A la suite de l’interdiction des farines animales en alimentation animale, il est nécessaire de mettre au point des procédés simples et économiques pour les valoriser et les décontaminer vis-à-vis de la présence possible de prion pathogène. L’usage des microorganismes est une solution possible. Aussi, des collections de microorganismes capables de croître sur la kératine ou sur des farines animales et sécrétant des protéases capables de dégrader la PrPsc contenue dans les farines animales ont été criblées. Ceci a permis de découvrir trois souches de bactéries thermophiles, isolées de différentes sources chaudes réparties sur la planète, qui sont capables de dégrader la protéine prion infectieuse PrPsc et de croître sur un milieu composé de farines animales. Leur activité protéolytique, de type chymotrypsique pour l’essentiel, est maximale à la température de 60 à 80°C et focalisée sur certaines liaisons peptidiques qui sont nombreuses sur la protéine prion. Leur action découpe ainsi la protéine prion en morceaux plus courts inoffensifs. Les perspectives sont de mettre en oeuvre ces microorganismes thermophiles dont le patrimoine protéolytique permettrait la dégradation des farines animales, actuellement incinérées, et les protéines prions qu’elles renferment.

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is highly expressed in more than 90% of canine cancer cells and low to absent in normal cells. Given that immune tolerance to telomerase is easily broken both naturally and experimentally, telomerase is an attractive tumor associated antigen for cancer immunotherapy. Indeed, therapeutic trials using human telomerase peptides have been performed. We have developed an immunogenic yet catalytically inactive human telomerase DNA construct that is in clinical trials with patients presenting solid tumors. Paralleling this human construct, we have developed a canine telomerase DNA vaccine, called pDUV5. When administered intradermally to mice combined with electrogene transfer, pDUV5 induced canine TERT specific cytotoxic T-cells as measured by IFN-γ ELISpot assay. Intradermal vaccination of healthy dogs with 400 μg of pDUV5 generated strong, broad and long lasting TERT specific cellular immune responses. In vitro immunization with cTERT peptides revealed the maintenance of cTERT specific T-cells in PBMCs from tumor bearing dogs showing that this repertoire was not depleted. This study highlights the potential of pDUV5 as a cancer vaccine and supports its evaluation for the treatment of spontaneous canine tumors.

The efficacy of the routinely used anti-HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) therapy based on nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) is limited by the poor cellular uptake of the active triphosphorylated metabolites and the low efficiency of intracellular phosphorylation of their prodrugs. Nanoparticles of iron(III) polycarboxylate Metal-Organic Frameworks (nanoMOFs) are promising drug nanocarriers. In this study, two active triphosphorylated NRTIs, azidothymidine triphosphate (AZT-Tp) and lamivudine triphosphate (3TC-Tp), were successfully co-encapsulated into the biocompatible mesoporous iron(III) trimesate MIL-100(Fe) nanoMOF in order to improve anti-HIV therapies. The drug loaded nanoMOFs could be stored for up to 2-months and reconstituted after freeze drying, retaining similar physicochemical properties. Their antiretroviral activity was evidenced in vitro on monocyte-derived macrophages experimentally infected with HIV, making these co-encapsulated nanosystems excellent HIV-microbicide candidates.

Intracellular pathogenic microorganisms and toxins exploit host cell mechanisms to enter, exert their deleterious effects as well as hijack host nutrition for their development. A potential approach to treat multiple pathogen infections and that should not induce drug resistance is the use of small molecules that target host components. We identified the compound 1-adamantyl (5-bromo-2-methoxybenzyl) amine (ABMA) from a cell-based high throughput screening for its capacity to protect human cells and mice against ricin toxin without toxicity. This compound efficiently protects cells against various toxins and pathogens including viruses, intracellular bacteria and parasite. ABMA provokes Rab7-positive late endosomal compartment accumulation in mammalian cells without affecting other organelles (early endosomes, lysosomes, the Golgi apparatus, the endoplasmic reticulum or the nucleus). As the mechanism of action of ABMA is restricted to host-endosomal compartments, it reduces cell infection by pathogens that depend on this pathway to invade cells. ABMA may represent a novel class of broad-spectrum compounds with therapeutic potential against diverse severe infectious diseases.

