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Valdes I, Suzarte E, Lazo L, Cobas K, Cabrales A, Pérez Y, Garateix R, Silva JA, Aguilar JC, Guzman CA, Guillén G. Addition of nucleotide adjuvants enhances the immunogenicity of a recombinant subunit vaccine against the Zika virus in BALB/c mice. Vaccine 2024; 42:126213. [PMID: 39138071 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126213] [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: 05/11/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection remains a global public health problem. After the "Public Health Emergencies of International Concern" declared in February 2016, the incidence of new infections by this pathogen has been decreasing in many areas. However, there is still a likely risk that ZIKV will spread to more countries. To date, there is no vaccine or antiviral drug available to prevent or treat Zika virus infection. In the Zika vaccine development, those based on protein subunits are attractive as a non-replicable platform due to their potentially enhanced safety profile to be used in all populations. However, these vaccines frequently require multiple doses and adjuvants to achieve protective immunity. In this study we show the immunological evaluation of new formulations of the recombinant protein ZEC, which combines regions of domain III of the envelope and the capsid from ZIKV. Two nucleotide-based adjuvants were used to enhance the immunity elicited by the vaccine candidate ZEC. ODN 39M or c-di-AMP was incorporated as immunomodulator into the formulations combined with aluminum hydroxide. Following immunizations in immunocompetent BALB/c mice, the formulations stimulated high IgG antibodies. Although the IgG subtypes suggested a predominantly Th1-biased immune response by the formulation including the ODN 39M, cellular immune responses measured by IFNγ secretion from spleen cells after in vitro stimulations were induced by both immunomodulators. These results demonstrate the capacity of both immunomodulators to enhance the immunogenicity of the recombinant subunit ZEC as a vaccine candidate against ZIKV.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Zika Virus/immunology
- Vaccines, Subunit/immunology
- Vaccines, Subunit/administration & dosage
- Zika Virus Infection/prevention & control
- Zika Virus Infection/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/blood
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- Mice
- Female
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, Synthetic/immunology
- Vaccines, Synthetic/administration & dosage
- Viral Vaccines/immunology
- Viral Vaccines/administration & dosage
- Immunoglobulin G/blood
- Immunoglobulin G/immunology
- Immunogenicity, Vaccine
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/blood
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology
- Adjuvants, Vaccine
- Immunity, Cellular
- Viral Envelope Proteins/immunology
- Capsid Proteins/immunology
- Oligodeoxyribonucleotides/administration & dosage
- Oligodeoxyribonucleotides/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Valdes
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 6 10 600, Cuba.
| | - Edith Suzarte
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 6 10 600, Cuba
| | - Laura Lazo
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 6 10 600, Cuba
| | - Karem Cobas
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 6 10 600, Cuba
| | - Ania Cabrales
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 6 10 600, Cuba
| | - Yusleidi Pérez
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 6 10 600, Cuba
| | - Rocío Garateix
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 6 10 600, Cuba
| | - José A Silva
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 6 10 600, Cuba
| | - Julio C Aguilar
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 6 10 600, Cuba
| | - Carlos A Guzman
- Department of Vaccinology and Applied Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Germany
| | - Gerardo Guillén
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 6 10 600, Cuba
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2
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Miranda-López A, González-Ortega O, Govea-Alonso DO, Betancourt-Mendiola L, Comas-García M, Rosales-Mendoza S. Rational design and production of a chimeric antigen targeting Zika virus that induces neutralizing antibodies in mice. Vaccine 2024; 42:3674-3683. [PMID: 38749821 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.04.080] [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: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
The Zika virus (ZIKV) is considered a public health problem worldwide due to its association with the development of microcephaly and the Guillain-Barré syndrome. Currently, there is no specific treatment or vaccine approved to combat this disease, and thus, developing safe and effective vaccines is a relevant goal. In this study, a multi-epitope protein called rpZDIII was designed based on a series of ZIKV antigenic sequences, a bacterial carrier, and linkers. The analysis of the predicted 3D structure of the rpZDIII chimeric antigen was performed on the AlphaFold 2 server, and it was produced in E. coli and purified from inclusion bodies, followed by solubilization and refolding processes. The yield achieved for rpZDIII was 11 mg/L in terms of pure soluble recombinant protein per liter of fermentation. rpZDIII was deemed immunogenic since it induced serum IgG and IgM responses in mice upon subcutaneous immunization in a three-dose scheme. Moreover, sera from mice immunized with rpZDIII showed neutralizing activity against ZIKV. Therefore, this study reveals rpZDIII as a promising immunogen for the development of a rationally designed multi-epitope vaccine against ZIKV, and completion of its preclinical evaluation is guaranteed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arleth Miranda-López
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, SLP 78210, México
| | - Omar González-Ortega
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, SLP 78210, México; Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª. Sección, San Luis Potosí 78210 México
| | - Dania O Govea-Alonso
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª. Sección, San Luis Potosí 78210 México
| | - Lourdes Betancourt-Mendiola
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, SLP 78210, México; Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª. Sección, San Luis Potosí 78210 México
| | - Mauricio Comas-García
- Sección de Microscopía de Alta Resolución, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª. Sección, San Luis Potosí 78210, México; Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Parque Chapultepec 1570, San Luis, S.L.P., San Luis Potosí 78210, México.
| | - Sergio Rosales-Mendoza
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, SLP 78210, México; Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª. Sección, San Luis Potosí 78210 México.
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3
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Peng ZY, Yang S, Lu HZ, Wang LM, Li N, Zhang HT, Xing SY, Du YN, Deng SQ. A review on Zika vaccine development. Pathog Dis 2024; 82:ftad036. [PMID: 38192053 PMCID: PMC10901608 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftad036] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV), which belongs to the Flavivirus family, is mainly transmitted via the bite of Aedes mosquitoes. In newborns, ZIKV infection can cause severe symptoms such as microcephaly, while in adults, it can lead to Guillain‒Barré syndrome (GBS). Due to the lack of specific therapeutic methods against ZIKV, the development of a safe and effective vaccine is extremely important. Several potential ZIKV vaccines, such as live attenuated, inactivated, nucleic acid, viral vector, and recombinant subunit vaccines, have demonstrated promising outcomes in clinical trials involving human participants. Therefore, in this review, the recent developmental progress, advantages and disadvantages of these five vaccine types are examined, and practical recommendations for future development are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe-Yu Peng
- The Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Anhui Province, the Key Laboratory of Zoon-oses of High Institutions in Anhui, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Song Yang
- Institute of Agro-products Processing, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China
| | - Hong-Zheng Lu
- The Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Anhui Province, the Key Laboratory of Zoon-oses of High Institutions in Anhui, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Lin-Min Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Anhui Province, the Key Laboratory of Zoon-oses of High Institutions in Anhui, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Ni Li
- The Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Anhui Province, the Key Laboratory of Zoon-oses of High Institutions in Anhui, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Hai-Ting Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Anhui Province, the Key Laboratory of Zoon-oses of High Institutions in Anhui, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Si-Yu Xing
- The Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Anhui Province, the Key Laboratory of Zoon-oses of High Institutions in Anhui, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Yi-Nan Du
- The Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Anhui Province, the Key Laboratory of Zoon-oses of High Institutions in Anhui, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Sheng-Qun Deng
- The Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Anhui Province, the Key Laboratory of Zoon-oses of High Institutions in Anhui, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
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Li J, Ding J, Chen K, Xu X, Shao Y, Zhang D, Yu X, Guo C, Qian J, Ding Z. Protective effects of a novel chimeric virus-like particle vaccine against virulent NDV and IBDV challenge. Vaccine 2024; 42:332-338. [PMID: 38065771 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.11.062] [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: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/01/2024]
Abstract
Newcastle disease (ND) and infectious bursal disease (IBD) pose significant threats to the chicken industry, causing substantial economic losses. Currently, immunization through vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent ND and IBD but currently used traditional vaccines, including inactivated or attenuated vaccines, face challenges in achieving a balance between immunogenicity and safety. To develop a green and efficient novel vaccine for ND and IBD, we developed a bivalent chimeric virus-like particle vaccine (ND-IBD cVLPs) displaying the ND virus (NDV) HN protein and the IBD virus (IBDV) VP2 protein based on the ND VLPs carrier platform and insect baculovirus expression system. This study aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of ND-IBD cVLPs in specific pathogen-free chickens. Chickens were immunized with 50 µg of purified ND-IBD cVLPs at 7 days old, boosted at 21 days old, and challenged at 42 days old. The results demonstrated that ND-IBD cVLPs stimulated highly effective hemagglutination inhibition antibody levels against NDV HN protein and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay antibody levels against the IBDV VP2 protein. Furthermore, ND-IBD cVLPs provided complete protection against virulent NDV and IBDV challenges and mitigated pathological damage to the lung caused by NDV infection and the bursa of Fabricius caused by IBDV infection. These findings suggest that ND-IBD cVLPs hold promise as a safe and efficient novel vaccine candidate for the effective prevention of ND and IBD, extending the development of a foreign protein delivery platform of ND VLPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jindou Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Jiaxin Ding
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Kainan Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Xiaohong Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Yanan Shao
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Di Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Xibing Yu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Chunhong Guo
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Jing Qian
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China.
| | - Zhuang Ding
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China.
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5
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Weiß R, Issmail L, Rockstroh A, Grunwald T, Fertey J, Ulbert S. Immunization with different recombinant West Nile virus envelope proteins induces varying levels of serological cross-reactivity and protection from infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1279147. [PMID: 38035335 PMCID: PMC10684968 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1279147] [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: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction West Nile Virus (WNV) is a zoonotic flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes. Especially in the elderly or in immunocompromised individuals an infection with WNV can lead to severe neurological symptoms. To date, no human vaccine against WNV is available. The Envelope (E) protein, located at the surface of flaviviruses, is involved in the invasion into host cells and is the major target for neutralizing antibodies and therefore central to vaccine development. Due to their close genetic and structural relationship, flaviviruses share highly conserved epitopes, such as the fusion loop domain (FL) in the E protein, that are recognized by cross-reactive antibodies. These antibodies can lead to enhancement of infection with heterologous flaviviruses, which is a major concern for potential vaccines in areas with co-circulation of different flaviviruses, e.g. Dengue or Zika viruses. Material To reduce the potential of inducing cross-reactive antibodies, we performed an immunization study in mice using WNV E proteins with either wild type sequence or a mutated FL, and WNV E domain III which does not contain the FL at all. Results and discussion Our data show that all antigens induce high levels of WNV-binding antibodies. However, the level of protection against WNV varied, with the wildtype E protein inducing full, the other antigens only partial protection. On the other hand, serological cross-reactivity to heterologous flaviviruses was significantly reduced after immunization with the mutated E protein or domain III as compared to the wild type version. These results have indications for choosing antigens with the optimal specificity and efficacy in WNV vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Sebastian Ulbert
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department of Vaccines and Infection Models, Leipzig, Germany
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6
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Valdes I, Gil L, Lazo L, Cobas K, Romero Y, Bruno A, Suzarte E, Pérez Y, Cabrales A, Ramos Y, Hermida L, Guillén G. Recombinant protein based on domain III and capsid regions of zika virus induces humoral and cellular immune response in immunocompetent BALB/c mice. Vaccine 2023; 41:5892-5900. [PMID: 37599141 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.08.035] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Zika virus infection continues to be a global concern for human health due to the high-risk association of the disease with neurological disorders and microcephaly in newborn. Nowadays, no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment is available, and the development of safe and effective vaccines is yet a challenge. In this study, we obtained a novel subunit vaccine that combines two regions of zika genome, domain III of the envelope and the capsid, in a chimeric protein in E. coli bacteria. The recombinant protein was characterized with polyclonal anti-ZIKV and anti-DENV antibodies that corroborate the specificity of the molecule. In addition, the PBMC from zika-immune donors stimulated with the ZEC recombinant antigen showed the capacity to recall the memory T cell response previously generated by the natural infection. The chimeric protein ZEC was able to self-assemble after combination with an immunomodulatory specific oligonucleotide to form aggregates. The inoculation of BALB/c mice with ZEC aggregated and not aggregated form of the protein showed a similar humoral immune response, although the aggregated variant induced more cell-mediated immunity evaluated by in vitro IFNγ secretion. In this study, we propose a novel vaccine candidate against the zika disease based on a recombinant protein that can stimulate both arms of the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Valdes
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba.
