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de Lima VA, Nunes JPS, Rosa DS, Ferreira R, Oliva MLV, Andreata‐Santos R, Duarte‐Barbosa M, Janini LMR, Maricato JT, Akamatsu MA, Ho PL, Schenkman S. Development and characterization of a multimeric recombinant protein using the spike protein receptor binding domain as an antigen to induce SARS-CoV-2 neutralization. Immun Inflamm Dis 2024; 12:e1353. [PMID: 39056544 PMCID: PMC11273545 DOI: 10.1002/iid3.1353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND SARS-CoV2 virus, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has four structural proteins and 16 nonstructural proteins. S-protein is one of the structural proteins exposed on the virus surface and is the main target for producing neutralizing antibodies and vaccines. The S-protein forms a trimer that can bind the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) through its receptor binding domain (RBD) for cell entry. AIMS The goal of this study was to express in HEK293 cells a new RBD recombinant protein in a constitutive and stable manner in order to use it as an alternative immunogen and diagnostic tool for COVID-19. MATERIALS & METHODS The protein was designed to contain an immunoglobulin signal sequence, an explanded C-terminal section of the RBD, a region responsible for the bacteriophage T4 trimerization inducer, and six histidines in the pCDNA-3.1 plasmid. Following transformation, the cells were selected with geneticin-G418 and purified from serum-fre culture supernatants using Ni2+-agarand size exclusion chromatography. The protein was structurally identified by cross-linking and circular dichroism experiments, and utilized to immunize mice in conjuction with AS03 or alum adjuvants. The mice sera were examined for antibody recognition, receptor-binding inhibition, and virus neutralization, while spleens were evaluated for γ-interferon production in the presence of RBD. RESULTS The protein released in the culture supernatant of cells, and exhibited a molecular mass of 135 kDa with a secondary structure like the monomeric and trimeric RBD. After purification, it formed a multimeric structure comprising trimers and hexamers, which were able to bind the ACE2 receptor. It generated high antibody titers in mice when combined with AS03 adjuvant (up to 1:50,000). The sera were capable of inhibiting binding of biotin-labeled ACE2 to the virus S1 subunit and could neutralize the entry of the Wuhan virus strain into cells at dilutions up to 1:2000. It produced specific IFN-γ producing cells in immunized mouse splenocytes. DISCUSSION Our data describe a new RBD containing protein, forming trimers and hexamers, which are able to induce a protective humoral and cellular response against SARS-CoV2. CONCLUSION These results add a new arsenal to combat COVID-19, as an alternative immunogen or antigen for diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica A. de Lima
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and ParasitologyUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - João P. S. Nunes
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and ParasitologyUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Daniela S. Rosa
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and ParasitologyUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Rodrigo Ferreira
- Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de MedicinaUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Maria L. V. Oliva
- Department of Biochemistry, Escola Paulista de MedicinaUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Robert Andreata‐Santos
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and ParasitologyUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Marcia Duarte‐Barbosa
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and ParasitologyUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Luiz M. R. Janini
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and ParasitologyUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Juliana T. Maricato
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and ParasitologyUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Milena A. Akamatsu
- Núcleo de Produção de Vacinas Bacterianas, Centro BioIndustrial, Instituto ButantanSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Paulo L. Ho
- Núcleo de Produção de Vacinas Bacterianas, Centro BioIndustrial, Instituto ButantanSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Sergio Schenkman
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and ParasitologyUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
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2
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Silva MDO, Castro-Amarante MF, Venceslau-Carvalho AA, Almeida BDS, Daher IP, de Souza-Silva GA, Yamamoto MM, Koike G, de Souza EE, Wrenger C, Ferreira LCDS, Boscardin SB. Enhanced Immunogenicity and Protective Effects against SARS-CoV-2 Following Immunization with a Recombinant RBD-IgG Chimeric Protein. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:356. [PMID: 38675739 PMCID: PMC11054318 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12040356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The unprecedented global impact caused by SARS-CoV-2 imposed huge health and economic challenges, highlighting the urgent need for safe and effective vaccines. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 is the major target for neutralizing antibodies and for vaccine formulations. Nonetheless, the low immunogenicity of the RBD requires the use of alternative strategies to enhance its immunological properties. Here, we evaluated the use of a subunit vaccine antigen generated after the genetic fusing of the RBD with a mouse IgG antibody. Subcutaneous administration of RBD-IgG led to the extended presence of the protein in the blood of immunized animals and enhanced RBD-specific IgG titers. Furthermore, RBD-IgG immunized mice elicited increased virus neutralizing antibody titers, measured both with pseudoviruses and with live original (Wuhan) SARS-CoV-2. Immunized K18-hACE2 mice were fully resistant to the lethal challenge of the Wuhan SARS-CoV-2, demonstrated by the control of body-weight loss and virus loads in their lungs and brains. Thus, we conclude that the genetic fusion of the RBD with an IgG molecule enhanced the immunogenicity of the antigen and the generation of virus-neutralizing antibodies, supporting the use of IgG chimeric antigens as an approach to improve the performance of SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariângela de Oliveira Silva
- Laboratory of Antigen Targeting to Dendritic Cells, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil; (M.d.O.S.)
| | - Maria Fernanda Castro-Amarante
- Laboratory of Vaccine Development, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Alexia Adrianne Venceslau-Carvalho
- Laboratory of Vaccine Development, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Bianca da Silva Almeida
- Laboratory of Antigen Targeting to Dendritic Cells, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil; (M.d.O.S.)
| | - Isabela Pazotti Daher
- Laboratory of Immunology, Heart Institute (InCor), School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Antonio de Souza-Silva
- Laboratory of Antigen Targeting to Dendritic Cells, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil; (M.d.O.S.)
| | - Marcio Massao Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Antigen Targeting to Dendritic Cells, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil; (M.d.O.S.)
| | - Gabriela Koike
- Laboratory of Antigen Targeting to Dendritic Cells, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil; (M.d.O.S.)
| | - Edmarcia Elisa de Souza
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Carsten Wrenger
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Luís Carlos de Souza Ferreira
- Laboratory of Vaccine Development, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Silvia Beatriz Boscardin
- Laboratory of Antigen Targeting to Dendritic Cells, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil; (M.d.O.S.)
