIV-specific CTL responses in rhesus monkeys, and this vaccine-elicited immunity can facilitate the generation of secondary CTL responses and control of viral replication following a pathogenic SIV challenge. These observations suggest that plasmid DNA may prove a useful component of a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 vaccine.

Animals↗

SIV DNA vaccine trial in macaques: post-challenge necropsy in vaccine and control groups.

In this study we describe the histopathologic findings from nine macaques in a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) DNA vaccine trial evaluating the ability of a 5-plasmid DNA vaccine to protect against an uncloned SIVmac251 challenge (Lu et al., J. Virol. 1996, 70, 3978-3991). Three vaccinated and one control macaque developed disease and were euthanized in the first year following challenge. The other four vaccinated and one control macaque remained clinically normal and were euthanized at the end of the trial (60 weeks post-challenge). The necropsy data revealed that both diseased and clinically normal macaques had developed typical SIV-related lymphoid changes, inflammatory disorders and opportunistic infections. All animals had variable degrees of follicular and/or paracortical lymphoid hyperplasia suggesting immune activation. All but one vaccinated macaque and both control macaques had SIV-associated opportunistic infections. Within the small groups of animals, the ability to contain opportunistic infections was superior, and the overall lymphoid changes less severe, in the macaques that had received vaccine DNAs by three routes of inoculation (intravenous, intramuscular and gene gun) than in those that had received control DNAs or vaccine DNAs by gene gun only. In the future it will be important to further test how the route and method of DNA inoculation impact the efficacy of immunodeficiency virus vaccines.

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Utility of SHIV for testing HIV-1 vaccine candidates in macaques.

SUMMARY: Intravenous injection of SHIV (simian/human immunodeficiency virus, chimeric virus) into rhesus macaques resulted in a viremia in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and the generation of anti-HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus type 1) envelope immune responses. A challenge stock of a SHIV containing HIV-1 HXBc2 envelope glycoproteins was prepared from infected rhesus monkey peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The minimum animal infectious dose of the SHIV stock was determined and used in a challenge experiment to test protection. The vaccination of two rhesus monkeys with whole inactivated HIV-1 plus polydicarboxylatophenoxy phosphazene (PCPP) as the adjuvant protected the animals from becoming infected by a SHIV challenge. This experiment demonstrated for the first time that monkeys immunized with HIV-1 antigens can be protected against an HIV-1 envelope-containing virus. As the challenge virus was prepared from monkey PBMC, human antigens were unlikely to be involved in the protection. Protection of rhesus monkeys from SHIV challenge may help,define protective immune responses stimulated by HIV-1 vaccine candidates.

AIDS Vaccines↗

DNA vaccines.

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Animals↗

Simian immunodeficiency virus-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte induction through DNA vaccination of rhesus monkeys.

In view of the growing evidence that virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) play an important role in containing the early spread of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in infected individuals, novel vaccine strategies capable of eliciting HIV-1-specific CTL are being pursued in attempts to create an effective AIDS vaccine. We have used the simian immunodeficiency virus of macaques (SIVmac)/rhesus monkey model to explore the induction of AIDS virus-specific CTL responses by DNA vaccination. We found that the inoculation of rhesus monkeys with plasmid DNA encoding SIVmac Env and Gag elicited a persisting SIVmac-specific memory CTL response. These CTL were CD8+ and major histocompatibility complex class I restricted. These studies provide evidence for the potential utility of DNA inoculation as an approach to an HIV-1 vaccine.

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Simian immunodeficiency virus DNA vaccine trial in macaques.

An experimental vaccine consisting of five DNA plasmids expressing different combinations and forms of simian immunodeficiency virus-macaque (SIVmac) proteins has been evaluated for the ability to protect against a highly pathogenic uncloned SIVmac251 challenge. One vaccine plasmid encoded nonreplicating SIVmac239 virus particles. The other four plasmids encoded secreted forms of the envelope glycoproteins of two T-cell-tropic relatives (SIVmac239 and SIVmac251) and one monocyte/macrophage-tropic relative (SIVmac316) of the uncloned challenge virus. Rhesus macaques were inoculated with DNA at 1 and 3, 11 and 13, and 21 and 23 weeks. Four macaques were inoculated intravenously, intramuscularly, and by gene gun inoculations. Three received only gene gun inoculations. Two control monkeys were inoculated with control plasmids by all three routes of inoculation. Neutralizing antibody titers of 1:216 to 1:768 were present in all of the vaccinated monkeys after the second cluster of inoculations. These titers were transient, were not boosted by the third cluster of inoculations, and had fallen to 1:24 to 1:72 by the time of challenge. Cytotoxic T-cell activity for Env was also raised in all of the vaccinated animals. The temporal appearance of cytotoxic T cells was similar to that of antibody. However, while antibody responses fell with time, cytotoxic T-cell responses persisted. The SIVmac251 challenge was administered intravenously at 2 weeks following the last immunization. The DNA immunizations did not prevent infection or protect against CD4+ cell loss. Long-term chronic levels of infection were similar in the vaccinated and control animals, with 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100,000 peripheral blood cells carrying infectious virus. However, viral loads were reduced to the chronic level over a shorter period of time in the vaccinated groups (6 weeks) than in the control group (12 weeks). Thus, the DNA vaccine raised both neutralizing antibody and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses and provided some attenuation of the acute phase of infection, but it did not prevent the loss of CD4+ cells.