| | - Lázaro Gil
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Laura Lazo
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Karem Cobas
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Yaremis Romero
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Andy Bruno
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Edith Suzarte
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Yusleidi Pérez
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Ania Cabrales
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Yassel Ramos
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Lisset Hermida
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Gerardo Guillén
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Avenue 31, Playa, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba
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Sun H, Yang M, Lai H, Neupane B, Teh AYH, Jugler C, Ma JKC, Steinkellner H, Bai F, Chen Q. A Dual-Approach Strategy to Optimize the Safety and Efficacy of Anti-Zika Virus Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics. Viruses 2023; 15:1156. [PMID: 37243242 PMCID: PMC10221487 DOI: 10.3390/v15051156] [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: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE) is clinically relevant to Dengue virus (DENV) infection and poses a major risk to the application of monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based therapeutics against related flaviviruses such as the Zika virus (ZIKV). Here, we tested a two-tier approach for selecting non-cross-reactive mAbs combined with modulating Fc glycosylation as a strategy to doubly secure the elimination of ADE while preserving Fc effector functions. To this end, we selected a ZIKV-specific mAb (ZV54) and generated three ZV54 variants using Chinese hamster ovary cells and wild-type (WT) and glycoengineered ΔXF Nicotiana benthamiana plants as production hosts (ZV54CHO, ZV54WT, and ZV54ΔXF). The three ZV54 variants shared an identical polypeptide backbone, but each exhibited a distinct Fc N-glycosylation profile. All three ZV54 variants showed similar neutralization potency against ZIKV but no ADE activity for DENV infection, validating the importance of selecting the virus/serotype-specific mAbs for avoiding ADE by related flaviviruses. For ZIKV infection, however, ZV54CHO and ZV54ΔXF showed significant ADE activity while ZV54WT completely forwent ADE, suggesting that Fc glycan modulation may yield mAb glycoforms that abrogate ADE even for homologous viruses. In contrast to the current strategies for Fc mutations that abrogate all effector functions along with ADE, our approach allowed the preservation of effector functions as all ZV54 glycovariants retained antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against the ZIKV-infected cells. Furthermore, the ADE-free ZV54WT demonstrated in vivo efficacy in a ZIKV-infection mouse model. Collectively, our study provides further support for the hypothesis that antibody-viral surface antigen and Fc-mediated host cell interactions are both prerequisites for ADE, and that a dual-approach strategy, as shown herein, contributes to the development of highly safe and efficacious anti-ZIKV mAb therapeutics. Our findings may be impactful to other ADE-prone viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Sun
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Ming Yang
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Huafang Lai
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Biswas Neupane
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Audrey Y.-H. Teh
- Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George’s, University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK
| | - Collin Jugler
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Julian K.-C. Ma
- Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George’s, University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Fengwei Bai
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Qiang Chen
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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8
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Pattnaik A, Sahoo BR, Struble LR, Borgstahl GEO, Zhou Y, Franco R, Barletta RG, Osorio FA, Petro TM, Pattnaik AK. A Ferritin Nanoparticle-Based Zika Virus Vaccine Candidate Induces Robust Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses and Protects Mice from Lethal Virus Challenge. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:821. [PMID: 37112733 PMCID: PMC10143468 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11040821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The severe consequences of the Zika virus (ZIKV) infections resulting in congenital Zika syndrome in infants and the autoimmune Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults warrant the development of safe and efficacious vaccines and therapeutics. Currently, there are no approved treatment options for ZIKV infection. Herein, we describe the development of a bacterial ferritin-based nanoparticle vaccine candidate for ZIKV. The viral envelope (E) protein domain III (DIII) was fused in-frame at the amino-terminus of ferritin. The resulting nanoparticle displaying the DIII was examined for its ability to induce immune responses and protect vaccinated animals upon lethal virus challenge. Our results show that immunization of mice with a single dose of the nanoparticle vaccine candidate (zDIII-F) resulted in the robust induction of neutralizing antibody responses that protected the animals from the lethal ZIKV challenge. The antibodies neutralized infectivity of other ZIKV lineages indicating that the zDIII-F can confer heterologous protection. The vaccine candidate also induced a significantly higher frequency of interferon (IFN)-γ positive CD4 T cells and CD8 T cells suggesting that both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses were induced by the vaccine candidate. Although our studies showed that a soluble DIII vaccine candidate could also induce humoral and cell-mediated immunity and protect from lethal ZIKV challenge, the immune responses and protection conferred by the nanoparticle vaccine candidate were superior. Further, passive transfer of neutralizing antibodies from the vaccinated animals to naïve animals protected against lethal ZIKV challenge. Since previous studies have shown that antibodies directed at the DIII region of the E protein do not to induce antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of ZIKV or other related flavivirus infections, our studies support the use of the zDIII-F nanoparticle vaccine candidate for safe and enhanced immunological responses against ZIKV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aryamav Pattnaik
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; (A.P.); (B.R.S.); (Y.Z.); (R.F.); (R.G.B.); (F.A.O.)
- Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA;
| | - Bikash R. Sahoo
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; (A.P.); (B.R.S.); (Y.Z.); (R.F.); (R.G.B.); (F.A.O.)
- Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA;
| | - Lucas R. Struble
- The Eppley Institute for Cancer and Allied Diseases, Fred & Pamela Buffet Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA; (L.R.S.); (G.E.O.B.)
| | - Gloria E. O. Borgstahl
- The Eppley Institute for Cancer and Allied Diseases, Fred & Pamela Buffet Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA; (L.R.S.); (G.E.O.B.)
| | - You Zhou
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; (A.P.); (B.R.S.); (Y.Z.); (R.F.); (R.G.B.); (F.A.O.)
- Center for Biotechnology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Rodrigo Franco
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; (A.P.); (B.R.S.); (Y.Z.); (R.F.); (R.G.B.); (F.A.O.)
- Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA;
| | - Raul G. Barletta
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; (A.P.); (B.R.S.); (Y.Z.); (R.F.); (R.G.B.); (F.A.O.)
- Redox Biology Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Fernando A. Osorio
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; (A.P.); (B.R.S.); (Y.Z.); (R.F.); (R.G.B.); (F.A.O.)
- Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA;
| | - Thomas M. Petro
- Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA;
- Department of Oral Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Asit K. Pattnaik
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; (A.P.); (B.R.S.); (Y.Z.); (R.F.); (R.G.B.); (F.A.O.)
- Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA;
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Yang M, Sun H, Lai H, Neupane B, Bai F, Steinkellner H, Chen Q. Plant-Produced Anti-Zika Virus Monoclonal Antibody Glycovariant Exhibits Abrogated Antibody-Dependent Enhancement of Infection. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:755. [PMID: 37112665 PMCID: PMC10144123 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11040755] [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: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against the envelope (E) protein of Zika virus (ZIKV) have shown great potential as therapeutics against the Zika epidemics. However, their use as a therapy may predispose treated individuals to severe infection by the related dengue virus (DENV) via antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE). Here, we generated a broadly neutralizing flavivirus mAb, ZV1, with an identical protein backbone but different Fc glycosylation profiles. The three glycovariants, produced in wild-type (WT) and glycoengineered ΔXF Nicotiana benthamiana plants and in Chinese hamster ovary cells (ZV1WT, ZV1ΔXF, and ZV1CHO), respectively, showed equivalent neutralization potency against both ZIKV and DENV. By contrast, the three mAb glycoforms demonstrated drastically different ADE activity for DENV and ZIKV infection. While ZV1CHO and ZV1ΔXF showed ADE activity upon DENV and ZIKV infection, ZV1WT totally forwent its ADE. Importantly, all three glycovariants exhibited antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against virus-infected cells, with increased potency by the fucose-free ZV1ΔXF glycoform. Moreover, the in vivo efficacy of the ADE-free ZV1WT was demonstrated in a murine model. Collectively, we demonstrated the feasibility of modulating ADE by Fc glycosylation, thereby establishing a novel approach for improving the safety of flavivirus therapeutics. Our study also underscores the versatile use of plants for the rapid expression of complex human proteins to reveal novel insight into antibody function and viral pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Yang
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85225, USA
| | - Haiyan Sun
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85225, USA
| | - Huafang Lai
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85225, USA
| | - Biswas Neupane
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Fengwei Bai
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Qiang Chen
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85225, USA
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10
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Su H, van Eerde A, Rimstad E, Bock R, Branza-Nichita N, Yakovlev IA, Clarke JL. Plant-made vaccines against viral diseases in humans and farm animals. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1170815. [PMID: 37056490 PMCID: PMC10086147 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1170815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Plants provide not only food and feed, but also herbal medicines and various raw materials for industry. Moreover, plants can be green factories producing high value bioproducts such as biopharmaceuticals and vaccines. Advantages of plant-based production platforms include easy scale-up, cost effectiveness, and high safety as plants are not hosts for human and animal pathogens. Plant cells perform many post-translational modifications that are present in humans and animals and can be essential for biological activity of produced recombinant proteins. Stimulated by progress in plant transformation technologies, substantial efforts have been made in both the public and the private sectors to develop plant-based vaccine production platforms. Recent promising examples include plant-made vaccines against COVID-19 and Ebola. The COVIFENZ® COVID-19 vaccine produced in Nicotiana benthamiana has been approved in Canada, and several plant-made influenza vaccines have undergone clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the status of vaccine production in plants and the state of the art in downstream processing according to good manufacturing practice (GMP). We discuss different production approaches, including stable transgenic plants and transient expression technologies, and review selected applications in the area of human and veterinary vaccines. We also highlight specific challenges associated with viral vaccine production for different target organisms, including lower vertebrates (e.g., farmed fish), and discuss future perspectives for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Su
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
| | - André van Eerde
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Espen Rimstad
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ralph Bock
- Department III, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Norica Branza-Nichita
- Department of Viral Glycoproteins, Institute of Biochemistry of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Igor A. Yakovlev
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Jihong Liu Clarke
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
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11
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Martina CE, Crowe JE, Meiler J. Glycan masking in vaccine design: Targets, immunogens and applications. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1126034. [PMID: 37033915 PMCID: PMC10076883 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1126034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Glycan masking is a novel technique in reverse vaccinology in which sugar chains (glycans) are added on the surface of immunogen candidates to hide regions of low interest and thus focus the immune system on highly therapeutic epitopes. This shielding strategy is inspired by viruses such as influenza and HIV, which are able to escape the immune system by incorporating additional glycosylation and preventing the binding of therapeutic antibodies. Interestingly, the glycan masking technique is mainly used in vaccine design to fight the same viruses that naturally use glycans to evade the immune system. In this review we report the major successes obtained with the glycan masking technique in epitope-focused vaccine design. We focus on the choice of the target antigen, the strategy for immunogen design and the relevance of the carrier vector to induce a strong immune response. Moreover, we will elucidate the different applications that can be accomplished with glycan masking, such as shifting the immune response from hyper-variable epitopes to more conserved ones, focusing the response on known therapeutic epitopes, broadening the response to different viral strains/sub-types and altering the antigen immunogenicity to elicit higher or lower immune response, as desired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina E. Martina
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - James E. Crowe
- Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Jens Meiler
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Institute for Drug Discovery, Leipzig University Medical School, Leipzig, Germany
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12