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3
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Zhang T, Zheng N, Wang Z, Xu X. Structure-based design of oligomeric receptor-binding domain (RBD) recombinant proteins as potent vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023; 19:2174755. [PMID: 36846890 PMCID: PMC10026890 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2174755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 S protein is proved to be the major target of neutralizing antibodies. However, on the S protein, only a portion of epitopes in RBD can be effectively displayed with dynamic changes in spatial conformations. Using RBD fragment as antigen can better expose the neutralizing epitopes, but the immunogenicity of RBD monomer is suboptimal. Multimeric display of RBD molecules is a feasible strategy to optimize RBD-based vaccines. In this study, RBD single-chain dimer derived from Wuhan-Hu-1 was fused with a trimerization motif, and a cysteine was also introduced at the C-terminus. The resultant recombinant protein 2RBDpLC was expressed in Sf9 cells using a baculovirus expression system. Reducing/non-reducing PAGE, size-exclusion chromatography and in silico structure prediction indicated that 2RBDpLC polymerized and possibly formed RBD dodecamers through trimerization motif and intermolecular disulfide bonds. In mice, 2RBDpLC induced higher levels of RBD-specific and neutralizing antibody responses than RBD dimer, RBD trimer and prefusion-stabilized S protein (S2P). In addition, cross-neutralizing antibodies against Delta and Omicron VOC were also detected in the immune sera. Our results demonstrate that 2RBDpLC is a promising vaccine candidate, and the method of constructing dodecamers may be an effective strategy for designing RBD-based vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zhang
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ningchen Zheng
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zhirong Wang
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xuemei Xu
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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4
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Khan MS, Jakob V, Singh R, Rajmani RS, Kumar S, Lemoine C, Kleanthous H, Ringe RP, Dubois PM, Varadarajan R. Enhancing Immunogenicity of a Thermostable, Efficacious SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Formulation through Oligomerization and Adjuvant Choice. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2759. [PMID: 38140101 PMCID: PMC10747592 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15122759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently deployed SARS-CoV-2 vaccines all require storage at refrigerated or sub-zero temperatures. We demonstrate that after month-long incubation at 37 °C, solubilization, and formulation with squalene-in-water emulsion adjuvant, a stabilized receptor binding domain retains immunogenicity and protective efficacy. We also examine the effects of trimerization of the stabilized RBD, as well as of additional adjuvants, on both B and T-cell responses. The additional emulsion or liposome-based adjuvants contained a synthetic TLR-4 ligand and/or the saponin QS-21. Trimerization enhanced immunogenicity, with significant antibody titers detectable after a single immunization. Saponin-containing adjuvants elicited enhanced immunogenicity relative to both emulsion and aluminum hydroxide adjuvanted formulations lacking these immunostimulants. Trimeric RBD formulated with liposomal based adjuvant containing both TLR-4 ligand and saponin elicited a strongly Th1 biased response, with ~10-fold higher neutralization titers than the corresponding aluminum hydroxide adjuvanted formulation. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is now endemic in humans, and it is likely that periodic updating of vaccine formulations in response to viral evolution will continue to be required to protect vulnerable individuals. In this context, it is desirable to have efficacious, thermostable vaccine formulations to facilitate widespread vaccine coverage, including in low- and middle-income countries, where global access rights to clinically de-risked adjuvants will be important moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Suhail Khan
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India; (M.S.K.); (R.S.R.)
| | - Virginie Jakob
- Vaccine Formulation Institute, Rue du Champ-Blanchot 4, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland; (V.J.); (C.L.)
| | - Randhir Singh
- Mynvax Private Limited, 3rd Floor, Brigade MLR Centre, No. 50, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru 560004, India;
| | - Raju S. Rajmani
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India; (M.S.K.); (R.S.R.)
| | - Sahil Kumar
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh 160036, India; (S.K.); (R.P.R.)
| | - Céline Lemoine
- Vaccine Formulation Institute, Rue du Champ-Blanchot 4, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland; (V.J.); (C.L.)
| | | | - Rajesh P. Ringe
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh 160036, India; (S.K.); (R.P.R.)
| | - Patrice M. Dubois
- Vaccine Formulation Institute, Rue du Champ-Blanchot 4, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland; (V.J.); (C.L.)
| | - Raghavan Varadarajan
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India; (M.S.K.); (R.S.R.)
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5
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Hsieh HC, Chen CC, Chou PH, Liu WC, Wu SC. Induction of neutralizing antibodies and mucosal IgA through intranasal immunization with the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein fused with the type IIb E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin A subunit. Antiviral Res 2023; 220:105752. [PMID: 37949318 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infections had led to the COVID-19 pandemic which has a significant impact on global public health and the economy. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 contains the receptor binding domain (RBD) which binds to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor. Numerous RBD-based vaccines have been developed and recently focused on the induction of neutralizing antibodies against the immune evasive Omicron BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5 subvariants. In this preclinical study, we reported the use of a direct fusion of the type IIb Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin A subunit with SARS CoV-2 RBD protein (RBD-LTA) as an intranasal vaccine candidate. The results showed that intranasal immunization with the RBD-LTA fusion protein in BALB/c mice elicited potent neutralizing antibodies against the Wuhan-Hu-1 and several SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as the production of IgA antibodies in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs). Furthermore, the heterologous RBD representing the same strains used in the bivalent mRNA vaccine were used as a second-dose RBD-LTA/RBD protein booster after bivalent mRNA vaccination. The results showed that the neutralizing antibody titers elicited by the intranasal bivalent RBD-LTA/RBD protein booster were similar to the intramuscular bivalent mRNA booster, but the RBD-specific IgA titers in sera and BALFs significantly increased. Overall, this preclinical study suggests that the RBD-LTA fusion protein could be a promising candidate as a mucosal booster COVID-19 vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- He-Chin Hsieh
- Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
| | - Chung-Chu Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, 30071, Taiwan; Teaching Center of Natural Science, Minghsin University of Science and Technology, Hsinchu, 30401, Taiwan.
| | - Pin-Han Chou
- Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
| | - Wen-Chun Liu
- Biomedical Translation Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
| | - Suh-Chin Wu
- Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan; Department of Medical Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan; Adimmune Corporation, Taichung, 42723, Taiwan.
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6
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Kumar S, Delipan R, Chakraborty D, Kanjo K, Singh R, Singh N, Siddiqui S, Tyagi A, Jha V, Thakur KG, Pandey R, Varadarajan R, Ringe RP. Mutations in S2 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike strongly influence its conformation, fusogenicity, and neutralization sensitivity. J Virol 2023; 97:e0092223. [PMID: 37861334 PMCID: PMC10688319 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00922-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The Omicron subvariants have substantially evaded host-neutralizing antibodies and adopted an endosomal route of entry. The virus has acquired several mutations in the receptor binding domain and N-terminal domain of S1 subunit, but remarkably, also incorporated mutations in S2 which are fixed in Omicron sub-lineage. Here, we found that the mutations in the S2 subunit affect the structural and biological properties such as neutralization escape, entry route, fusogenicity, and protease requirement. In vivo, these mutations may have significant roles in tropism and replication. A detailed understanding of the effects of S2 mutations on Spike function, immune evasion, and viral entry would inform the vaccine design, as well as therapeutic interventions aiming to block the essential proteases for virus entry. Thus, our study has identified the crucial role of S2 mutations in stabilizing the Omicron spike and modulating neutralization resistance to antibodies targeting the S1 subunit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Kumar
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Rathina Delipan
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Kawkab Kanjo
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | | | - Nittu Singh
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Samreen Siddiqui
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Akansha Tyagi
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Vinitaa Jha
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Krishan G. Thakur
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Rajesh Pandey
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Delhi, India
| | | | - Rajesh P. Ringe
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
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7
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Mittal N, Kumar S, Rajmani RS, Singh R, Lemoine C, Jakob V, Bj S, Jagannath N, Bhat M, Chakraborty D, Pandey S, Jory A, Sa SS, Kleanthous H, Dubois P, Ringe RP, Varadarajan R. Enhanced protective efficacy of a thermostable RBD-S2 vaccine formulation against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:161. [PMID: 37880298 PMCID: PMC10600342 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00755-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
With the rapid emergence of variants of concern (VOC), the efficacy of currently licensed vaccines has reduced drastically. VOC mutations largely occur in the S1 subunit of Spike. The S2 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 is conserved and thus more likely to elicit broadly reactive immune responses that could improve protection. However, the contribution of the S2 subunit in improving the overall efficacy of vaccines remains unclear. Therefore, we designed, and evaluated the immunogenicity and protective potential of a stabilized SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) fused to a stabilized S2. Immunogens were expressed as soluble proteins with approximately fivefold higher purified yield than the Spike ectodomain and formulated along with Squalene-in-water emulsion (SWE) adjuvant. Immunization with S2 alone failed to elicit a neutralizing immune response, but significantly reduced lung viral titers in mice challenged with the heterologous Beta variant. In hamsters, SWE-formulated RS2 (a genetic fusion of stabilized RBD with S2) showed enhanced immunogenicity and efficacy relative to corresponding RBD and Spike formulations. Despite being based on the ancestral Wuhan strain of SARS-CoV-2, RS2 elicited broad neutralization, including against Omicron variants (BA.1, BA.5 and BF.7), and the clade 1a WIV-1 and SARS-CoV-1 strains. RS2 elicited sera showed enhanced competition with both S2 directed and RBD Class 4 directed broadly neutralizing antibodies, relative to RBD and Spike elicited sera. When lyophilized, RS2 retained antigenicity and immunogenicity even after incubation at 37 °C for a month. The data collectively suggest that the RS2 immunogen is a promising modality to combat SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nidhi Mittal
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012, India
| | - Sahil Kumar
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, 160036, India
| | - Raju S Rajmani
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012, India
| | - Randhir Singh
- Mynvax Private Limited; 3rd Floor, Brigade MLR Centre, No.50, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, 560004, India
| | - Céline Lemoine
- Vaccine Formulation Institute; Rue du Champ-Blanchod 4, 1228, Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland
| | - Virginie Jakob
- Vaccine Formulation Institute; Rue du Champ-Blanchod 4, 1228, Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland
| | - Sowrabha Bj
- Mynvax Private Limited; 3rd Floor, Brigade MLR Centre, No.50, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, 560004, India
| | - Nayana Jagannath
- Mynvax Private Limited; 3rd Floor, Brigade MLR Centre, No.50, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, 560004, India
| | - Madhuraj Bhat
- Mynvax Private Limited; 3rd Floor, Brigade MLR Centre, No.50, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, 560004, India
| | - Debajyoti Chakraborty
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012, India
| | - Suman Pandey
- Mynvax Private Limited; 3rd Floor, Brigade MLR Centre, No.50, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, 560004, India
| | - Aurélie Jory
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Suba Soundarya Sa
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | | | - Patrice Dubois
- Vaccine Formulation Institute; Rue du Champ-Blanchod 4, 1228, Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland
| | - Rajesh P Ringe
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, 160036, India.
