VIRAL PARTICLE - BASED VACCINE

Abstract

The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding a recombinant human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strain, dense bodies produced by said HCMV strain and preparations of said dense bodies for use in medicine, particularly as a vaccine against HCMV.

Description

The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding a recombinant human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strain, dense bodies produced by said HCMV strain and preparations of said dense bodies for use in medicine, particularly as a vaccine against HCMV.

Infection with the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a major cause of disease in patients with a compromised immune status, e.g. following solid organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Furthermore, transmission of the virus during pregnancy may result in congenital infection. Such infection may occur at a frequency of up to two percent of all life births in Western countries. Thus congenital HCMV infection is a major public health concern. The development of an HCMV vaccine consequently is a top-priority health-care goal.

Several vaccine candidates have been established. These include recombinant protein vaccines based on the immunodominant envelope glycoprotein B (gB), vaccines expressing immunogenic viral gene products including gB plus the T cell targets ppUL83 [pp65] and/or the major immediate early protein 1 (IE1) using DNA plasmid or peptide-based technologies; vector-based vaccine approaches including the expression of gB and other HCMV antigens using life virus or virus-like particle (VLP) systems; and replication-impaired or replication-effective HCMV (attenuated vaccines or disabled single-cycle vaccines).

Dense bodies (DBs), i.e. viral particles released after infection of mammalian cells by HCMV which are surrounded by a lipid membrane in which viral glycoproteins are embedded but which do not contain viral DNA nor capsids, were found to be highly immunogenic as described in WO 2000/053729 the content of which is herein incorporated by reference. DBs containing fusion proteins are described in WO 2011/124371 the content of which is herein incorporated by reference.

A recent publication demonstrates that DBs stimulate the maturation and activation of monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells (1). In the course of these studies it was found that DBs, expressing a pentameric complex of the viral proteins gH, gL, UL128, UL130 and UL131A generate a strong neutralizing antibody response against HCMV infection.

According to the present invention it was found that a pentamer-positive variant of the HCMV laboratory strain Towne, generated by two steps of BAC mutagenesis, is capable of producing pentamer-containing DBs.

Starting from the genome of the HCMV strain Towne as described in (2), which was cloned in the Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) vector Towne BAC (3) and sequenced (4) (c.f. GenBank database accession no. AY 315197), a novel HCMV strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP was generated which will serve as the parental genome for the development of a new-generation DB-based vaccine against HCMV.

The HCMV strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP is characterized by its capability of expressing a functional pentameric complex of the viral proteins gH, gL, UL128, UL130 and UL131A and the absence of a functional gene encoding the Green Fluorescence Protein (GFP) which is present in the parental strain Towne-UL130rep.

The deletion of the GFP gene was carried out by insertion of a bacterial galactokinase (GalK) gene in the genome of Towne-UL130rep. The expression of GalK in a GaIK-negative bacterial host cell allows a positive selection of recombinant constructs on minimal agar plates when adding galactose (5). The GalK gene is in operative linkage with a bacterial promoter. The resulting BAC vector also comprises a chloramphenicol resistance gene in an operative linkage with a bacterial promoter as an additional selection marker in bacterial host cells.

Further, the present inventors have performed a study to investigate the impact of DBs produced by Towne-UL130repΔGFP on the host immune system. Surprisingly, it was found that DBs comprising an immunogenic pentameric complex are capable of maintaining the intrinsic host immunity, are effective in stimulating an interferon reaction and promote autophagy of viral proteins resulting in intracellular degradation and presentation by MHC class I and/or II molecules. Thus, the DBs of the present invention have a high potential as a vaccine being effective in preventing and/or ameliorating an occurrence of an HCMV associated disorder in a vaccinated human subject, particularly a human subject, and/or inhibiting transmission of an HCMV infection to another human subject.

A first aspect of the present invention refers to a nucleic acid molecule encoding the genome of a recombinant HCMV strain,

wherein the recombinant HCMV strain is a genetically modified variant of the HCMV strain Towne,

wherein the recombinant HCMV strain encodes a functional UL130 protein and does not encode a functional Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP).

The recombinant HCMV strain is a genetically modified variant of the HCMV strain Towne as present in the Towne-BAC clone (3, 4) according to GenBank Accession No. AY 315197. The genetic modification includes the presence of a functional gene encoding the viral UL130 protein and the absence of a functional gene encoding the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in contrast to the previous available Towne genome present in Towne-BAC. The recombinant HCMV strain of the invention is preferably characterized by a sequence identity of at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98%, at least 99%, at least 99.5%, or at least 99.8% over its entire length—except for the sequences encoding the UL130 gene and the GFP gene—to the nucleotide sequence of the HCMV strain Towne as present in the Towne-BAC clone (3,4) according to GenBank accession no. AY 315197.