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Lunardelli VAS, Almeida BDS, Apostolico JDS, Rezende T, Yamamoto MM, Pereira SS, Bueno MFC, Pereira LR, Carvalho KI, Slhessarenko RD, de Souza Ferreira LC, Boscardin SB, Rosa DS. Diagnostic and vaccine potential of Zika virus envelope protein (E) derivates produced in bacterial and insect cells. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1071041. [PMID: 37006270 PMCID: PMC10060818 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1071041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionIn the present study we evaluated the features of different recombinant forms of Zika virus (ZIKV) proteins produced in either bacterial (Eschericha coli) or insect cells (Drosophila melanogaster). The ZIKV-envelope glycoprotein (EZIKV) is responsible for virus entry into host cells, is the main target of neutralizing antibodies and has been used as a target antigen either for serological tests or for the development of subunit vaccines. The EZIKV is composed of three structural and functional domains (EDI, EDII, and EDIII), which share extensive sequence conservation with the corresponding counterparts expressed by other flaviviruses, particularly the different dengue virus (DENV) subtypes.MethodsIn this study, we carried out a systematic comparison of the antigenicity and immunogenicity of recombinant EZIKV, EDI/IIZIKV and EDIIIZIKV produced in E. coli BL21 and Drosophila S2 cells. For the antigenicity analysis we collected 88 serum samples from ZIKV-infected participants and 57 serum samples from DENV-infected. For immunogenicity, C57BL/6 mice were immunized with two doses of EZIKV, EDI/IIZIKV and EDIIIZIKV produced in E. coli BL21 and Drosophila S2 cells to evaluate humoral and cellular immune response. In addition, AG129 mice were immunized with EZIKV and then challenge with ZIKV.ResultsTesting of samples collected from ZIKV-infected and DENV-infected participants demonstrated that the EZIKV and EDIIIZIKV produced in BL21 cells presented better sensitivity and specificity compared to proteins produced in S2 cells. In vivo analyses were carried out with C57BL/6 mice and the results indicated that, despite similar immunogenicity, antigens produced in S2 cells, particularly EZIKV and EDIIIZIKV, induced higher ZIKV-neutralizing antibody levels in vaccinated mice. In addition, immunization with EZIKV expressed in S2 cells delayed the onset of symptoms and increased survival rates in immunocompromised mice. All recombinant antigens, either produced in bacteria or insect cells, induced antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses.ConclusionIn conclusion, the present study highlights the differences in antigenicity and immunogenicity of recombinant ZIKV antigens produced in two heterologous protein expression systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victória Alves Santos Lunardelli
- Departmento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo- Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP/EPM), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bianca da Silva Almeida
- Departmento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliana de Souza Apostolico
- Departmento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo- Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP/EPM), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thais Rezende
- Departmento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo- Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP/EPM), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcio Massao Yamamoto
- Departmento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Samuel Santos Pereira
- Departmento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Fernanda Campagnari Bueno
- Departmento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo- Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP/EPM), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lennon Ramos Pereira
- Departmento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Karina Inacio Carvalho
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | | | - Luis Carlos de Souza Ferreira
- Departmento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
- Plataforma Científica Pasteur- Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Silvia Beatriz Boscardin
- Departmento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia (INCT) de Investigação em Imunologia (iii), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniela Santoro Rosa
- Departmento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo- Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP/EPM), São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia (INCT) de Investigação em Imunologia (iii), São Paulo, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Daniela Santoro Rosa,
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Ghasemian K, Broer I, Schön J, Killisch R, Kolp N, Springer A, Huckauf J. Oral and Subcutaneous Immunization with a Plant-Produced Mouse-Specific Zona Pellucida 3 Peptide Presented on Hepatitis B Core Antigen Virus-like Particles. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020462. [PMID: 36851339 PMCID: PMC9963689 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020462] [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: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
A short mouse-specific peptide from zona pellucida 3 (mZP3, amino acids 328-342) has been shown to be associated with antibody-mediated contraception. In this study, we investigated the production of mZP3 in the plant, as an orally applicable host, and examined the immunogenicity of this small peptide in the BALB/c mouse model. The mZP3 peptide was inserted into the major immunodominant region of the hepatitis B core antigen and was produced in Nicotiana benthamiana plants via Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression. Soluble HBcAg-mZP3 accumulated at levels up to 2.63 mg/g leaf dry weight (LDW) containing ~172 µg/mg LDW mZP3 peptide. Sucrose gradient analysis and electron microscopy indicated the assembly of the HBcAg-mZP3 virus-like particles (VLPs) in the soluble protein fraction. Subcutaneously administered mZP3 peptide displayed on HBcAg VLPs was immunogenic in BALB/c mice at a relatively low dosage (5.5 µg mZP3 per dose) and led to the generation of mZP3-specific antibodies that bound to the native zona pellucida of wild mice. Oral delivery of dried leaves expressing HBcAg-mZP3 also elicited mZP3-specific serum IgG and mucosal IgA that cross-reacted with the zona pellucida of wild mice. According to these results, it is worthwhile to investigate the efficiency of plants producing HBcAg-mZP3 VLPs as immunogenic edible baits in reducing the fertility of wild mice through inducing antibodies that cross-react to the zona pellucida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khadijeh Ghasemian
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Inge Broer
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Jennifer Schön
- Department of Reproduction Biology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Richard Killisch
- BIOSERV, Analytik und Medizinprodukte GmbH, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Nadine Kolp
- BIOSERV, Analytik und Medizinprodukte GmbH, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Armin Springer
- Medical Biology and Electron Microscopy Center, Rostock University Medical Center, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Jana Huckauf
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
- Correspondence:
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14
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Gupta R, Arora K, Roy SS, Joseph A, Rastogi R, Arora NM, Kundu PK. Platforms, advances, and technical challenges in virus-like particles-based vaccines. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1123805. [PMID: 36845125 PMCID: PMC9947793 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1123805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Viral infectious diseases threaten human health and global stability. Several vaccine platforms, such as DNA, mRNA, recombinant viral vectors, and virus-like particle-based vaccines have been developed to counter these viral infectious diseases. Virus-like particles (VLP) are considered real, present, licensed and successful vaccines against prevalent and emergent diseases due to their non-infectious nature, structural similarity with viruses, and high immunogenicity. However, only a few VLP-based vaccines have been commercialized, and the others are either in the clinical or preclinical phases. Notably, despite success in the preclinical phase, many vaccines are still struggling with small-scale fundamental research owing to technical difficulties. Successful production of VLP-based vaccines on a commercial scale requires a suitable platform and culture mode for large-scale production, optimization of transduction-related parameters, upstream and downstream processing, and monitoring of product quality at each step. In this review article, we focus on the advantages and disadvantages of various VLP-producing platforms, recent advances and technical challenges in VLP production, and the current status of VLP-based vaccine candidates at commercial, preclinical, and clinical levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Prabuddha K. Kundu
- Department of Research and Development, Premas Biotech Pvt Ltd., Sector IV, Industrial Model Township (IMT), Manesar, Gurgaon, India
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Hassebroek AM, Sooryanarain H, Heffron CL, Hawks SA, LeRoith T, Cecere TE, Stone WB, Walter D, Mahsoub HM, Wang B, Tian D, Ivester HM, Allen IC, Auguste AJ, Duggal NK, Zhang C, Meng XJ. A hepatitis B virus core antigen-based virus-like particle vaccine expressing SARS-CoV-2 B and T cell epitopes induces epitope-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses but confers limited protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28503. [PMID: 36655751 PMCID: PMC9974889 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28503] [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: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg) tolerates insertion of foreign epitopes and maintains its ability to self-assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs). We constructed a ∆HBcAg-based VLP vaccine expressing three predicted severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B and T cell epitopes and determined its immunogenicity and protective efficacy. The recombinant ∆HBcAg-SARS-CoV-2 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and shown to form VLPs. K18-hACE2 transgenic C57BL/6 mice were immunized intramuscularly with ∆HBcAg VLP control (n = 15) or ∆HBcAg-SARS-CoV-2 VLP vaccine (n = 15). One week after the 2nd booster and before virus challenge, five ∆HBcAg-SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated mice were euthanized to evaluate epitope-specific immune responses. There is a statistically significant increase in epitope-specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG) response, and statistically higher interleukin 6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression levels in ∆HBcAg-SARS-CoV-2 VLP-vaccinated mice compared to ∆HBcAg VLP controls. While not statistically significant, the ∆HBcAg-SARS-CoV-2 VLP mice had numerically more memory CD8+ T-cells, and 3/5 mice also had numerically higher levels of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). After challenge with SARS-CoV-2, ∆HBcAg-SARS-CoV-2 immunized mice had numerically lower viral RNA loads in the lung, and slightly higher survival, but the differences are not statistically significant. These results indicate that the ∆HBcAg-SARS-CoV-2 VLP vaccine elicits epitope-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses but they were insufficient against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Hassebroek
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Harini Sooryanarain
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - C. Lynn Heffron
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Seth A. Hawks
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Tanya LeRoith
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Thomas E. Cecere
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - William B. Stone
- Department of Entomology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Debra Walter
- Department of Biological System Engineering, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Hassan M. Mahsoub
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Debin Tian
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Hannah M. Ivester
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Irving C. Allen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Albert J. Auguste
- Department of Entomology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Nisha K. Duggal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Chenming Zhang
- Department of Biological System Engineering, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Xiang-Jin Meng
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
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16
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Adam A, Lee C, Wang T. Rational Development of Live-Attenuated Zika Virus Vaccines. Pathogens 2023; 12:194. [PMID: 36839466 PMCID: PMC9963317 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV), a re-emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus, has caused outbreaks in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and, more recently, in the Americas. ZIKV has been associated with the neurological autoimmune disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults and congenital Zika syndrome in fetuses and infants, including microcephaly, spontaneous abortion, and intrauterine growth restriction. It is considered to be a major threat to global public health due to its unprecedented clinical impact on humans. Currently, there are no specific prophylactics or therapeutics available to prevent or treat ZIKV infection. The development of a safe and efficacious ZIKV vaccine remains a global health priority. Since the recent outbreak, multiple platforms have been used in the development of candidate ZIKV vaccines. The candidate vaccines have been shown to elicit strong T cell and neutralization antibody responses and protect against ZIKV infection in animal models. Some candidates have progressed successfully to clinical trials. Live-attenuated vaccines, which induce rapid and durable protective immunity, are one of the most important strategies for controlling flavivirus diseases. In this review, we discuss recent progress in the development of candidate live-attenuated ZIKV vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Awadalkareem Adam
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Christy Lee
- John Sealy School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Tian Wang
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
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17
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Dahiya N, Yadav M, Singh H, Jakhar R, Sehrawat N. ZIKV: Epidemiology, infection mechanism and current therapeutics. FRONTIERS IN TROPICAL DISEASES 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2022.1059283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The Zika virus (ZIKV) is a vector-borne flavivirus that has been detected in 87 countries worldwide. Outbreaks of ZIKV infection have been reported from various places around the world and the disease has been declared a public health emergency of international concern. ZIKV has two modes of transmission: vector and non-vector. The ability of ZIKV to vertically transmit in its competent vectors, such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, helps it to cope with adverse conditions, and this could be the reason for the major outbreaks that occur from time to time. ZIKV outbreaks are a global threat and, therefore, there is a need for safe and effective drugs and vaccines to fight the virus. In more than 80% of cases, ZIKV infection is asymptomatic and leads to complications, such as microcephaly in newborns and Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) in adults. Drugs such as sofosbuvir, chloroquine, and suramin have been found to be effective against ZIKV infections, but further evaluation of their safety in pregnant women is needed. Although temoporfin can be given to pregnant women, it needs to be tested further for side effects. Many vaccine types based on protein, vector, DNA, and mRNA have been formulated. Some vaccines, such as mRNA-1325 and VRC-ZKADNA090-00-VP, have reached Phase II clinical trials. Some new techniques should be used for formulating and testing the efficacy of vaccines. Although there have been no recent outbreaks of ZIKV infection, several studies have shown continuous circulation of ZIKV in mosquito vectors, and there is a risk of re-emergence of ZIKV in the near future. Therefore, vaccines and drugs for ZIKV should be tested further, and safe and effective therapeutic techniques should be licensed for use during outbreaks.
