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Roa CC, de Los Reyes MRA, Plennevaux E, Smolenov I, Hu B, Gao F, Ilagan H, Ambrosino D, Siber G, Clemens R, Han HH. SCB-2019 protein vaccine as heterologous booster of neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants after immunization with other COVID-19 vaccines. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2024; 20:2301632. [PMID: 38206168 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2301632] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
We assessed the non-inferiority of homologous boosting compared with heterologous boosting with the recombinant protein vaccine, SCB-2019, in adults previously immunized with different COVID-19 vaccines. Three equal cohorts (N ~ 420) of Philippino adults (18-80 years) previously immunized with Comirnaty, CoronaVac or Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccines were randomized 1:1 to receive homologous or heterologous (SCB-2019) boosters. Neutralizing antibodies against prototype SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan-Hu-1) were measured in all participants and against Delta variant and Omicron sub-lineages in subsets (30‒50 per arm) 15 days after boosting. Participants recorded solicited adverse events for 7 days and unsolicited and serious adverse events until Day 60. Prototype SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing responses on Day 15 after SCB-2019 were statistically non-inferior to homologous Vaxzevria boosters, superior to CoronaVac, but lower than homologous Comirnaty. Neutralizing responses against Delta and Omicron BA.1, BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5 variants after heterologous SCB-2019 were higher than homologous CoronaVac or Vaxzevria, but lower than homologous Comirnaty. Responses against Omicron BF.7, BQ.1.1.3, and XBB1.5 following heterologous SCB-2019 were lower than after homologous Comirnaty booster but significantly higher than after Vaxzevria booster. SCB-2019 reactogenicity was similar to CoronaVac or Vaxzevria, but lower than Comirnaty; most frequent events were mild/moderate injection site pain, headache and fatigue. No vaccine-related serious adverse events were reported. Heterologous SCB-2019 boosting was well tolerated and elicited neutralizing responses against all tested SARS-COV-2 viruses including Omicron BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, BF.7, BQ.1.1.3, and XBB1.5 sub-lineages that were non-inferior to homologous boosting with CoronaVac or Vaxzevria, but not homologous Comirnaty booster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo C Roa
- Department of Physiology, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
| | | | - Eric Plennevaux
- Clinical Development, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Cambridge, UK
| | - Igor Smolenov
- Clinical Development, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Branda Hu
- Clinical Development, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Faith Gao
- Clinical Development, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hannalyn Ilagan
- Clinical Development, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Ralf Clemens
- Global Research in Infectious Diseases, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Htay Htay Han
- Clinical Development, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Boston, MA, USA
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Huang T, Hu Q, Zhou X, Yang H, Xia W, Cao F, Deng M, Teng X, Ding F, Zhong Z, Gao L, Sun J, Gong L. Immunogenicity and safety of a recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (ZF2001) as heterologous booster after priming with inactivated vaccine in healthy children and adolescents aged 3-17 years: an open-labeled, single-arm clinical trial. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:413. [PMID: 38641791 PMCID: PMC11027523 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09293-1] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Considering that neutralizing antibody levels induced by two doses of the inactivated vaccine decreased over time and had fallen to low levels by 6 months, and homologous and heterologous booster immunization programs have been implemented in adults in China. The booster immunization of recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (ZF2001) after priming with inactivated vaccine in healthy children and adolescents has not been reported. We performed an open-labeled, single-arm clinical trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of heterologous booster immunization with ZF2001 after priming with inactivated vaccine among 240 population aged 3-17 years in China. The primary outcome was immunogenicity, including geometric mean titers (GMTs), geometric mean ratios (GMRs) and seroconversion rates of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies against prototype SARS-CoV-2 and Omicron BA.2 variant at 14 days after vaccination booster. On day 14 post-booster, a third dose booster of the ZF2001 provided a substantial increase in antibody responses in minors, and the overall occurrence rate of adverse reactions after heterologous vaccination was low and all adverse reactions were mild or moderate. The results showed that the ZF2001 heterologous booster had high immunogenicity and good safety profile in children and adolescents, and can elicit a certain level of neutralizing antibodies against Omicron.Trial registration NCT05895110 (Retrospectively registered, First posted in ClinicalTrials.gov date: 08/06/2023).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Huang
- Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changsha, 410005, China
| | - Qianqian Hu
- Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Xiang Zhou
- Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Huaiyu Yang
- Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Wei Xia
- Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changsha, 410005, China
| | - Feng Cao
- Xiangtan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Xiangtan, 411100, China
| | - Minglu Deng
- Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Xiaoxue Teng
- Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Fan Ding
- Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Zaixin Zhong
- Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Lidong Gao
- Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changsha, 410005, China.
| | - Jiufeng Sun
- Guangdong Provincial Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou, 511430, China.
| | - Lihui Gong
- Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical, Hefei, 230601, China.
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Ponne S, Kumar R, Vanmathi SM, Brilhante RSN, Kumar CR. Reverse engineering protection: A comprehensive survey of reverse vaccinology-based vaccines targeting viral pathogens. Vaccine 2024; 42:2503-2518. [PMID: 38523003 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.02.087] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Vaccines have significantly reduced the impact of numerous deadly viral infections. However, there is an increasing need to expedite vaccine development in light of the recurrent pandemics and epidemics. Also, identifying vaccines against certain viruses is challenging due to various factors, notably the inability to culture certain viruses in cell cultures and the wide-ranging diversity of MHC profiles in humans. Fortunately, reverse vaccinology (RV) efficiently overcomes these limitations and has simplified the identification of epitopes from antigenic proteins across the entire proteome, streamlining the vaccine development process. Furthermore, it enables the creation of multiepitope vaccines that can effectively account for the variations in MHC profiles within the human population. The RV approach offers numerous advantages in developing precise and effective vaccines against viral pathogens, including extensive proteome coverage, accurate epitope identification, cross-protection capabilities, and MHC compatibility. With the introduction of RV, there is a growing emphasis among researchers on creating multiepitope-based vaccines aiming to stimulate the host's immune responses against multiple serotypes, as opposed to single-component monovalent alternatives. Regardless of how promising the RV-based vaccine candidates may appear, they must undergo experimental validation to probe their protection efficacy for real-world applications. The time, effort, and resources allocated to the laborious epitope identification process can now be redirected toward validating vaccine candidates identified through the RV approach. However, to overcome failures in the RV-based approach, efforts must be made to incorporate immunological principles and consider targeting the epitope regions involved in disease pathogenesis, immune responses, and neutralizing antibody maturation. Integrating multi-omics and incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning-based tools and techniques in RV would increase the chances of developing an effective vaccine. This review thoroughly explains the RV approach, ideal RV-based vaccine construct components, RV-based vaccines designed to combat viral pathogens, its challenges, and future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saravanaraman Ponne
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Aarupadai Veedu Medical College and Hospital, Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation (Deemed to be University), Kirumampakkam, Puducherry 607402, India
| | - Rajender Kumar
- Division of Glycoscience, Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden
| | - S M Vanmathi
- Mahatma Gandhi Medical Advanced Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pondicherry 607402, India
| | - Raimunda Sâmia Nogueira Brilhante
- Medical Mycology Specialized Center, Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Chinnadurai Raj Kumar
- Mahatma Gandhi Medical Advanced Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pondicherry 607402, India.