Medical countermeasures to treat biothreat agent infections require broad-spectrum therapeutics that do not induce agent resistance. A cell-based high-throughput screen (HTS) against ricin toxin combined with hit optimization allowed selection of a family of compounds that meet these requirements. The hit compound Retro-2 and its derivatives have been demonstrated to be safe in vivo in mice even at high doses. Moreover, Retro-2 is an inhibitor of retrograde transport that affects syntaxin-5-dependent toxins and pathogens. As a consequence, it has a broad-spectrum activity that has been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo against ricin, Shiga toxin-producing O104:H4 entero-hemorrhagic E. coli and Leishmania sp. and in vitro against Ebola, Marburg and poxviruses and Chlamydiales. An effect is anticipated on other toxins or pathogens that use retrograde trafficking and syntaxin-5. Since Retro-2 targets cell components of the host and not directly the pathogen, no selection of resistant pathogens is expected. These lead compounds need now to be developed as drugs for human use.

Broadening our understanding of the abundance and phenotype of B cell subsets that are induced or perturbed by exogenous Ags will improve the vaccine evaluation process. Mass cytometry (CyTOF) is being used to increase the number of markers that can be investigated in single cells, and therefore characterize cell phenotype at an unprecedented level. We designed a panel of CyTOF Abs to compare the B cell response in cynomolgus macaques at baseline, and 8 and 28 d after the second homologous immunization with modified vaccinia virus Ankara. The spanning-tree progression analysis of density-normalized events (SPADE) algorithm was used to identify clusters of CD20(+) B cells. Our data revealed the phenotypic complexity and diversity of circulating B cells at steady-state and significant vaccine-induced changes in the proportions of some B cell clusters. All SPADE clusters, including those altered quantitatively by vaccination, were characterized phenotypically and compared using double hierarchical clustering. Vaccine-altered clusters composed of previously described subsets including CD27(hi)CD21(lo) activated memory and CD27(+)CD21(+) resting memory B cells, and subphenotypes with novel patterns of marker coexpression. The expansion, followed by the contraction, of a single memory B cell SPADE cluster was positively correlated with serum anti-vaccine Ab titers. Similar results were generated by a different algorithm, automatic classification of cellular expression by nonlinear stochastic embedding. In conclusion, we present an in-depth characterization of B cell subphenotypes and proportions, before and after vaccination, using a two-step clustering analysis of CyTOF data, which is suitable for longitudinal studies and B cell subsets and biomarkers discovery.

Amongst the many strategies aiming at inhibiting HIV-1 infection, blocking viral entry has been recently recognized as a very promising approach. Using diverse in vitro models and a broad range of HIV-1 primary patient isolates, we report here that IND02, a type A procyanidin polyphenol extracted from cinnamon, that features trimeric and pentameric forms displays an anti-HIV-1 activity against CXCR4 and CCR5 viruses with 1-7 μM ED50 for the trimer. Competition experiments, using a surface plasmon resonance-based binding assay, revealed that IND02 inhibited envelope binding to CD4 and heparan sulphate (HS) as well as to an antibody (mAb 17b) directed against the gp120 co-receptor binding site with an IC50 in the low μM range. IND02 has thus the remarkable property of simultaneously blocking gp120 binding to its major host cell surface counterparts. Additionally, the IND02-trimer impeded up-regulation of the inhibitory receptors Tim-3 and PD-1 on CD4+ and CD8+ cells, thereby demonstrating its beneficial effect by limiting T cell exhaustion. Among naturally derived products significantly inhibiting HIV-1, the IND02-trimer is the first component demonstrating an entry inhibition property through binding to the viral envelope glycoprotein. These data suggest that cinnamon, a widely consumed spice, could represent a novel and promising candidate for a cost-effective, natural entry inhibitor for HIV-1 which can also down-modulate T cell exhaustion markers Tim-3 and PD-1.