| | - Raghavan Varadarajan
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012, India.
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8
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Pflumm D, Seidel A, Klein F, Groß R, Krutzke L, Kochanek S, Kroschel J, Münch J, Stifter K, Schirmbeck R. Heterologous DNA-prime/protein-boost immunization with a monomeric SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen redundantizes the trimeric receptor-binding domain structure to induce neutralizing antibodies in old mice. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1231274. [PMID: 37753087 PMCID: PMC10518615 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1231274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A multitude of alterations in the old immune system impair its functional integrity. Closely related, older individuals show, for example, a reduced responsiveness to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines. However, systematic strategies to specifically improve the efficacy of vaccines in the old are missing or limited to simple approaches like increasing the antigen concentration or injection frequencies. We here asked whether the intrinsic, trimeric structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) antigen and/or a DNA- or protein-based antigen delivery platform affects priming of functional antibody responses particularly in old mice. The used S-antigens were primarily defined by the presence/absence of the membrane-anchoring TM domain and the closely interlinked formation/non-formation of a trimeric structure of the receptor binding domain (S-RBD). Among others, we generated vectors expressing prefusion-stabilized, cell-associated (TM+) trimeric "S2-P" or secreted (TM-) monomeric "S6-PΔTM" antigens. These proteins were produced from vector-transfected HEK-293T cells under mild conditions by Strep-tag purification, revealing that cell-associated but not secreted S proteins tightly bound Hsp73 and Grp78 chaperones. We showed that both, TM-deficient S6-PΔTM and full-length S2-P antigens elicited very similar S-RBD-specific antibody titers and pseudovirus neutralization activities in young (2-3 months) mice through homologous DNA-prime/DNA-boost or protein-prime/protein-boost vaccination. The trimeric S2-P antigen induced high S-RBD-specific antibody responses in old (23-24 months) mice through DNA-prime/DNA-boost vaccination. Unexpectedly, the monomeric S6-PΔTM antigen induced very low S-RBD-specific antibody titers in old mice through homologous DNA-prime/DNA-boost or protein-prime/protein-boost vaccination. However, old mice efficiently elicited an S-RBD-specific antibody response after heterologous DNA-prime/protein-boost immunization with the S6-PΔTM antigen, and antibody titers even reached similar levels and neutralizing activities as in young mice and also cross-reacted with different S-variants of concern. The old immune system thus distinguished between trimeric and monomeric S protein conformations: it remained antigen responsive to the trimeric S2-P antigen, and a simple change in the vaccine delivery regimen was sufficient to unleash its reactivity to the monomeric S6-PΔTM antigen. This clearly shows that both the antigen structure and the delivery platform are crucial to efficiently prime humoral immune responses in old mice and might be relevant for designing "age-adapted" vaccine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Pflumm
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Alina Seidel
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Fabrice Klein
- Department of Gene Therapy, University Hospital of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Groß
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Lea Krutzke
- Department of Gene Therapy, University Hospital of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Stefan Kochanek
- Department of Gene Therapy, University Hospital of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Joris Kroschel
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jan Münch
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Katja Stifter
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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9
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Li F, Feng X, Huang J, Zhang M, Liu W, Wang X, Zhu R, Wang X, Wang P, Yu B, Li W, Qiao ZA, Yu X. Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica as a Nanoadjuvant for Subunit Vaccines Elicits Potent Antigen-Specific Germinal Center Responses by Activating Naive B Cells. ACS NANO 2023; 17:15424-15440. [PMID: 37552584 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c00991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Infection diseases such as AIDS and COVID-19 remain challenging in regard to protective vaccine design, while adjuvants are critical for subunit vaccines to induce strong, broad, and durable immune responses against variable pathogens. Here, we demonstrate that periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) acts as a multifunctional nanoadjuvant by adsorbing recombinant protein antigens. It can effectively deliver antigens to lymph nodes (LNs), prolong antigen exposure, and rapidly elicit germinal center (GC) responses by directly activating naive B cells via the C-type lectin receptor signaling pathway. In mice, both the gp120 trimer (HIV-1 antigen) and the receptor-binding domain (SARS-CoV-2 antigen) with the PMO nanoadjuvant elicit potent and durable antibodies that neutralize heterologous virus strains. LN immune cells analysis shows that PMO helps to effectively activate the T-follicular helper cells, GC B cells, and memory B cells and eventually develop broad and durable humoral responses. Moreover, the PMO nanoadjuvant elicits a strong cellular immune response and shapes this immune response by eliciting high levels of effector T helper cell cytokines. This study identifies a promising nanoadjuvant for subunit vaccines against multiple pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangshen Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Xinyao Feng
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Jiaxing Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, Jilin, China
| | - Mo Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Wenmo Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Xupu Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Rui Zhu
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Xun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Pengfei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Bin Yu
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Lab of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhen-An Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, Jilin, China
| | - Xianghui Yu
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering, the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
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10
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Green EA, Hamaker NK, Lee KH. Comparison of vector elements and process conditions in transient and stable suspension HEK293 platforms using SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain as a model protein. BMC Biotechnol 2023; 23:7. [PMID: 36882740 PMCID: PMC9990576 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-023-00777-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mammalian cell lines are frequently used as protein expression hosts because of their ability to correctly fold and assemble complex proteins, produce them at high titers, and confer post-translational modifications (PTMs) critical to proper function. Increasing demand for proteins with human-like PTMs, particularly viral proteins and vectors, have made human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells an increasingly popular host. The need to engineer more productive HEK293 platforms and the ongoing nature of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic presented an opportunity to study strategies to improve viral protein expression in transient and stable HEK293 platforms. RESULTS Initial process development was done at 24 deep well plate (DWP) -scale to screen transient processes and stable clonal cell lines for recombinant SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (rRBD) titer. Nine DNA vectors that drove rRBD production under different promoters and optionally contained Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) elements to promote episomal expression were screened for transient rRBD production at 37 °C or 32 °C. Use of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter to drive expression at 32 °C led to the highest transient protein titers, but inclusion of episomal expression elements did not augment titer. In parallel, four clonal cell lines with titers higher than that of the selected stable pool were identified in a batch screen. Flask-scale transient transfection and stable fed-batch processes were then established that produced rRBD up to 100 mg/L and 140 mg/L, respectively. While a bio-layer interferometry (BLI) assay was crucial for efficiently screening DWP batch titers, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to compare titers from the flask-scale batches due to varying matrix effects from different cell culture media compositions. CONCLUSION Comparing yields from the flask-scale batches revealed that stable fed-batch cultures produced up to 2.1x more rRBD than transient processes. The stable cell lines developed in this work are the first reported clonal, HEK293-derived rRBD producers and have titers up to 140 mg/L. As stable production platforms are more economically favorable for long-term protein production at large scales, investigation of strategies to increase the efficiency of high-titer stable cell line generation in Expi293F or other HEK293 hosts is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica A Green
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 590 Avenue 1743, Newark, Delaware, 19713, USA
| | - Nathaniel K Hamaker
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 590 Avenue 1743, Newark, Delaware, 19713, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 590 Avenue 1743, Newark, Delaware, 19713, USA.