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18
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Sun H, Acharya D, Paul AM, Lai H, He J, Bai F, Chen Q. Antibody-Dependent Enhancement Activity of a Plant-Made Vaccine against West Nile Virus. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:197. [PMID: 36851075 PMCID: PMC9966755 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV) causes annual outbreaks globally and is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in Unite States. In the absence of licensed therapeutics, there is an urgent need to develop effective and safe human vaccines against WNV. One of the major safety concerns for WNV vaccine development is the risk of increasing infection by related flaviviruses in vaccinated subjects via antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE). Herein, we report the development of a plant-based vaccine candidate that provides protective immunity against a lethal WNV challenge mice, while minimizes the risk of ADE for infection by Zika (ZIKV) and dengue (DENV) virus. Specifically, a plant-produced virus-like particle (VLP) that displays the WNV Envelope protein domain III (wDIII) elicited both high neutralizing antibody titers and antigen-specific cellular immune responses in mice. Passive transfer of serum from VLP-vaccinated mice protected recipient mice from a lethal challenge of WNV infection. Notably, VLP-induced antibodies did not enhance the infection of Fc gamma receptor-expressing K562 cells by ZIKV or DENV through ADE. Thus, a plant-made wDIII-displaying VLP presents a promising WNV vaccine candidate that induces protective immunity and minimizes the concern of inducing ADE-prone antibodies to predispose vaccinees to severe infection by DENV or ZIKV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Sun
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Dhiraj Acharya
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Amber M. Paul
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Huafang Lai
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Junyun He
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Fengwei Bai
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Qiang Chen
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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19
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Palermo E, Alexandridi M, Di Carlo D, Muscolini M, Hiscott J. Virus-like particle - mediated delivery of the RIG-I agonist M8 induces a type I interferon response and protects cells against viral infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1079926. [PMID: 36590581 PMCID: PMC9795031 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1079926] [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: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) are nanostructures that share conformation and self-assembly properties with viruses, but lack a viral genome and therefore the infectious capacity. In this study, we produced VLPs by co-expression of VSV glycoprotein (VSV-G) and HIV structural proteins (Gag, Pol) that incorporated a strong sequence-optimized 5'ppp-RNA RIG-I agonist, termed M8. Treatment of target cells with VLPs-M8 generated an antiviral state that conferred resistance against multiple viruses. Interestingly, treatment with VLPs-M8 also elicited a therapeutic effect by inhibiting ongoing viral replication in previously infected cells. Finally, the expression of SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein on the VLP surface retargeted VLPs to ACE2 expressing cells, thus selectively blocking viral infection in permissive cells. These results highlight the potential of VLPs-M8 as a therapeutic and prophylactic vaccine platform. Overall, these observations indicate that the modification of VLP surface glycoproteins and the incorporation of nucleic acids or therapeutic drugs, will permit modulation of particle tropism, direct specific innate and adaptive immune responses in target tissues, and boost immunogenicity while minimizing off-target effects.
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20
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ZIKV-envelope proteins induce specific humoral and cellular immunity in distinct mice strains. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15733. [PMID: 36131132 PMCID: PMC9492693 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20183-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent outbreaks of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection have highlighted the need for a better understanding of ZIKV-specific immune responses. The ZIKV envelope glycoprotein (EZIKV) is the most abundant protein on the virus surface and it is the main target of the protective immune response. EZIKV protein contains the central domain (EDI), a dimerization domain containing the fusion peptide (EDII), and a domain that binds to the cell surface receptor (EDIII). In this study, we performed a systematic comparison of the specific immune response induced by different EZIKV recombinant proteins (EZIKV, EDI/IIZIKV or EDIIIZIKV) in two mice strains. Immunization induced high titers of E-specific antibodies which recognized ZIKV-infected cells and neutralized the virus. Furthermore, immunization with EZIKV, EDI/IIZIKV and EDIIIZIKV proteins induced specific IFNγ-producing cells and polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Finally, we identified 4 peptides present in the envelope protein (E1-20, E51-70, E351-370 and E361-380), capable of inducing a cellular immune response to the H-2Kd and H-2Kb haplotypes. In summary, our work provides a detailed assessment of the immune responses induced after immunization with different regions of the ZIKV envelope protein.
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21
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Morales-Hernández S, Ugidos-Damboriena N, López-Sagaseta J. Self-Assembling Protein Nanoparticles in the Design of Vaccines: 2022 Update. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1447. [PMID: 36146525 PMCID: PMC9505534 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10091447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccines constitute a pillar in the prevention of infectious diseases. The unprecedented emergence of novel immunization strategies due to the COVID-19 pandemic has again positioned vaccination as a pivotal measure to protect humankind and reduce the clinical impact and socioeconomic burden worldwide. Vaccination pursues the ultimate goal of eliciting a protective response in immunized individuals. To achieve this, immunogens must be efficiently delivered to prime the immune system and produce robust protection. Given their safety, immunogenicity, and flexibility to display varied and native epitopes, self-assembling protein nanoparticles represent one of the most promising immunogen delivery platforms. Currently marketed vaccines against the human papillomavirus, for instance, illustrate the potential of these nanoassemblies. This review is intended to provide novelties, since 2015, on the ground of vaccine design and self-assembling protein nanoparticles, as well as a comparison with the current emergence of mRNA-based vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Morales-Hernández
- Unit of Protein Crystallography and Structural Immunology, Navarrabiomed-Public University of Navarra (UPNA), 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra University Hospital, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Nerea Ugidos-Damboriena
- Unit of Protein Crystallography and Structural Immunology, Navarrabiomed-Public University of Navarra (UPNA), 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra University Hospital, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Jacinto López-Sagaseta
- Unit of Protein Crystallography and Structural Immunology, Navarrabiomed-Public University of Navarra (UPNA), 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra University Hospital, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
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Abstract
The idea of producing vaccines in plants originated in the late 1980s. Initially, it was contemplated that this notion could facilitate the concept of edible vaccines, making them more cost effective and easily accessible. Initial studies on edible vaccines focussed on the use of a variety of different transgenic plant host species for the production of vaccine antigens. However, adequate expression levels of antigens, the difficulties predicted with administration of consistent doses, and regulatory rules required for growth of transgenic plants gave way to the development of vaccine candidates that could be purified and administered parenterally. The field has subsequently advanced with improved expression techniques including a shift from using transgenic to transient expression of antigens, refinement of purification protocols, a deeper understanding of the biological processes and a wealth of evidence of immunogenicity and efficacy of plant-produced vaccine candidates, all contributing to the successful practice of what is now known as biopharming or plant molecular farming. The establishment of this technology has resulted in the development of many different types of vaccine candidates including subunit vaccines and various different types of nanoparticle vaccines targeting a wide variety of bacterial and viral diseases. This has brought further acceptance of plants as a suitable platform for vaccine production and in this review, we discuss the most recent advances in the production of vaccines in plants for human use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Stander
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa
| | - Sandiswa Mbewana
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa
| | - Ann E Meyers
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa.
