Biology subjects

Baker, D. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Baker, D. A..

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2019

High-throughput identification of MHC class I binding peptides using an ultradense peptide array

Rational vaccine development and evaluation requires identifying and measuring the magnitude of epitope-specific CD8 T cell responses. However, conventional CD8 T cell epitope discovery methods are labor-intensive and do not scale well. Here, we accelerate this process by using an ultradense peptide array as a high-throughput tool for screening peptides to identify putative novel epitopes. In a single experiment, we directly assess the binding of four common Indian rhesus macaque MHC class I molecules - Mamu-A1*001, -A1*002, -B*008, and -B*017 - to approximately 61,000 8-mer, 9-mer, and 10-mer peptides derived from the full proteomes of 82 simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) isolates. Many epitope-specific CD8 T cell responses restricted by these four MHC molecules have already been identified in SIVmac239, providing an ideal dataset for validating the array; up to 64% of these known epitopes are found in the top 192 SIVmac239 peptides with the most intense MHC binding signals in our experiment. To assess whether the peptide array identified putative novel CD8 T cell epitopes, we validated the method by IFN-{gamma} ELISPOT assay and found three novel peptides that induced CD8 T cell responses in at least two Mamu-A1*001-positive animals; two of these were validated by ex vivo tetramer staining. This high-throughput identification of peptides that bind class I MHC will enable more efficient CD8 T cell response profiling for vaccine development, particularly for pathogens with complex proteomes where few epitope-specific responses have been defined.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2019

MHC genotyping from rhesus macaque exome sequences

Indian rhesus macaque major histocompatibility complex (MHC) variation can influence the outcomes of transplantation and infectious disease studies. Frequently, rhesus macaques are MHC genotyped to identify variants that could account for unexpected results. Since the MHC is only one region in the genome where variation could impact experimental outcomes, strategies for simultaneously profiling variation in the macaque MHC and the remainder of the protein coding genome would be useful. Here we introduce macaque exome sequence (MES) genotyping, in which MHC class I and class II genotypes are determined with high confidence using target-enrichment probes that are enriched for MHC sequences. For a cohort of 27 Indian rhesus macaques, we describe two methods for obtaining MHC genotypes from MES data and demonstrate that the MHC class I and class II genotyping results obtained with these methods are 98.1% and 98.7% concordant, respectively, with expected MHC genotypes. In contrast, conventional MHC genotyping results obtained by deep sequencing of short multiplex PCR amplicons were only 92.6% concordant with expectations for this cohort.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2019

Modification of an atypical clathrin-independent AP-2 adaptin complex of Plasmodium falciparum reduces susceptibility to artemisinin

The efficacy of current antimalarial drugs is threatened by reduced susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum to artemisinin. In the Mekong region this is associated with mutations in the kelch propeller-encoding domain of pfkelch13, but variants of other parasite proteins are also thought to modulate the response to drug. Evidence from human and rodent studies suggests that the -subunit of the AP-2 adaptin trafficking complex is one such protein of interest. We generated transgenic Plasmodium falciparum parasites encoding the I592T variant of pfap2, orthologous to the I568T mutation associated with in vivo artemisinin resistance in P. chabaudi. When exposed to a four-hour pulse of dihydroartemisin in the ring-stage survival assay, two P. falciparum clones expressing AP-2 I592T displayed significant and reproducible survival of 8.0% and 10.3%, respectively, compared to <2% for the 3D7 parental line (P = 0.0011 for each clone). In immunoprecipitation and localisation studies of HA-tagged AP-2, we identified interacting partners including AP-2, AP-1/2{beta}, AP-2{sigma} and a kelch-domain protein encoded on chromosome 10 of P. falciparum, K10. Conditional knockout indicates that the AP-2 trafficking complex in P. falciparum is essential for the fidelity of merozoite biogenesis and membrane organisation in the mature schizont. We also show that while other heterotetrameric AP-complexes and secretory factors interact with clathrin, AP-2 complex subunits do not. Thus, the AP-2 complex may be diverted from a clathrin-dependent endocytic role seen in most eukaryotes into a Plasmodium-specific function. These findings represent striking divergences from eukaryotic dogma and support a role for intracellular traffic in determining artemisinin sensitivity in vitro, confirming the existence of multiple functional routes to reduced ring-stage artemisinin susceptibility. Therefore, the utility of pfkelch13 variants as resistance markers is unlikely to be universal, and phenotypic surveillance of parasite susceptibility in vivo may be needed to identify threats to our current combination therapies.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Rapid and iterative genome editing in the zoonotic malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi: New tools for P. vivax research

