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Khalid K, Lim HX, Anwar A, Tan SH, Hwang JS, Ong SK, Poh CL. Preclinical Development of a Novel Epitope-based DNA Vaccine Candidate against SARS-CoV-2 and Evaluation of Immunogenicity in BALB/c Mice. AAPS PharmSciTech 2024; 25:60. [PMID: 38472523 DOI: 10.1208/s12249-024-02778-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanwal Khalid
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hui Xuan Lim
- 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
| | - Ayaz Anwar
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Soon Hao Tan
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Jung Shan Hwang
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Seng-Kai Ong
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Chit Laa Poh
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
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Peng S, Tu HF, Cheng M, Hu MH, Tsai HL, Tsai YC, Koenig C, Brayton C, Wang H, Chang YN, Arend RC, Levinson K, Roden RBS, Wu TC, Hung CF. Immune responses, therapeutic anti-tumor effects, and tolerability upon therapeutic HPV16/18 E6/E7 DNA vaccination via needle-free biojector. mBio 2023; 14:e0212123. [PMID: 37791765 PMCID: PMC10653862 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02121-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Respectively, HPV16 and HPV18 cause 50% and 20% of cervical cancer cases globally. Viral proteins E6 and E7 are obligate drivers of oncogenic transformation. We recently developed a candidate therapeutic DNA vaccine, pBI-11, that targets HPV16 and HPV18 E6 and E7. Single-site intramuscular delivery of pBI-11 via a needle elicited therapeutic anti-tumor effects in mice and is now being tested in high-risk human papillomavirus+ head and neck cancer patients (NCT05799144). Needle-free biojectors such as the Tropis device show promise due to ease of administration, high patient acceptability, and the possibility of improved delivery. For example, vaccination of patients with the ZyCoV-D DNA vaccine using the Tropis device is effective against COVID19, well tolerated, and licensed. Here we show that split-dose, multi-site administration and intradermal delivery via the Tropis biojector increase the delivery of pBI-11 DNA vaccine, enhance HPV antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell responses, and improve anti-tumor therapeutic effects, suggesting its translational potential to treat HPV16/18 infection and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiwen Peng
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hsin-Fang Tu
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Michelle Cheng
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ming-Hung Hu
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hua-Ling Tsai
- Department of Oncology Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ya-Chea Tsai
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Chelsea Koenig
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Cory Brayton
- Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hao Wang
- Department of Oncology Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Rebecca C. Arend
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Kimberly Levinson
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Richard B. S. Roden
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - T. C. Wu
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Chien-Fu Hung
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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An Y, Zhao G, Duan H, Zhang N, Duan M, Xu S, Liu X, Han Y, Zheng T, Li X, Hou J, Zhang Z, Bi Y, Zhao X, Xu K, Dai L, Wang B, Gao GF. Robust and protective immune responses induced by heterologous prime-boost vaccination with DNA-protein dimeric RBD vaccines for COVID-19. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28948. [PMID: 37436839 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed great impacts on public health. To fight against the pandemic, robust immune responses induced by vaccination are indispensable. Previously, we developed a subunit vaccine adjuvanted by aluminum hydroxide, ZF2001, based on the dimeric tandem-repeat RBD immunogen, which has been approved for clinical use. This dimeric RBD design was also explored as an mRNA vaccine. Both showed potent immunogenicity. In this study, a DNA vaccine candidate encoding RBD-dimer was designed. The humoral and cellular immune responses induced by homologous and heterologous prime-boost approaches with DNA-RBD-dimer and ZF2001 were assessed in mice. Protection efficacy was studied by the SARS-CoV-2 challenge. We found that the DNA-RBD-dimer vaccine was robustly immunogenic. Priming with DNA-RBD-dimer followed by ZF2001 boosting induced higher levels of neutralizing antibodies than homologous vaccination with either DNA-RBD-dimer or ZF2001, elicited polyfunctional cellular immunity with a TH 1-biased polarization, and efficiently protected mice against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the lung. This study demonstrated the robust and protective immune responses induced by the DNA-RBD-dimer candidate and provided a heterologous prime-boost approach with DNA-RBD-dimer and ZF2001.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaling An
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China
| | - Gan Zhao
- Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd, Suzhou, China
| | - Huixin Duan
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Minrun Duan
- School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Senyu Xu
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China
| | - Xueyuan Liu
- School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuxuan Han
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China
| | - Tianyi Zheng
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xin Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Jiawang Hou
- Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhiyu Zhang
- Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd, Suzhou, China
| | - Yuhai Bi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Influenza Research and Early-Warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Kun Xu
- Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lianpan Dai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Bin Wang
- Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd, Suzhou, China
| | - George F Gao
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
- Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Bakillah A, Hejji FA, Almasaud A, Jami HA, Hawwari A, Qarni AA, Iqbal J, Alharbi NK. Lipid Raft Integrity and Cellular Cholesterol Homeostasis Are Critical for SARS-CoV-2 Entry into Cells. Nutrients 2022; 14:3417. [PMID: 36014919 DOI: 10.3390/nu14163417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid rafts in cell plasma membranes play a critical role in the life cycle of many viruses. However, the involvement of membrane cholesterol-rich lipid rafts in the entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into target cells is not well known. In this study, we investigated whether the presence of cholesterol-rich microdomains is required for the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells. Our results show that depletion of cholesterol in the rafts by methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MβCD) treatment impaired the expression of the cell surface receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), resulting in a significant increase in SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells. The effects exerted by MβCD could be substantially reversed by exogenous cholesterol replenishment. In contrast, disturbance of intracellular cholesterol homeostasis by statins or siRNA knockdown of key genes involved in the cholesterol biosynthesis and transport pathways reduced SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells. Our study also reveals that SREBP2-mediated cholesterol biosynthesis is involved in the process of SARS-CoV-2 entry in target cells. These results suggest that the host membrane cholesterol-enriched lipid rafts and cellular cholesterol homeostasis are essential for SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells. Pharmacological manipulation of intracellular cholesterol might provide new therapeutic strategies to alleviate SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells.
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Wang X, Rcheulishvili N, Cai J, Liu C, Xie F, Hu X, Yang N, Hou M, Papukashvili D, He Y, Wang PG. Development of DNA Vaccine Candidate against SARS-CoV-2. Viruses 2022; 14:v14051049. [PMID: 35632789 PMCID: PMC9144758 DOI: 10.3390/v14051049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the existence of various types of vaccines and the involvement of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains the most challenging health threat in this century. Along with the increased transmissibility, new strains continue to emerge leading to the need for more vaccines that would elicit protectiveness and safety against the new strains of the virus. Nucleic acid vaccines seem to be the most effective approach in case of a sudden outbreak of infection or the emergence of a new strain as it requires less time than any conventional vaccine development. Hence, in the current study, a DNA vaccine encoding the trimeric prefusion-stabilized ectodomain (S1+S2) of SARS-CoV-2 S-protein was designed by introducing six additional prolines mutation, termed HexaPro. The three-dose regimen of designed DNA vaccine immunization in mice demonstrated the generation of protective antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yunjiao He
- Correspondence: (Y.H.); (P.G.W.); Tel.: +86-10-135-3765-7996 (Y.H.); +86-0755-8801-5584 (P.G.W.)
| | - Peng George Wang
- Correspondence: (Y.H.); (P.G.W.); Tel.: +86-10-135-3765-7996 (Y.H.); +86-0755-8801-5584 (P.G.W.)
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Jia Q, Chu H, Jin Z, Long H, Zhu B. High-throughput single-сell sequencing in cancer research. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:145. [PMID: 35504878 PMCID: PMC9065032 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-00990-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
With advances in sequencing and instrument technology, bioinformatics analysis is being applied to batches of massive cells at single-cell resolution. High-throughput single-cell sequencing can be utilized for multi-omics characterization of tumor cells, stromal cells or infiltrated immune cells to evaluate tumor progression, responses to environmental perturbations, heterogeneous composition of the tumor microenvironment, and complex intercellular interactions between these factors. Particularly, single-cell sequencing of T cell receptors, alone or in combination with single-cell RNA sequencing, is useful in the fields of tumor immunology and immunotherapy. Clinical insights obtained from single-cell analysis are critically important for exploring the biomarkers of disease progression or antitumor treatment, as well as for guiding precise clinical decision-making for patients with malignant tumors. In this review, we summarize the clinical applications of single-cell sequencing in the fields of tumor cell evolution, tumor immunology, and tumor immunotherapy. Additionally, we analyze the tumor cell response to antitumor treatment, heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment, and response or resistance to immune checkpoint immunotherapy. The limitations of single-cell analysis in cancer research are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingzhu Jia
- Institute of Cancer, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Immunotherapy, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Han Chu
- Institute of Cancer, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, China.,Center of Growth, Metabolism and Aging, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China
| | - Zheng Jin
- Research Institute, GloriousMed Clinical Laboratory Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 201318, China
| | - Haixia Long
- Institute of Cancer, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, China. .,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Immunotherapy, Chongqing, 400037, China.
| | - Bo Zhu
- Institute of Cancer, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, China. .,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Immunotherapy, Chongqing, 400037, China.
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