1
|
da Costa HHM, Orts DJB, Moura AD, Duarte-Neto AN, Cirqueira CS, Réssio RA, Kanamura CT, Miguita K, Ferreira JE, Santos RTM, Adriani PP, Cunha-Junior JP, Astray RM, Catarino RM, Lancelotti M, Prudencio CR. RBD and Spike DNA-Based Immunization in Rabbits Elicited IgG Avidity Maturation and High Neutralizing Antibody Responses against SARS-CoV-2. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020555. [PMID: 36851769 PMCID: PMC9959588 DOI: 10.3390/v15020555] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) are a critical part of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) research as they are used to gain insight into the immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Among the technologies available for generating nAbs, DNA-based immunization methods are an alternative to conventional protocols. In this pilot study, we investigated whether DNA-based immunization by needle injection in rabbits was a viable approach to produce a functional antibody response. We demonstrated that three doses of DNA plasmid carrying the gene encoding the full-length spike protein (S) or the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 induced a time-dependent increase in IgG antibody avidity maturation. Moreover, the IgG antibodies displayed high cross neutralization by live SARS-CoV-2 and pseudoviruses neutralization assays. Thus, we established a simple, low cost and feasible DNA-based immunization protocol in rabbits that elicited high IgG avidity maturation and nAbs production against SARS-CoV-2, highlighting the importance of DNA-based platforms for developing new immunization strategies against SARS-CoV-2 and future emerging epidemics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hernan H. M. da Costa
- Immunology Center, Institute Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo 01246-902, Brazil
- Graduate Program Interunits in Biotechnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Diego J. B. Orts
- Immunology Center, Institute Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo 01246-902, Brazil
| | - Andrew D. Moura
- Immunology Center, Institute Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo 01246-902, Brazil
| | | | | | - Rodrigo A. Réssio
- Pathology Center, Institute Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo 01246-902, Brazil
| | | | - Karen Miguita
- Pathology Center, Institute Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo 01246-902, Brazil
| | | | | | - Patricia P. Adriani
- Skinzymes Biotechnology Ltd., São Paulo 05441-040, Brazil
- Laboratory of Nanopharmaceuticals and Delivery Systems, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Jair P. Cunha-Junior
- Laboratory of Immunochemistry and Immunotechnology, Department of Immunology, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38405-317, Brazil
| | - Renato M. Astray
- Multi-Purpose Laboratory, Butantan Institute, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | | | - Marcelo Lancelotti
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Campinas State University, Campinas 13083-871, Brazil
| | - Carlos R. Prudencio
- Immunology Center, Institute Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo 01246-902, Brazil
- Graduate Program Interunits in Biotechnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-11-3068-2886
| |
Collapse
|