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Vaccines
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The Role of Hemagglutinin in Influenza Viruses Infection
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The Role of Hemagglutinin in Influenza Viruses Infection

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2018) | Viewed by 22419

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Tony Velkov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
Interests: antimicrobial resistance; system pharmacology; antibiotics discovery and development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Vaccines is aimed at the role of hemagglutinin (HA) in influenza virus infection. The primary function of HA is to initiate internalization of the virus into the host cell by binding to host sialic acid receptors attached to membrane glycoproteins, glycophospholipids and proteoglycans. For human-to-human transmission, viral HA must efficiently bind to human cell surface receptors and possess the integral proteins that enable it to efficiently replicate in the cells of the human upper respiratory tract. The HA glycoprotein is the principal surface antigen on the influenza virus, and, as such, is a major target for neutralizing antibodies. Antigenic drift mutations that produce amino acid substitutions in HA allow influenza viruses to escape immune surveillance and cause seasonal influenza outbreaks. Epitope mapping using neutralizing monoclonal antibodies helps define mechanisms of antigenic drift, neutralizing escape and can facilitate pre-pandemic vaccine design. The contributions in this Special Issue are expected to provide much needed insights into the multi-faceted role of this complex surface protein in the transmission and infectivity of influenza viruses.

A/Prof. Dr. Tony Velkov
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Influenza
  • Infection
  • Virus hemagglutinin

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1149 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Birth Year, Age and Sex on Hemagglutination Inhibition Antibody Responses to Influenza Vaccination
by Ewan P. Plant, Angelia A. Eick-Cost, Hussein Ezzeldin, Jose L. Sanchez, Zhiping Ye and Michael J. Cooper
Vaccines 2018, 6(3), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines6030039 - 03 Jul 2018
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5052
Abstract
The first exposure to influenza is thought to impact subsequent immune responses later in life. The consequences of this can be seen during influenza epidemics and pandemics with differences in morbidity and mortality for different birth cohorts. There is a need for better [...] Read more.
The first exposure to influenza is thought to impact subsequent immune responses later in life. The consequences of this can be seen during influenza epidemics and pandemics with differences in morbidity and mortality for different birth cohorts. There is a need for better understanding of how vaccine responses are affected by early exposures to influenza viruses. In this analysis of hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody responses in two cohorts of military personnel we noticed differences related to age, sex, prior vaccination, deployment and birth year. These data suggest that HI antibody production, in response to influenza vaccination, is affected by these factors. The magnitude of this antibody response is associated with, among other factors, the influenza strain that circulated following birth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Hemagglutinin in Influenza Viruses Infection)
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Review

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12 pages, 6087 KiB  
Review
The Vestigial Esterase Domain of Haemagglutinin of H5N1 Avian Influenza A Virus: Antigenicity and Contribution to Viral Pathogenesis
by Zhiqiang Zheng, Subha Sankar Paul, Xiaobing Mo, Yu-Ren Adam Yuan and Yee-Joo Tan
Vaccines 2018, 6(3), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines6030053 - 10 Aug 2018
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 6004
Abstract
Initial attempts to develop monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics to resolve influenza infections focused mainly on searching for antibodies with the potential to neutralise the virus in vitro with classical haemagglutination inhibition and microneutralisation assays. This led to the identification of many antibodies that [...] Read more.
Initial attempts to develop monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics to resolve influenza infections focused mainly on searching for antibodies with the potential to neutralise the virus in vitro with classical haemagglutination inhibition and microneutralisation assays. This led to the identification of many antibodies that bind to the head domain of haemagglutinin (HA), which generally have potent neutralisation capabilities that block viral entry or viral membrane fusion. However, this class of antibodies has a narrow breadth of protection in that they are usually strain-specific. This led to the emphasis on stalk-targeting antibodies, which are able to bind a broad range of viral targets that span across different influenza subtypes. Recently, a third class of antibodies targeting the vestigial esterase (VE) domain have been characterised. In this review, we describe the key features of neutralising VE-targeting antibodies and compare them with head- and stalk-class antibodies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Hemagglutinin in Influenza Viruses Infection)
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14 pages, 1602 KiB  
Review
Neutralizing Anti-Hemagglutinin Monoclonal Antibodies Induced by Gene-Based Transfer Have Prophylactic and Therapeutic Effects on Influenza Virus Infection
by Tatsuya Yamazaki, Joe Chiba and Sachiko Akashi-Takamura
Vaccines 2018, 6(3), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines6030035 - 26 Jun 2018
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5677
Abstract
Hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza virus is a major target for vaccines. HA initiates the internalization of the virus into the host cell by binding to host sialic acid receptors; therefore, inhibition of HA can significantly prevent influenza virus infection. However, the high diversity [...] Read more.
Hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza virus is a major target for vaccines. HA initiates the internalization of the virus into the host cell by binding to host sialic acid receptors; therefore, inhibition of HA can significantly prevent influenza virus infection. However, the high diversity of HA permits the influenza virus to escape from host immunity. Moreover, the vaccine efficacy is poor in some high-risk populations (e.g., elderly or immunocompromised patients). Passive immunization with anti-HA monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is an attractive therapy; however, this method has high production costs and requires repeated inoculations. To address these issues, several methods for long-term expression of mAb against influenza virus have been developed. Here, we provide an overview of methods using plasmid and viral adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors that have been modified for higher expression of neutralizing antibodies in the host. We also examine two methods of injection, electro-transfer and hydrodynamic injection. Our results show that antibody gene transfer is effective against influenza virus infection even in immunocompromised mice, and antibody expression was detected in the serum and upper respiratory tract. We also demonstrate this method to be effective following influenza virus infection. Finally, we discuss the perspective of passive immunization with antibody gene transfer for future clinical trials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Hemagglutinin in Influenza Viruses Infection)
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1560 KiB  
Review
A Portrait of the Sialyl Glycan Receptor Specificity of the H10 Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin—A Picture of an Avian Virus on the Verge of Becoming a Pandemic?
by Elena K. Schneider, Jian Li and Tony Velkov
Vaccines 2017, 5(4), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines5040051 - 13 Dec 2017
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4952
Abstract
Pandemic influenza is a constant global threat to human health. In particular, the pandemic potential of novel avian influenza viruses such as the H10N7 and H10N8 avian strains, which recently managed to cross the species barrier from birds to humans, are always of [...] Read more.
Pandemic influenza is a constant global threat to human health. In particular, the pandemic potential of novel avian influenza viruses such as the H10N7 and H10N8 avian strains, which recently managed to cross the species barrier from birds to humans, are always of great concern as we are unlikely to have any prior immunity. Human and avian isolates of H10 influenza display the ability to rapidly adapt to replication in mammalian hosts. Fortunately, so far there is no evidence of efficient human-to-human transmission of any avian influenza virus. This review examines all of the available clinical and biological data for H10 influenza viruses with an emphasis on hemagglutinin as it is a major viral antigen that determines host range and immunity. The available glycan binding data on the influenza H10 hemagglutinin are discussed in a structure-recognition perspective. Importantly, this review raises the question of whether the emerging novel avian H10 influenza viruses truly represents a threat to global health that warrants close monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Hemagglutinin in Influenza Viruses Infection)
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