We evaluated the immunogenicity of a prime/boost vaccine strategy combining 5 lipopeptides (HIV-Lipo-5) and a recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA-HIV) in cynomolgus macaques. Both of these vaccine components deliver HIV LAI Gag, Pol, and Nef antigens. Systemic and local safety was excellent in all groups. Immunization with HIV-Lipo-5 alone induced significant serum anti-HIV antibody titers which were not modified by rMVA-HIV immunization. However, induction of T-cell responses, as measured by IFNγ and IL-2 producing cells upon short-term stimulation with HIV peptide pools, required combined immunization with rMVA-HIV. Responses were preferentially observed against Gag antigen. Interestingly, HIV-Lipo-5 efficiently primed HIV induced T-cell responses upon the injection of rMVA-HIV, which may help to reduce the required number of vector injections. Our results provide a rationale for the use of a strategy involving HIV-Lipo-5 priming followed by rMVA-HIV booster immunization as a prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine approach against HIV infection and AIDS.

Adenosine is a pleiotropic endogenous nucleoside with potential neuroprotective pharmacological activity. However, clinical use of adenosine is hampered by its extremely fast metabolization. To overcome this limitation, we recently developed a new squalenoyl nanomedicine of adenosine [Squalenoyl-Adenosine (SQAd)] by covalent linkage of this nucleoside to the squalene, a natural lipid. The resulting nanoassemblies (NAs) displayed a dramatic pharmacological activity both in cerebral ischemia and spinal cord injury pre-clinical models. The aim of the present study was to investigate the plasma profile and tissue distribution of SQAd NAs using both Squalenoyl-[3H]-Adenosine NAs and [14C]-Squalenoyl-Adenosine NAs as respective tracers of adenosine and squalene moieties of the SQAd bioconjugate. This study was completed by radio-HPLC analysis allowing to determine the metabolization profile of SQAd. We report here that SQAd NAs allowed a sustained circulation of adenosine under its prodrug form (SQAd) for at least 1h after intravenous administration, when free adenosine was metabolized within seconds after injection. Moreover, the squalenoylation of adenosine and its formulation as NAs also significantly modified biodistribution, as SQAd NAs were mainly captured by the liver and spleen, allowing a significant release of adenosine in the liver parenchyma. Altogether, these results suggest that SQAd NAs provided a reservoir of adenosine into the bloodstream which may explain the previously observed neuroprotective efficacy of SQAd NAs against cerebral ischemia and spinal cord injury.

RNA is a major drug target, but the design of small molecules that modulate RNA function remains a great challenge. In this context, a series of structurally homologous 'polyamide amino acids' (PAA) was studied as HIV-1 trans-activating response (TAR) RNA ligands. An extensive thermodynamic study revealed the occurence of an enthalpy-entropy compensation phenomenon resulting in very close TAR affinities for all PAA. However, their binding modes and their ability to compete with the Tat fragment strongly differ according to their structure. Surprisingly, PAA that form loose complexes with TAR were shown to be stronger Tat competitors than those forming tight ones, and thermal denaturation studies demonstrated that loose complexes are more stable than tight ones. This could be correlated to the fact that loose and tight ligands induce distinct RNA conformational changes as revealed by circular dichroism experiments, although nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments showed that the TAR binding site is the same in all cases. Finally, some loose PAA also display promising inhibitory activities on HIV-infected cells. Altogether, these results lead to a better understanding of RNA interaction modes that could be very useful for devising new ligands of relevant RNA targets.

