Zhou Guodong, Luo Zhili, Zhang Zhihui, Cao Shengliang, Li Yubao
College of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong, China.
Shandong Key Laboratory of Applied Technology for Protein and Peptide Drugs, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong, China.
Front Immunol. 2025 Sep 3;16:1651594. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1651594. eCollection 2025.
The coat protein of the MS2 self-assembles into virus-like particles (VLPs) with a diameter of 26 nm. These VLPs are devoid of the phage genome yet are efficiently recognized by the immune system, eliciting robust humoral and cellular immune responses. The structural characteristics of VLPs position them as a promising platform for the development of vaccines and diagnostic tools. Through genetic engineering, antigenic peptides up to 91 amino acids in length can be densely displayed at the N-terminal β-hairpin (AB loop) of the coat protein. Moreover, the fusion of an exogenous sequence with the 19-nucleotide pac site enables the selective incorporation of heterologous RNA into the VLPs. This feature has facilitated the broad application of VLPs in mRNA vaccine development. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the advancements in MS2 phage coat protein VLP-based vaccine research, with a particular focus on their versatile applications in viral, parasite, chlamydial, and cancer immunotherapy. This work aims to serve as a valuable reference for the continued development of vaccines utilizing MS2 phage coat protein VLPs.
MS2的衣壳蛋白自组装成直径为26纳米的病毒样颗粒（VLP）。这些VLP不含噬菌体基因组，但能被免疫系统有效识别，引发强烈的体液免疫和细胞免疫反应。VLP的结构特征使其成为开发疫苗和诊断工具的一个有前景的平台。通过基因工程，长度达91个氨基酸的抗原肽可密集展示在衣壳蛋白的N端β-发夹（AB环）上。此外，外源序列与19个核苷酸的pac位点融合，可使异源RNA选择性地掺入VLP。这一特性促进了VLP在mRNA疫苗开发中的广泛应用。在这篇综述中，我们全面概述了基于MS2噬菌体衣壳蛋白VLP的疫苗研究进展，特别关注其在病毒、寄生虫、衣原体和癌症免疫治疗中的广泛应用。这项工作旨在为利用MS2噬菌体衣壳蛋白VLP持续开发疫苗提供有价值的参考。