Tackling relapsing Plasmodium vivax and zoonotic Plasmodium knowlesi infections is critical to reducing malaria incidence and mortality worldwide. Understanding the biology of these important and related parasites was previously constrained by the lack of robust molecular and genetic approaches. Here, we establish CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in a culture-adapted P. knowlesi strain and define parameters for optimal homology-driven repair. We establish a scalable protocol for the production of repair templates by PCR and demonstrate the flexibility of the system by tagging proteins with distinct cellular localisations. Using iterative rounds of genome-editing we generate a transgenic line expressing P. vivax Duffy binding protein (PvDBP), a lead vaccine candidate. We demonstrate that PvDBP plays no role in reticulocyte restriction but can alter the macaque/human host cell tropism of P. knowlesi. Critically, antibodies raised against the P. vivax antigen potently inhibit proliferation of this strain, providing an invaluable tool to support vaccine development.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2018

Subclinical infection of macaques and baboons with a baboon simartevirus

Simarteviruses (Arteriviridae: Simartevirus) are commonly found at high titers in the blood of African monkeys but do not cause overt disease in these hosts. In contrast, simarteviruses cause severe disease in Asian macaques upon accidental or experimental transmission. Here, we sought to better understand the host-dependent drivers of simartevirus pathogenesis by infecting olive baboons (n=4) and rhesus macaques (n=4) with the simartevirus Southwest baboon virus 1 (SWBV-1). Surprisingly, none of the animals in our study showed signs of disease following SWBV-1 inoculation. Three animals (two rhesus monkeys and one olive baboon) became infected and sustained high levels of SWBV-1 viremia for the duration of the study. The course of SWBV-1 infection was highly predictable: plasma viremia peaked between 1x107 and 1x108 vRNA copies/ml at 3-10 days post-inoculation, which was followed by a relative nadir and then establishment of a stable set-point between 1x106 and 1x107 vRNA copies/ml for the remainder of the study (56 days). We characterized cellular and antibody responses to SWBV-1 infection in these animals, demonstrating that macaques and baboons mount similar responses to SWBV-1 infection, yet these responses are ineffective at clearing SWBV-1 infection. SWBV-1 sequencing revealed the accumulation of non-synonymous mutations in a region of the genome that corresponds to an immunodominant epitope in the simartevirus major envelope glycoprotein GP5, which likely contribute to viral persistence by enabling escape from host antibodies.\n\nOne Sentence SummarySimartevirus infection has multiple disease manifestations following cross-species transmission.\n\nAccessible Summary/ImportanceSimarteviruses are known to infect African monkeys, such as olive baboons, without causing overt disease. In contrast, accidental infection of Asian monkeys, such as rhesus monkeys, has resulted in severe and often fatal disease. We used a simartevirus found circulating among captive olive baboons (Southwest baboon virus 1; SWBV-1) to experimentally infect both olive baboons and rhesus monkeys to model infection with the same virus in both natural and non-natural hosts. Surprisingly, neither baboons nor macaques displayed any laboratory abnormalities or signs of disease over the course of infection, despite robust SWBV-1 replication. In the accompanying study by Cornish et al., a similar experimental approach was undertaken: African patas monkeys and rhesus monkeys were infected with the simartevirus simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV). In contrast to our study, SHFV caused disease in both of these hosts, albeit with much more severe disease developing in the macaques. Interestingly, we observed similar levels of immune cell activation in simartevirus-infected animals across both studies, suggesting that finer nuances of the host response, and perhaps properties of each individual simartevirus, may influences pathogenicity of these viruses in primates. Taken together, our collective findings highlight the wide clinical spectrum of simartevirus infection, ranging from highly-lethal hemorrhagic disease to persistent infection without any overt signs of disease, even in non-natural primate hosts.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2017

Probabilistic data integration identifies reliable gametocyte-specific proteins and transcripts in malaria parasites

Plasmodium gametocytes are the sexual forms of the malaria parasite essential for transmission to mosquitoes. To better understand how gametocytes differ from asexual blood-stage parasites, we performed a systematic analysis of available omics data for P. falciparum and other Plasmodium species. 18 transcriptomic and proteomic data sets were evaluated for the presence of curated \"gold standards\" of 41 gametocyte-specific versus 46 non-gametocyte genes and integrated using Bayesian probabilities, resulting in gametocyte-specificity scores for all P. falciparum genes.\n\nTo illustrate the utility of the gametocyte score, we explored newly predicted gametocyte-specific genes as potential biomarkers of gametocyte carriage and exposure. We analyzed the humoral immune response in field samples against 30 novel gametocyte-specific antigens and found five antigens to be differentially recognized by gametocyte carriers as compared to malaria-infected individuals without detectable gametocytes. We also validated the gametocyte-specificity of 15 identified gametocyte transcripts on culture material and samples from naturally infected individuals, resulting in eight transcripts that were >1000-fold higher expressed in gametocytes compared to asexual parasites and whose transcript abundance allowed gametocyte detection in naturally infected individuals. Our integrated genome-wide gametocyte-specificity scores provide a comprehensive resource to identify targets and monitor P. falciparum gametocytemia.

microbiology↗