Significance: Exosomes have been a subject of great interest in recent years, especially in the context of the microRNAs (miRNAs) that they contain. Exosome-mediated miRNA transfer between cells has been proposed to be a mechanism for intercellular signaling and exosome-associated miRNAs in biofluids have been suggested as potential minimally invasive biomarkers for multiple human disease states. Remarkably, we show here that most exosomes derived from standard preparations do not harbor many copies of miRNA molecules. These findings suggest a reevaluation of current models of the mechanism of exosome-mediated miRNA communication and indicate that stoichiometric analysis will be valuable for the study of other populations of extracellular vesicles and their associated RNAs as well.

Semen contains relatively ill-defined regulatory components that likely aid fertilization, but which could also interfere with defense against infection. Each ejaculate contains trillions of exosomes, membrane-enclosed subcellular microvesicles, which have immunosuppressive effects on cells important in the genital mucosa. Exosomes in general are believed to mediate inter-cellular communication, possibly by transferring small RNA molecules. We found that seminal exosome (SE) preparations contain a substantial amount of RNA from 20 to 100 nucleotides (nts) in length. We sequenced 20-40 and 40-100 nt fractions of SE RNA separately from six semen donors. We found various classes of small non-coding RNA, including microRNA (21.7% of the RNA in the 20-40 nt fraction) as well as abundant Y RNAs and tRNAs present in both fractions. Specific RNAs were consistently present in all donors. For example, 10 (of ∼2600 known) microRNAs constituted over 40% of mature microRNA in SE. Additionally, tRNA fragments were strongly enriched for 5'-ends of 18-19 or 30-34 nts in length; such tRNA fragments repress translation. Thus, SE could potentially deliver regulatory signals to the recipient mucosa via transfer of small RNA molecules.

The interleukin-1 family of cytokines are essential for the control of pathogenic microbes but are also responsible for devastating autoimmune pathologies. Consequently, tight regulation of inflammatory processes is essential for maintaining homeostasis. In mammals, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) is primarily regulated at two levels, transcription and processing. The main pathway for processing IL-1β is the inflammasome, a multiprotein complex that forms in the cytosol and which results in the activation of inflammatory caspase (caspase 1) and the subsequent cleavage and secretion of active IL-1β. Although zebrafish encode orthologs of IL-1β and inflammatory caspases, the processing of IL-1β by activated caspase(s) has never been examined. Here, we demonstrate that in response to infection with the fish-specific bacterial pathogenFrancisella noatunensis, primary leukocytes from adult zebrafish display caspase-1-like activity that results in IL-1β processing. Addition of caspase 1 or pancaspase inhibitors considerably abrogates IL-1β processing. As in mammals, this processing event is concurrent with the secretion of cleaved IL-1β into the culture medium. Furthermore, two putative zebrafish inflammatory caspase orthologs, caspase A and caspase B, are both able to cleave IL-1β, but with different specificities. These results represent the first demonstration of processing and secretion of zebrafish IL-1β in response to a pathogen, contributing to our understanding of the evolutionary processes governing the regulation of inflammation.

The envelope (Env) glycoprotein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the major target of neutralizing antibody responses and is likely to be a critical component of an effective vaccine against AIDS. Although monomeric HIV envelope subunit vaccines (gp120) have induced high-titer antibody responses and neutralizing antibodies against laboratory-adapted HIV-1 strains, they have failed to induce neutralizing antibodies against diverse heterologous primary HIV isolates. Most probably, the reason for this failure is that the antigenic structure(s) of these previously used immunogens does not mimic that of the functional HIV envelope, which is a trimer, and thus these immunogens do not elicit high titers of relevant functional antibodies. We recently reported that an Env glycoprotein immunogen (o-gp140SF162ΔV2) containing a partial deletion in the second variable loop (V2) derived from the R5-tropic HIV-1 isolate SF162, when used in a DNA priming-protein boosting vaccine regimen in rhesus macaques, induced neutralizing antibodies against heterologous subtype B primary isolates as well as protection to the vaccinated animals upon challenge with pathogenic SHIV_SF162P4 virus. Here we describe the purification of this protein to homogeneity, its characterization as trimer, and its ability to induce primary isolate-neutralizing responses in rhesus macaques. Optimal mutations in the primary and secondary protease cleavage sites of the env gene were identified that resulted in the stable secretion of a trimeric Env glycoprotein in mammalian cell cultures. We determined the molecular mass and hydrodynamic radius (R_h) using a triple detector analysis (TDA) system. The molecular mass of the oligomer was found to be 324 kDa, close to the expected M_w of a HIV envelope trimer protein (330 kDa), and the hydrodynamic radius was 7.27 nm. Negative staining electron microscopy of o-gp140SF162ΔV2 showed that it is a trimer with considerable structural flexibility and supported the data obtained by TDA. The structural integrity of the purified trimeric protein was also confirmed by determinations of its ability to bind the HIV receptor, CD4, and its ability to bind a panel of well-characterized neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. No deleterious effect of V2 loop deletion was observed on the structure and conformation of the protein, and several critical neutralization epitopes were preserved and well exposed on the purified o-gp140SF162ΔV2 protein. In an intranasal priming and intramuscular boosting regimen, this protein induced high titers of functional antibodies, which neutralized the vaccine strain, i.e., SF162. These results highlight a potential role for the trimeric o-gp140SF162ΔV2 Env immunogen in a successful HIV vaccine.

Immunization of macaques with the soluble oligomeric gp140 form of the SF162 envelope (SF162gp140) or with an SF162gp140-derived construct lacking the central region of the V2 loop (ΔV2gp140) results in the generation of high titers of antibodies capable of neutralizing the homologous human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), SF162 virus (Barnett et al. J. Virol.75:5526-5540, 2001). However, the ΔV2gp140 immunogen is more effective than the SF162gp140 immunogen in eliciting the generation of antibodies capable of neutralizing heterologous HIV-1 isolates. This indicates that deletion of the V2 loop alters the immunogenicity of the SF162gp140 protein. The present studies were aimed at identifying the envelope regions whose immunogenicity is altered following V2 loop deletion. We report that the antibodies elicited by the SF162gp140 immunogen recognize elements of the V1, V2, and V3 loops, the CD4-binding site, and the C1 and C2 regions on the homologous SF162 gp120. With the exception of the V1 and V2 loops, the same regions are recognized on heterologous gp120 proteins. Surprisingly, although a minority of the SF162gp140-elicited antibodies target the V3 loop on the homologous gp120, the majority of the antibodies elicited by this immunogen that are capable of binding to the heterologous gp120s tested recognize their V3 loops. Deletion of the V2 loop has two effects. First, it alters the immunogenicity of the V3 and V1 loops, and second, it renders the C5 region immunogenic. Although deletion of the V2 loop does not result in an increase in the immunogenicity of the CD4-binding site per se, the relative ratio of anti-CD4-binding site to anti-V3 loop antibodies that bind to the heterologous gp120s tested is higher in sera collected from the ΔV2gp140-immunized animals than in the SF162gp140-immunized animals. Overall, our studies indicate that it is possible to alter the immunogenic structure of the HIV envelope by introducing specific modifications.