The nucleic acid molecule of the invention encodes functional viral proteins capable of forming a pentameric complex, namely a complex comprising the viral proteins gH (UL75), gL (UL115), UL128, UL130 and UL131A, in particular the gH, gL, UL128 and UL131A proteins from the HCMV strain

Towne as present in the clone Towne-BAC (AY315197) and a functional UL130 protein from the HCMV strain TB40. This strain has been isolated and cloned into a BAC vector (6,7). The complete nucleic acid sequence of the clone TB40-BAC4 is described under GenBank accession no. EF999921.1.

In particular embodiments, the recombinant strain of the invention encodes the protein gH (UL75) Towne (from GenBank accession no. GQ121041.1) having an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO. 1, or an amino acid sequence having an identity of at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98% or at least 99% over its entire length to SEQ ID NO. 1, the protein gL (UL115) Towne (from GenBank accession no. GQ121041.1) having an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO. 2 or an amino acid sequence having an identity of at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98% or at least 99% over its entire length to SEQ ID NO. 2, the protein UL128 Towne (from GenBank accession no. GQ121041.1) having an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO. 3 or an amino acid sequence having an identity of at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98% or at least 99% over its entire length to SEQ ID NO.3, the protein UL130 TB40-BAC4 (from GenBank accession no. EF999921.1) having an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO. 4 or an amino acid sequence having an identity of at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98% or at least 99% over its entire length to SEQ ID NO. 4 and the protein UL131A Towne (from GenBank accession no. GQ121041.1) having an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO. 5 or an amino acid sequence having an identity of at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98% or at least 99% over its entire length to SEQ ID NO. 5.

In certain embodiments, the nucleic acid molecule may additionally encode a fusion protein, e.g. a fusion protein as disclosed in WO 2011/124371. In certain embodiments, the nucleic acid molecule does not encode any functional heterologous, i.e. non-HCMV protein.

In certain embodiments, the GFP gene present in the original HCMV strain Towne is deleted and a heterologous gene, particularly a bacterial galactokinase gene is inserted at its previous position in the HCMV strain Towne genome.

In a specific embodiment, the nucleic acid molecule encodes the genome of the recombinant HCMV strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP, the preparation of which is described in the present Examples.

In certain embodiments, the genome of the recombinant HCMV strain is characterized by the absence of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a selectable marker in a form which can be expressed in a mammalian cell, e.g. a human cell. For example, the genome of the recombinant HCMV strain may include selection marker genes such as galK or a chloramphenicol resistance gene in operative linkage with prokaryotic expression control sequences which cannot be expressed in a mammalian cell.

The nucleic acid molecule of the present invention may be any single-stranded or double-stranded nucleic acid molecule, e.g. an RNA or a DNA. In certain embodiments, the nucleic acid molecule is a double-stranded DNA.

The nucleic acid molecule may be present as such or being located on a vector, e.g. a BAC vector or a yeast vector. Suitable yeast vectors are described in (8).

Transfection of mammalian target cells with the nucleic acid molecule of the invention results in the production of viral particles and dense bodies, i.e. viral particles without capsid or viral DNA. In certain embodiments, the target cell is a human cell, e.g. a human fibroblast cell, such as a human foreskin fibroblast cell (HFF) or a human lung fibroblast cell, such as MRC-5 (ATCC CCL-171).

A further aspect of the present invention is a dense body (DB) produced by transfection of a mammalian target cell, particularly a human target cell, e.g. a human fibroblast cell, with a HCMV strain, particularly by transfection with a HCMV strain as described above, wherein the DB comprises the pentameric complex consisting of viral proteins gH, gL, UL128, UL130 and UL131A and is free from GFP.

A DB according to the present invention may be a viral particle released after transfection of a mammalian target cell, e.g. a human fibroblast cell, by

HCMV, in particular after transfection by a recombinant HCMV strain as described above, wherein:

• • the particle is surrounded by lipid membrane in which viral glycoproteins are embedded,
  • the particle does not contain substantial amounts of viral DNA or capsids,
  • the particle comprises a pentameric complex consisting of viral proteins gH, gL, UL128, UL130 and UL131, in particular as described above, and
  • the particle is free from GFP.

A further aspect of the present invention is a dense body (DB) produced by infection of a mammalian target cell, particularly a human target cell, e.g. a human fibroblast cell, with a HCMV strain, particularly by infection with a HCMV strain as described above, wherein the DB comprises the pentameric complex consisting of viral proteins gH, gL, UL128, UL130 and UL131A and is free from GFP.

A DB according to the present invention may be a viral particle released after infection of a mammalian target cell, e.g. a human fibroblast cell, by HCMV, in particular after infection by a recombinant HCMV strain as described above, wherein:

• • the particle is surrounded by lipid membrane in which viral glycoproteins are embedded,
  • the particle does not contain substantial amounts of viral DNA or capsids,
  • the particle comprises a pentameric complex consisting of viral proteins gH, gL, UL128, UL130 and UL131, in particular as described above, and

the particle is free from GFP.

The dense body may be isolated from cell culture supernatant of virus-infected cells as described above by conventional methods, e.g. gradient centrifugation as described in the Examples. By this means, a preparation of DBs is obtained.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to a preparation of DBs as described above in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, e.g. a liquid carrier including an aqueous carrier, a non-aqueous carrier or any combination thereof.