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Prates JWO, Xisto MF, Rodrigues JVDS, Colombari JPC, Meira JMA, Dias RS, da Silva CC, de Paula ESO. Zika Virus Envelope Protein Domain III Produced in K. phaffii Has the Potential for Diagnostic Applications. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12051198. [PMID: 35626353 PMCID: PMC9139701 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12051198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) represents a global human health threat and it is related to severe diseases such as congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). There is no vaccine available nor specific antiviral treatment, so developing sensitive, specific, and low-cost diagnostic tests is necessary. Thus, the objective of this work was to produce the Zika virus envelope protein domain III (ZIKV-EDIII) in Komagataella phaffii KM71H and evaluate its potential for diagnostic applications. After the K. phaffii had been transformed with the pPICZαA-ZIKV-EDIII vector, an SDS-PAGE and Western Blot were performed to characterize the recombinant protein and an ELISA to evaluate the antigenic potential. The results show that ZIKV-EDIII was produced in the expected size, with a good purity grade and yield of 2.58 mg/L. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed 90% sensitivity and 87.5% specificity for IgM, and 93.33% sensitivity and 82.76% specificity for IgG. The ZIKV-EDIII protein was efficiently produced in K. phaffi, and it has the potential for diagnostic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Willians Oliveira Prates
- Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil; (J.W.O.P.); (J.V.d.S.R.); (C.C.d.S.)
| | - Mariana Fonseca Xisto
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunovirology, Department of General Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil; (M.F.X.); (R.S.D.)
| | - João Vitor da Silva Rodrigues
- Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil; (J.W.O.P.); (J.V.d.S.R.); (C.C.d.S.)
| | - João Pedro Cruz Colombari
- Department of Medicine and Nursing, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil; (J.P.C.C.); (J.M.A.M.)
| | - Júlia Maria Alves Meira
- Department of Medicine and Nursing, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil; (J.P.C.C.); (J.M.A.M.)
| | - Roberto Sousa Dias
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunovirology, Department of General Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil; (M.F.X.); (R.S.D.)
| | - Cynthia Canedo da Silva
- Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil; (J.W.O.P.); (J.V.d.S.R.); (C.C.d.S.)
| | - e Sérgio Oliveira de Paula
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunovirology, Department of General Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil; (M.F.X.); (R.S.D.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-31-36125015
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Intranasal Immunization with Zika Virus Envelope Domain III-Flagellin Fusion Protein Elicits Systemic and Mucosal Immune Responses and Protection against Subcutaneous and Intravaginal Virus Challenges. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14051014. [PMID: 35631599 PMCID: PMC9144594 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14051014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infections in humans are mainly transmitted by the mosquito vectors, but human-to-human sexual transmission is also another important route. Developing a ZIKV mucosal vaccine that can elicit both systemic and mucosal immune responses is of particular interest. In this study, we constructed a recombinant ZIKV envelope DIII (ZDIII) protein genetically fused with Salmonella typhimurium flagellin (FliC-ZDIII) as a novel mucosal antigen for intranasal immunization. The results indicated that the FliC-ZDIII fusion proteins formulated with E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTIIb-B5) adjuvant greatly increased the ZDIII-specific IgG, IgA, and neutralizing titers in sera, and the ZDIII-specific IgA titers in bronchoalveolar lavage and vaginal fluids. Protective immunity was further assessed by subcutaneous and intravaginal ZIKV challenges. The second-generation FliCΔD3-2ZDIII was shown to result in a reduced titer of anti-FliC IgG antibodies in sera and still retained the same levels of serum IgG, IgA, and neutralizing antibodies and mucosal IgA antibodies without compromising the vaccine antigenicity. Therefore, intranasal immunization with FliCΔD3-2ZDIII fusion proteins formulated with LTIIb-B5 adjuvant elicited the greatest protective immunity against subcutaneous and intravaginal ZIKV challenges. Our findings indicated that the combination of FliCΔD3-2ZDIII fusion proteins and LTIIb-B5 adjuvant for intranasal immunization can be used for developing ZIKV mucosal vaccines.
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Improving Protein Quantity and Quality—The Next Level of Plant Molecular Farming. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031326. [PMID: 35163249 PMCID: PMC8836236 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants offer several unique advantages in the production of recombinant pharmaceuticals for humans and animals. Although numerous recombinant proteins have been expressed in plants, only a small fraction have been successfully put into use. The hugely distinct expression systems between plant and animal cells frequently cause insufficient yield of the recombinant proteins with poor or undesired activity. To overcome the issues that greatly constrain the development of plant-produced pharmaceuticals, great efforts have been made to improve expression systems and develop alternative strategies to increase both the quantity and quality of the recombinant proteins. Recent technological revolutions, such as targeted genome editing, deconstructed vectors, virus-like particles, and humanized glycosylation, have led to great advances in plant molecular farming to meet the industrial manufacturing and clinical application standards. In this review, we discuss the technological advances made in various plant expression platforms, with special focus on the upstream designs and milestone achievements in improving the yield and glycosylation of the plant-produced pharmaceutical proteins.
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Plant-Derived Recombinant Vaccines against Zoonotic Viruses. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12020156. [PMID: 35207444 PMCID: PMC8878793 DOI: 10.3390/life12020156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases cause serious illness with billions of cases, and millions of deaths. The most effective way to restrict the spread of zoonotic viruses among humans and animals and prevent disease is vaccination. Recombinant proteins produced in plants offer an alternative approach for the development of safe, effective, inexpensive candidate vaccines. Current strategies are focused on the production of highly immunogenic structural proteins, which mimic the organizations of the native virion but lack the viral genetic material. These include chimeric viral peptides, subunit virus proteins, and virus-like particles (VLPs). The latter, with their ability to self-assemble and thus resemble the form of virus particles, are gaining traction among plant-based candidate vaccines against many infectious diseases. In this review, we summarized the main zoonotic diseases and followed the progress in using plant expression systems for the production of recombinant proteins and VLPs used in the development of plant-based vaccines against zoonotic viruses.
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Ortega-Berlanga B, Pniewski T. Plant-Based Vaccines in Combat against Coronavirus Diseases. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:138. [PMID: 35214597 PMCID: PMC8876659 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10020138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus (CoV) diseases, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) have gained in importance worldwide, especially with the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Due to the huge global demand, various types of vaccines have been developed, such as more traditional attenuated or inactivated viruses, subunit and VLP-based vaccines, as well as novel DNA and RNA vaccines. Nonetheless, emerging new COVID-19 variants are necessitating continuous research on vaccines, including these produced in plants, either via stable expression in transgenic or transplastomic plants or transient expression using viral vectors or agroinfection. Plant systems provide low cost, high scalability, safety and capacity to produce multimeric or glycosylated proteins. To date, from among CoVs antigens, spike and capsid proteins have been produced in plants, mostly using transient expression systems, at the additional advantage of rapid production. Immunogenicity of plant-produced CoVs proteins was positively evaluated after injection of purified antigens. However, this review indicates that plant-produced CoVs proteins or their carrier-fused immunodominant epitopes can be potentially applied also as mucosal vaccines, either after purification to be administered to particular membranes (nasal, bronchus mucosa) associated with the respiratory system, or as oral vaccines obtained from partly processed plant tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benita Ortega-Berlanga
- Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Strzeszyńska 34, 60-479 Poznań, Poland;
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28
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Antonelli ACB, Almeida VP, de Castro FOF, Silva JM, Pfrimer IAH, Cunha-Neto E, Maranhão AQ, Brígido MM, Resende RO, Bocca AL, Fonseca SG. In silico construction of a multiepitope Zika virus vaccine using immunoinformatics tools. Sci Rep 2022; 12:53. [PMID: 34997041 PMCID: PMC8741764 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03990-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus from the Flaviviridae family and Flavivirus genus. Neurological events have been associated with ZIKV-infected individuals, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune acute neuropathy that causes nerve demyelination and can induce paralysis. With the increase of ZIKV infection incidence in 2015, malformation and microcephaly cases in newborns have grown considerably, which suggested congenital transmission. Therefore, the development of an effective vaccine against ZIKV became an urgent need. Live attenuated vaccines present some theoretical risks for administration in pregnant women. Thus, we developed an in silico multiepitope vaccine against ZIKV. All structural and non-structural proteins were investigated using immunoinformatics tools designed for the prediction of CD4 + and CD8 + T cell epitopes. We selected 13 CD8 + and 12 CD4 + T cell epitopes considering parameters such as binding affinity to HLA class I and II molecules, promiscuity based on the number of different HLA alleles that bind to the epitopes, and immunogenicity. ZIKV Envelope protein domain III (EDIII) was added to the vaccine construct, creating a hybrid protein domain-multiepitope vaccine. Three high scoring continuous and two discontinuous B cell epitopes were found in EDIII. Aiming to increase the candidate vaccine antigenicity even further, we tested secondary and tertiary structures and physicochemical parameters of the vaccine conjugated to four different protein adjuvants: flagellin, 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12, heparin-binding hemagglutinin, or RS09 synthetic peptide. The addition of the flagellin adjuvant increased the vaccine's predicted antigenicity. In silico predictions revealed that the protein is a probable antigen, non-allergenic and predicted to be stable. The vaccine’s average population coverage is estimated to be 87.86%, which indicates it can be administered worldwide. Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) of individuals with previous ZIKV infection were tested for cytokine production in response to the pool of CD4 and CD8 ZIKV peptide selected. CD4 + and CD8 + T cells showed significant production of IFN-γ upon stimulation and IL-2 production was also detected by CD8 + T cells, which indicated the potential of our peptides to be recognized by specific T cells and induce immune response. In conclusion, we developed an in silico universal vaccine predicted to induce broad and high-coverage cellular and humoral immune responses against ZIKV, which can be a good candidate for posterior in vivo validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Clara Barbosa Antonelli
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Rua 235 s/n, sala 335, Setor Universitário, Goiânia, GO, 74605-050, Brazil
| | - Vinnycius Pereira Almeida
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Rua 235 s/n, sala 335, Setor Universitário, Goiânia, GO, 74605-050, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Oliveira Feitosa de Castro
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Rua 235 s/n, sala 335, Setor Universitário, Goiânia, GO, 74605-050, Brazil.,Departament of Master in Environmental Sciences and Health, School of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | | | - Irmtraut Araci Hoffmann Pfrimer
- Departament of Master in Environmental Sciences and Health, School of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Edecio Cunha-Neto
- Heart Institute (InCor), School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Institute for Investigation in Immunology (iii) - National Institute of Science and Technology (INCT), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andréa Queiroz Maranhão
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.,Institute for Investigation in Immunology (iii) - National Institute of Science and Technology (INCT), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Macedo Brígido
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.,Institute for Investigation in Immunology (iii) - National Institute of Science and Technology (INCT), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Simone Gonçalves Fonseca
- Department of Bioscience and Technology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Rua 235 s/n, sala 335, Setor Universitário, Goiânia, GO, 74605-050, Brazil. .,Institute for Investigation in Immunology (iii) - National Institute of Science and Technology (INCT), São Paulo, Brazil.