Due to their hydrophilic nature, most nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) display a variable bioavailability after oral administration and a poor control over their biodistribution, thus hampering their access to HIV sanctuaries. The limited cellular uptake and activation in the triphosphate form of NRTIs further restrict their efficacy and favour the emergence of viral resistance. We have shown that the conjugation of squalene (sq) to the nucleoside analogues dideoxycytidine (ddC) and didanosine (ddI) leads to amphiphilic prodrugs (ddC-sq and ddI-sq) that spontaneously self-organize in water as stable nanoassemblies of 100-300 nm. These nanoassemblies can also be formulated with polyethylene glycol coupled to either cholesterol (Chol-PEG) or squalene (sq-PEG). When incubated with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in vitro infected with HIV, the NRTI-sq prodrugs enhanced the antiviral efficacy of the parent NRTIs, with a 2- to 3-fold decrease of the 50% effective doses and a nearly 2-fold increase of the selectivity index. This was also the case with HIV-1 strains resistant to ddC and/or ddI. The enhanced antiviral activity of ddI-sq was correlated with an up to 5-fold increase in the intracellular concentration of the corresponding pharmacologically active metabolite ddA-TP. The ddI-sq prodrug was further investigated in vivo by the oral route, the preferred route of administration of NRTIs. Pharmacokinetics studies performed on rats showed that the prodrug maintained low amounts of free ddI in the plasma. Administration of (3)H-ddI-sq led to radioactivity levels higher in the plasma and relevant organs in HIV infection as compared to administration of free (3)H-ddI. Taken together, these results show the potential of the squalenoylated prodrugs of NRTIs to enhance their absorption and improve their biodistribution, but also to enhance their intracellular delivery and antiviral efficacy towards HIV-infected cells.

Cancer progression has been associated with the presence of tumor-associated M2-macrophages (M2-TAMs) able to inhibit anti-tumor immune responses. It is also often associated with metastasis-induced bone destruction mediated by osteoclasts. Both cell types are controlled by the CD115 (CSF-1R)/colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1, M-CSF) pathway, making CD115 a promising target for cancer therapy. Anti-human CD115 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that inhibit the receptor function have been generated in a number of laboratories. These mAbs compete with CSF-1 binding to CD115, dramatically affecting monocyte survival and preventing osteoclast and macrophage differentiation, but they also block CD115/CSF-1 internalization and degradation, which could lead to potent rebound CSF-1 effects in patients after mAb treatment has ended. We thus generated and selected a non-ligand competitive anti-CD115 mAb that exerts only partial inhibitory effects on CD115 signaling without blocking the internalization or the degradation of the CD115/CSF-1 complex. This mAb, H27K15, affects monocyte survival only minimally, but downregulates osteoclast differentiation and activity. Importantly, it inhibits monocyte differentiation to CD163+CD64+ M2-polarized suppressor macrophages, skewing their differentiation toward CD14-CD1a+ dendritic cells (DCs). In line with this observation, H27K15 also drastically inhibits monocyte chemotactic protein-1 secretion and reduces interleukin-6 production; these two molecules are known to be involved in M2-macrophage recruitment. Thus, the non-depleting mAb H27K15 is a promising anti-tumor candidate, able to inhibit osteoclast differentiation, likely decreasing metastasis-induced osteolysis, and able to prevent M2 polarization of TAMs while inducing DCs, hence contributing to the creation of more efficient anti-tumor immune responses.

•The binding mode of piperazine derivatives with HIV-1 gp120 was predicted.•Impact of their conformational flexibility in their anti-HIV activity was inquired.•Results suggested their flexibility is more important than it has been assumed.

Nanoscale mesoporous iron carboxylates metal-organic frameworks (nanoMOFs) have recently emerged as promising platforms for drug delivery, showing biodegradability, biocompatibility and important loading capability of challenging highly water-soluble drugs such as azidothymidine tryphosphate (AZT-TP). In this study, nanoMOFs made of iron trimesate (MIL-100) were able to act as efficient molecular sponges, quickly adsorbing up to 24 wt% AZT-TP with entrapment efficiencies close to 100%, without perturbation of the supramolecular crystalline organization. These data are in agreement with molecular modelling predictions, indicating maximal loadings of 33 wt% and preferential location of the drug in the large cages. Spectrophotometry, isothermal titration calorimetry, and solid state NMR investigations enable to gain insight on the mechanism of interaction of AZT and AZT-TP with the nanoMOFs, pointing out the crucial role of phosphates strongly coordinating with the unsaturated iron(III) sites. Finally, contrarily to the free AZT-TP, the loaded nanoparticles efficiently penetrate and release their cargo of active triphosphorylated AZT inside major HIV target cells, efficiently protecting against HIV infection.

