Open AccessCharacterization of T cell responses to co-administered hookworm vaccine candidates Na-GST-1 and Na-APR-1 in healthy adults in Gabon
Author(s) -
Yoanne D. Mouwenda,
Madeleine Eunice Betouke Ongwe,
Friederike Sonnet,
Koen A. Stam,
Lucja A. Labuda,
Sophie de Vries,
Martin P. Grobusch,
Jeannot Fréjus Zinsou,
Yabo Josiane Honkpéhèdji,
Jean Claude DejonAgobé,
David Diemert,
Remko van Leeuwen,
María Elena Bottazzi,
Peter J. Hotez,
Peter G. Kremsner,
Jeffrey M. Bethony,
Simon P. Jochems,
Ayôla Akim Adegnika,
Marguerite Massinga Loembé,
Maria Yazdanbakhsh
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos neglected tropical diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.99
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1935-2735
pISSN - 1935-2727
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009732
Subject(s) - adjuvant , immunology , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , vaccination , flow cytometry , t cell , medicine , antibody , cytokine , immune system , biology , in vitro , biochemistry
Two hookworm vaccine candidates, Na-GST-1 and Na-APR-1, formulated with Glucopyranosyl Lipid A (GLA-AF) adjuvant, have been shown to be safe, well tolerated, and to induce antibody responses in a Phase 1 clinical trial (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02126462) conducted in Gabon. Here, we characterized T cell responses in 24 Gabonese volunteers randomized to get vaccinated three times with Na-GST-1 and Na-APR-1 at doses of 30μg (n = 8) or 100μg (n = 10) and as control Hepatitis B (n = 6). Blood was collected pre- and post-vaccination on days 0, 28, and 180 as well as 2-weeks after each vaccine dose on days 14, 42, and 194 for PBMCs isolation. PBMCs were stimulated with recombinant Na-GST-1 or Na-APR-1, before (days 0, 28 and 180) and two weeks after (days 14, 42 and 194) each vaccination and used to characterize T cell responses by flow and mass cytometry. A significant increase in Na-GST-1 -specific CD4 + T cells producing IL-2 and TNF, correlated with specific IgG antibody levels, after the third vaccination (day 194) was observed. In contrast, no increase in Na-APR-1 specific T cell responses were induced by the vaccine. Mass cytometry revealed that, Na-GST-1 cytokine producing CD4 + T cells were CD161 + memory cells expressing CTLA-4 and CD40-L. Blocking CTLA-4 enhanced the cytokine response to Na-GST-1. In Gabonese volunteers, hookworm vaccine candidate, Na-GST-1, induces detectable CD4 + T cell responses that correlate with specific antibody levels. As these CD4 + T cells express CTLA-4, and blocking this inhibitory molecules resulted in enhanced cytokine production, the question arises whether this pathway can be targeted to enhance vaccine immunogenicity.