Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
  • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
  • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
  • G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
  • G01N33/569—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor for microorganisms, e.g. protozoa, bacteria, viruses
  • G01N33/56966—Animal cells
  • G01N33/56972—White blood cells
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C07—ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C07K—PEPTIDES
  • C07K14/00—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof
  • C07K14/195—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from bacteria
  • C07K14/35—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from bacteria from Mycobacteriaceae (F)
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
  • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
  • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
  • G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
  • G01N33/543—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor with an insoluble carrier for immobilising immunochemicals
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
  • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
  • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
  • G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
  • G01N33/569—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor for microorganisms, e.g. protozoa, bacteria, viruses
  • G01N33/56905—Protozoa
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
  • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
  • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
  • G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
  • G01N33/569—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor for microorganisms, e.g. protozoa, bacteria, viruses
  • G01N33/56983—Viruses
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
  • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
  • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
  • G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
  • G01N33/569—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor for microorganisms, e.g. protozoa, bacteria, viruses
  • G01N33/56983—Viruses
  • G01N33/56988—HIV or HTLV
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
  • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
  • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
  • G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
  • G01N33/569—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor for microorganisms, e.g. protozoa, bacteria, viruses
  • G01N33/56983—Viruses
  • G01N33/56994—Herpetoviridae, e.g. cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
  • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
  • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
  • G01N33/68—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing involving proteins, peptides or amino acids
  • G01N33/6863—Cytokines, i.e. immune system proteins modifying a biological response such as cell growth proliferation or differentiation, e.g. TNF, CNF, GM-CSF, lymphotoxin, MIF or their receptors
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
  • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
  • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
  • G01N33/68—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing involving proteins, peptides or amino acids
  • G01N33/6863—Cytokines, i.e. immune system proteins modifying a biological response such as cell growth proliferation or differentiation, e.g. TNF, CNF, GM-CSF, lymphotoxin, MIF or their receptors
  • G01N33/6866—Interferon
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
  • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
  • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
  • G01N33/68—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing involving proteins, peptides or amino acids
  • G01N33/6878—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing involving proteins, peptides or amino acids in epitope analysis
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A50/00—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE in human health protection, e.g. against extreme weather
  • Y02A50/30—Against vector-borne diseases, e.g. mosquito-borne, fly-borne, tick-borne or waterborne diseases whose impact is exacerbated by climate change

Definitions

• This invention is concerned with a method of assaying for activated peptide-specific T-cells. It is a development of the known ELISPOT assay, which is reviewed in current protocols in Immunology, Unit 6.19, pages 6.19.1-8.
• the filter immunoplaque assay otherwise called the enzyme- linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT) was initially developed to detect and quantitate individual antibody-secreting B cells.
• ELISPOT enzyme- linked immunospot assay
• the technique provided a rapid and versatile alternative to conventional plaque-forming cell assays.
• Recent modifications have improved the sensitivity of the ELISPOT assay such that cells producing as few as 100 molecules of specific protein per second can be detected.
• a given protein such as a cytokine
• the ELISPOT assay utilises two high-affinity cytokine-specific antibodies directed against different epitopes on the same cytokine molecule: either two monoclonal antibodies or a combination of one monoclonal antibody and one polyvalent antiserum.
• ELISPOT generates spots based on a colorimetric reaction that detects the cytokine secreted by a single cell. The spot represents a "footprint" of the original cytokine- producing cell. Spots are permanent and can be quantitated visually, microscopically, or electronically.
• the ELISPOT assay involves five specific steps: (1) coating a purified cytokine-specific antibody to a nitrocellulose-backed microtitre plate; (2) blocking the plate to prevent nonspecific absorption of any other proteins, (3) incubating the cytokine-secreting cells at several different dilutions; (4) adding a labelled second anti-cytokine antibody; and (5) detecting the antibody-cytokine complex.