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11
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Pal S, Mehta P, Pandey A, Ara A, Ghoshal U, Ghoshal UC, Pandey R, Tripathi RK, Yadav PN, Ravishankar R, Kundu TK, Rajender S. Molecular determinants associated with temporal succession of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Uttar Pradesh, India. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:986729. [PMID: 36819024 PMCID: PMC9929466 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.986729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and rapid evolution of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a global crisis that required a detailed characterization of the dynamics of mutational pattern of the viral genome for comprehending its epidemiology, pathogenesis and containment. We investigated the molecular evolution of the SASR-CoV-2 genome during the first, second and third waves of COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh, India. Nanopore sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 genome was undertaken in 544 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which included vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. In the first wave (unvaccinated population), the 20A clade (56.32%) was superior that was replaced by 21A Delta in the second wave, which was more often seen in vaccinated individuals in comparison to unvaccinated (75.84% versus 16.17%, respectively). Subsequently, 21A delta got outcompeted by Omicron (71.8%), especially the 21L variant, in the third wave. We noticed that Q677H appeared in 20A Alpha and stayed up to Delta, D614G appeared in 20A Alpha and stayed in Delta and Omicron variants (got fixed), and several other mutations appeared in Delta and stayed in Omicron. A cross-sectional analysis of the vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals during the second wave revealed signature combinations of E156G, F157Del, L452R, T478K, D614G mutations in the Spike protein that might have facilitated vaccination breach in India. Interestingly, some of these mutation combinations were carried forward from Delta to Omicron. In silico protein docking showed that Omicron had a higher binding affinity with the host ACE2 receptor, resulting in enhanced infectivity of Omicron over the Delta variant. This work has identified the combinations of key mutations causing vaccination breach in India and provided insights into the change of [virus's] binding affinity with evolution, resulting in more virulence in Delta and more infectivity in Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2. Our findings will help in understanding the COVID-19 disease biology and guide further surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 genome to facilitate the development of vaccines with better efficacies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smita Pal
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow, India
| | - Poonam Mehta
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow, India,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Ankita Pandey
- Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
| | - Anam Ara
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow, India
| | - Ujjala Ghoshal
- Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
| | - Uday C. Ghoshal
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
| | - Rajesh Pandey
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India,CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, India
| | - Raj Kamal Tripathi
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow, India,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Prem N. Yadav
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow, India,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Ramachandran Ravishankar
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow, India,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Tapas K. Kundu
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow, India,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India,Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, India
| | - Singh Rajender
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow, India,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India,*Correspondence: Singh Rajender, ✉
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12
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Zhang T, Wang Z, Yang J, Xu X. Immunogenicity of novel DNA vaccines encoding receptor-binding domain (RBD) dimer-Fc fusing antigens derived from different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28563. [PMID: 36755368 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
The continuously emerging of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 variants of concern (VOCs) led to a decline in effectiveness of the first-generation vaccines. Therefore, optimized vaccines and vaccination strategies, which show advantages in protecting against VOCs, are urgently needed. Here we constructed an optimized DNA vaccine plasmid containing built-in CpG adjuvant, and designed vaccine candidates encoding five forms of antigens derived from Wuhan-Hu-1. The results showed that plasmid with receptor binding domain (RBD) dimer-Fc fusing antigen (2RBD-Fc) induced the highest level of RBD-specific IgG and neutralizing antibodies in mice. Then 2dRBD-Fc and 2omRBD-Fc vaccines, respectively derived from delta and omicron VOCs, were constructed. The 2dRBD-Fc induced potent humoral and cellular immune responses, while the immunogenicity of 2omRBD-Fc was low. We also observed that sequential immunization with 2RBD-Fc, 2dRBD-Fc and 2omRBD-Fc effectively elicited neutralizing antibodies against each immunized strain, and RBD-specific T cell responses. To be noted, the Wuhan-Hu-1, delta and omicron neutralizing antibody titers induced by sequential immunization were comparable to that induced by repetitive immunization with 2RBD-Fc, 2dRBD-Fc or 2omRBD-Fc respectively. The results suggest that sequential immunization with DNA vaccines encoding potent antigens derived from different VOCs, may be a promising strategy to elicit immune responses against multiple variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zhang
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhirong Wang
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaojiao Yang
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuemei Xu
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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13
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Khaleeq S, Sengupta N, Kumar S, Patel UR, Rajmani RS, Reddy P, Pandey S, Singh R, Dutta S, Ringe RP, Varadarajan R. Neutralizing Efficacy of Encapsulin Nanoparticles against SARS-CoV2 Variants of Concern. Viruses 2023; 15:346. [PMID: 36851560 PMCID: PMC9961482 DOI: 10.3390/v15020346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapid emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 variants has dampened the protective efficacy of existing authorized vaccines. Nanoparticle platforms offer a means to improve vaccine immunogenicity by presenting multiple copies of desired antigens in a repetitive manner which closely mimics natural infection. We have applied nanoparticle display combined with the SpyTag-SpyCatcher system to design encapsulin-mRBD, a nanoparticle vaccine displaying 180 copies of the monomeric SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD). Here we show that encapsulin-mRBD is strongly antigenic and thermotolerant for long durations. After two immunizations, squalene-in-water emulsion (SWE)-adjuvanted encapsulin-mRBD in mice induces potent and comparable neutralizing antibody titers of 105 against wild-type (B.1), alpha, beta, and delta variants of concern. Sera also neutralizes the recent Omicron with appreciable neutralization titers, and significant neutralization is observed even after a single immunization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Khaleeq
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
| | - Nayanika Sengupta
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
| | - Sahil Kumar
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh 160036, India
| | - Unnatiben Rajeshbhai Patel
- Mynvax Private Limited, 3rd Floor, Brigade MLR Centre, No. 50, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru 560004, India
| | - Raju S. Rajmani
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
| | - Poorvi Reddy
- Mynvax Private Limited, 3rd Floor, Brigade MLR Centre, No. 50, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru 560004, India
| | - Suman Pandey
- Mynvax Private Limited, 3rd Floor, Brigade MLR Centre, No. 50, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru 560004, India
| | - Randhir Singh
- Mynvax Private Limited, 3rd Floor, Brigade MLR Centre, No. 50, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru 560004, India
| | - Somnath Dutta
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
| | - Rajesh P. Ringe
