AUTHOR=Lakhashe Samir K. , Amacker Mario , Hariraju Dinesh , Vyas Hemant K. , Morrison Kyle S. , Weiner Joshua A. , Ackerman Margaret E. , Roy Vicky , Alter Galit , Ferrari Guido , Montefiori David C. , Tomaras Georgia D. , Sawant Sheetal , Yates Nicole L. , Gast Chris , Fleury Sylvain , Ruprecht Ruth M. TITLE=Cooperation Between Systemic and Mucosal Antibodies Induced by Virosomal Vaccines Targeting HIV-1 Env: Protection of Indian Rhesus Macaques Against Low-Dose Intravaginal SHIV Challenges JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.788619 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.788619 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

A virosomal vaccine inducing systemic/mucosal anti-HIV-1 gp41 IgG/IgA had previously protected Chinese-origin rhesus macaques (RMs) against vaginal SHIVSF162P3 challenges. Here, we assessed its efficacy in Indian-origin RMs by intramuscular priming/intranasal boosting (n=12/group). Group K received virosome-P1-peptide alone (harboring the Membrane Proximal External Region), Group L combined virosome-rgp41 plus virosome-P1, and Group M placebo virosomes. Vaccination induced plasma binding but no neutralizing antibodies. Five weeks after boosting, all RMs were challenged intravaginally with low-dose SHIVSF162P3 until persistent systemic infection developed. After SHIV challenge #7, six controls were persistently infected versus only one Group L animal (vaccine efficacy 87%; P=0.0319); Group K was not protected. After a 50% SHIV dose increase starting with challenge #8, protection in Group L was lost. Plasmas/sera were analyzed for IgG phenotypes and effector functions; the former revealed that protection in Group L was significantly associated with increased binding to FcγR2/3(A/B) across several time-points, as were some IgG measurements. Vaginal washes contained low-level anti-gp41 IgGs and IgAs, representing a 1-to-5-fold excess over the SHIV inoculum’s gp41 content, possibly explaining loss of protection after the increase in challenge-virus dose. Virosomal gp41-vaccine efficacy was confirmed during the initial seven SHIV challenges in Indian-origin RMs when the SHIV inoculum had at least 100-fold more HIV RNA than acutely infected men’s semen. Vaccine protection by virosome-induced IgG and IgA parallels the cooperation between systemically administered IgG1 and mucosally applied dimeric IgA2 monoclonal antibodies that as single-agents provided no/low protection – but when combined, prevented mucosal SHIV transmission in all passively immunized RMs.