In certain embodiments, the preparation comprises DBs which have been subjected to an inactivation treatment, e.g. UV irradiation. Inactivation may be determined by the absence of detectable virus contamination. This may be achieved, e.g. by the absence of de novo HCMV IE1 protein expression in indicator cell cultures (9), by the quantification of the DNA content of

DB-preparations, by the quantification of viral genomic DNA in cell culture supernatants of indicator cell cultures, exposed to the DB-preparations or by electron microscopic analysis of DB-preparations.

In certain embodiments, preparation comprises DBs which have not been subjected to an inactivation treatment.

The preparation of DBs according to the present invention has been characterized by the lack of a negative effect on the intrinsic host immunity and to efficiently stimulate the interferon response, thus being capable of eliciting an immediate antiviral immune response in a vaccinated host.

Furthermore, it was found that DBs are capable of inducing autophagy in human target cell, e.g. in a human fibroblast cell or in a human endothelial cell. Autophagy may result in intracellular degradation of viral proteins and presentation of derived viral peptides by MHC molecules, particularly by MHC class I and/or class II molecules. Moreover, it is expected that the DBs may also induce autophagy in immune cells, such as dendritic cells and other antigen presenting cells, thus supporting presentation of viral peptides by these cells.

A further aspect of the present invention refers to a preparation of DBs as described above for use in medicine, particularly in human medicine, more particularly for use as a vaccine against HCMV. The preparation of the present invention is suitable for use in preventing and/or ameliorating the occurrence of an HCMV associated disorder in a vaccinated subject, e.g. a human subject, and/or for inhibiting transmission of an HCMV infection from a vaccinated subject e.g. a human subject, to a further subject.

For example, the preparation may be used for the treatment and/or prevention of HCMV-related complications of transplantation, e.g. the transplantation of solid organs such as hearts, kidneys, livers, or lungs or of hematopoietic stem cells. Further the composition is suitable for preventing the pre- or perinatal transmission of HCMV.

The composition of the present invention is suitable for administration by the parenteral route, e.g. by subcutaneous or intramuscular administration. In certain embodiments, the preparation is administered together with an adjuvant. In other embodiments, the preparation is administered without additional adjuvant.

The vaccine of the invention may be used to prevent prenatal infection or HCMV related disorders second to prenatal infection. A desired target population for the vaccine would consequently be children or adolescent female subjects. A second desired target population would be patients receiving allogeneic or autologous transplants, e.g. solid organs or hematopoietic stem cells. On a further perspective, a vaccination of the general population would be conceivable.

In a particular embodiment, the preparation is suitable for use in maintaining the intrinsic immunity of a vaccinated human subject thereby avoiding the occurrence of undesired proviral side-effects after administration.

In a further particular embodiment, the preparation of the invention is for use in stimulating an interferon reaction in a vaccinated human subject.

In a still further embodiment, the preparation of the invention is for use in promoting autophagy of viral proteins in a vaccinated human subject, wherein the autophagocytized proteins are degraded and presented by MHC molecules, particularly by MHC class I and MHC class II molecules.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method of preparing a dense body preparation as described above by infection of target cells, e.g. human fibroblast cells as described above, and isolating DBs from the supernatant of the cell culture medium.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method of preparing a dense body preparation as described above by transfection of target cells, e.g. human fibroblast cells as described above, and isolating DBs from the supernatant of the cell culture medium.

Finally, the invention relates to a method for vaccinating a subject, particularly a human subject, against HCMV, comprising administering an immunogenically effective dose of a DB preparation as described above to a human subject in need thereof.

Further, the present invention shall be explained in more detail by the following Figures and Examples.

FIGURE LEGENDS

FIG. 1. Characterization of Towne-UL130repΔGFP. Schematic representation of the BAC-cloning strategies to establish A) Towne-UL130rep-BAC and B) Towne-UL130repΔGFP-BAC. The gene for the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is depicted in A and B. The prokaryotic genes for the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), the chromosome partitioning proteins SopA and SopB, the replication initiation protein RepE, and for the galactokinase galK are depicted in B). C) Indirect immunofluorescence analysis of the infection of ARPE-19 cells with Towne-BAC, Towne-UL130rep and Towne-UL130repΔGFP. D) Immunoblot analysis of the packaging of pUL130 and GFP into Towne-BAC-, Towne-UL130rep-, and Towne-UL130repΔGFP-DBs.

FIG. 2. Separation of extracellular HCMV particles by ultracentrifugation. Clarified medium from Towne-UL130repΔGFP infected HFF cells, grown in culture medium with 50 nM Letermovir was layered on top of a glycerol tartrate gradient and centrifuged (60 min, 23,000 rpm and 10° C.) in a Beckman SW41 rotor. Illumination from the top of the gradient revealed two light-scattering bands designated as noninfectious enveloped particles (NIEPs) and a broad area containing dense bodies (DB).