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh 160036, India
| | - Raghavan Varadarajan
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
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14
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Valenzuela-Fernández A, Cabrera-Rodriguez R, Ciuffreda L, Perez-Yanes S, Estevez-Herrera J, González-Montelongo R, Alcoba-Florez J, Trujillo-González R, García-Martínez de Artola D, Gil-Campesino H, Díez-Gil O, Lorenzo-Salazar JM, Flores C, Garcia-Luis J. Nanomaterials to combat SARS-CoV-2: Strategies to prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1052436. [PMID: 36507266 PMCID: PMC9732709 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1052436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the associated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which severely affect the respiratory system and several organs and tissues, and may lead to death, have shown how science can respond when challenged by a global emergency, offering as a response a myriad of rapid technological developments. Development of vaccines at lightning speed is one of them. SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks have stressed healthcare systems, questioning patients care by using standard non-adapted therapies and diagnostic tools. In this scenario, nanotechnology has offered new tools, techniques and opportunities for prevention, for rapid, accurate and sensitive diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. In this review, we focus on the nanotechnological applications and nano-based materials (i.e., personal protective equipment) to combat SARS-CoV-2 transmission, infection, organ damage and for the development of new tools for virosurveillance, diagnose and immune protection by mRNA and other nano-based vaccines. All the nano-based developed tools have allowed a historical, unprecedented, real time epidemiological surveillance and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, at community and international levels. The nano-based technology has help to predict and detect how this Sarbecovirus is mutating and the severity of the associated COVID-19 disease, thereby assisting the administration and public health services to make decisions and measures for preparedness against the emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 and severe or lethal COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Valenzuela-Fernández
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Romina Cabrera-Rodriguez
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Laura Ciuffreda
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Silvia Perez-Yanes
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Judith Estevez-Herrera
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | | | - Julia Alcoba-Florez
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Rodrigo Trujillo-González
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
- Departamento de Análisis Matemático, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | | | - Helena Gil-Campesino
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Oscar Díez-Gil
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - José M. Lorenzo-Salazar
- Genomics Division, Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Carlos Flores
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Genomics Division, Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Fernando Pessoa Canarias, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Jonay Garcia-Luis
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
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15
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Khatri B, Pramanick I, Malladi SK, Rajmani RS, Kumar S, Ghosh P, Sengupta N, Rahisuddin R, Kumar N, Kumaran S, Ringe RP, Varadarajan R, Dutta S, Chatterjee J. A dimeric proteomimetic prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection by dimerizing the spike protein. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:1046-1055. [PMID: 35654847 PMCID: PMC9512702 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01060-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Protein tertiary structure mimetics are valuable tools to target large protein-protein interaction interfaces. Here, we demonstrate a strategy for designing dimeric helix-hairpin motifs from a previously reported three-helix-bundle miniprotein that targets the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Through truncation of the third helix and optimization of the interhelical loop residues of the miniprotein, we developed a thermostable dimeric helix-hairpin. The dimeric four-helix bundle competes with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in binding to RBD with 2:2 stoichiometry. Cryogenic-electron microscopy revealed the formation of dimeric spike ectodomain trimer by the four-helix bundle, where all the three RBDs from either spike protein are attached head-to-head in an open conformation, revealing a novel mechanism for virus neutralization. The proteomimetic protects hamsters from high dose viral challenge with replicative SARS-CoV-2 viruses, demonstrating the promise of this class of peptides that inhibit protein-protein interaction through target dimerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavesh Khatri
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Ishika Pramanick
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | | | - Raju S Rajmani
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Sahil Kumar
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Pritha Ghosh
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Nayanika Sengupta
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - R Rahisuddin
- Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Narender Kumar
- Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - S Kumaran
- Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Rajesh P Ringe
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Somnath Dutta
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
| | - Jayanta Chatterjee
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
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16
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Russell FA, Trim LK, Savi FM, Simon C, Dargaville TR, Hutmacher DW, Beagley KW. Controlled release vaccine implants for delivery of booster immunisations. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2022; 253:110484. [PMID: 36174421 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2022.110484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Most current animal vaccine regimes involve a primary vaccination followed sometime later by a booster vaccination. This presents challenges when vaccinating difficult to access animals such as livestock. Mustering livestock to deliver a vaccine boost is costly and stressful for animals. Thus, we have produced a platform system that can be administered at the same time as the priming immunisation and delivers payload after an appropriate delay time to boost the immune response, without need for further handling of animals. A 30 × 2 mm osmotically triggered polymer implant device with burst-release characteristics delivered the booster dose of a tetanus vaccine. Blood samples were collected from an experimental group that received the priming vaccine and implant on day 0 and control group that received the initial vaccine (tetanus toxoid) and then a bolus dose 28 days later via subcutaneous injection. The two groups showed identical weight gain curves. T cell proliferation following in vitro stimulation with antigen was identical between the two groups at all time points. However, serum IgG antibody responses to the tetanus toxoid antigen were significantly higher in the control group at weeks 8 and 12. The implant capsules stayed at the site of implantation and at week 12 there was evidence of tissue integration. No local reactions at the implant site were observed, other than mild thickening of the skin in half of the experimental group animals and no other adverse health events were recorded in either group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freya A Russell
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
| | - Logan K Trim
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Centre for Immunology and Infection Control (CIIC), 300 Herston Road, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Flavia Medeiros Savi
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Craig Simon
- Medical Engineering Research Facility, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
| | - Tim R Dargaville
- Centre for Materials Science, School of Chemistry and Physics, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
| | - Dietmar W Hutmacher
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia; Center for Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Kenneth W Beagley
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Centre for Immunology and Infection Control (CIIC), 300 Herston Road, QLD 4006, Australia.