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Franco AR, Sadones O, Romerio A, Artusa V, Shaik MM, Pasco ST, Italia A, D'Amato S, Anguita J, Huebner J, Romero-Saavedra F, Peri F. Novel TLR4-Activating Vaccine Adjuvant Enhances the Production of Enterococcus faecium-binding Antibodies. J Med Chem 2024; 67:5603-5616. [PMID: 38513080 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Vaccines are one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine. Due to their safer profile, the latest investigations usually focus on subunit vaccines. However, the active component often needs to be coupled with an adjuvant to be effective and properly trigger an immune response. We are developing a new synthetic monosaccharide-based TLR4 agonist, such as glucosamine-derived compounds FP18 and FP20, as a potential vaccine adjuvant. In this study, we present a new FP20 derivative, FP20Hmp, with a hydroxylated ester linked to the glucosamine core. We show that the modification introduced improves the activity of the adjuvant and its solubility. This study presents the synthesis of FP20Hmp, its in vitro characterization, and in vivo activity while coupled with the ovalbumin antigen or in formulation with an enterococcal antigen. We show that FP20Hmp enables increased production of antigen-specific antibodies that bind to the whole bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rita Franco
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 2, Milano 20126, Italy
| | - Océane Sadones
- Division of Pediatric Infectious disease, Hauner Children's Hospital, LMU, Munich 80337, Germany
| | - Alessio Romerio
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 2, Milano 20126, Italy
| | - Valentina Artusa
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 2, Milano 20126, Italy
| | - Mohammed Monsoor Shaik
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 2, Milano 20126, Italy
| | - Samuel T Pasco
- Inflammation and Macrophage Plasticity Laboratory, CIC bioGUNE-Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio 48160, Spain
| | - Alice Italia
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 2, Milano 20126, Italy
| | - Simona D'Amato
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 2, Milano 20126, Italy
| | - Juan Anguita
- Inflammation and Macrophage Plasticity Laboratory, CIC bioGUNE-Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio 48160, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, Bilbao 48009, Spain
| | - Johannes Huebner
- Division of Pediatric Infectious disease, Hauner Children's Hospital, LMU, Munich 80337, Germany
| | - Felipe Romero-Saavedra
- Division of Pediatric Infectious disease, Hauner Children's Hospital, LMU, Munich 80337, Germany
| | - Francesco Peri
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 2, Milano 20126, Italy
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5
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Sanchez-Martinez ZV, Alpuche-Lazcano SP, Stuible M, Durocher Y. CHO cells for virus-like particle and subunit vaccine manufacturing. Vaccine 2024; 42:2530-2542. [PMID: 38503664 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.03.034] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, employed primarily for manufacturing monoclonal antibodies and other recombinant protein (r-protein) therapeutics, are emerging as a promising host for vaccine antigen production. This is exemplified by the recently approved CHO cell-derived subunit vaccines (SUV) against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV), as well as the enveloped virus-like particle (eVLP) vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV). Here, we summarize the design, production, and immunogenicity features of these vaccine and review the most recent progress of other CHO-derived vaccines in pre-clinical and clinical development. We also discuss the challenges associated with vaccine production in CHO cells, with a focus on ensuring viral clearance for eVLP products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zalma V Sanchez-Martinez
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Sergio P Alpuche-Lazcano
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Matthew Stuible
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Yves Durocher
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; PROTEO: The Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Structure, and Engineering, Université du Québec à Montréal, 201 Avenue du Président Kennedy, Montréal, QC H2X 3Y7, Canada.
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6
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Hartmeier PR, Ostrowski SM, Busch EE, Empey KM, Meng WS. Lymphatic distribution considerations for subunit vaccine design and development. Vaccine 2024; 42:2519-2529. [PMID: 38494411 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.03.033] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Subunit vaccines are an important platform for controlling current and emerging infectious diseases. The lymph nodes are the primary site generating the humoral response and delivery of antigens to these sites is critical to effective immunization. Indeed, the duration of antigen exposure within the lymph node is correlated with the antibody response. While current licensed vaccines are typically given through the intramuscular route, injecting vaccines subcutaneously allows for direct access to lymphatic vessels and therefore can enhance the transfer of antigen to the lymph nodes. However, protein subunit antigen uptake into the lymph nodes is inefficient, and subunit vaccines require adjuvants to stimulate the initial immune response. Therefore, formulation strategies have been developed to enhance the exposure of subunit proteins and adjuvants to the lymph nodes by increasing lymphatic uptake or prolonging the retention at the injection site. Given that lymph node exposure is a crucial consideration in vaccine design, in depth analyses of the pharmacokinetics of antigens and adjuvants should be the focus of future preclinical and clinical studies. This review will provide an overview of formulation strategies for targeting the lymphatics and prolonging antigen exposure and will discuss pharmacokinetic evaluations which can be applied toward vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul R Hartmeier
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA
| | - Sarah M Ostrowski
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Emelia E Busch
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA
| | - Kerry M Empey
- Center for Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Immunology, School of Medicine University of Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Wilson S Meng
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA.