FIG. 3. Effect of DB-administration on the distribution of PML in HFF cells. (a) Uninfected cells (mock) show the typical dot-like nuclear distribution of PML. HFFs show an average of 20 PML bodies of unequal size (b) At 24 hours post application (h.p.a.), cells exposed to UV-inactivated DBs showed the speckled profile of uninfected cells. (c) HCMV infected cells showed a disruption of PML in presence of HCMV IE1 expression at 24 h.p.a.

FIG. 4. DB induced ISG15 expression in HFF cells. (A) Total protein from HFF mock infected (mock), serum starved (starv.), HCMV infected (strain TowneUL130repAGFP; virus), and HFFs exposed to 10 μg/μl UV-inactivated DBs was collected at the indicated times. The mock, starv., and virus samples were collected at 48 h.p.a. The protein samples were separated by SDS-PAGE and analyzed by immunoblotting, using antibodies specific for ISG15, 1E1 and tubulin (loading control). (B) Quantification of the protein level of ISG15 by densitometry normalized to tubulin.

FIG. 5. DB induced autophagy in HFF cells. (A) Immunoblot analysis of LC3II levels in HFFs that were mock infected (mock), starved (starv.), HCMV infected (strain TowneUL130repAGFP; virus; MOI 1), or exposed to 10 μg/μl UV-inactivated DBs for the indicated times. The mock, starv., and virus samples were collected at 48 h.p.a. Antibodies specific for LC3 and IE1 were used. Tubulin was used as a loading control. (B) Quantification of the protein level of LC3II by densitometry, normalized to tubulin.

FIG. 6. Cellular proteins enriched after exposure to non-UV-inactivated DBs for 24 hours. IFIT3, Interferon Induced Protein With Tetratricopeptide Repeats 3; ISG15, Interferon-stimulated gene 15; MX1, MX Dynamin Like GTPase 1; STAT1, Signal transducer and activator of transcription 1; COL1A1, Collagen Type I Alpha 1 Chain.

FIG. 7. Viral and cellular proteins enriched after exposure to UV-inactivated DBs for 6 hours. UL83, 65 kDa phosphoprotein pp65; UL25, tegument protein UL25; UL123, 1E1.

FIG. 8. Viral and cellular proteins enriched or reduced after UV-inactivated DB-exposure for 24 hours. UL83, 65 kDa phosphoprotein pp65; TOP2A, DNA topoisomerase 2-alpha; RPL6, 60S ribosomal protein L6; MAD2L1, Mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint protein MAD2A; IFIT1, Interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 1; HEL5, 5 Epididymis luminal protein 55; COL1A1, Collagen alpha-1(I) chain.

FIG. 9. Viral and cellular proteins enriched or reduced after exposure to UV-inactivated DBs for 48 hours. UL83, 65 kDa phosphoprotein pp65; OXSR1, Serine/threonine-protein kinase OSR1; TOP2A, DNA topoisomerase 2-alpha; PFKM, ATP-dependent 6-phosphofructokinase; COL6A1, Collagen alpha-1(VI) chain; COL1A1, Collagen alpha-1(I) chain; COL1A2, Collagen alpha-2(I) chain; PTMA, Prothymosin alpha.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

Generation of a Pentamer-Positive, DB-Producer Strain.

DBs were produced in human fibroblast cells upon infection with a recombinant HCMV seed virus. This seed virus was obtained upon transfection of cells with a BAC-plasmid encoding a genetically modified version of the genome of the HCMV Towne strain as described in the following.

The HCMV Towne-BAC constituted the basis to generate the Towne-UL130repΔGFP-BAC that will serve as the parental genome for the generation of a new-generation DB vaccine. The HCMV Towne-BAC was constructed by homologous recombination of a modified version of the vector pMBO1374, named pUSF-3, and the wild-type Towne viral DNA (3). pMBO1374 is a derivative of the F-plasmid vector pMBO131, in which a 645 bp Haell fragment containing the multiple cloning site-embedded lacZ gene of pBluescript II KS (+) was subcloned into the unique Sall site of pMBO131, resulting in the insertion of several unique cloning sites (10). pUSF-3 additionally contains prokaryotic genetic elements for maintenance as BAC in E. coli, HCMV DNA sequences for direct homologous recombination to the unique short region of the viral genome, and a GFP marker for identification and purification of recombinant HCMV in eukaryotic cells (3).

In order to construct pUSF-3, the unique BamHl site and one of the two Clal sites in pMBO1374 were removed. The two HCMV DNA fragments in pUSF-3 that were used as flanking HCMV DNA for homologous recombination were derived from the cosmid clone pCM1052 that contains a fragment of the genome of HCMV strain AD169 (11) by PCR. The primers used for amplification of the DNA fragments were derived from the published sequence of AD169 HCMV (12), and extended with BamHI and HindIII overhangs. The HCMV DNA fragments were digested with BamHI and ligated to yield a 5.2 kb fragment, which in turn was digested by HindIII and cloned into the HindIII site. Finally, a PCR amplicon with the SV40 early promoter, GFP gene and polyA derived from pGET-07 (13) was cloned into the remaining Clal site. For homologous recombination, human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells were electroporated with wild-type Towne viral DNA purified from total virus particles isolated from HFF cells infected with the Towne strain of HCMV, with linearized (BamHl digested) pUSF-3, and with an expression plasmid for HCMV tegument protein pp71 (14). Upon homologous recombination, the flanking DNA deletes 8.9 kb of DNA within the US region of HCMV (IRS1 after aa719, reading frames US1 to US11 plus the C-terminal third of US12) that are dispensable for HCMV replication in cell culture (15). Sequences of the Towne-BAC isolate have been deposited in the GenBank database (accession no. AY315197) (4) which is herein incorporated by reference.