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29
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Hemmati F, Hemmati-Dinarvand M, Karimzade M, Rutkowska D, Eskandari MH, Khanizadeh S, Afsharifar A. Plant-derived VLP: a worthy platform to produce vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Biotechnol Lett 2021; 44:45-57. [PMID: 34837582 PMCID: PMC8626723 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-021-03211-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
After its emergence in late 2019 SARS-CoV-2 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020 and has claimed more than 2.8 million lives. There has been a massive global effort to develop vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and the rapid and low cost production of large quantities of vaccine is urgently needed to ensure adequate supply to both developed and developing countries. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are composed of viral antigens that self-assemble into structures that mimic the structure of native viruses but lack the viral genome. Thus they are not only a safer alternative to attenuated or inactivated vaccines but are also able to induce potent cellular and humoral immune responses and can be manufactured recombinantly in expression systems that do not require viral replication. VLPs have successfully been produced in bacteria, yeast, insect and mammalian cell cultures, each production platform with its own advantages and limitations. Plants offer a number of advantages in one production platform, including proper eukaryotic protein modification and assembly, increased safety, low cost, high scalability as well as rapid production speed, a critical factor needed to control outbreaks of potential pandemics. Plant-based VLP-based viral vaccines currently in clinical trials include, amongst others, Hepatitis B virus, Influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Here we discuss the importance of plants as a next generation expression system for the fast, scalable and low cost production of VLP-based vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farshad Hemmati
- Plant Virology Research Center, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Mohsen Hemmati-Dinarvand
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Marziye Karimzade
- Plant Pathology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Daria Rutkowska
- CSIR Next Generation Health, PO Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
| | - Mohammad Hadi Eskandari
- Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Sayyad Khanizadeh
- Hepatitis Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
| | - Alireza Afsharifar
- Plant Virology Research Center, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
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He Y, Yu W, Xiao L, Shen L, Qi J, Hu T. Conjugation of Zika virus EDIII with CRM 197, 8-arm PEG and mannan for development of an effective Zika virus vaccine. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 190:713-721. [PMID: 34474053 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.08.177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) induces neurological and autoimmune complications such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome. Effective vaccines are necessary to prevent the ZIKV infection. E protein of ZIKV is responsible for virus attachment, entry, and fusion. The domain III of E protein (EDIII) contains the neutralizing epitopes and is ideal to act as an antigen for ZIKV vaccine. However, EDIII is poorly immunogenic. CRM197 is a carrier protein and can activate T helper cells for EDIII. Mannan is a ligand of TLR-4 or TLR-2. Eight-arm PEG can link multiple EDIII molecules in one entity. In the present study, EDIII was covalently conjugated with CRM197, 8-arm PEG and mannan to improve the immunogenicity of EDIII. The conjugate (CRM-EDIII-PM) elicited high EDIII-specific antibody titers in the BALB/c mice. Th1-type cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-2) and Th2-type cytokines (IL-5 and IL-10) were secreted at a marked level. Thus, CRM-EDIII-PM could stimulate potent humoral and cellular immune response to EDIII. The serum exposure of CRM-EDIII-PM to the immune system was prolonged. Moreover, CRM-EDIII-PM did not lead to apparent toxicity to the organs. Therefore, CRM-EDIII-PM was expected as a promising vaccine candidate for its ability to induce strong immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunxia He
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Weili Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Lucheng Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Lijuan Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jinming Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
| | - Tao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
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Abernathy ME, Dam KMA, Esswein SR, Jette CA, Bjorkman PJ. How Antibodies Recognize Pathogenic Viruses: Structural Correlates of Antibody Neutralization of HIV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and Zika. Viruses 2021; 13:2106. [PMID: 34696536 PMCID: PMC8537525 DOI: 10.3390/v13102106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The H1N1 pandemic of 2009-2010, MERS epidemic of 2012, Ebola epidemics of 2013-2016 and 2018-2020, Zika epidemic of 2015-2016, and COVID-19 pandemic of 2019-2021, are recent examples in the long history of epidemics that demonstrate the enormous global impact of viral infection. The rapid development of safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics has proven vital to reducing morbidity and mortality from newly emerging viruses. Structural biology methods can be used to determine how antibodies elicited during infection or vaccination target viral proteins and identify viral epitopes that correlate with potent neutralization. Here we review how structural and molecular biology approaches have contributed to our understanding of antibody recognition of pathogenic viruses, specifically HIV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and Zika. Determining structural correlates of neutralization of viruses has guided the design of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and small molecule inhibitors in response to the global threat of viral epidemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E. Abernathy
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; (M.E.A.); (K.-M.A.D.); (C.A.J.)
| | - Kim-Marie A. Dam
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; (M.E.A.); (K.-M.A.D.); (C.A.J.)
| | - Shannon R. Esswein
- David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
| | - Claudia A. Jette
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; (M.E.A.); (K.-M.A.D.); (C.A.J.)
| | - Pamela J. Bjorkman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; (M.E.A.); (K.-M.A.D.); (C.A.J.)
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Current Progress in the Development of Zika Virus Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9091004. [PMID: 34579241 PMCID: PMC8472938 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9091004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus first discovered in the Americas. ZIKV infection is insidious based on its mild clinical symptoms observed after infection. In Brazil, after 2015, ZIKV infection broke out on a large scale, and many infected pregnant women gave birth to babies with microcephaly. The teratogenic effects of the virus on the fetus and its effects on nerves and the immune system have attracted great attention. Currently, no specific prophylactics or therapeutics are clinically available to treat ZIKV infection. Development of a safe and effective vaccine is essential to prevent the rise of any potential pandemic. In this review, we summarize the latest research on Zika vaccine development based on different strategies, including DNA vaccines, subunit vaccines, live-attenuated vaccines, virus-vector-based vaccines, inactivated vaccines, virus-like particles (VLPs), mRNA-based vaccines, and others. We anticipate that this review will facilitate further progress toward the development of effective and safe vaccines against ZIKV infection.
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Cimica V, Galarza JM, Rashid S, Stedman TT. Current development of Zika virus vaccines with special emphasis on virus-like particle technology. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20:1483-1498. [PMID: 34148481 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1945447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Zika virus disease received little attention until its recent explosive emergence around the globe. The devastating consequences of this pandemic include congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) and the neurological autoimmune disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome. These potential outcomes prompted massive efforts to understand the course of Zika infection and to develop therapeutic and prophylactic strategies for treatment and prevention of disease.Area covered: Preclinical and clinical data demonstrate that a safe and efficacious vaccine for protection against Zika virus infection is possible in the near future. Nevertheless, significant knowledge gaps regarding the outcome of a mass vaccination strategy exist and must be addressed. Zika virus circulates in flavivirus-endemic regions, an ideal Zika vaccine should avoid the potential of antibody-dependent enhancement from exposure to dengue virus. Prevention of CZS is the primary goal for immunization, and the vaccine must provide protection against intrauterine transmission for use during pregnancy and in women of childbearing age. Ideally, a vaccine should also prevent sexual transmission of the virus through mucosal protection.Expert opinion: This review describes current vaccine approaches against Zika virus with particular attention to the application of virus-like particle (VLP) technology as a strategy for solving the challenges of Zika virus immunization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Velasco Cimica
- American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Manassas, VA, USA
| | | | - Sujatha Rashid
- American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Manassas, VA, USA
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Castro A, Carreño JM, Duehr J, Krammer F, Kane RS. Refocusing the Immune Response to Selected Epitopes on a Zika Virus Protein Antigen by Nanopatterning. Adv Healthc Mater 2021; 10:e2002140. [PMID: 33929789 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202002140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Infections with Zika virus (ZIKV) are linked to the development of severe central nervous system disorders, but the need for a ZIKV vaccine remains unmet. Although the design of vaccines that elicit antibodies targeting domain III (DIII) of the ZIKV envelope (E) protein as an antigen is an attractive strategy, poorly neutralizing or cross-reactive antibodies that target the E protein may lead to antibody-dependent enhancement of disease. It is therefore decided to use the previously reported nanopatterning technique, which combines the site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids with site-specific functionalization of the protein with polyethylene glycol (PEG), to shield selected epitopes on DIII. Two different nanopatterned DIII variants are designed and characterized and demonstrate that epitope shielding with PEG completely inhibits the binding of epitope-specific antibodies in vitro. Furthermore, immunization with multivalent nanopatterned DIII antigens results in the refocusing of the antibody response toward the exposed epitopes on the protein surface and away from potentially enhancing epitopes. This ability to redirect the antibody response toward targeted regions of the DIII protein should be useful for the design of effective and safe ZIKV vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Castro
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 30332 USA
| | - Juan Manuel Carreño
- Department of Microbiology Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York NY 10029 USA
| | - James Duehr
- Department of Microbiology Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York NY 10029 USA
| | - Florian Krammer
- Department of Microbiology Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York NY 10029 USA
| | - Ravi S. Kane
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 30332 USA
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Producing Vaccines against Enveloped Viruses in Plants: Making the Impossible, Difficult. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9070780. [PMID: 34358196 PMCID: PMC8310165 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9070780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The past 30 years have seen the growth of plant molecular farming as an approach to the production of recombinant proteins for pharmaceutical and biotechnological uses. Much of this effort has focused on producing vaccine candidates against viral diseases, including those caused by enveloped viruses. These represent a particular challenge given the difficulties associated with expressing and purifying membrane-bound proteins and achieving correct assembly. Despite this, there have been notable successes both from a biochemical and a clinical perspective, with a number of clinical trials showing great promise. This review will explore the history and current status of plant-produced vaccine candidates against enveloped viruses to date, with a particular focus on virus-like particles (VLPs), which mimic authentic virus structures but do not contain infectious genetic material.
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Venkataraman S, Hefferon K, Makhzoum A, Abouhaidar M. Combating Human Viral Diseases: Will Plant-Based Vaccines Be the Answer? Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9070761. [PMID: 34358177 PMCID: PMC8310141 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9070761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular pharming or the technology of application of plants and plant cell culture to manufacture high-value recombinant proteins has progressed a long way over the last three decades. Whether generated in transgenic plants by stable expression or in plant virus-based transient expression systems, biopharmaceuticals have been produced to combat several human viral diseases that have impacted the world in pandemic proportions. Plants have been variously employed in expressing a host of viral antigens as well as monoclonal antibodies. Many of these biopharmaceuticals have shown great promise in animal models and several of them have performed successfully in clinical trials. The current review elaborates the strategies and successes achieved in generating plant-derived vaccines to target several virus-induced health concerns including highly communicable infectious viral diseases. Importantly, plant-made biopharmaceuticals against hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), the cancer-causing virus human papillomavirus (HPV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza virus, zika virus, and the emerging respiratory virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been discussed. The use of plant virus-derived nanoparticles (VNPs) and virus-like particles (VLPs) in generating plant-based vaccines are extensively addressed. The review closes with a critical look at the caveats of plant-based molecular pharming and future prospects towards further advancements in this technology. The use of biopharmed viral vaccines in human medicine and as part of emergency response vaccines and therapeutics in humans looks promising for the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srividhya Venkataraman
- Virology Laboratory, Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada; (K.H.); (M.A.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Kathleen Hefferon
- Virology Laboratory, Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada; (K.H.); (M.A.)
| | - Abdullah Makhzoum
- Department of Biological Sciences & Biotechnology, Botswana International University of Science & Technology, Palapye, Botswana;
| | - Mounir Abouhaidar
- Virology Laboratory, Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada; (K.H.); (M.A.)
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Design and expression of a bispecific antibody against dengue and chikungunya virus in plants. Methods Enzymol 2021; 660:223-238. [PMID: 34742391 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Recombinant proteins have a broad range of applications from basic research to pharmaceutical development. Of utmost importance in the production of recombinant proteins is the selection of the best recombinant protein production system, such that high-quality and functional recombinant proteins are produced. Plants can produce a large quantity of recombinant proteins rapidly and economically. Glycoengineering has created "humanized" plant lines that can produce glycoproteins with specific human glycans with a high level of homogeneity on demand. Here, a detailed protocol was provided to produce a large, multisubunit, and complex bispecific antibody that targets two distinct viruses. The successful production of this multiple-subunit protein demonstrated that plants are the optimal system for the production of recombinant proteins of various sizes and complexity, which can be employed for various applications including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines to combat current and future pandemics.