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17
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Choque-Guevara R, Poma-Acevedo A, Montesinos-Millán R, Rios-Matos D, Gutiérrez-Manchay K, Montalvan-Avalos A, Quiñones-Garcia S, Cauti-Mendoza MDG, Agurto-Arteaga A, Ramirez-Ortiz I, Criollo-Orozco M, Huaccachi-Gonzales E, Romero YK, Perez-Martinez N, Isasi-Rivas G, Sernaque-Aguilar Y, Villanueva-Pérez D, Ygnacio F, Vallejos-Sánchez K, Fernández-Sánchez M, Guevara-Sarmiento LA, Fernández-Díaz M, Zimic M. Squalene in oil-based adjuvant improves the immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 RBD and confirms safety in animal models. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269823. [PMID: 35998134 PMCID: PMC9397949 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of vaccines against its etiologic agent, SARS-CoV-2. However, the emergence of new variants of the virus lead to the generation of new alternatives to improve the current sub-unit vaccines in development. In the present report, the immunogenicity of the Spike RBD of SARS-CoV-2 formulated with an oil-in-water emulsion and a water-in-oil emulsion with squalene was evaluated in mice and hamsters. The RBD protein was expressed in insect cells and purified by chromatography until >95% purity. The protein was shown to have the appropriate folding as determined by ELISA and flow cytometry binding assays to its receptor, as well as by its detection by hamster immune anti-S1 sera under non-reducing conditions. In immunization assays, although the cellular immune response elicited by both adjuvants were similar, the formulation based in water-in-oil emulsion and squalene generated an earlier humoral response as determined by ELISA. Similarly, this formulation was able to stimulate neutralizing antibodies in hamsters. The vaccine candidate was shown to be safe, as demonstrated by the histopathological analysis in lungs, liver and kidney. These results have shown the potential of this formulation vaccine to be evaluated in a challenge against SARS-CoV-2 and determine its ability to confer protection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Dora Rios-Matos
- Laboratorios de investigación y desarrollo, FARVET SAC, Chincha, Ica, Perú
| | | | | | - Stefany Quiñones-Garcia
- Laboratorios de investigación y desarrollo, FARVET SAC, Chincha, Ica, Perú
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática, Biología Molecular y Desarrollos Tecnológicos, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Maria de Grecia Cauti-Mendoza
- Laboratorios de investigación y desarrollo, FARVET SAC, Chincha, Ica, Perú
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática, Biología Molecular y Desarrollos Tecnológicos, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | | | | | | | | | - Yomara K. Romero
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática, Biología Molecular y Desarrollos Tecnológicos, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Gisela Isasi-Rivas
- Laboratorios de investigación y desarrollo, FARVET SAC, Chincha, Ica, Perú
| | | | | | - Freddy Ygnacio
- Laboratorios de investigación y desarrollo, FARVET SAC, Chincha, Ica, Perú
| | - Katherine Vallejos-Sánchez
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática, Biología Molecular y Desarrollos Tecnológicos, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | | | | | | | - Mirko Zimic
- Laboratorios de investigación y desarrollo, FARVET SAC, Chincha, Ica, Perú
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática, Biología Molecular y Desarrollos Tecnológicos, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- * E-mail:
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18
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Overduin M, Kervin TA, Tran A. Progressive membrane-binding mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 variant spike proteins. iScience 2022; 25:104722. [PMID: 35813872 PMCID: PMC9251956 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane recognition by viral spike proteins is critical for infection. Here we show the host cell membrane-binding surfaces of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike variants Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Kappa, and Omicron as well as SARS-CoV-1 and pangolin and bat relatives. They show increases in membrane binding propensities over time, with all spike head mutations in variants, and particularly BA.1, impacting the protein's affinity to cell membranes. Comparison of hundreds of structures yields a progressive model of membrane docking in which spike protein trimers shift from initial perpendicular stances to increasingly tilted positions that draw viral particles alongside host cell membranes before optionally engaging angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. This culminates in the assembly of the symmetric fusion apparatus, with enhanced membrane interactions of variants explaining their unique cell fusion capacities and COVID-19 disease transmission rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Overduin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Troy A. Kervin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Anh Tran
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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19
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RG203KR Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid: Assessing the Impact Using a Virus-Like Particle Model System. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0078122. [PMID: 35862952 PMCID: PMC9430728 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00781-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Since its origin in late 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been constantly mutating and evolving. Current studies mostly employ spike protein (S) pseudovirus systems to determine the effects of mutations on the infectivity and immunogenicity of variants.
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20
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Kar U, Khaleeq S, Garg P, Bhat M, Reddy P, Vignesh VS, Upadhyaya A, Das M, Chakshusmathi G, Pandey S, Dutta S, Varadarajan R. Comparative Immunogenicity of Bacterially Expressed Soluble Trimers and Nanoparticle Displayed Influenza Hemagglutinin Stem Immunogens. Front Immunol 2022; 13:890622. [PMID: 35720346 PMCID: PMC9204493 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.890622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Current influenza vaccines need to be updated annually due to mutations in the globular head of the viral surface protein, hemagglutinin (HA). To address this, vaccine candidates have been designed based on the relatively conserved HA stem domain and have shown protective efficacy in animal models. Oligomerization of the antigens either by fusion to oligomerization motifs or display on self-assembling nanoparticle scaffolds, can induce more potent immune responses compared to the corresponding monomeric antigen due to multivalent engagement of B-cells. Since nanoparticle display can increase manufacturing complexity, and often involves one or more mammalian cell expressed components, it is important to characterize and compare various display and oligomerization scaffolds. Using a structure guided approach, we successfully displayed multiple copies of a previously designed soluble, trimeric influenza stem domain immunogen, pH1HA10, on the ferritin like protein, MsDps2 (12 copies), Ferritin (24 copies) and Encapsulin (180 copies). All proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli. The nanoparticle fusion immunogens were found to be well folded and bound to the influenza stem directed broadly neutralizing antibodies with high affinity. An 8.5 Å Cryo-EM map of Msdps2-pH1HA10 confirmed the successful design of the nanoparticle fusion immunogen. Mice immunization studies with the soluble trimeric stem and nanoparticle fusion constructs revealed that all of them were immunogenic, and protected mice against homologous (A/Belgium/145-MA/2009) and heterologous (A/Puerto Rico/8/1934) challenge with 10MLD50 mouse adapted virus. Although nanoparticle display conferred a small but statistically significant improvement in protection relative to the soluble trimer in a homologous challenge, heterologous protection was similar in both nanoparticle-stem immunized and trimeric stem immunized groups. Such rapidly producible, bacterially expressed antigens and nanoparticle scaffolds are useful modalities to tackle future influenza pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uddipan Kar
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Sara Khaleeq
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Priyanka Garg
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Madhuraj Bhat
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Poorvi Reddy
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Aditya Upadhyaya
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Mili Das
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Ghadiyaram Chakshusmathi
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Suman Pandey
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Somnath Dutta
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
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21
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Singanallur NB, van Vuren PJ, McAuley AJ, Bruce MP, Kuiper MJ, Gwini SM, Riddell S, Goldie S, Drew TW, Blasdell KR, Tachedjian M, Mangalaganesh S, Chahal S, Caly L, Druce JD, Juno JA, Kent SJ, Wheatley AK, Vasan SS. At Least Three Doses of Leading Vaccines Essential for Neutralisation of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant. Front Immunol 2022; 13:883612. [PMID: 35655773 PMCID: PMC9152325 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.883612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasma samples taken at different time points from donors who received either AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) or Pfizer (Comirnaty) or Moderna (Spikevax) coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) vaccine were assessed in virus neutralization assays against Delta and Omicron variants of concern and a reference isolate (VIC31). With the Pfizer vaccine there was 6-8-fold reduction in 50% neutralizing antibody titres (NT50) against Delta and VIC31 at 6 months compared to 2 weeks after the second dose; followed by 25-fold increase at 2 weeks after the third dose. Neutralisation of Omicron was only consistently observed 2 weeks after the third dose, with most samples having titres below the limit of detection at earlier timepoints. Moderna results were similar to Pfizer at 2 weeks after the second dose, while the titres for AstraZeneca samples derived from older donors were 7-fold lower against VIC31 and below the limit of detection against Delta and Omicron. Age and gender were not found to significantly impact our results. These findings indicate that vaccine matching may be needed, and that at least a third dose of these vaccines is necessary to generate sufficient neutralising antibodies against emerging variants of concern, especially Omicron, amidst the challenges of ensuring vaccine equity worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nagendrakumar B. Singanallur
