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Lin G, Yan H, Sun J, Zhao J, Zhang Y. Self-replicating RNA nanoparticle vaccine elicits protective immune responses against SARS-CoV-2. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2023; 32:650-666. [PMID: 37151990 PMCID: PMC10122567 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The creation of safe and effective vaccines that induce potent cellular and humoral immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 is urgently needed to end the global COVID-19 epidemic. Here, we developed an alphavirus-derived self-replicating RNA (repRNA)-based vaccine platform encoding the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. The repRNA triggers prolonged antigen expression compared with conventional mRNA due to the replication machinery of repRNA. To improve the delivery and vaccine efficacy of repRNA, we developed a self-assembling liposome-protamine-RNA (LPR) nanoparticle with highly efficient encapsulation and transfection of repRNA. LPR-repRNA vaccines substantially activated type I interferon response and innate immune signaling pathways. Subcutaneous immunization of LPR-repRNA-RBD led to prolonged antigen expression, stimulation of innate immune cells, and induction of germinal center response in draining lymph nodes. LPR-repRNA-RBD induced antigen-specific T cell responses and skewed cellular immunity toward an effector memory CD8+ T cell response. Immunizations with LPR-repRNA-RBD triggered the production of anti-RBD IgG antibodies and induced neutralizing antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus. LPR-repRNA-RBD vaccines reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection and lung inflammation in mice. Altogether, these data suggest that the LPR-repRNA platform can be a promising avenue for COVID-19 vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guibin Lin
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 511442, China
- National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Materials and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Huan Yan
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 511442, China
- National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Materials and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Jing Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510182, China
| | - Jincun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510182, China
- Institute of Infectious Disease, Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510060, China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 511442, China
- National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Materials and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
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