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Windah ALL, Tallei TE, AlShehail BM, Suoth EJ, Fatimawali, Alhashem YN, Halwani MA, AlShakhal MM, Aljeldah M, Alissa M, Alsuwat MA, Almanaa TN, Alshehri AA, Rabaan AA. Immunoinformatics-Driven Strategies for Advancing Epitope-Based Vaccine Design for West Nile Virus. J Pharm Sci 2024; 113:906-917. [PMID: 38042341 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.11.025] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
The West Nile virus (WNV) is the causative agent of West Nile disease (WND), which poses a potential risk of meningitis or encephalitis. The aim of the study was to design an epitope-based vaccine for WNV by utilizing computational analyses. The epitope-based vaccine design process encompassed WNV sequence collection, phylogenetic tree construction, and sequence alignment. Computational models identified B-cell and T-cell epitopes, followed by immunological property analysis. Epitopes were then modeled and docked with B-cell receptors, MHC I, and MHC II. Molecular dynamics simulations further explored dynamic interactions between epitopes and receptors. The findings indicated that the B-cell epitope QINHHWHKSGSSIG, along with three T-cell epitopes (FLVHREWFM for MHC I, NPFVSVATANAKVLI for MHC II, and NAYYVMTVGTKTFLV for MHC II), successfully passed the immunological evaluations. These four epitopes were further subjected to docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies. Although each demonstrated favorable affinities with their respective receptors, only NAYYVMTVGTKTFLV displayed a stable interaction with MHC II during MDS analysis, hence emerging as a potential candidate for a WNV epitope-based vaccine. This study demonstrates a comprehensive approach to epitope vaccine design, combining computational analyses, molecular modeling, and simulation techniques to identify potential vaccine candidates for WNV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axl Laurens Lukas Windah
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, East Java, Indonesia
| | - Trina Ekawati Tallei
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado 95115, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
| | - Bashayer M AlShehail
- Pharmacy Practice Department, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Elly Juliana Suoth
- Pharmacy Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, Mana-do 95115, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
| | - Fatimawali
- Pharmacy Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, Mana-do 95115, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
| | - Yousef N Alhashem
- Clinical Laboratory Science Department, Mohammed Al-Mana College for Medical Sciences, Dammam 34222, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhammad A Halwani
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Al Baha University. Al Baha 4781, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mouayd M AlShakhal
- Internal Medicine Department, Qatif Central Hospital, Qatif 32654, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Aljeldah
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Hafr Al Batin, Hafr Al Batin 39831, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alissa
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Meshari A Alsuwat
- Clinical Laboratory Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Al-Taif 21974, Saudi Arabia
| | - Taghreed N Almanaa
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad A Alshehri
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran 61441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali A Rabaan
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia; College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia; Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur 22610, Pakistan
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8
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Yasmin S, Ansari MY, Pandey K, Dikhit MR. Identification of potential vaccine targets for elicitation of host immune cells against SARS-CoV-2 by reverse vaccinology approach. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 265:130754. [PMID: 38508555 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130754] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a critical global health crisis, demanding urgent and effective strategies for containment. While some knowledge exists about epitope sequences recognized by human immune cells and their activation of CD8+ T cells within the HLA context, comprehensive information remains limited. This study employs reverse vaccinology to explore antigenic HLA-restricted T-cell epitopes capable of eliciting durable immunity. Screening reveals 187 consensus epitopes, with 23 offering broad population coverage worldwide, spanning over 5000 HLA alleles. Sequence alignment analysis highlights the genetic distinctiveness of these peptides from Homo sapiens and their intermediate to high TAP binding efficiency. Notably, these epitopes share 100 % sequence identity across strains from nine countries, indicating potential for a uniform protective immune response among diverse ethnic populations. Docking simulations further confirm their binding capacity with the HLA allele, validating them as promising targets for SARS-CoV-2 immune recognition. The anticipated epitopes are connected with suitable linkers and adjuvant, and then assessed for its translational efficacy within a bacterial expression vector through computational cloning. Through docking, it is observed that the chimeric vaccine construct forms lasting hydrogen bonds with Toll-like receptor (TLR4), while immune simulation illustrates an increased cytotoxic response aimed at CD8+ T cells. This comprehensive computational analysis suggests the chimeric vaccine construct's potential to provoke a robust immune response against SARS-CoV-2. By delineating these antigenic fragments, our study offers valuable insights into effective vaccine and immunotherapy development against COVID-19, contributing significantly to global efforts in combating this infectious threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Yasmin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University (KKU), Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad Yousuf Ansari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, M.M. College of Pharmacy, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala 133207, India.
| | - Krishna Pandey
- Department of Clinical Medicine, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Agamkuan, Patna 800007, India
| | - Manas Ranjan Dikhit
- Department of Bioinformatics, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Agamkuan, Patna 800007, India.
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Hao G, Xiong C, Xiao J, He W, Zhu Y, Xu L, Jiang Q, Yang G. Evaluation of the immunoprotective effect of the recombinant Eimeria intestinalis rhoptry protein 25 and rhoptry protein 30 on New Zealand rabbits. Exp Parasitol 2024; 259:108719. [PMID: 38364954 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108719] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rabbit coccidiosis is a parasitism caused by either one or multiple co-infections of Eimeria species. Among them, Eimeria intestinalis is the primary pathogen responsible for diarrhea, growth retardation, and potential mortality in rabbits. Concerns regarding drug resistance and drug residues have led to the development of recombinant subunit vaccines targeting Eimeria species as a promising preventive measure. The aim of this study was to assess the immunoprotective efficacy of recombinant subunit vaccines comprising EiROP25 and EiROP30 (rhoptry proteins (ROPs)) against E. intestinalis infection in rabbits. METHODS Cloning, prokaryotic expression, and protein purification were performed to obtain EiROP25 and EiROP30. Five groups of fifty 35-day-old Eimeria-free rabbits were created (unchallenged control group, challenged control group, vector protein control group, rEiROP25 group, and rEiROP30 group), with 10 rabbits in each group. Rabbits in the rEiROP25 and rEiROP30 groups were immunized with the recombinant proteins (100 μg per rabbit) for primary and booster immunization (100 μg per rabbit) at a two-week intervals, and challenged with 7 × 104 oocysts per rabbit after an additional two-week interval. Two weeks after the challenge, the rabbits were euthanized for analysis. Weekly collections of rabbit sera were made to measure changes in specific IgG and cytokine level. Clinical symptoms and pathological changes after challenge were observed and recorded. At the conclusion of the animal experiment, lesion scores, the relative weight increase ratio, the oocyst reduction rate, and the anticoccidial index were computed. RESULTS Rabbits immunized with rEiROP25 and rEiROP30 exhibited relative weight gain ratios of 56.57% and 72.36%, respectively. Oocysts decreased by 78.14% and 84.06% for the rEiROP25 and rEiROP30 groups, respectively. The anticoccidial indexes were 140 and 155. Furthermore, there was a noticeable drop in intestinal lesions. After the primary immunization with rEiROP25 and rEiROP30, a week later, there was a notable rise in specific IgG levels, which remained elevated for two weeks following challenge (P < 0.05). Interleukin (IL)-2 levels increased markedly in the rEiROP25 group, whereas IL-2, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and IL-4 levels increased substantially in the rEiROP30 group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Immunization of rabbits indicated that both rEiROP25 and rEiROP30 are capable of inducing an increase in specific antibody levels. rEiROP25 triggered a Th1-type immune protection response, while rEiROP30 elicited a Th1/Th2 mixed response. EiROP25 and EiROP30 can generate a moderate level of immune protection, with better efficacy observed for EiROP30. This study provides valuable insights for the promotion of recombinant subunit vaccines targeting rabbit E. intestinalis infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Hao
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Changming Xiong
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Jie Xiao
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Wei He
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Yuhua Zhu
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Liwen Xu
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Qing Jiang
- Ya'an Polytechnic College, Yaan, 625014, China.
| | - Guangyou Yang
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China.