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Petrus Jansen van Vuren
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Alexander J. McAuley
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Matthew P. Bruce
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael J. Kuiper
- Data61, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Docklands, VIC, Australia
| | - Stella M. Gwini
- University Hospital Geelong, Barwon Health, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Shane Riddell
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Sarah Goldie
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Trevor W. Drew
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Kim R. Blasdell
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Mary Tachedjian
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Shruthi Mangalaganesh
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Simran Chahal
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Leon Caly
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Julian D. Druce
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jennifer A. Juno
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stephen J. Kent
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Adam K. Wheatley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Seshadri S. Vasan
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC, Australia
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22
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Jansen van Vuren P, McAuley AJ, Kuiper MJ, Singanallur NB, Bruce MP, Riddell S, Goldie S, Mangalaganesh S, Chahal S, Drew TW, Blasdell KR, Tachedjian M, Caly L, Druce JD, Ahmed S, Khan MS, Malladi SK, Singh R, Pandey S, Varadarajan R, Vasan SS. Highly Thermotolerant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Elicits Neutralising Antibodies against Delta and Omicron in Mice. Viruses 2022; 14:800. [PMID: 35458530 PMCID: PMC9031315 DOI: 10.3390/v14040800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
As existing vaccines fail to completely prevent COVID-19 infections or community transmission, there is an unmet need for vaccines that can better combat SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC). We previously developed highly thermo-tolerant monomeric and trimeric receptor-binding domain derivatives that can withstand 100 °C for 90 min and 37 °C for four weeks and help eliminate cold-chain requirements. We show that mice immunised with these vaccine formulations elicit high titres of antibodies that neutralise SARS-CoV-2 variants VIC31 (with Spike: D614G mutation), Delta and Omicron (BA.1.1) VOC. Compared to VIC31, there was an average 14.4-fold reduction in neutralisation against BA.1.1 for the three monomeric antigen-adjuvant combinations and a 16.5-fold reduction for the three trimeric antigen-adjuvant combinations; the corresponding values against Delta were 2.5 and 3.0. Our findings suggest that monomeric formulations are suitable for upcoming Phase I human clinical trials and that there is potential for increasing the efficacy with vaccine matching to improve the responses against emerging variants. These findings are consistent with in silico modelling and AlphaFold predictions, which show that, while oligomeric presentation can be generally beneficial, it can make important epitopes inaccessible and also carries the risk of eliciting unwanted antibodies against the oligomerisation domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petrus Jansen van Vuren
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
| | - Alexander J. McAuley
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
| | - Michael J. Kuiper
- Data61, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Docklands, VIC 3008, Australia;
| | - Nagendrakumar Balasubramanian Singanallur
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
| | - Matthew P. Bruce
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
| | - Shane Riddell
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
| | - Sarah Goldie
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
| | - Shruthi Mangalaganesh
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Simran Chahal
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
| | - Trevor W. Drew
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
| | - Kim R. Blasdell
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
| | - Mary Tachedjian
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
| | - Leon Caly
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (L.C.); (J.D.D.)
| | - Julian D. Druce
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (L.C.); (J.D.D.)
| | - Shahbaz Ahmed
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India; (S.A.); (M.S.K.); (S.K.M.); (R.V.)
| | - Mohammad Suhail Khan
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India; (S.A.); (M.S.K.); (S.K.M.); (R.V.)
| | - Sameer Kumar Malladi
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India; (S.A.); (M.S.K.); (S.K.M.); (R.V.)
| | - Randhir Singh
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES-12, Incubation Centre, Society for Innovation and Development, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India; (R.S.); (S.P.)
| | - Suman Pandey
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES-12, Incubation Centre, Society for Innovation and Development, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India; (R.S.); (S.P.)
| | - Raghavan Varadarajan
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India; (S.A.); (M.S.K.); (S.K.M.); (R.V.)
| | - Seshadri S. Vasan
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (P.J.v.V.); (A.J.M.); (N.B.S.); (M.P.B.); (S.R.); (S.G.); (S.M.); (S.C.); (T.W.D.); (K.R.B.); (M.T.)
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
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23
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To A, Wong TAS, Lieberman MM, Thompson K, Ball AH, Pessaint L, Greenhouse J, Daham N, Cook A, Narvaez B, Flinchbaugh Z, Van Ry A, Yalley-Ogunro J, Elyard HA, Lai CY, Donini O, Lehrer AT. A Recombinant Subunit Vaccine Induces a Potent, Broadly Neutralizing, and Durable Antibody Response in Macaques against the SARS-CoV-2 P.1 (Gamma) Variant. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:825-840. [PMID: 35263081 PMCID: PMC8938837 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
FDA-approved and emergency use-authorized vaccines using new mRNA and viral-vector technology are highly effective in preventing moderate to severe disease; however, information on their long-term efficacy and protective breadth against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants of concern (VOCs) is currently scarce. Here, we describe the durability and broad-spectrum VOC immunity of a prefusion-stabilized spike (S) protein adjuvanted with liquid or lyophilized CoVaccine HT in cynomolgus macaques. This recombinant subunit vaccine is highly immunogenic and induces robust spike-specific and broadly neutralizing antibody responses effective against circulating VOCs (B.1.351 [Beta], P.1 [Gamma], and B.1.617 [Delta]) for at least three months after the final boost. Protective efficacy and postexposure immunity were evaluated using a heterologous P.1 challenge nearly three months after the last immunization. Our results indicate that while immunization with both high and low S doses shorten and reduce viral loads in the upper and lower respiratory tract, a higher antigen dose is required to provide durable protection against disease as vaccine immunity wanes. Histologically, P.1 infection causes similar COVID-19-like lung pathology as seen with early pandemic isolates. Postchallenge IgG concentrations were restored to peak immunity levels, and vaccine-matched and cross-variant neutralizing antibodies were significantly elevated in immunized macaques indicating an efficient anamnestic response. Only low levels of P.1-specific neutralizing antibodies with limited breadth were observed in control (nonvaccinated but challenged) macaques, suggesting that natural infection may not prevent reinfection by other VOCs. Overall, these results demonstrate that a properly dosed and adjuvanted recombinant subunit vaccine can provide protective immunity against circulating VOCs for at least three months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert To
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Teri Ann S. Wong
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Michael M. Lieberman
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Karen Thompson
- Department of Pathology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Aquena H. Ball
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | | | - Jack Greenhouse
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | | | - Anthony Cook
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Brandon Narvaez
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Zack Flinchbaugh
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Alex Van Ry
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Jake Yalley-Ogunro
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Hanne Andersen Elyard
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Chih-Yun Lai
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | | | - Axel T. Lehrer
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
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24
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Masuda A, Lee JM, Miyata T, Mon H, Sato K, Oyama K, Sakurai Y, Yasuda J, Takahashi D, Ueda T, Kato Y, Nishida M, Karasaki N, Kakino K, Ebihara T, Nagasato T, Hino M, Nakashima A, Suzuki K, Tonooka Y, Tanaka M, Moriyama T, Nakatake H, Fujita R, Kusakabe T. Optimization of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Expression in the Silkworm and Induction of Efficient Protective Immunity by Inoculation With Alum Adjuvants. Front Immunol 2022; 12:803647. [PMID: 35095889 PMCID: PMC8789674 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.803647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The newly emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing a spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) globally. In order to end the COVID-19 pandemic, an effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 must be produced at low cost and disseminated worldwide. The spike (S) protein of coronaviruses plays a pivotal role in the infection to host cells. Therefore, targeting the S protein is one of the most rational approaches in developing vaccines and therapeutic agents. In this study, we optimized the expression of secreted trimerized S protein of SARS-CoV-2 using a silkworm-baculovirus expression vector system and evaluated its immunogenicity in mice. The results showed that the S protein forming the trimeric structure was the most stable when the chicken cartilage matrix protein was used as the trimeric motif and could be purified in large amounts from the serum of silkworm larvae. The purified S protein efficiently induced antigen-specific antibodies in mouse serum without adjuvant, but its ability to induce neutralizing antibodies was low. After examining several adjuvants, the use of Alum adjuvant was the most effective in inducing strong neutralizing antibody induction. We also examined the adjuvant effect of paramylon from Euglena gracilis when administered with the S protein. Our results highlight the effectiveness and suitable construct design of the S protein produced in silkworms for the subunit vaccine development against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akitsu Masuda