• the technique has been used to develop an assay for peptide-specific T-cells that have been pre-sensitised in vivo to a particular peptide.
• the present invention provides a method of assaying for peptide-specific T-cells, which method comprises providing a fluid containing T-cells, adding a peptide to the fluid, incubating the fluid to cause cytokine release, and detecting the released cytokine.
• the method comprises providing the fluid containing T-cells in contact with a surface carrying an immobilised first antibody to the cytokine, adding the peptide to the fluid, incubating the resulting fluid mixture under conditions to cause any peptide-specific T-cells that have been pre-sensitised in vivo to the peptide to secrete the cytokine, and detecting any secreted cytokine bound to the immobilised first antibody.
• the cells are preferably peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBC).They may suitably be taken from a patient known to be suffering, or to have suffered, from an infection with an intracellular pathogen, e.g. a virus. It is a preferred feature of the invention that fresh cells are used, because cells cultured in vitro may develop altered characteristics thus reducing the diagnostic value of the assay.
• the purpose of the assay is to identify or quantitate peptide-specific T-cells e.g. CD8+ or CD4+ cells that have been activated or pre-sensitised in vivo to a particular peptide. These are unrestimulated T-cells, i.e. cells capable of immediate effector function without the need to effect division/differentiation by in vitro culture.
• the cells secrete various cytokines, of which any one may be selected for the purposes of this assay.
• the cytokine selected is interferon- ⁇ (IFN- ⁇ ).
• IFN- ⁇ interferon- ⁇
• the secreted cytokine can be detected by any of a variety of methods known in the literature.
• the assay method involves providing a surface carrying an immobilised first antibody to the IFN- ⁇ or other cytokine. A fluid containing the PBMC or other fresh cells is placed in contact with that immobilised antibody. About 30% of the PBMC are CD8+ cells.
• the method of the invention involves adding a peptide to the fluid.
• the peptide may be a known epitope for a well characterised viral infection; or may be a candidate epitope possibly associated with a less well characterised viral infection.
• the resulting fluid mixture is incubated under conditions to stimulate any peptide-specific T-cells that may have been pre-sensitised to that particular virus-derived peptide in vivo.
• the peptide needs to be of a length, e.g.
• CD8+ cells 7 - 15 and particularly 8 - 12 or 8 - 10 amino acid residues long, that is recognised by CD8+ cells. It is supposed that the generality of the CD8+ cells (and other PBMC) present the peptide to the small minority of CD8+ cells that may have been pre-sensitised to the peptide. If such activated or pre-sensitised peptide-specific T-cells are present in the test fluid, they respond by secreting IFN- ⁇ or other cytokine which then becomes bound to the immobilised antibody.
• the peptide be added in uncombined form to the fresh cells. While it is possible to add cultured cells that have been pulsed with the peptide, this is not necessary when using defined peptide epitopes.
• the peptides should be added in an amount sufficient to generate an observable signal; a preferred concentration range in the fluid is 0.01 up to 100 ⁇ M particularly 0.5 - 5.0 ⁇ M.
• Incubation should be continued for a time sufficient to permit CD8+ cells that have been pre-sensitised in vivo to the particular peptide chosen to secrete the IFN- ⁇ or other cytokine.
• the incubation should not continue for so long that quiescent CD8+ cells have time to differentiate and become activated by the peptide and start to secrete cytokines. This suggests an incubation time of 4 - 24 hours, more particularly 6 - 16 hours. It is an advantage of the invention that the incubation part of the test can be performed in a single working day or overnight, and without the use of sterile conditions required for cell culture in vitro.
• any IFN- ⁇ or other cytokine secreted by CD8+ cells becomes bound to the first antibody immobilised on the surface.
• the surface may be washed to remove unbound material.
• a labelled second antibody to the cytokine is used. When this is applied to the surface it becomes bound to any cytokine present.
• the second antibody should preferably recognise a different epitope from the first antibody.
• One or both of the first and second antibodies should preferably be monoclonal.