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10
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Ullah A, Ul Haq M, Iqbal M, Irfan M, Khan S, Muhammad R, Ullah A, Khurram M, Alharbi M, Alasmari AF, Ahmad S. A computational quest for identifying potential vaccine candidates against Moraxella lacunata: a multi-pronged approach. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:2976-2989. [PMID: 37177816 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2212793] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Moraxella lacunata is an emerging gram-negative bacterium that is responsible for multiple nosocomial infections. The bacterium is evolving resistance to several antibiotics, and currently, no effective licensed vaccines are available, which warrants the search for new therapeutics. A multi-epitope-based vaccine has been designed for M. lacunata. The complete proteome of M. lacunata contains 10,110 core proteins. Subcellular localization analysis revealed the presence of five proteins in the extracellular matrix, while 19 proteins were predicted to be located in the outer membrane, and 21 proteins were predicted to be located in the periplasmic region. Only two proteins, the type VI secretion system tube protein (Hcp) and the transporter substrate-binding domain-containing protein, were selected for epitope prediction as they fulfilled all the criteria for being potential vaccine candidates. Shortlisted epitopes from the selected proteins were fused together using "GPGPG" linkers to overcome the limitations of single-epitope vaccines. Next, the cholera toxin-B adjuvant was attached to the peptide epitope using an EAAAK linker. Docking analysis was performed to examine the interaction between the vaccine and immune cell receptors, revealing robust intermolecular interactions and a stable binding conformation. Molecular dynamics simulation findings revealed no drastic changes in the binding conformation of complexes during the simulation period. The net binding free energy of vaccine-receptor complexes was estimated using the molecular mechanics energies combined with the Poisson-Boltzmann and surface area continuum solvation (MM-PBSA) method. The reported values were -586.38 kcal/mol, -283.74 kcal/mol, and -296.88 kcal/mol for the TLR-4-vaccine complex, MHC-I-vaccine complex, and MHC-II-vaccine complex, respectively. Furthermore, the molecular mechanics energies combined with the generalized Born and surface area continuum solvation (MM-GBSA) analysis predicted binding free energies of -596.69 kcal/mol, -287.39 kcal/mol, and -298.28 kcal/mol for the TLR-4-vaccine complex, MHC-I-vaccine complex, and MHC-II-vaccine complex, respectively. The theoretical vaccine design proposed in the study could potentially serve as a powerful therapeutic against targeted pathogens, subject to validation through experimental studies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asad Ullah
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Mahboob Ul Haq
- Department of Pharmacy, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Madiha Iqbal
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Irfan
- College of Dentistry, Department of Oral Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Saifullah Khan
- Institute of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, Pakistan
| | - Riaz Muhammad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Amin Ullah
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | | | - Metab Alharbi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah F Alasmari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
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11
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Ralhan A, Al-Mehiawi A. Bilateral sequential acute retinal necrosis following administration of an adjuvanted recombinant subunit vaccine for herpes zoster. Can J Ophthalmol 2024; 59:e187-e189. [PMID: 37923300 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcjo.2023.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
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12
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Ghafoor D, Zeb A, Ali SS, Ali M, Akbar F, Ud Din Z, Ur Rehman S, Suleman M, Khan W. Immunoinformatic based designing of potential immunogenic novel mRNA and peptide-based prophylactic vaccines against H5N1 and H7N9 avian influenza viruses. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:3641-3658. [PMID: 37222664 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2214228] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Influenza viruses are the most common cause of serious respiratory illnesses worldwide and are responsible for a significant number of annual fatalities. Therefore, it is crucial to look for new immunogenic sites that might trigger an effective immune response. In the present study, bioinformatics tools were used to design mRNA and multiepitope-based vaccines against H5N1 and H7N9 subtypes of avian influenza viruses. Several Immunoinformatic tools were employed to extrapolate T and B lymphocyte epitopes of HA and NA proteins of both subtypes. The molecular docking approach was used to dock the selected HTL and CTL epitopes with the corresponding MHC molecules. Eight (8) CTL, four (4) HTL, and Six (6) linear B cell epitopes were chosen for the structural arrangement of mRNA and of peptide-based prophylactic vaccine designs. Different physicochemical characteristics of the selected epitopes fitted with suitable linkers were analyzed. High antigenic, non-toxic, and non-allergenic features of the designed vaccines were noted at a neutral physiological pH. Codon optimization tool was used to check the GC content and CAI value of constructed MEVC-Flu vaccine, which were recorded to be 50.42% and 0.97 respectively. the GC content and CAI value verify the stable expression of vaccine in pET28a + vector. In-silico immunological simulation the MEVC-Flu vaccine construct revealed a high level of immune responses. The molecular dynamics simulation and docking results confirmed the stable interaction of TLR-8 and MEVC-Flu vaccine. Based on these parameters, vaccine constructs can be regarded as an optimistic choice against H5N1 and H7N9 strains of the influenza virus. Further experimental testing of these prophylactic vaccine designs against pathogenic avian influenza strains may clarify their safety and efficacy.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawood Ghafoor
- Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Adnan Zeb
- Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Syed Shujait Ali
- Centre for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Ali
- Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Fazal Akbar
- Centre for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Zia Ud Din
- Center for Advanced Studies in Vaccinology and Biotechnology, University of Balochistan Quetta, Quetta, Pakistan
| | - Shoaib Ur Rehman
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Science and Technology, Bannu, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Suleman
- Centre for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Wajid Khan
- Centre for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
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Szachniewicz MM, Neustrup MA, van Meijgaarden KE, Jiskoot W, Bouwstra JA, Haks MC, Geluk A, Ottenhoff THM. Intrinsic immunogenicity of liposomes for tuberculosis vaccines: Effect of cationic lipid and cholesterol. Eur J Pharm Sci 2024; 195:106730. [PMID: 38382622 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2024.106730] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is still among the deadliest infectious diseases, hence there is a pressing need for more effective TB vaccines. Cationic liposome subunit vaccines are excellent vaccine candidates offering effective protection with a better safety profile than live vaccines. In this study, we aim to explore intrinsic adjuvant properties of cationic liposomes to maximize immune activation while minimizing aspecific cytotoxicity. To achieve this, we developed a rational strategy to select liposomal formulation compositions and assessed their physicochemical and immunological properties in vitro models using human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs). A broad selection of commercially available cationic compounds was tested to prepare liposomes containing Ag85B-ESAT6-Rv2034 (AER) fusion protein antigen. 1,2-Dioleoyl-sn‑glycero-3-ethylphosphocholine (EPC)-based liposomes exhibited the most advantageous activation profile in MDDCs as assessed by cell surface activation markers, cellular uptake, antigen-specific T-cell activation, cytokine production, and cellular viability. The addition of cholesterol to 20 mol% improved the performance of the tested formulations compared to those without it; however, when its concentration was doubled there was no further benefit, resulting in reduced cell viability. This study provides new insights into the role of cationic lipids and cholesterol in liposomal subunit vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Szachniewicz
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Postzone C5-P, PO Box 9600, Leiden, RC 2300, the Netherlands.