HCMV Towne DBs do not harbor the pentameric complex due to a frameshift mutation in the open reading frame (ORF) of the UL130 gene, and contain fortuitously packaged GFP.

In order to avoid the potential risk of adverse effects of GFP following DB-application to humans, and to reconstitute the formation of the pentameric complex, which is crucial for eliciting a broad immune responses, the inventors genetically modified the original HCMV Towne-BAC to generate the Towne-UL130repΔGFP-BAC by using a galactokinase (galK) negative-positive selection procedure: First, the mutated UL130 ORF was replaced with its functional homolog from the TB40/E strain (FIG. 1A). Second, the GFP gene was deleted from the resulting Towne-UL130rep-BAC (FIG. 1B). Reconstitution of the pentameric complex enabled Towne-UL130repΔGFP virus particles to infect epithelial cells (FIG. 1C).

Moreover, as measured by the presence of pUL130, formation of the pentameric complex was restored and packaging of GFP was prevented in the DBs obtained upon infection with reconstituted Towne-UL130repLGFP virus (FIG. 1D).

For particle purification 1.8×10⁶ primary human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) were grown in 20 175-cm² tissue culture flasks in minimal essential medium (MEM; Gibco-BRL, Glasgow, Scotland) supplemented with 5% fetal calf serum (FCS), L-glutamine (100 mg/liter), and gentamicin (50 mg/liter) for 1 day. The cells were infected with 0.5 ml of a frozen stock of the strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP of human cytomegalovirus. The virus inoculum was allowed to adsorb for 1.5 h at 37° C. With the addition of 50 nM Letermovir (MedChem Express (MCE), HY-15233, 10 mM in 1 ml DMSO) in culture MEM the cells were incubated for at least 7 days. Letermovir was refreshed every 3 days.

When the cells showed a CPE (cytopathic effect) of late HCMV infection (usually at day 7 post-infection [p.i.]), the supernatant was harvested and centrifuged for 10 min at 2,800 rpm to remove cellular debris. After that, the supernatant was collected and centrifuged at 30,000 rpm (70 min; 10° C.) in a SW32Ti rotor in a Beckman Optima L-90K ultracentrifuge. The pellets were resuspended in 2 ml of 1× phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Glycerol tartrate gradients were prepared immediately before use. For this, 4 ml of a 35% Na-tartrate solution in 0.04 M Na-phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, was applied to one column, and 5 ml of a 15% Na-tartrate-30% glycerol solution in 0.04 M Na-phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, was applied to the second column of a gradient mixer. The gradients were prepared by slowly dropping the solutions into Beckman Ultra-clear centrifuge tubes (14 by 89 mm), positioned at an angle of 45°. One 1 ml of the viral particles was then carefully layered on top of the gradients. Ultracentrifugation was performed without braking in a Beckman SW41 swing-out rotor for 60 min at 23,000 rpm and 10° C. The particles were illuminated by light scattering (FIG. 2) and were collected from the gradient by penetrating the centrifuge tube with a hollow needle below the band. Samples were carefully drawn from the tube with a syringe.

The particles for the initial analysis of Towne-UL130repΔGFP DBs, were washed with 1× PBS and pelleted in an SW41 swing-out rotor for 90 min at 24,000 rpm and 10° C. After the last centrifugation step, the DBs were resuspended in 250 μl to 350 μl 1×PBS and stored at −80° C. The protein concentration of the purified DBs was determined with the Pierce BCA Protein Assay Kit (Thermo Scientific, Bonn, Germany).

Example 2

UV-Inactivation of Dense Bodies

Before UV-inactivation, the amount of DBs needed to be adjusted because the liquid sticks to the spot plate. The needed amount of DBs was added to 200 μl PBS and dripped on a spot plate so that after inactivation 10 μg DBs were resuspended in 150 μl PBS. Afterwards the spot plate was placed under the UV-lamp and the switch with the wavelength of 254 nm was actuated for 2 minutes. For UV-inactivation of DBs, the UV-Hand lamp (Herolab GmbH Laborgeräte, Wiesloch; Type NU-4) was used. 150 μl of the PBS/DBs suspension (10 μg DB in 150 μl PBS) was transferred into a new tube. For DB-application to 5×10⁵ HFFs in 10 cm dishes, 1350 μl culture MEM and 150 μl DB/PBS were mixed and the DB-inoculum was allowed to adsorb 1.5 h at 37° C. Then culture MEM was added and the cells incubated for indicated times.

