Early post-vaccination gene signatures correlate with the magnitude and function of vaccine-induced HIV envelope-specific plasma antibodies in infant rhesus macaques

Abstract Systems vaccinology approaches are important tools in rational vaccine design. Our goal was to determine whether early innate immune responses to the vaccine prime in infant rhesus macaques, immunized with two different HIV envelope (Env) vaccine regimens, were associated with functional antibody responses in the memory phase. We compared plasma cytokine levels and molecular signatures of a 3M-052-SE adjuvanted HIV Env protein vaccine (n=10) to a regimen combining the adjuvanted HIV Env protein and MVA-HIV Env (n=10) at days (D) 0, 1, and 3 post the vaccine prime. Whole blood transcriptional profiling applying NanoString technology was employed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEG). Innate immune responses were correlated with vaccine-induced adaptive immune responses at weeks 14, 20, 32, and 34. The vaccine prime induced a rapid, but transient, increase in inflammatory plasma cytokines and changes in mRNA expression that peaked at D1. In the HIV protein group, we identified 31 DEG with increased mRNA levels, whereas a single, downregulated, DEG was identified in the MVA-Env plus Protein group. Day one signatures were positively correlated with week 14 Env-specific IgG responses, and, at week 34, with Env-specific follicular T helper cells and Env-specific antibody-dependent cytotoxicity function, but negatively correlated with Env-specific CD8+ T cell responses. A protein-protein interaction network confirmed that several of the DEG-encoded proteins have predicted interaction partners that are important for B cell activation. These results support the idea that vaccine-induced HIV-specific antibody and T cell responses can be optimized through the modulation of the vaccine prime. Supported by National Institutes of Health grants R01 DE028146 , P01 AI117915 , T32 5108303 , the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs/OD P510D011107 (CNPRC), and the Center for AIDS Research award P30AI050410