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Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 envelope glycoprotein-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in simian-human immunodeficiency virus-infected rhesus monkeys.

Because of the importance of the envelope glycoprotein (Env) in determining the pathogenicity of HIV-1 and the importance of the immune response to Env in controlling virus spread, attempts are being made to study HIV-1 Env-directed immunity in primate models. To date HIV-1 Env-specific effector T lymphocyte responses have not been demonstrated in virus-infected nonhuman primates. We have previously reported that cynomolgus monkeys can develop a persistent infection with a chimeric simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) composed of SIVmac239 carrying the HIV-1 env, tat, rev, and vpu genes. We now demonstrate that SHIV-infection of another macaque species, the rhesus monkey, generates persistent, HIV-1 Env-specific cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. These CTL are CD8+ and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-restricted. The induction of CTL was correlated neither to the virus load nor to the MHC class I haplotypes of the monkeys. The SHIV-infected rhesus monkey can, therefore, now be employed for studying effector T lymphocyte recognition of HIV-1 Env.

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Mucosal infection of neonatal rhesus monkeys with cell-free SIV.

Although the mechanisms for maternal transmission are unknown, approximately half of the infants congenitally infected with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) seem to become infected late in gestation or during delivery. Previously, we have developed a rhesus monkey model for congenital infection by injecting cell-free simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) directly into amniotic fluid. Our results suggested that fetal infection may have occurred via skin or mucous membrane exposure. Mucosal surfaces have also been implicated as a portal of virus entry by a study in which the presence of serosanguinous fluid in neonatal gastric aspirates correlated with an increased rate of HIV-1 transmission. To test whether cell-free virus could transverse intact neonatal mucosal surfaces, we administered SIVmac251 orally to four rhesus monkey neonates within 1 hr following cesarean section delivery. All four neonates developed viremia and were positive by cocultivation and PCR. Seroconversion occurred in three of the four neonates. The SIV dose given was within physiological range as shown by end-point dilution of virus stock and viremic plasma samples of juvenile rhesus monkeys. This primate model for mucosal transmission of cell-free virus features a high infection rate, thus making studies of mucosal immunity and the development of strategies to prevent intrapartum virus transmission possible.

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Animal models for perinatal transmission of pathogenic viruses.

In earlier work, mouse models have been used to demonstrate the efficacy and lack of toxicity of transplacental and perinatal AZT therapy. These practical small animal models can be useful for evaluating antiviral drugs aimed at common retroviral functions only, since Type C MuLVs are used. A primate model for fetal infection with an immunosuppressive lentivirus, SIV, has been established using ultrasound-guided inoculation of the amniotic fluid. The infection rate was 86% overall and 100% if the fetal SIV exposure occurred at least 19 days before delivery. The suspected major route of vertical HIV-1 transmission, that is, virus entry through fetal mucous membranes or skin, is replicated by our approach. The high fetal infection rate will allow studies of SIV pathogenesis during various stages of fetal development. This model should be well suited to development and evaluation of therapeutic strategies for preventing fetal infection.

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Immunoblot analysis of immunoglobulin G response to the Lyme disease agent (Borrelia burgdorferi) in experimentally and naturally exposed dogs.

Immunoblots were used to study the immunoglobulin G response to Borrelia burgdorferi in experimentally and naturally exposed dogs. Adsorption studies confirmed that the antibodies were specific for B. burgdorferi. Experimentally exposed dogs were asymptomatic. Naturally exposed dogs included both asymptomatic animals and animals showing signs compatible with Lyme disease. Naturally exposed dogs were from four geographic regions of the country. No differences were detected between immunoblot patterns of naturally exposed symptomatic or asymptomatic dogs from different areas of the country. The immunoblot patterns obtained with sera from experimentally exposed dogs were different from those obtained with sera from naturally exposed dogs and were characterized by reactivity to fewer and different protein bands. Immunoblot analysis using an OspA-protein-producing Escherichia coli recombinant showed that experimentally exposed dogs produced antibodies to OspA, whereas naturally exposed dogs did not. Modifications of the immune response over time, different routes of antigen presentation, and strain variation are factors postulated to account for the observed differences.

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