Example 3

Impact of DBs on the Nuclear Body (nb) Mediated Intrinsic Immunity

The protein PML has previously been shown to be essential for the formation of ND10 domains, also known as nuclear bodies (NBs, for review see (16, 17)). These nuclear substructures represent accumulations of multiple cellular proteins that counteract herpes-viral infection. Based on previous data, that showed an interferon-inducible up-regulation of ND10 domains, it was suggested that PML contributes to an intrinsic antiviral defense mechanism of the cell. HCMV has evolved strategies to counteract this antiviral activity. During HCMV infection the immediate early protein 1 (IE1) accumulates at PML bodies and subsequently induces the dispersal of PML, thereby antagonizing NB-mediated intrinsic immunity. The impact of DBs on PML dispersal was analyzed.

For indirect immunofluorescence analysis, HFF cells (2×10⁵) were grown on coverslips in 6-well plates. On the next day, cells were either mock-infected, infected with HCMV (strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP), or exposed to 10 μg UV-inactivated DBs (HCMV strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP). DBs were inactivated by applying the minimal exposure time (2 min) to UV light required to abolish detectable virion contamination and de novo CMV gene expression, as determined by staining for the expression of the immediate-early 1 protein (IE1). After 24 hours, cells were washed once with 1× PBS and fixed in methanol for 10 min at −20° C. After washing 3 times with 1× PBS for 10 minutes, cells were blocked for 30 minutes with 1% BSA/1× PBS at room temperature. For detection of endogenous PML protein, primary monoclonal antibody PG-M3 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, SantaCruz, Calif.) was added for 1 h in a humidified chamber at 37° C. The second primary antibody against IE1 (p63-27) or against pp65 (65-33, provided by W. Britt, UAB, Birmingham, Ala.), was added after a washing step for another hour at 37° C. Following a preceding washing step, the cells were blocked for another 10 minutes with 1% BSA/1× PBS before the incubation with secondary antibodies. Detection was performed by adding an anti-mouse Alexa 546 or anti-rabbit Alexa 488 conjugated (Molecular Probes) secondary antibody for another hour in a humidified chamber at 37° C. and nuclear stain (DAPI) for 10 minutes at room temperature. The cells were washed 3 times with 1× PBS for 20 minutes and then once with ddH₂O. Cover slips were embedded with mounting medium on microscope slides, dried over night at 37° C. and stored at +4° C. till analysis.

Here we investigated the effect of DBs on the subcellular localization of PML in human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF cells), 24 hours post-application (h.p.a.). In uninfected cells, PML was associated with the characteristic dot-like pattern of distribution in the nucleus. HFFs showed an average of 20 PML bodies of unequal size (FIG. 3a). A disruption of PML bodies was observed in HCMV infected cells, where the effect was attributed to the IE1 expression (FIG. 3c). This intervention of IE1 is required for efficient viral replication. Cells exposed to UV-inactivated DBs showed the speckled profile of uninfected cells (FIG. 3a, b) assuming that DBs have not affected the distribution of PML bodies.

These experiments showed that DBs alone were unable to disperse PML bodies. Consequently, the proviral dispersal of PML bodies, seen after HCMV infection is not mimicked by DBs, excluding a proviral effect of these particles at this level. This further underlines the notion of DBs as being a suitable vaccine for HCMV.

Example 4

Impact of DBs on the Induction of Interferon-Stimulated Gene 15 (ISG15) Expression

Interferons are essential for the innate immune response to virus infections. All interferons trigger the transcription of hundreds of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), whose protein products exhibit antiviral activity. The interferon-stimulated gene 15 encodes an ubiquitin-like protein (ISG15) which is induced by type I IFN. Protein modification by ISG15 (ISGylation) is known to inhibit the replication of many viruses (18). HCMV induced ISG15 accumulation is triggered by the hosts' detection of cytoplasmic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). However, this accumulation is later suppressed by HCMV IE1 expression (19, 20).

The question addressed in this section was, if DB-application to HFF cells would induce ISG15 expression.

For immunoblot analysis, HFF cells (5×10⁵) were grown in 10 cm cell culture dishes. The next day, cells were either mock-infected, starved in serum free MEM medium, infected with HCMV (strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP, MOI 1), or exposed to 10 μg UV-inactivated DBs (HCMV strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP). DBs were inactivated, given the minimal exposure (2 min) to UV light required to abolish virion contamination and de novo CMV gene expression determined by staining for the expression of the immediate-early 1 protein (IE1).