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38
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Jin H, Jiao C, Cao Z, Huang P, Chi H, Bai Y, Liu D, Wang J, Feng N, Li N, Zhao Y, Wang T, Gao Y, Yang S, Xia X, Wang H. An inactivated recombinant rabies virus displaying the Zika virus prM-E induces protective immunity against both pathogens. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009484. [PMID: 34086672 PMCID: PMC8208564 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The global spread of Zika virus (ZIKV), which caused a pandemic associated with Congenital Zika Syndrome and neuropathology in newborns and adults, prompted the pursuit of a safe and effective vaccine. Here, three kinds of recombinant rabies virus (RABV) encoding the prM-E protein of ZIKV were constructed: ZI-D (prM-E), ZI-E (transmembrane domain (TM) of prM-E replaced with RABV G) and ZI-F (signal peptide and TM domain of prM-E replaced with the region of RABV G). When the TM of prM-E was replaced with the region of RABV G (termed ZI-E), it promoted ZIKV E protein localization on the cell membrane and assembly on recombinant viruses. In addition, the change in the signal peptide with RABV G (termed ZI-F) was not conducive to foreign protein expression. The immunogenicity of recombinant viruses mixed with a complex adjuvant of ISA 201 VG and poly(I:C) was tested in BALB/c mice. After immunization with ZI-E, the anti-ZIKV IgG antibody lasted for at least 10 weeks. The titers of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against ZIKV and RABV at week 6 were all greater than the protective titers. Moreover, ZI-E stimulated the proliferation of splenic lymphocytes and promoted the secretion of cytokines. It also promoted the production of central memory T cells (TCMs) among CD4+/CD8+ T cells and stimulated B cell activation and maturation. These results indicate that ZI-E could induce ZIKV-specific humoral and cellular immune responses, which have the potential to be developed into a promising vaccine for protection against both ZIKV and RABV infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongli Jin
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Cuicui Jiao
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zengguo Cao
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Pei Huang
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Hang Chi
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Yujie Bai
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Di Liu
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Jianzhong Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Na Feng
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Nan Li
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Yongkun Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Tiecheng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Yuwei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Songtao Yang
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Xianzhu Xia
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
- * E-mail: (XX); (HW)
| | - Hualei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun, China
- * E-mail: (XX); (HW)
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Choi H, Chun J, Park M, Kim S, Kim N, Lee HJ, Kim M, Shin HY, Oh YK, Kim YB. The Safe Baculovirus-Based PrM/E DNA Vaccine Protected Fetuses Against Zika Virus in A129 Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9050438. [PMID: 33946611 PMCID: PMC8147223 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9050438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne member of the Flaviviridae family of enveloped RNA viruses. The correlation between viral infection and fetal microcephaly was revealed in 2015, yet we still lack a vaccine against ZIKV. Here, we present a genetic vaccine that delivers the premembrane (prM) and envelope (E) genes of ZIKV using a recombinant baculovirus vector that expresses a human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) envelope on its surface to enhance gene delivery. We observed that baculoviruses with HERV envelopes (AcHERV) exhibited specifically higher gene transfer efficiency in human cells compared to the wild-type baculovirus vector. Using the AcHERV baculovirus vector, we constructed a recombinant baculovirus vaccine encoding ZIKV prM/E genes (AcHERV-ZIKV), which are major targets of neutralizing antibodies. Mice immunized twice with AcHERV-ZIKV exhibited high levels of IgG, neutralizing antibodies, and IFN-γ. In challenge tests in IFN knock-out mice (A129), AcHERV-ZIKV showed complete protection in both challenge and pregnancy tests. These results suggest that AcHERV-ZIKV could be a potential vaccine candidate for human application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanul Choi
- Department of Bioindustrial Technologies, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea;
| | - Jungmin Chun
- Center for Glocal Disease Control, KR BioTech, Seoul 05029, Korea;
| | - Mina Park
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (M.P.); (S.K.); (N.K.); (H.-J.L.); (M.K.); (H.Y.S.)
| | - Suyeon Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (M.P.); (S.K.); (N.K.); (H.-J.L.); (M.K.); (H.Y.S.)
| | - Nahyun Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (M.P.); (S.K.); (N.K.); (H.-J.L.); (M.K.); (H.Y.S.)
| | - Hee-Jung Lee
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (M.P.); (S.K.); (N.K.); (H.-J.L.); (M.K.); (H.Y.S.)
| | - Minjee Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (M.P.); (S.K.); (N.K.); (H.-J.L.); (M.K.); (H.Y.S.)
| | - Ha Youn Shin
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (M.P.); (S.K.); (N.K.); (H.-J.L.); (M.K.); (H.Y.S.)
| | - Yu-Kyoung Oh
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea;
| | - Young Bong Kim
- Department of Bioindustrial Technologies, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea;
- Center for Glocal Disease Control, KR BioTech, Seoul 05029, Korea;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-2-450-4208
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40
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Jasperse B, O'Connell CM, Wang Y, Verardi PH. Single dose of a replication-defective vaccinia virus expressing Zika virus-like particles is protective in mice. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6492. [PMID: 33753816 PMCID: PMC7985303 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85951-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV), a flavivirus transmitted primarily by infected mosquitos, can cause neurological symptoms such as Guillian-Barré syndrome and microcephaly. We developed several vaccinia virus (VACV) vaccine candidates for ZIKV based on replication-inducible VACVs (vINDs) expressing ZIKV pre-membrane (prM) and envelope (E) proteins (vIND-ZIKVs). These vIND-ZIKVs contain elements of the tetracycline operon and replicate only in the presence of tetracyclines. The pool of vaccine candidates was narrowed to one vIND-ZIKV containing a novel mutation in the signal peptide of prM that led to higher expression and secretion of E and production of virus-like particles, which was then tested for safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy in mice. vIND-ZIKV grows to high titers in vitro in the presence of doxycycline (DOX) but is replication-defective in vivo in the absence of DOX, causing no weight loss in mice. C57BL/6 mice vaccinated once with vIND-ZIKV in the absence of DOX (as a replication-defective virus) developed robust levels of E-peptide-specific IFN-γ-secreting splenocytes and anti-E IgG titers, with modest levels of serum-neutralizing antibodies. Vaccinated mice treated with anti-IFNAR1 antibody were completely protected from ZIKV viremia post-challenge after a single dose of vIND-ZIKV. Furthermore, mice with prior immunity to VACV developed moderate anti-E IgG titers that increased after booster vaccination, and were protected from viremia only after two vaccinations with vIND-ZIKV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany Jasperse
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science and Center of Excellence for Vaccine Research, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Caitlin M O'Connell
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science and Center of Excellence for Vaccine Research, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Yuxiang Wang
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science and Center of Excellence for Vaccine Research, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Paulo H Verardi
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science and Center of Excellence for Vaccine Research, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
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41
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Qi J, He Y, Shen L, Yu W, Hu T. Conjugation of Hemoglobin and Mannan Markedly Improves the Immunogenicity of Domain III of the Zika Virus E Protein: Structural and Immunological Study. Bioconjug Chem 2021; 32:328-338. [PMID: 33522239 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) leads to congenital microcephaly and anomalies and severe neurological diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome. Safe and effective vaccines are necessitated to deal with these severe health threats. As an ideal antigen, the domain III of the envelope protein (EDIII) of ZIKV can evoke potent neutralizing antibodies without any antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) effect. However, EDIII necessitates to be formulated with an antigen delivery system or adjuvants to improve its immunogenicity. Hemoglobin (Hb) regulates inflammation, cytokine levels, and activate macrophage. Mannan is a polysaccharide of the fungal cell wall with an immunomodulatory activity. In this study, EDIII was conjugated with Hb and mannan, using the disulfide bond as the linker. Hb and mannan both functioned as the adjuvants. Conjugation of Hb and mannan acted as the delivery system for EDIII. The structure of EDIII was essentially maintained upon conjugation of Hb and mannan. The intracellular release of EDIII from the conjugate (HM-EDIII-2) was achieved by reduction of the glutathione-sensitive disulfide bond. As compared with EDIII, HM-EDIII-2 elicited high EDIII-specific IgG titers and high levels of Th1-type cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-2) and Th2-type cytokines (IL-5 and IL-10), along with no apparent toxicity to the organs. Moreover, the pharmacokinetic study revealed a prolonged serum exposure of HM-EDIII-2 to the immune cells. Thus, HM-EDIII-2 could boost a strong humoral and cellular immune response to EDIII. Our study was expected to provide the feasibility necessary to develop a robust and potentially safe ZIKV vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinming Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Yunxia He
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Lijuan Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Weili Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Tao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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Minakshi P, Ghosh M, Kumar R, Brar B, Lambe UP, Banerjee S, Ranjan K, Kumar B, Goel P, Malik YS, Prasad G. An Insight into Nanomedicinal Approaches to Combat Viral Zoonoses. Curr Top Med Chem 2021; 20:915-962. [PMID: 32209041 DOI: 10.2174/1568026620666200325114400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emerging viral zoonotic diseases are one of the major obstacles to secure the "One Health" concept under the current scenario. Current prophylactic, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches often associated with certain limitations and thus proved to be insufficient for customizing rapid and efficient combating strategy against the highly transmissible pathogenic infectious agents leading to the disastrous socio-economic outcome. Moreover, most of the viral zoonoses originate from the wildlife and poor knowledge about the global virome database renders it difficult to predict future outbreaks. Thus, alternative management strategy in terms of improved prophylactic vaccines and their delivery systems; rapid and efficient diagnostics and effective targeted therapeutics are the need of the hour. METHODS Structured literature search has been performed with specific keywords in bibliographic databases for the accumulation of information regarding current nanomedicine interventions along with standard books for basic virology inputs. RESULTS Multi-arrayed applications of nanomedicine have proved to be an effective alternative in all the aspects regarding the prevention, diagnosis, and control of zoonotic viral diseases. The current review is focused to outline the applications of nanomaterials as anti-viral vaccines or vaccine/drug delivery systems, diagnostics and directly acting therapeutic agents in combating the important zoonotic viral diseases in the recent scenario along with their potential benefits, challenges and prospects to design successful control strategies. CONCLUSION This review provides significant introspection towards the multi-arrayed applications of nanomedicine to combat several important zoonotic viral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasad Minakshi
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, LLR University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar-125001, Haryana, 125004, India
| | - Mayukh Ghosh
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, RGSC, Banaras Hindu University, Mirzapur (UP) - 231001, India
| | - Rajesh Kumar
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar-125001, Haryana, 125004, India
| | - Basanti Brar
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, LLR University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar-125001, Haryana, 125004, India
| | - Upendra P Lambe
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, LLR University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar-125001, Haryana, 125004, India
| | - Somesh Banerjee
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Immunology Section, LUVAS, Hisar-125004, India
| | - Koushlesh Ranjan
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, 250110, India
| | | | - Parveen Goel
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, LLR University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, Haryana, 125004, India
| | - Yashpal S Malik
- Division of Standardisation, Indian Veterinary Research Institute Izatnagar - Bareilly (UP) - 243122, India
| | - Gaya Prasad
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, UP, 250110, India
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He J, Lai H, Esqueda A, Chen Q. Plant-Produced Antigen Displaying Virus-Like Particles Evokes Potent Antibody Responses against West Nile Virus in Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:60. [PMID: 33477363 PMCID: PMC7830312 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9010060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we developed a hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg)-based virus-like particle (VLP) that displays the West Nile virus (WNV) Envelope protein domain III (wDIII) as a vaccine candidate for WNV. The HBcAg-wDIII fusion protein was quickly produced in Nicotiana benthamiana plants and reached a high expression level of approximately 1.2 mg of fusion protein per gram of leaf fresh weight within six days post gene infiltration. Electron microscopy and gradient centrifugation analysis indicated that the introduction of wDIII did not interfere with VLP formation and HBcAg-wDIII successfully assembled into VLPs. HBcAg-wDIII VLPs can be easily purified in large quantities from Nicotiana benthamiana leaves to >95% homogeneity. Further analysis revealed that the wDIII was displayed properly and demonstrated specific binding to an anti-wDIII monoclonal antibody that recognizes a conformational epitope of wDIII. Notably, HBcAg-wDIII VLPs were shown to be highly immunogenic and elicited potent humoral responses in mice with antigen-specific IgG titers equivalent to that of protective wDIII antigens in previous studies. Thus, our wDIII-based VLP vaccine offers an attractive option for developing effective, safe, and low-cost vaccines against WNV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyun He
- The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; (J.H.); (H.L.); (A.E.)