• the label may be any that is conventionally used in the field, including radioisotopes, enzymes to generate colour or chemiluminescence, fluorescent groups or groups for detection by mass spectrometry or refractive index (e.g.
• any reagent that binds specifically to the cytokine could be labelled and used. Detection and perhaps quantitation of the label is effected by means well known in the field and appropriate to the nature of the label used.
• the assay may conveniently be carried out in a multiwell plate. Each well of the plate has a surface carrying a bound first antibody. To each well is added a fluid containing an appropriate number, e.g. 10 3 - 10 6 of cells. Different peptides and/or controls are added to individual wells of the plate. Cells that secrete a cytokine during incubation show up as spots (spot forming cells or SFCs) and the number or density of these in each well can readily be determined.
• the assay technique has a number of advantages over prior known techniques:- a) It is quicker and more convenient; the duration of the assay is only 6 hours and thus does not require sterile conditions or technique.
• LDA limiting dilution assay
• the cultured cells are assayed in a cytotoxic T cell assay (CTL) assay using the radioactive isotope chromium-51.
• CTL cytotoxic T cell assay
• It is an immediate ex vivo assay. As such it measures effector cells in their natural state without the introduction of unknown biases that occur as cells proliferate in vitro culture with antigen and exogenous cytokines.
• the assay is performed over only 6 hours; as such it measures peptide-specific effector cells directly, without requiring these cells to proliferate in vitro.
• the short duration of the assay also eliminates the possibility that the cells may be becoming activated in vitro; it therefore measures effector function that is present in vivo.
• LDAs require the cells to proliferate many fold; however many effector cells do not proliferate in these conditions and therefore the result of the LDA is often an underestimate of the true number of circulating effectors.
• the assay technique is expected to be of value in a number of different ways:- i) For research into the mechanisms involved in peptide presentation and recognition and activation. Through the experimental work described in outline below, the inventors have gained insight into the phenotype and effector function of antigen-specific T-cells freshly isolated from peripheral blood. ii) For quantifying peptide-specific effectors in HIV-infected individuals direct from peripheral blood. iii) For monitoring the progress of, or resistance to, a chronic infectious disease, for example in response to a drug or therapeutic vaccine. This is expected to be particularly useful for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
• CD4+ antigen-specific T cells following immunisation with experimental preventative vaccines, e.g. malaria.
• Subjects were healthy laboratory personnel or healthy adult volunteers, who were HLA typed serologically by complement mediated lymphocytotoxicity. 5 MHC Class l-restricted influenza epitopes were used and are listed in Table 1 .
• 96-well PVDF-backed plates were coated with 100 ⁇ l of 15 ⁇ g/ml of the anti-IFN- ⁇ Mab 1-DIK overnight at 4° or at room temperature for 3 hours. The plates were washed and then blocked with R10 (standard tissue culture medium containing 10% fetal calf serum) for 1 hour at room temperature. PBMC of the subjects were separated from heparinised whole blood by centrifugation, resuspended in R10 and added in a final volume of 100 ⁇ l R10/well to the 96-well PVDF backed microtitre plates. Input cell numbers were usually 5 x10 5 per well, and all assays were done in duplicate wells.
• R10 standard tissue culture medium containing 10% fetal calf serum
• Peptides were usually added to a final concentration of 1-2 ⁇ M, except in one peptide titration experiment where the concentration of the M1 58-66 peptide was diluted to 20 nM. Assays were usually performed for 12-14 hours, but certain assays were performed for 6 hours to confirm that the antigen-specific cells were capable of immediate effector function. Incubation was carried out at 37°C in an atmosphere containing 5% C0 2 . Incubation was arrested by shaking off the contents of the wells and washing.
