Rapid In Vivo Assessment of Adjuvant's Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes Generation Capabilities for Vaccine Development

Summary

We present here an application for a standard immunological technique (CFSE stained OT-I proliferation) intended to rapidly monitor adjuvant-mediated cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) generation in vivo. This fast estimation of CTL capacities is useful for the development of prophylactic vaccines against intracellular pathogens as well as therapeutic cancer vaccines.

Abstract

The assessment of modern sub-unit vaccines reveals that the generation of neutralizing antibodies is important but not sufficient for adjuvant selection. Therefore, adjuvants with both humoral and cellular immuno-stimulatory capabilities that are able to promote cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) responses are urgently needed. Thus, faithful monitoring of adjuvant candidates that induce cross-priming and subsequently enhance CTL generation represents a crucial step in vaccine development. In here we present an application for a method that uses SIINFEKL-specific (OT-I) T cells to monitor the cross-presentation of the model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) in vivo in the presence of different adjuvant candidates. This method represents a rapid test to select adjuvants with the best cross-priming capabilities. The proliferation of CD8⁺ T cells is the most valuable indication of cross-priming and it is also regarded as a correlate of adjuvant-induced cross-presentation. This feature can be evaluated in different immune organs like lymph nodes and spleen. The extent of the CTL generation can also be monitored, thereby giving insights on the nature of a local (draining lymph node mainly) or a systemic response (distant lymph nodes and/or spleen). This technique further allows multiple modifications for testing drugs that can inhibit specific cross-presentation pathways and also offers the possibility to be used in different strains of conventional and genetically modified mice. In summary, the application that we present here will be useful for vaccine laboratories in industry or academia that develop or modify chemical adjuvants for vaccine research and development.

Introduction

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) inducing vaccines are key therapeutic interventions that have been developed to fight certain types of cancer¹. CTL are also important for prophylactic vaccines against intracellular pathogens². Moreover, CTL are one of the few immune defense mechanisms functionally active in risk populations such as neonates^3,4 whom also depend on CTL to combat early life infections⁵. In this regard, vaccines against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) that were developed with an adjuvant that does not elicit CTL responses (alu....

Protocol

All mice used in this study were from the C57BL/6 background. All the animals were kept under pathogen-free conditions. All experiments were performed according to the normative of the German animal protection law (TierSchG BGBl. I S 1105; 25.05.1998) and were approved by the Lower Saxony Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments and the state office (Lower Saxony State Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety), under permit number 33.4-42502-04-13/1281 and 162280.

1. CFSE Staining of OT-I T Cells and Adoptive Transfer

NOTE: OT-I mice are transgenically generated animals that express a T cell receptor (TCR....

Results

In order to test the treatments using a different combination of adjuvants (ADJ1 and ADJ2), we have assessed the CTL generation capacity by measuring the proliferation of adoptively transferred OT-I CD8⁺ T cells by flow cytometry (Figure 2). For this, we previously stained isolated cells from the draining lymph nodes and spleen (Table 1). By measuring the proliferation of CD8⁺ T cells in lymph nodes and spleen, we were a.......

Discussion

Modern vaccines are ideally composedof purified antigen and adjuvants, with the possible addition of a delivery system like liposomes, virus-like particles, nanoparticles or live vectors. A key aspect when designing a vaccine is to choose the right adjuvant according to the clinical needs. Part of the scope could involve favoring a humoral vs. cellular immune response (or both), the election of a local vs. a systemic immune response (or both), and the kind of memory that the vaccine must generate in the target population.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
BD LSR Fortessa Cell Analyzer	BD	Special Order	Flow Cytometer
CFSE	Molecular Probes	C34554	Proliferation Dye
MojoSort Mouse CD8 T Cell Isolation Kit	Biolegend	480007	Magnetic Isolation Beads and antibodies for negative selection of untouched CD8 T cells.
LIVE/DEAD Fixable Blue Dead Cell Stain Kit, for UV excitation	Molecular Probes	L23105	Dead Cell Marker
CD90.1 (Thy-1.1) Monoclonal Antibody (HIS51), PE-Cyanine7	eBioscience	25-0900-82	antibody
APC anti-mouse CD8a Antibody	BioLegend	100712	antibody
BV421 Rat Anti-Mouse CD4	BD	740007	antibody
Z2 coulter Particle count and Size Analyzer	Beckman Coulter	9914591DA	Cell counter. Z2 Automated particle/cell counter
EndoGrade Ovalbumin (10 mg)	Hyglos(Germany)	321000	Ovalbumin endotoxin free tested.
Cell Strainer 100µm nylon	Corning	352360	Cell strainer (100 µm pore mesh cups).
Sample Vials	Beckman Coulter	899366014	Sample vials for Z2 automated counter
C57BL/6 mice (CD90.2)	Harlan (Rossdorf, Germany)		Company is now Envigo
OT-I (C57BL/6 background, CD90.1)	Harlan (Rossdorf, Germany)		Inbreed at our animal facility. Company from where adquired is now Envigo
FACS tubes	Fischer (Corning)	14-959-5	Corning Falcon Round-Bottom Polystyrene Tubes
Falcon 15 mL tubes	Fischer (Corning)	05-527-90	Falcon 15mL Conical Centrifuge Tubes
PBS (500 mL)	Fischer (Gibco)	20-012-027	Gibco PBS (Phosphate Buffered Saline), pH 7.2
Red lamp (heating lamp)	Dirk Rossmann GmbH (Germany)	405096	Heating infrred lamp (100 wats)
IsoFlo (Isoflurane)	Abbott Laboratories (USA)	5260.04-05.	Isoflurane anesthesic (250 mL flask).
Tabletop Anesthesia Machine/Mobile Anesthesia Machine with CO2 Absorber	Parkland Scientific	V3000PK	Isoflurane anesthesia machine.
RPMI 1640 medium	Gibco (distributed by ThermoFischer)	11-875-093	Base medium with Glutamine (500 mL)
Pen-Strept antibiotic solution (Gibco)	Gibco (distributed by ThermoFischer)	15-140-148	Gibco Penicillin-Streptomycin (10,000 U/mL)
Fetal Bobine Serum (Gibco)	Gibco (distributed by ThermoFischer)	10082147	Fetal Bovine Serum, certified, heat inactivated, US origin
ACK Lysing Buffer (100 ml)	Gibco (distributed by ThermoFischer)	A1049201	Amonium Chloride Potasium (ACK) Whole Blood Lysis Buffer, suitable for erytrocyte lysis in spleen suspensions also
Plastic Petri Dishes	Nunc (distributed by ThermoFischer)	150340	60 x 15mm Plastic Petri Dish, Non-treated
Cell Clump Filter	CellTrics (Sysmex)	04-004-2317	CellTrics® 50 μm, sterile