| | - M A Neustrup
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - K E van Meijgaarden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Postzone C5-P, PO Box 9600, Leiden, RC 2300, the Netherlands
| | - W Jiskoot
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - J A Bouwstra
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - M C Haks
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Postzone C5-P, PO Box 9600, Leiden, RC 2300, the Netherlands
| | - A Geluk
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Postzone C5-P, PO Box 9600, Leiden, RC 2300, the Netherlands
| | - T H M Ottenhoff
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Postzone C5-P, PO Box 9600, Leiden, RC 2300, the Netherlands
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Suwabe T, Shibasaki Y, Tamura S, Katagiri T, Fuse K, Ida-Kurasaki T, Ushiki T, Sone H, Narita M, Masuko M. Decade-long WT1-specific CTLs induced by WT1 peptide vaccination. Int J Hematol 2024; 119:399-406. [PMID: 38427208 DOI: 10.1007/s12185-024-03723-1] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The peptide-based cancer vaccine targeting Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) is a promising immunotherapeutic strategy for hematological malignancies. It remains unclear how long and to what extent the WT1-specific CD8 + cytotoxic T cell (CTL) persist after WT1 peptide vaccination. METHODS The WT1 peptide vaccine was administered with written consent to a patient with CML in the chronic phase who did not respond well to imatinib, and the patient was followed for 12 years after vaccination. Immune monitoring was performed by specific amplification of WT1-specific CTLs using a mixed lymphocyte peptide culture. T-cell receptors (TCRs) of amplified WT1-specific CTLs were analyzed using next-generation sequencing. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of our institution. RESULT WT1-specific CTLs, which were initially detected during WT1 peptide vaccination, persisted at a frequency of less than 5 cells per 1,000,000 CD8 + T cells for more than 10 years. TCR repertoire analysis confirmed the diversity of WT1-specific CTLs 11 years after vaccination. CTLs exhibited WT1 peptide-specific cytotoxicity in vitro. CONCLUSION The WT1 peptide vaccine induced an immune response that persists for more than 10 years, even after cessation of vaccination in the CML patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Suwabe
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital, Niigata, Japan
| | - Yasuhiko Shibasaki
- Department of Hematology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Niigata University Faculty of Medicine, 1-754 Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-Ku, Niigata City, Niigata, 951-8510, Japan
| | - Suguru Tamura
- Department of Hematology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Niigata University Faculty of Medicine, 1-754 Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-Ku, Niigata City, Niigata, 951-8510, Japan
| | - Takayuki Katagiri
- Department of Hematology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Niigata University Faculty of Medicine, 1-754 Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-Ku, Niigata City, Niigata, 951-8510, Japan
| | - Kyoko Fuse
- Department of Hematology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Niigata University Faculty of Medicine, 1-754 Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-Ku, Niigata City, Niigata, 951-8510, Japan
| | - Tori Ida-Kurasaki
- Department of Hematology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Niigata University Faculty of Medicine, 1-754 Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-Ku, Niigata City, Niigata, 951-8510, Japan
| | - Takashi Ushiki
- Laboratory of Hematology and Oncology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Hirohito Sone
- Department of Hematology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Niigata University Faculty of Medicine, 1-754 Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-Ku, Niigata City, Niigata, 951-8510, Japan
| | - Miwako Narita
- Laboratory of Hematology and Oncology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Masayoshi Masuko
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital, Niigata, Japan.
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15
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Wang C, Hou B. The booster immunization using commercial vaccines effectively protect chickens against novel variants of infectious bursal disease virus (genotype A2dB1). Poult Sci 2024; 103:103552. [PMID: 38422756 PMCID: PMC10910156 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103552] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The novel variant IBDV (nVarIBDV, genotype A2dB1), characterized by bursal atrophy of fabricius and decreased lymphocytes, has been emerging on a large scale in Asia (including China) since late 2018. nVarIBDV is a new threat to the poultry industry, yet the currently licensed commercial vaccines, including the live viral vector vaccine, IBDV immune complex vaccine or VP2 subunit vaccine, are ineffective against nVarIBDV infection. In this study, specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens and broilers divided into 3 groups were vaccinated with the live viral vector vaccine, the VP2 subunit vaccine or the IBDV immune complex vaccine at 1 day-old, respectively. The SPF chickens received a secondary vaccination with the live B87 strain vaccine at 11-day-old. The bursa/body weight ratio, histopathology lesion of the bursa, and the differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals (DIVA) by qRT-PCR confirmed that the live viral vector vaccine or immune complex vaccine plus live B87 strain booster could provide at least 80% protection against the FJ2019-01 strain of nVarIBDV in SPF chickens. The broilers also received a secondary vaccination using a live W2512 G-61 strain vaccine at 14-day-old, and analyses showed that the VP2 subunit vaccine or immune complex vaccine plus the live W2512 G-61 strain booster also provided more than 80% protection against the FJ2019-01 strain of nVarIBDV. Unfortunately, the live viral vector vaccine plus live W2512 G-61 strain booster provided poor to moderate protection against FJ2019-01 in broilers. These findings suggest that combining commercial vaccines with rational booster immunization can effectively protect chickens against an nVarIBDV challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyan Wang
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences /Fujian Animal Disease Control Technology Development Center, Fuzhou, Fujian 350013, China
| | - Bo Hou
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences /Fujian Animal Disease Control Technology Development Center, Fuzhou, Fujian 350013, China.
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16
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Jia Z, Liu R, Chang Q, Zhou X, De X, Yang Z, Li Y, Zhang C, Wang F, Ge J. Proof of concept in utilizing the peptidoglycan skeleton of pathogenic bacteria as antigen delivery platform for enhanced immune response. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 264:130591. [PMID: 38437938 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130591] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Subunit vaccines are becoming increasingly important because of their safety and effectiveness. However, subunit vaccines often exhibit limited immunogenicity, necessitating the use of suitable adjuvants to elicit robust immune responses. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time that pathogenic bacteria can be prepared into a purified peptidoglycan skeleton without nucleic acids and proteins, presenting bacterium-like particles (pBLP). Our results showed that the peptidoglycan skeletons screened from four pathogens could activate Toll-like receptor1/2 receptors better than bacterium-like particles from Lactococcus lactis in macrophages. We observed that pBLP was safe in mouse models of multiple ages. Furthermore, pBLP improved the performance of two commercial vaccines in vivo. We confirmed that pBLP successfully loaded antigens onto the surface and proved to be an effective antigen delivery platform with enhanced antibody titers, antibody avidity, balanced subclass distribution, and mucosal immunity. These results indicate that the peptidoglycan skeleton of pathogenic bacteria represents a new strategy for developing subunit vaccine delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Jia
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150036, China
| | - Runhang Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150036, China; State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
| | - Qingru Chang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150036, China
| | - Xinyao Zhou
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150036, China
| | - Xinqi De
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150036, China
| | - Zaixing Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150036, China
| | - Yifan Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150036, China
| | - Chuankun Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150036, China
| | - Fang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China.
| | - Junwei Ge
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150036, China; Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Harbin 150036, China.