At indicated hours post application (p.a.), HFF cells were washed with PBS, scraped off and collected. After centrifugation of 15,000 rpm×5 min and washing with PBS, cells were counted and adjusted to 1×10⁵ cells/10 μl in Laemmli cell lysis buffer. Then, the mixture was boiled at 95° C. for 10 minutes. Afterwards, 20 μl of each sample was loaded on bis/acrylamide gels (Invitrogen, Thermo Fisher Scientific). After resolution of the protein samples in sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide denaturing gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), the separated proteins were transferred to a PVDF membrane. Then the PVDF membrane (Millipore, Burlington, Mass.) was blocked for 1 h at 5% nonfat dry milk powder in TBST and incubated with primary antibodies at 4° C. overnight. The primary antibodies used in this study were mouse anti-IE (p63-27), mouse anti-ISG15 (Santa Cruz, 1:500 dilution), and mouse anti-tubulin (Sigma, 1:500 dilution). After washing 3 times with TBST for 10 minutes, anti-mouse IRDye 800 secondary antibody was used for incubation 2 hours at a 1:10,0000 dilution. Protein concentrations in each band were quantitatively estimated by normalization to the tubulin level using the Image Studio Lite software provided by LI-COR.

The experiments show that UV-inactivated DBs are able to induce ISG15 expression. Since DBs do not contain viral DNA, this effect appears to be independent of dsDNA (one known inducer of ISG15 expression). Since it is known that ISG15 is induced after infection with HCMV, virus infection was used as positive control. ISG15 induction reached high levels at 24 hours after DB-exposure and decreased afterwards. There was a trend towards higher levels of ISG15 expression in samples from cells that were concomitantly exposed to DBs and virus, compared to virus infection alone.

The experiments provide evidence that DBs do induce ISG15 expression, which as such is thought to confer antiviral activity. Thus DBs appear to provide an antiviral effect on this level.

Example 5

DB Application Induces Autophagy

We and others have shown that application of DBs leads to a distinct Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)-class I mediated presentation of viral peptides. We follow the hypothesis that DB-derived antigens are introduced into the MHC-class I pathway through induction of autophagy. Here we show, that application of UV-inactivated DBs of HCMV to human foreskin fibroblasts indeed results in an induction of autophagy.

DBs were again applied to HFF cells. At 4, 24, 48 and 72 hours p.a., HFF cells were washed with PBS, scraped off and collected. After centrifugation of 15,000 rpm×5 min and washing with PBS, cells were counted and adjusted to 1×10⁵ cells/10 μl in Laemmli cell lysis buffer. Then, the mixture was boiled at 95° C. for 10 minutes. Afterwards, 20 μl of each sample was loaded on bis/acrylamide gels (Invitrogen, Thermo Fisher Scientific). After resolution of the protein samples in sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide denaturing gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), the separated proteins were transferred to a PVDF membrane. The PVDF membranes (Millipore, Burlington, Mass.) were blocked for 1 h at 5% nonfat dry milk powder in TBST and incubated with primary antibodies at 4° C. overnight. The primary antibodies used in this study were mouse anti-IE (p63-27), rabbit anti-LC3II (Cell Signaling Technologies, 1:1,000 dilution), mouse anti-tubulin (Sigma, 1:500 dilution).

After washing 3 times with TBST for 10 minutes, anti-rabbit Alexa Fluor 680 and anti-mouse IRDye 800 secondary antibodies were used for incubation 2 hours at a 1:10,000 dilution. Protein concentrations in each band were quantitatively estimated by normalization to the tubulin level, using the Image Studio Lite software provided by LI-COR.

The infection of HFF cells with human cytomegalovirus (virus) and starvation both resulted in the induction of autophagy and served as positive controls (FIG. 5). This is demonstrated by the increased lipidation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3II), a hallmark of autophagy. HFFs exposed to 10 μg/μl UV-inactivated DBs showed an increase in LC3II expression (FIG. 5). Increase was seen as early as 4 h.p.a. and reached peak levels at 24 h. The level of LC3II decreased gradually from 48 to 72 h.p.a.

The experiments demonstrate that autophagy is induced by DBs. This may lead to an increased presentation of viral antigens by MHC-class I and MHC-class II molecules. In addition, as induction of autophagy has been shown to reduce HCMV replication (21), the induction by DBs may be considered to have an antiviral effect.

Example 6

Mass spectrometry of the Cellular Proteome Following DB-Exposure

To obtain a more comprehensive picture of the impact of DBs on cells, label-free mass spectrometry was performed on DB-treated HFF cells.

In a first preliminary experiment, HFF cells (5×10⁶) were grown in 10 cm cell culture dishes. The next day, the cells were either mock-treated or exposed to 2 μg DBs (HCMV strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP; preparation of DBs from cultures, kept under Letermovir inhibition [see above]). DBs were not inactivated by UV.

At 24 h.p.a., HFF cells were washed with PBS twice, scraped and collected.

After centrifugation of 15,000 rpm×5 min and washing with PBS, cells were lysed in 50 μl Laemmli buffer and boiled at 95° C. for 10 minutes. Then the samples were prepared for the Proteomics Core Facility (AG Butter, Institute for Molecular Biology, Mainz), see below.

We identified some upregulated proteins that were known to be interferon responsive (IFIT3, ISG15, MX1 and STAT1) and were reported to have antiviral effects (FIG. 6). Furthermore we observed a downregulation of collagen (COL1A1).