The HIV-1 envelope gp120, which features both the virus receptor (CD4) and coreceptor (CCR5/CXCR4) binding sites, offers multiple sites for therapeutic intervention. However, the latter becomes exposed, thus vulnerable to inhibition, only transiently when the virus has already bound cellular CD4. To pierce this defense mechanism, we engineered a series of heparan sulfate mimicking tridecapeptides and showed that one of them target the gp120 coreceptor binding site with μM affinity. Covalently linked to a CD4-mimetic that binds to gp120 and renders the coreceptor binding domain available to be targeted, the conjugated tridecapeptide now displays nanomolar affinity for its target. Using solubilized coreceptors captured on top of sensorchip we show that it inhibits gp120 binding to both CCR5 and CXCR4 and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells broadly inhibits HIV-1 replication with an IC(50) of 1 nM.

Twenty-six 9-aminoacridine derivatives were evaluated in cell-based assays for cytotoxicity and antiviral activity against a panel of 10 RNA and DNA viruses. While seven compounds (9, 10, 14, 19, 21, 22, 24) did not affect any virus and two (6, 11) were moderately active against CVB-5 or Reo-1, 17 compounds exhibited a marked specific activity against BVDV, prototype of pestiviruses which are responsible for severe diseases of livestock. Most anti-BVDV agents showed EC50 values in the range 0.1–8 μM, thus comparing favorably with the reference drugs ribavirine and NM 108. Some compounds, particularly those bearing a quinolizidinylalkyl side chain, displayed pronounced cytotoxicity. Further studies are warranted in order to achieve still better anti-BVDV agents, and to explore the potential antiproliferative activity of this kind of compounds.

New nanomedicines could improve drug accumulation in HIV sanctuaries and ameliorate their antiretroviral efficiency. In this view, we propose herein a combined strategy based on a biomimetic prodrug of ddI and its formulation in well-characterized lipid nanoobjects. The glycerolipidic prodrug of ddI (ProddINP) has been synthesized and its bulk structure was characterized. An appropriate formulation of this prodrug has been designed using a rational approach combining different physicochemical techniques. The high incorporation ratio of the prodrug into dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers was determined by DSC. Then two liposome preparation methods were compared, with respect to size, incorporation yield and molecular/supramolecular organization of vesicles. The best liposomal formulation of ProddINP has been checked to keep intact the anti-HIV activity of ddI. This formulation was finally compared to ddI after oral route in rat. The animal experiments evidenced the increase of ddI blood half life (3-fold) and its enhanced accumulation as prodrug form at 24h in numerous organs and especially intestine after administration of ProddINP in comparison with free drug. Finally, the tested liposomal formulation of ProddINP seems to be a promising approach to eradicate HIV infection from intestinal sanctuaries where the virus can concentrate.

4-(N)-1,1',2-Trisnor-squalenoyldideoxycytidine monophosphate (SQddC-MP) and 4-(N)-1,1',2-trisnorsqualenoylgemcitabine monophosphate (SQdFdC-MP) were synthesized using phosphoramidite chemistry. These amphiphilic molecules self-assembled to about hundred nanometers size nanoassemblies in aqueous medium. Nanoassemblies of SQddC-MP displayed significant anti-HIV activity whereas SQdFdC-MP nanoassemblies displayed promising anticancer activity on leukemia cells. These results suggested that squalene conjugate of negatively charged nucleotide analogues efficiently penetrated within cells. Thus, we propose a new prodrug strategy for improved delivery of nucleoside analogues to ameliorate their biological efficacy. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Based on a split-and-mix strategy, a library of trimeric Polyamide Amino Acids (PAA) incorporating four different amino acids (Lys, Ala, Arg, and Phe) has been prepared. Screening of the batches for HIV TAR RNA binding in a fluorescent assay allowed the identification of several components that interact with TAR RNA at a micromolar concentration, with a good TAR versus tRNA specificity. Some of these compounds compete efficiently with the association of TAR and Tat protein. In cell cultures, these compounds display a moderate antiviral activity, associated nevertheless with some toxicity. Overall, these results confirm that this new family can be a basis for the design of novel RNA targeting drugs.