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17
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Ganji M, Bakhshi S, Ahmadi K, Shoari A, Moeini S, Ghaemi A. Rational design of B-cell and T-cell multi epitope-based vaccine against Zika virus, an in silico study. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:3426-3440. [PMID: 37190978 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2213339] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The Zika virus (ZKV) is a single-stranded positive-sense, enveloped RNA virus. Zika infection during pregnancy can cause congenital microcephaly, Guillain-Barré syndrome, miscarriage, and other CNS abnormalities. The world needs safe and effective vaccinations to fight against ZIKV infection since vaccination is generally regarded as one of the most effective ways to prevent infectious diseases. In the present work, we used immunoinformatics and docking studies to construct a vaccine containing multi-epitopes using the structural and non-structural proteins of ZKV. The structural models of ZKV proteins (PrE, PrM, NS1, and NS2A) were constructed using Pyre2 and RaptorX servers. The epitopes of B-cell, T-cell (HTL and CTL), and IFN-γ were predicted, and each epitope's immunogenic nature and physiochemical properties were confirmed. As an adjuvant, the CPG-Oligodeoxynucleotide, an agonist of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), is associated to cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) epitopes via PAPAP linker. To assess the binding affinity and the tendency of the designed vaccine to induce an immune response through TLR9, molecular docking was done. In the next step, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to 100 nanoseconds (ns) was used to evaluate the stability of the interaction of the designed vaccine with TLR9. The designed vaccine is predicted to be highly antigenic, non-toxic, soluble, and stable with low flexibility in MD simulation. MD studies indicated that the finalized vaccine-TLR9 docked complex was stable during simulation time. The vaccine construct is able to stimulate both humoral and cellular immune responses. We suppose that our constructed model of the vaccine may have the ability to induce the host immune response against ZKV. Further studies, including in vitro and in vivo experimental analyses, are needed to prove the constructed vaccine's efficacy with multi-epitopes.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Ganji
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shohreh Bakhshi
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Khadijeh Ahmadi
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Alireza Shoari
- Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Soheila Moeini
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Amir Ghaemi
- Department of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Chen H, Wang L, Zhao X, Jiang H, Wu M, Ding Y, Jia X, Zhang Y, Li T, Zhang Y, Zhou W, Zheng P, Yang Y, Du J. A Polymer-Based Antigen Carrier Activates Two Innate Immune Pathways for Adjuvant-Free Subunit Vaccines. ACS Nano 2024; 18:9160-9175. [PMID: 38478910 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c00925] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
The activation of multiple Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs) has been demonstrated to trigger inflammatory responses and coordinate the host's adaptive immunity during pathogen infections. The use of PRR agonists as vaccine adjuvants has been reported to synergistically induce specific humoral and cellular immune responses. However, incorporating multiple PRR agonists as adjuvants increases the complexity of vaccine design and manufacturing. In this study, we discovered a polymer that can activate both the Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway and cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway. The polymer was then conjugated to protein antigens, creating an antigen delivery system for subunit vaccines. Without additional adjuvants, the antigen-polymer conjugates elicited strong antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. Furthermore, the antigen-polymer conjugates, containing the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Spike Protein or the Monkeypox Antigen M1R as the antigens, were found to induce potent antigen-specific antibodies, neutralizing antibodies, and cytotoxic T cells. Immunization with M1R-polymer also resulted in effective protection in a lethal challenge model. In conclusion, this vaccine delivery platform offers an effective, safe, and simple strategy for inducing antigen-specific immunity against infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Luyao Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiaofan Zhao
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Haolin Jiang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (AAIS), Peking University-Tsinghua University-National Institute Biological Sciences (PTN) Joint Graduate Program, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Mengling Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yanchao Ding
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiangqian Jia
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yaning Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Tiantian Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Wen Zhou
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Peiyuan Zheng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yilong Yang
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Juanjuan Du
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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19
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Nguyen TL, Kim H. Immunoinformatics and computational approaches driven designing a novel vaccine candidate against Powassan virus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5999. [PMID: 38472237 PMCID: PMC10933373 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56554-9] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Powassan virus (POWV) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) capable of causing severe illness in humans for severe neurological complications, and its incidence has been on the rise in recent years due to climate change, posing a growing public health concern. Currently, no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat POWV disease, emphasizing the urgent need for effective countermeasures. In this study, we utilize bioinformatics approaches to target proteins of POWV, including the capsid, envelope, and membrane proteins, to predict diverse B-cell and T-cell epitopes. These epitopes underwent screening for critical properties such as antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, and cytokine induction potential. Eight selected epitopes were then conjugated with adjuvants using various linkers, resulting in designing of a potentially stable and immunogenic vaccine candidate against POWV. Moreover, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and immune simulations revealed a stable interaction pattern with the immune receptor, suggesting the vaccine's potential to induce robust immune responses. In conclusion, our study provided a set of derived epitopes from POWV's proteins, demonstrating the potential for a novel vaccine candidate against POWV. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are warranted to advance our efforts and move closer to the goal of combatting POWV and related arbovirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Truc Ly Nguyen
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Heebal Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
- eGnome, Inc., Seoul, 05836, Republic of Korea.
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20
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Barnes KB, Brett P, Burtnick M, Vente A, Bentley C, Richards MI, Flick-Smith HC, Burgess G, Thwaite JE, Laws TR, Maishman TC, Nelson M, Harding SV. Layering vaccination with antibiotic therapy results in protection and clearance of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Balb/c mice. Infect Immun 2024; 92:e0045523. [PMID: 38289122 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00455-23] [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: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Melioidosis is a disease that is difficult to treat due to the causative organism, Burkholderia pseudomallei being inherently antibiotic resistant and it having the ability to invade, survive, and replicate in an intracellular environment. Combination therapy approaches are routinely being evaluated in animal models with the aim of improving the level of protection and clearance of colonizing bacteria detected. In this study, a subunit vaccine layered with the antibiotic finafloxacin was evaluated in vivo against an inhalational infection with B. pseudomallei in Balb/c mice. Groups of mice vaccinated, infected, and euthanized at antibiotic initiation had a reduced bacterial load compared to those that had not been immunized. In addition, the subunit vaccine provided a synergistic effect when it was delivered with a CpG ODN and finafloxacin was initiated at 48 h post-challenge. Vaccination was also shown to improve the outcome, in a composite measure of survival and clearance. In summary, layering a subunit vaccine with the antibiotic finafloxacin is a promising therapeutic alternative for use in the treatment of B. pseudomallei infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kay B Barnes
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Brett
- University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA
- Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mary Burtnick
- University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA
- Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | - Mark I Richards
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Helen C Flick-Smith
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Gary Burgess
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne E Thwaite
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas R Laws
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas C Maishman
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle Nelson
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah V Harding
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
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21
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Li L, Liu Z, Shi J, Yang M, Yan Y, Fu Y, Shen Z, Peng G. The CDE region of feline Calicivirus VP1 protein is a potential candidate subunit vaccine. BMC Vet Res 2024; 20:80. [PMID: 38443948 PMCID: PMC10916247 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-024-03914-2] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Feline calicivirus (FCV) infection causes severe upper respiratory disease in cats, but there are no effective vaccines available for preventing FCV infection. Subunit vaccines have the advantages of safety, low cost and excellent immunogenicity, but no FCV subunit vaccine is currently available. The CDE protein is the dominant neutralizing epitope region of the main antigenic structural protein of FCV, VP1. Therefore, this study evaluated the effectiveness of the CDE region as a truncated FCV VP1 protein in preventing FCV infection to provide a strategy for developing potential FCV subunit vaccines. RESULTS Through the prediction of FCV VP1 epitopes, we found that the E region is the dominant neutralizing epitope region. By analysing the spatial structure of VP1 protein, 13 amino acid sites in the CD and E regions were found to form hydrogen bonding interactions. The results show the presence of these interaction forces supports the E region, helping improve the stability and expression level of the soluble E protein. Therefore, we selected the CDE protein as the immunogen for the immunization of felines. After immunization with the CDE protein, we found significant stimulation of IgG, IgA and neutralizing antibody production in serum and swab samples, and the cytokine TNF-α levels and the numbers of CD4+ T lymphocytes were increased. Moreover, a viral challenge trial indicated that the protection generated by the CDE subunit vaccine significantly reduced the incidence of disease in animals. CONCLUSIONS For the first time, we studied the efficacy of the CDE protein, which is the dominant neutralizing epitope region of the FCV VP1 protein, in preventing FCV infection. We revealed that the CDE protein can significantly activate humoral, mucosal and cellular immunity, and the resulting protective effect can significantly reduce the incidence of animal disease. The CDE region of the FCV capsid is easy to produce and has high stability and excellent immunogenicity, which makes it a candidate for low-cost vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisha Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zirui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jiale Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Mengfang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yuanyuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yanan Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zhou Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China.