• CD8+ T-cells from fresh PBMC with anti-CD8 antibody-coated magnetic beads completely abrogated the peptide-specific response, confirming that the effectors giving rise to the spots elicited by known Class l-restricted epitopes are CD8+ T lymphocytes. Conversely, depletion of CD4+ cells did not diminish the number of IFN- ⁇ SFCs, indicating that neither CD4+ nor their cytokine products were required for the acquisition or deployment of effector function by the freshly isolated peptide-specific CD8+ T cells.
• PBL peripheral blood lymphocytes
• ESAT-6 and antigen 85 are recognised by CD8+ lymphocytes in an MHC Class I restricted manner; others are recognised preferentially by CD4+ T cells.
• the sequences of ESAT-6 and antigen 85A, B and C were scanned with allele-specific peptide motifs for the HLA class I types -A2, - B7, -B8, -B35, -B52 and -B53 all of which were present in the study population.
• ESAT-6 sequences congruent with the peptide motifs for HLA-A2, -B8 and -B52 were identified; these peptides were synthesised and are displayed in Table 2. No sequences congruent with HLA-B7, -B35 and -B53 were present in ESAT-6 and thus no peptides were synthesised for these HLA class I alleles. Peptides were sorted into pools that were used for in vitro restimulation of donor PBMC. Peptides found to be CD8+ epitopes are shown in boldface. Similarly, 42 peptides were synthesised based on the sequences of antigens 85A and 85C. No CD8+ epitopes were identified amongst these and the peptides are not shown.
• 96-well PVDF-backed plates pre-coated with the anti-IFN- ⁇ mAb 1-DIK at 15 ⁇ g/ml were washed with RPMI and blocked with R10 for 1-h at room temperature.
• 500,000 freshly isolated uncultured PBMC were used per well.
• short term cell lines (STCL) or CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) or clones were washed x 2 in RPMI, resuspended in R10, and dispersed at known cell input number/well in duplicate wells. Responses were considered significant if a minimum of 10 SFCs were present per well and additionally this number was at least twice that in control wells.
• Peptide was added directly to the supernatant at a final concentration of 2 ⁇ l (free peptide). Plates were incubated for 12 hrs at 37°C, 5% C0 2 . After washing x 6 with phosphate buffered saline 0.05% Tween-20 to remove cells, plates were incubated for 3 hrs with the second biotinylated anti-IFN- ⁇ mAb 7-B6-1- biotin at 1 ⁇ g/ml. A further wash as above was followed by incubation with a 1 : 1000 dilution of streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase conjugate for 2 hrs. After another wash, chromogenic alkaline phosphatase substrate was added to the wells and 30 mins. later plates were washed with tap water. After drying, spot forming cells (SFC) were counted under x 20 magnification.
• SFC spot forming cells
• ESAT-6 Two CD8+ epitopes in ESAT-6 were identified.
• SFCs spot-forming cells
• IFN- ⁇ SFCs were detected in response to peptides ES12 and ES13, whose sequences are congruent with the HLA-B52 and HLA-A2.01 peptide motifs respectively.
• the frequency of ES12- and ES13-specific IFN- ⁇ SFCs is of the same order of magnitude as SFCs for HLA-A2.01 -restricted influenza matrix epitope M1 58-66.
• This patient also has HLA-B52 and -A2.01 and the magnitude of the ES12-specific response was similar to the response to the HLA-A2-restricted influenza matrix epitope.
• the assay method of this invention has been used effectively to track the induction of antigen-specific cellular immune responses induced by immunisation with a novel malaria vaccine candidate RTS.S.
• This vaccine candidate includes most but not all of the peptide sequence of the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) antigen, a 412 amino acid protein.
• CSP circumsporozoite protein
• PMBC of 10 healthy volunteers were obtained and analysed before, during and after a standard three-dose vaccination. 25 15-mer peptides spanning the entire amino acid sequence of the CSP antigen contained in RTS.S were used to detect epitope specific T-cells.
• An ex wVo ELISPOT assay for IFN- ⁇ was performed, using these peptides, generally as described in Examples 1 and 3 above.

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