Two-Component Ferritin Nanoparticles for Multimerization of Diverse Trimeric Antigens.

Antigen multimerization on a nanoparticle can result in improved neutralizing antibody responses. A platform that has been successfully used for displaying antigens from a number of different viruses is ferritin, a self-assembling protein nanoparticle that allows the attachment of multiple copies (twenty-four monomers or eight trimers) of a single antigen. Here we design two-component ferritin variants that allow the attachment of two diverse antigens on a single particle in a defined ratio and geometric pattern. The two-component ferritin was specifically designed for trimeric antigens, accepting four trimers per particle for each antigen, and was tested with antigens derived from HIV-1 envelope (Env) and influenza hemagglutinin (HA). Particle formation and the presence of native-like antigen conformation were confirmed through negative-stain electron microscopy and antibody-antigen binding analysis. Immunizations in guinea pigs with two-component ferritin particles displaying diverse Env, HA, or both antigens, elicited neutralizing antibody responses against the respective viruses. The results provide proof-of-principle for self-assembly of a two-component nanoparticle as a general technology for multimeric immunogen presentation of trimeric antigens.