| | - Guiqing Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
- Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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22
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Pena ES, Batty CJ, Hendy DA, Yang S, Ontiveros-Padilla L, Stiepel RT, Ting JPY, Ainslie KM, Bachelder EM. Comparative study of acetalated-dextran microparticle fabrication methods for a clinically translatable subunit-based influenza vaccine. Int J Pharm 2024; 652:123836. [PMID: 38266940 PMCID: PMC10923012 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.123836] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
The most common influenza vaccines are inactivated viruses produced in chicken eggs, which is a time-consuming production method with variable efficacy due to mismatches of the vaccine strains to the dominant circulating strains. Subunit-based vaccines provide faster production times in comparison to the traditional egg-produced vaccines but often require the use of an adjuvant to elicit a highly protective immune response. However, the current FDA approved adjuvant for influenza vaccines (MF59) elicits a primarily helper T-cell type 2 (Th2)-biased humoral immune response. Adjuvants that can stimulate a Th1 cellular response are correlated to have more robust protection against influenza. The cyclic dinucleotide cGAMP has been shown to provide a potent Th1 response but requires the use of a delivery vehicle to best initiate its signalling pathway in the cytosol. Herein, acetalated dextran (Ace-DEX) was used as the polymer to fabricate microparticles (MPs) via double-emulsion, electrospray, and spray drying methods to encapsulate cGAMP. This study compared each fabrication method's ability to encapsulate and retain the hydrophilic adjuvant cGAMP. We compared their therapeutic efficacy to Addavax, an MF59-like adjuvant, and cGAMP Ace-DEX MPs provided a stronger Th1 response in vaccinated BALB/c mice. Furthermore, we compared Ace-DEX MPs to spray dried MPs composed from a commonly used polymer for drug delivery, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). We observed that all Ace-DEX MPs elicited similar humoral and cellular responses to the PLGA MPs. Overall, the results shown here indicate Ace-DEX can perform similarly to PLGA as a polymer for drug delivery and that spray drying can provide an efficient way to produce MPs to encapsulate cGAMP and stimulate the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik S Pena
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Cole J Batty
- Division of Pharmacoengineering & Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Dylan A Hendy
- Division of Pharmacoengineering & Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Shuangshuang Yang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Genetics, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Luis Ontiveros-Padilla
- Division of Pharmacoengineering & Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Rebeca T Stiepel
- Division of Pharmacoengineering & Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jenny P-Y Ting
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Genetics, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kristy M Ainslie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Division of Pharmacoengineering & Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Eric M Bachelder
- Division of Pharmacoengineering & Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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23
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Zhang X, Wei M, Zhang Z, Zeng Y, Zou F, Zhang S, Wang Z, Chen F, Xiong H, Li Y, Zhou L, Li T, Zheng Q, Yu H, Zhang J, Gu Y, Zhao Q, Li S, Xia N. Risedronate-functionalized manganese-hydroxyapatite amorphous particles: A potent adjuvant for subunit vaccines and cancer immunotherapy. J Control Release 2024; 367:13-26. [PMID: 38244843 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.01.033] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
The cGAS-STING pathway and the Mevalonate Pathway are druggable targets for vaccine adjuvant discovery. Manganese (Mn) and bisphosphonates are known to exert adjuvant effects by targeting these two pathways, respectively. This study found the synergistic potential of the two pathways in enhancing immune response. Risedronate (Ris) significantly amplified the Mn adjuvant early antibody response by 166-fold and fortified its cellular immunity. However, direct combination of Mn2+ and Ris resulted in increased adjuvant toxicity (40% mouse mortality). By the combination of doping property of hydroxyapatite (HA) and its high affinity for Ris, we designed Ris-functionalized Mn-HA micro-nanoparticles as an organic-inorganic hybrid adjuvant, named MnHARis. MnHARis alleviated adjuvant toxicity (100% vs. 60% survival rate) and exhibited good long-term stability. When formulated with the varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E (gE) antigen, MnHARis triggered a 274.3-fold increase in IgG titers and a 61.3-fold surge in neutralization titers while maintaining a better long-term humoral immunity compared to the aluminum adjuvant. Its efficacy spanned other antigens, including ovalbumin, HPV18 VLP, and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Notably, the cellular immunity elicited by the group of gE + MnHARis was comparable to the renowned Shingrix®. Moreover, intratumoral co-administration with an anti-trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 nanobody revealed synergistic antitumor capabilities. These findings underscore the potential of MnHARis as a potent adjuvant for augmenting vaccine immune responses and improving cancer immunotherapy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuli Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Mingjing Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Zhigang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Yarong Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Feihong Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Sibo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Zhiping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Fentian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Hualong Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Yufang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Lizhi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Tingting Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Qingbing Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Hai Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Ying Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Qinjian Zhao
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China.
| | - Shaowei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
| | - Ningshao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, Collaborative Innovation Center of Biologic Products, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
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24
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Chandana MS, Nair SS, Chaturvedi VK, Abhishek, Pal S, Charan MSS, Balaji S, Saini S, Vasavi K, Deepa P. Recent progress and major gaps in the vaccine development for African swine fever. Braz J Microbiol 2024; 55:997-1010. [PMID: 38311710 PMCID: PMC10920543 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-024-01264-7] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The swine industry across the globe is recently facing a devastating situation imparted by a highly contagious and deadly viral disease, African swine fever. The disease is caused by a DNA virus, the African swine fever virus (ASFV) of the genus Asfivirus. ASFV affects both wild boars and domestic pigs resulting in an acute form of hemorrhagic fever. Since the first report in 1921, the disease remains endemic in some of the African countries. However, the recent occurrence of ASF outbreaks in Asia led to a fresh and formidable challenge to the global swine production industry. Culling of the infected animals along with the implementation of strict sanitary measures remains the only options to control this devastating disease. Efforts to develop an effective and safe vaccine against ASF began as early as in the mid-1960s. Different approaches have been employed for the development of effective ASF vaccines including inactivated vaccines, subunit vaccines, DNA vaccines, virus-vectored vaccines, and live attenuated vaccines (LAVs). Inactivated vaccines are a non-feasible strategy against ASF due to their inability to generate a complete cellular immune response. However genetically engineered vaccines, such as subunit vaccines, DNA vaccines, and virus vector vaccines, represent tailored approaches with minimal adverse effects and enhanced safety profiles. As per the available data, gene deleted LAVs appear to be the most potential vaccine candidates. Currently, a gene deleted LAV (ASFV-G-∆I177L), developed in Vietnam, stands as the sole commercially available vaccine against ASF. The major barrier to the goal of developing an effective vaccine is the critical gaps in the knowledge of ASFV biology and the immune response induced by ASFV infection. The precise contribution of various hosts, vectors, and environmental factors in the virus transmission must also be investigated in depth to unravel the disease epidemiology. In this review, we mainly focus on the recent progress in vaccine development against ASF and the major gaps associated with it.