In a second quantitative mass spectrometry-based (MS) proteomics experiment, HFF cells (5×10⁵) were grown in 10 cm cell culture dishes. The next day, cells were either mock-infected, infected with HCMV (strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP, MOI 1), or exposed to 10 μg UV-inactivated DBs (HCMV strain Towne-UL130repΔGFP; preparation of DBs from cultures, kept under Letermovir inhibition [see above]). DBs were inactivated by applying the minimal exposure (2 min) to UV light required to abolish virion contamination.

At 6, 24, and 48 h.p.a., HFF cells were washed with PBS twice, scraped and collected. After centrifugation of 15,000 rpm×5 min and washing with PBS, cells were lysed in 50 μl Laemmli buffer and boiled at 95° C. for 10 minutes. Then the samples were prepared for the Proteomics Core Facility (AG Butter, Institute for Molecular Biology, Mainz).

Sample preparation:

Reagent Reduced Sample         19.5 μL (min. 20 μg)
NuPAGE ®LDS Sample Buffer (4X) 7.5 μL
1M dithiothreitol (DTT)        3 μL
Total Volume                   30 μL

Then the samples were heated at 70° C. for 10 min.

After the samples were measured, mass spec data were filtered using MaxQuant (Version: 1.5.2.8; Download: www.maxquant.org (http://maxquant.org)). The output table was filtered, including removal of potential common contaminants and reverse database entries. The search was performed against the following Fasta databases:

Homo_sapiens_(HUMAN)_Uniprot_20180108.fasta

Human_cytomegalovirus_(HCMV)_Uniprot_20180108.fasta

Human_cytomegalovirus_(HCMVA)Uniprot(strain_AD169)_20180108.fasta

Human_cytomegalovirus_(HCMVT)Uniprot(strain_Towne)_20180108.fasta

As quality control the distribution and normalization of the labeled protein groups was used. Normalization can only be used if the majority of the proteins remain unregulated. Only identified proteins with at least 2 peptides (1 needs to be unique) were allowed. These initial analyses were a service of the Proteomics Core Facility. The identified proteins were provided as an excel file.

The received data was filtered over the log 2 converted ratio. Protein groups with minimum 1.5-fold enriched were indicated.

In our results (FIGS. 7, 8 and 9), we detected pUL83 (pp65) and pUL25, previously reported to be HCMV Dense body proteins. pUL83 (pp65) is the predominant tegument protein present in DBs. pUL25 has been found to be abundant in DBs, too. Only UL83 could be detected at all three time points, decreasing over time. Furthermore we observed consistent downregulation of collagens (COL1A1, COL6A1, and COL1A2).

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Claims

1. A nucleic acid molecule encoding the genome of a recombinant HCMV strain, wherein the recombinant HCMV strain is a genetically modified variant of the HCMV strain Towne, wherein the nucleic acid molecule has an identity of at least 90% over its entire length with the nucleotide sequence of the HCMV strain Towne except for the sequences encoding the UL130 gene and the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) gene, as present in Towne-BAC deposited under GenBank accession no. AY315197,wherein the recombinant HCMV strain encodes a functional UL130 protein and does not encode a functional Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP).

2. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, which has an identity of at least 99%.

3. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or 2, wherein the GFP gene has been deleted and a heterologous gene, particularly a bacterial galactokinase gene, is inserted.

4. The nucleic acid molecule of any one of claims 1-3 encoding the genome of the recombinant HCMV strain Towne-UL130 repΔGFP.

5. The nucleic acid molecule of any one of claims 1-4, which is located on a vector, particularly on a BAC vector.

6. A dense body produced by infection of a mammalian target cell with a HCMV strain having a genome according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the dense body comprises a pentameric complex consisting of viral proteins gH, gL, UL128, UL130 and UL131A and is free from GFP.

7. The dense body of claim 6, wherein the viral proteins gH, gL, UL128 and UL131A are from HCMV strain Towne and wherein the viral protein UL130 is from HCMV strain TB40/E.

8. A preparation of dense bodies according to claim 6 or 7 in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

9. The preparation of claim 8 which has been inactivated, e.g. by UV irradiation.

10. The preparation of claim 8 which has not been inactivated.

11. The preparation of any one of claims 8-10 for use in medicine, particularly by human medicine, more particularly for use as a vaccine against HCMV.

12. The preparation of any one of claims 8-10 for use in a method for preventing and/or ameliorating an occurrence of an HCMV-associated disorder in a vaccinated human subject and/or for inhibiting transmission of an HCMV infection to a further human subject.

13. The preparation of any one of claims 8 to 10 for the use according to claim 11 or 12 and for maintaining the intrinsic immunity of a vaccinated human subject.

14. The preparation of any one of claims 8 to 10 for the use according to claim 11 or 12 and for stimulating an interferon reaction in a vaccinated human subject.

15. The preparation of any one of claims 8 to 10 for the use according to claim 11 or 12 and for promoting autophagy of viral proteins in a vaccinated human subject, wherein the autophagocytized proteins are degraded and presented by MHC molecules, particularly by MHC class I and MHC class II molecules.

16. A method for vaccinating a human subject against HCMV, comprising administering an immunogenically effective dose of a dense body preparation of any one of claims 8-10 to a human subject in need thereof.