| | - Huafang Lai
- The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; (J.H.); (H.L.); (A.E.)
| | - Adrian Esqueda
- The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; (J.H.); (H.L.); (A.E.)
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Qiang Chen
- The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; (J.H.); (H.L.); (A.E.)
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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Abstract
Various systems exist for the robust production of recombinant proteins. However, only a few systems are optimal for human vaccine protein production. Plant-based transient protein expression systems offer an advantageous alternative to costly mammalian cell culture-based systems and can perform posttranslational modifications due to the presence of an endomembrane system that is largely similar to that of the animal cell. Technological advances in expression vectors for transient expression in the last two decades have produced new plant expression systems with the flexibility and speed that cannot be matched by those based on mammalian or insect cell culture. The rapid and high-level protein production capability of transient expression systems makes them the optimal system to quickly and versatilely develop and produce vaccines against viruses such as 2019-nCoV that have sudden and unpredictable outbreaks. Here, expression of antiviral subunit vaccines in Nicotiana benthamiana plants via transient expression is demonstrated.
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Castanha PMS, Marques ETA. A Glimmer of Hope: Recent Updates and Future Challenges in Zika Vaccine Development. Viruses 2020; 12:E1371. [PMID: 33266129 PMCID: PMC7761420 DOI: 10.3390/v12121371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and rapid spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) on a global scale as well as the establishment of a causal link between Zika infection and congenital syndrome and neurological disorders triggered unprecedented efforts towards the development of a safe and effective Zika vaccine. Multiple vaccine platforms, including purified inactivated virus, nucleic acid vaccines, live-attenuated vaccines, and viral-vectored vaccines, have advanced to human clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in the field of Zika vaccine development and the challenges for future clinical efficacy trials. We provide a brief overview on Zika vaccine platforms in the pipeline before summarizing the vaccine candidates in clinical trials, with a focus on recent, promising results from vaccine candidates that completed phase I trials. Despite low levels of transmission during recent years, ZIKV has become endemic in the Americas and the potential of large Zika outbreaks remains real. It is important for vaccine developers to continue developing their Zika vaccines, so that a potential vaccine is ready for deployment and clinical efficacy trials when the next ZIKV outbreak occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ernesto T. A. Marques
- Graduate School of Public Health, Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA;
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Peyret H, Ponndorf D, Meshcheriakova Y, Richardson J, Lomonossoff GP. Covalent protein display on Hepatitis B core-like particles in plants through the in vivo use of the SpyTag/SpyCatcher system. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17095. [PMID: 33051543 PMCID: PMC7555512 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74105-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) can be used as nano-carriers and antigen-display systems in vaccine development and therapeutic applications. Conjugation of peptides or whole proteins to VLPs can be achieved using different methods such as the SpyTag/SpyCatcher system. Here we investigate the conjugation of tandem Hepatitis B core (tHBcAg) VLPs and the model antigen GFP in vivo in Nicotiana benthamiana. We show that tHBcAg VLPs could be successfully conjugated with GFP in the cytosol and ER without altering VLP formation or GFP fluorescence. Conjugation in the cytosol was more efficient when SpyCatcher was displayed on tHBcAg VLPs instead of being fused to GFP. This effect was even more obvious in the ER, showing that it is optimal to display SpyCatcher on the tHBcAg VLPs and SpyTag on the binding partner. To test transferability of the GFP results to other antigens, we successfully conjugated tHBcAg VLPs to the HIV capsid protein P24 in the cytosol. This work presents an efficient strategy which can lead to time and cost saving post-translational, covalent conjugation of recombinant proteins in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadrien Peyret
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
| | - Daniel Ponndorf
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | | | - Jake Richardson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
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Berneck BS, Rockstroh A, Fertey J, Grunwald T, Ulbert S. A Recombinant Zika Virus Envelope Protein with Mutations in the Conserved Fusion Loop Leads to Reduced Antibody Cross-Reactivity upon Vaccination. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:E603. [PMID: 33066262 PMCID: PMC7712286 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8040603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a zoonotic, human pathogenic, and mosquito-borne flavivirus. Its distribution is rapidly growing worldwide. Several attempts to develop vaccines for ZIKV are currently ongoing. Central to most vaccination approaches against flavivirus infections is the envelope (E) protein, which is the major target of neutralizing antibodies. Insect-cell derived, recombinantly expressed variants of E from the flaviviruses West Nile and Dengue virus have entered clinical trials in humans. Also for ZIKV, these antigens are promising vaccine candidates. Due to the structural similarity of flaviviruses, cross-reactive antibodies are induced by flavivirus antigens and have been linked to the phenomenon of antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE). Especially the highly conserved fusion loop domain (FL) in the E protein is a target of such cross-reactive antibodies. In areas where different flaviviruses co-circulate and heterologous infections cannot be ruled out, this is of concern. To exclude the possibility that recombinant E proteins of ZIKV might induce ADE in infections with related flaviviruses, we performed an immunization study with an insect-cell derived E protein containing four mutations in and near the FL. Our data show that this mutant antigen elicits antibodies with equal neutralizing capacity as the wildtype equivalent. However, it induces much less serological cross-reactivity and does not cause ADE in vitro. These results indicate that mutated variants of the E protein might lead to ZIKV and other flavivirus vaccines with increased safety profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sebastian Ulbert
- Fraunhofer-Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (B.S.B.); (A.R.); (J.F.); (T.G.)
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Zhang N, Li C, Jiang S, Du L. Recent Advances in the Development of Virus-Like Particle-Based Flavivirus Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8030481. [PMID: 32867194 PMCID: PMC7565697 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8030481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Flaviviruses include several medically important viruses, such as Zika virus (ZIKV), Dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). They have expanded in geographic distribution and refocused international attention in recent years. Vaccination is one of the most effective public health strategies for combating flavivirus infections. In this review, we summarized virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccines against the above four mentioned flaviviruses. Potential strategies to improve the efficacy of VLP-based flavivirus vaccines were also illustrated. The applications of flavivirus VLPs as tools for viral detection and antiviral drug screening were finally proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naru Zhang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University City College, Hangzhou 310015, China; (N.Z.); (C.L.)
| | - Chaoqun Li
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University City College, Hangzhou 310015, China; (N.Z.); (C.L.)
| | - Shibo Jiang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Correspondence: (S.J.); (L.D.)
| | - Lanying Du
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Correspondence: (S.J.); (L.D.)
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In HJ, Lee YH, Jang S, Lim HJ, Kim MY, Kim JA, Yoo JS, Chung GT, Kim YJ. Enhanced effect of modified Zika virus E antigen on the immunogenicity of DNA vaccine. Virology 2020; 549:25-31. [PMID: 32818729 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2020.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
It has been reported worldwide that the Zika virus (ZIKV) could be transmitted through placentas and sexual contact. ZIKV can also cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, microcephaly and neurological abnormalities. However, there are no approved vaccines available. We constructed six DNA vaccine candidates and tested the immunogenicity. Tandem repeated envelope domain Ⅲ (ED Ⅲ × 3) induced highly total IgG and neutralization antibody, as well as CD8+ T cell responses. Also, stem region-removed envelope (E ΔSTEM) elicited a robust production of IFN-γ in mice. To examine in vivo protection, we used mice treated with an IFNAR1 blocking antibody before and after the challenge. Vaccination with the two candidates led to a decline in the level of viral RNAs in organs. Moreover, the sera from the vaccinated mice did not enhance the infection of Dengue virus in K562 cells. These findings suggest the potential for the development of a novel ZIKV DNA vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Ju In
- Division of Vaccine Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CheongJu, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun Ha Lee
- Division of Vaccine Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CheongJu, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Sundong Jang
- College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, CheongJu, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee Ji Lim
- Division of Vaccine Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CheongJu, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi Young Kim
- Division of Vaccine Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CheongJu, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Joo Ae Kim
- Division of Vaccine Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CheongJu, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Sik Yoo
- Division of Vaccine Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CheongJu, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Gyung Tae Chung
- Division of Vaccine Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CheongJu, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - You-Jin Kim
- Division of Vaccine Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CheongJu, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea.
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50
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Immunogenicity and Efficacy of Zika Virus Envelope Domain III in DNA, Protein, and ChAdOx1 Adenoviral-Vectored Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8020307. [PMID: 32560145 PMCID: PMC7350260 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8020307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The flavivirus envelope protein domain III (EDIII) was an effective immunogen against dengue virus (DENV) and other related flaviviruses. Whether this can be applied to the Zika virus (ZIKV) vaccinology remains an open question. Here, we tested the efficacy of ZIKV-EDIII against ZIKV infection, using several vaccine platforms that present the antigen in various ways. We provide data demonstrating that mice vaccinated with a ZIKV-EDIII as DNA or protein-based vaccines failed to raise fully neutralizing antibodies and did not control viremia, following a ZIKV challenge, despite eliciting robust antibody responses. Furthermore, we showed that ZIKV-EDIII encoded in replication-deficient Chimpanzee adenovirus (ChAdOx1-EDIII) elicited anti-ZIKV envelope antibodies in vaccinated mice but also provided limited protection against ZIKV in two physiologically different mouse challenge models. Taken together, our data indicate that contrary to what was shown for other flaviviruses like the dengue virus, which has close similarities with ZIKV-EDIII, this antigen might not be a suitable vaccine candidate for the correct induction of protective immune responses against ZIKV.
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