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Jae Man Lee
- Laboratory of Creative Science for Insect Industries, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Takeshi Miyata
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Mon
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Keita Sato
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Kosuke Oyama
- Laboratory of Protein Structure, Function and Design, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yasuteru Sakurai
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.,National Research Center for the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Jiro Yasuda
- Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.,National Research Center for the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Daisuke Takahashi
- Laboratory of Protein Structure, Function and Design, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Tadashi Ueda
- Laboratory of Protein Structure, Function and Design, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yuri Kato
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Motohiro Nishida
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Noriko Karasaki
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kohei Kakino
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Takeru Ebihara
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Takumi Nagasato
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Masato Hino
- Laboratory of Sanitary Entomology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Ayaka Nakashima
- The Research and Development Department, Euglena Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kengo Suzuki
- The Research and Development Department, Euglena Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshino Tonooka
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Miyu Tanaka
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Takato Moriyama
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | | | - Ryosuke Fujita
- Laboratory of Sanitary Entomology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Takahiro Kusakabe
- Laboratory of Insect Genome Science, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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25
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O'Hagan DT, van der Most R, Lodaya RN, Coccia M, Lofano G. "World in motion" - emulsion adjuvants rising to meet the pandemic challenges. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:158. [PMID: 34934069 PMCID: PMC8692316 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00418-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Emulsion adjuvants such as MF59 and AS03 have been used for more than two decades as key components of licensed vaccines, with over 100 million doses administered to diverse populations in more than 30 countries. Substantial clinical experience of effectiveness and a well-established safety profile, along with the ease of manufacturing have established emulsion adjuvants as one of the leading platforms for the development of pandemic vaccines. Emulsion adjuvants allow for antigen dose sparing, more rapid immune responses, and enhanced quality and quantity of adaptive immune responses. The mechanisms of enhancement of immune responses are well defined and typically characterized by the creation of an "immunocompetent environment" at the site of injection, followed by the induction of strong and long-lasting germinal center responses in the draining lymph nodes. As a result, emulsion adjuvants induce distinct immunological responses, with a mixed Th1/Th2 T cell response, long-lived plasma cells, an expanded repertoire of memory B cells, and high titers of cross-neutralizing polyfunctional antibodies against viral variants. Because of these various properties, emulsion adjuvants were included in pandemic influenza vaccines deployed during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, are still included in seasonal influenza vaccines, and are currently at the forefront of the development of vaccines against emerging SARS-CoV-2 pandemic variants. Here, we comprehensively review emulsion adjuvants, discuss their mechanism of action, and highlight their profile as a benchmark for the development of additional vaccine adjuvants and as a valuable tool to allow further investigations of the general principles of human immunity.
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26
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Ahmed S, Khan MS, Gayathri S, Singh R, Kumar S, Patel UR, Malladi SK, Rajmani RS, van Vuren PJ, Riddell S, Goldie S, Girish N, Reddy P, Upadhyaya A, Pandey S, Siddiqui S, Tyagi A, Jha S, Pandey R, Khatun O, Narayan R, Tripathi S, McAuley AJ, Singanallur NB, Vasan SS, Ringe RP, Varadarajan R. A Stabilized, Monomeric, Receptor Binding Domain Elicits High-Titer Neutralizing Antibodies Against All SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern. Front Immunol 2021; 12:765211. [PMID: 34956193 PMCID: PMC8695907 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.765211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Saturation suppressor mutagenesis was used to generate thermostable mutants of the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD). A triple mutant with an increase in thermal melting temperature of ~7°C with respect to the wild-type B.1 RBD and was expressed in high yield in both mammalian cells and the microbial host, Pichia pastoris, was downselected for immunogenicity studies. An additional derivative with three additional mutations from the B.1.351 (beta) isolate was also introduced into this background. Lyophilized proteins were resistant to high-temperature exposure and could be stored for over a month at 37°C. In mice and hamsters, squalene-in-water emulsion (SWE) adjuvanted formulations of the B.1-stabilized RBD were considerably more immunogenic than RBD lacking the stabilizing mutations and elicited antibodies that neutralized all four current variants of concern with similar neutralization titers. However, sera from mice immunized with the stabilized B.1.351 derivative showed significantly decreased neutralization titers exclusively against the B.1.617.2 (delta) VOC. A cocktail comprising stabilized B.1 and B.1.351 RBDs elicited antibodies with qualitatively improved neutralization titers and breadth relative to those immunized solely with either immunogen. Immunized hamsters were protected from high-dose viral challenge. Such vaccine formulations can be rapidly and cheaply produced, lack extraneous tags or additional components, and can be stored at room temperature. They are a useful modality to combat COVID-19, especially in remote and low-resource settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahbaz Ahmed
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Savitha Gayathri
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Randhir Singh
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Sahil Kumar
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Unnatiben Rajeshbhai Patel
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Raju S. Rajmani
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Petrus Jansen van Vuren
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Shane Riddell
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Sarah Goldie
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Nidhi Girish
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Poorvi Reddy
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Aditya Upadhyaya
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Suman Pandey
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Samreen Siddiqui
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Akansha Tyagi
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Sujeet Jha
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Rajesh Pandey
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Delhi, India
| | - Oyahida Khatun
- Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Rohan Narayan
- Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Shashank Tripathi
- Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Alexander J. McAuley
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Seshadri S. Vasan
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Rajesh P. Ringe
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
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27
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Kleanthous H, Silverman JM, Makar KW, Yoon IK, Jackson N, Vaughn DW. Scientific rationale for developing potent RBD-based vaccines targeting COVID-19. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:128. [PMID: 34711846 PMCID: PMC8553742 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00393-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccination of the global population against COVID-19 is a great scientific, logistical, and moral challenge. Despite the rapid development and authorization of several full-length Spike (S) protein vaccines, the global demand outweighs the current supply and there is a need for safe, potent, high-volume, affordable vaccines that can fill this gap, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Whether SARS-CoV-2 S-protein receptor-binding domain (RBD)-based vaccines could fill this gap has been debated, especially with regards to its suitability to protect against emerging viral variants of concern. Given a predominance for elicitation of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) that target RBD following natural infection or vaccination, a key biomarker of protection, there is merit for selection of RBD as a sole vaccine immunogen. With its high-yielding production and manufacturing potential, RBD-based vaccines offer an abundance of temperature-stable doses at an affordable cost. In addition, as the RBD preferentially focuses the immune response to potent and recently recognized cross-protective determinants, this domain may be central to the development of future pan-sarbecovirus vaccines. In this study, we review the data supporting the non-inferiority of RBD as a vaccine immunogen compared to full-length S-protein vaccines with respect to humoral and cellular immune responses against both the prototype pandemic SARS-CoV-2 isolate and emerging variants of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - In-Kyu Yoon
- Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Greater London, UK
| | - Nicholas Jackson
- Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Greater London, UK.
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