新型基于表位的 SARS-CoV-2 DNA 疫苗候选物的临床前开发及在 BALB/c 小鼠中的免疫原性评估。
Preclinical Development of a Novel Epitope-based DNA Vaccine Candidate against SARS-CoV-2 and Evaluation of Immunogenicity in BALB/c Mice.
机构信息
Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Sunway Microbiome Centre, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
出版信息
AAPS PharmSciTech. 2024 Mar 12;25(3):60. doi: 10.1208/s12249-024-02778-x.
The protective efficacies of current licensed vaccines against COVID-19 have significantly reduced as a result of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) which carried multiple mutations in the Spike (S) protein. Considering that these vaccines were developed based on the S protein of the original SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain, we designed a recombinant plasmid DNA vaccine based on highly conserved and immunogenic B and T cell epitopes against SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain and the Omicron VOC. Literature mining and bioinformatics were used to identify 6 immunogenic peptides from conserved regions of the SARS-CoV-2 S and membrane (M) proteins. Nucleotide sequences encoding these peptides representing highly conserved B and T cell epitopes were cloned into a pVAX1 vector to form the pVAX1/S2-6EHGFP recombinant DNA plasmid vaccine. The DNA vaccine was intranasally or intramuscularly administered to BALB/c mice and evaluations of humoral and cellular immune responses were performed. The intramuscular administration of pVAX1/S2-6EHGFP was associated with a significantly higher percentage of CD8 T cells expressing IFN-γ when compared with the empty vector and PBS controls. Intramuscular or intranasal administrations of pVAX1/S2-6EHGFP resulted in robust IgG antibody responses. Sera from mice intramuscularly immunized with pVAX1/S2-6EHGFP were found to elicit neutralizing antibodies capable of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant with the ACE2 cell surface receptor. This study demonstrated that the DNA vaccine construct encoding highly conserved immunogenic B and T cell epitopes was capable of eliciting potent humoral and cellular immune responses in mice.
由于携带刺突(S)蛋白多处突变的 SARS-CoV-2 关切变异株(VOCs),当前获许可的 COVID-19 疫苗的保护效力显著降低。鉴于这些疫苗是基于原始 SARS-CoV-2 武汉株的 S 蛋白开发的,我们设计了一种基于针对 SARS-CoV-2 武汉株和奥密克戎 VOC 的高度保守和免疫原性 B 和 T 细胞表位的重组质粒 DNA 疫苗。通过文献挖掘和生物信息学,从 SARS-CoV-2 S 和膜(M)蛋白的保守区域中鉴定出 6 个免疫原性肽。编码这些代表高度保守 B 和 T 细胞表位的肽的核苷酸序列被克隆到 pVAX1 载体中,形成 pVAX1/S2-6EHGFP 重组 DNA 质粒疫苗。该 DNA 疫苗经鼻内或肌肉内给药给 BALB/c 小鼠,并进行体液和细胞免疫应答的评估。与空载体和 PBS 对照组相比,肌肉内给予 pVAX1/S2-6EHGFP 与更高比例表达 IFN-γ的 CD8 T 细胞相关。肌肉内或鼻内给予 pVAX1/S2-6EHGFP 导致强烈的 IgG 抗体应答。用 pVAX1/S2-6EHGFP 肌肉内免疫的小鼠血清中发现能够引发针对 SARS-CoV-2 奥密克戎变体的中和抗体,该变体与 ACE2 细胞表面受体结合。这项研究表明,编码高度保守免疫原性 B 和 T 细胞表位的 DNA 疫苗构建体能够在小鼠中引发有效的体液和细胞免疫应答。