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Affiliation(s)
- M S Chandana
- Division of Biological Standardization, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Uttar Pradesh, Izatnagar, Bareilly, 243 122, India.
| | - Sonu S Nair
- Division of Bacteriology and Mycology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Uttar Pradesh, Izatnagar, Bareilly, 243 122, India.
| | - V K Chaturvedi
- Division of Bacteriology and Mycology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Uttar Pradesh, Izatnagar, Bareilly, 243 122, India
| | - Abhishek
- Division of Bacteriology and Mycology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Uttar Pradesh, Izatnagar, Bareilly, 243 122, India
| | - Santanu Pal
- Division of Bacteriology and Mycology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Uttar Pradesh, Izatnagar, Bareilly, 243 122, India
| | | | - Shilpa Balaji
- Division of Virology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Muktheswhar 263138, Utharakand, India
| | - Shubham Saini
- Division of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Uttar Pradesh, Izatnagar, Bareilly, 243 122, India
| | - Koppu Vasavi
- Division of Biological Standardization, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Uttar Pradesh, Izatnagar, Bareilly, 243 122, India
| | - Poloju Deepa
- Division of CADRAD, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly 243 122, Uttar Pradesh, India
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25
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Long Q, Wei M, Wang Y, Pang F. Design of a multi-epitope vaccine against goatpox virus using an immunoinformatics approach. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 13:1309096. [PMID: 38487680 PMCID: PMC10937444 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1309096] [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: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Goatpox, a severe infectious disease caused by goatpox virus (GTPV), leads to enormous economic losses in the livestock industry. Traditional live attenuated vaccines cause serious side effects and exist a risk of dispersal. Therefore, it is urgent to develop efficient and safer vaccines to prevent and control of GTPV. Methods In the present study, we are aimed to design a multi-epitope subunit vaccine against GTPV using an immunoinformatics approach. Various immunodominant cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) epitopes, helper T lymphocytes (HTL) epitopes, and B-cell epitopes from P32, L1R, and 095 proteins of GTPV were screened and liked by the AAY, GPGPG, and KK connectors, respectively. Furthermore, an adjuvant β-defensin was attached to the vaccine's N-terminal using the EAAAK linker to enhance immunogenicity. Results The constructed vaccine was soluble, non-allergenic and non-toxic and exhibited high levels of antigenicity and immunogenicity. The vaccine's 3D structure was subsequently predicted, refined and validated, resulting in an optimized model with a Z-value of -3.4. Molecular docking results demonstrated that the vaccine had strong binding affinity with TLR2(-27.25 kcal/mol), TLR3(-39.84 kcal/mol), and TLR4(-59.42 kcal/mol). Molecular dynamics simulation results indicated that docked vaccine-TLR complexes were stable. Immune simulation analysis suggested that the vaccine can induce remarkable increase in antibody titers of IgG and IgM, higher levels of IFN-γ and IL-2. Conclusion The designed GTPV multi-epitope vaccine is structurally stable and can induce robust humoral and cellular immune responses, which may be a promising vaccine candidate against GTPV.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Feng Pang
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
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26
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Shams MH, Sohrabi SM, Jafari R, Sheikhian A, Motedayyen H, Baharvand PA, Hasanvand A, Fouladvand A, Assarehzadegan MA. Designing a T-cell epitope-based vaccine using in silico approaches against the Sal k 1 allergen of Salsola kali plant. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5040. [PMID: 38424208 PMCID: PMC10904830 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55788-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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Allergens originated from Salsola kali (Russian thistle) pollen grains are one of the most important sources of aeroallergens causing pollinosis in desert and semi-desert regions. T-cell epitope-based vaccines (TEV) are more effective among different therapeutic approaches developed to alleviate allergic diseases. The physicochemical properties, and B as well as T cell epitopes of Sal k 1 (a major allergen of S. kali) were predicted using immunoinformatic tools. A TEV was constructed using the linkers EAAAK, GPGPG and the most suitable CD4+ T cell epitopes. RS04 adjuvant was added as a TLR4 agonist to the amino (N) and carboxyl (C) terminus of the TEV protein. The secondary and tertiary structures, solubility, allergenicity, toxicity, stability, physicochemical properties, docking with immune receptors, BLASTp against the human and microbiota proteomes, and in silico cloning of the designed TEV were assessed using immunoinformatic analyses. Two CD4+ T cell epitopes of Sal k1 that had high affinity with different alleles of MHC-II were selected and used in the TEV. The molecular docking of the TEV with HLADRB1, and TLR4 showed TEV strong interactions and stable binding pose to these receptors. Moreover, the codon optimized TEV sequence was cloned between NcoI and XhoI restriction sites of pET-28a(+) expression plasmid. The designed TEV can be used as a promising candidate in allergen-specific immunotherapy against S. kali. Nonetheless, effectiveness of this vaccine should be validated through immunological bioassays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Hossein Shams
- Hepatitis Research Center and Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
| | - Seyyed Mohsen Sohrabi
- Department of Production Engineering and Plant Genetic, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Box 6814993165, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Reza Jafari
- School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
| | - Ali Sheikhian
- Hepatitis Research Center and Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
| | - Hossein Motedayyen
- Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Peyman Amanolahi Baharvand
- Hepatitis Research Center and Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
| | - Amin Hasanvand
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
| | - Ali Fouladvand
- Hepatitis Research Center and Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Ali Assarehzadegan
- Immunology Research Center, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Chao P, Zhang X, Zhang L, Yang A, Wang Y, Chen X. Proteomics-based vaccine targets annotation and design of multi-epitope vaccine against antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus gallolyticus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4836. [PMID: 38418560 PMCID: PMC10901886 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55372-3] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus gallolyticus is a non-motile, gram-positive bacterium that causes infective endocarditis. S. gallolyticus has developed resistance to existing antibiotics, and no vaccine is currently available. Therefore, it is essential to develop an effective S. gallolyticus vaccine. Core proteomics was used in this study together with subtractive proteomics and reverse vaccinology approach to find antigenic proteins that could be utilized for the design of the S. gallolyticus multi-epitope vaccine. The pipeline identified two antigenic proteins as potential vaccine targets: penicillin-binding protein and the ATP synthase subunit. T and B cell epitopes from the specific proteins were forecasted employing several immunoinformatics and bioinformatics resources. A vaccine (360 amino acids) was created using a combination of seven cytotoxic T cell lymphocyte (CTL), three helper T cell lymphocyte (HTL), and five linear B cell lymphocyte (LBL) epitopes. To increase immune responses, the vaccine was paired with a cholera enterotoxin subunit B (CTB) adjuvant. The developed vaccine was highly antigenic, non-allergenic, and stable for human use. The vaccine's binding affinity and molecular interactions with the human immunological receptor TLR4 were studied using molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area (MMGBSA), molecular docking, and molecular dynamic (MD) simulation analyses. Escherichia coli (strain K12) plasmid vector pET-28a ( +) was used to examine the ability of the vaccine to be expressed. According to the outcomes of these computer experiments, the vaccine is quite promising in terms of developing a protective immunity against diseases. However, in vitro and animal research are required to validate our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Chao
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
| | - Xueqin Zhang
- Department of Nephrology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
| | - Aiping Yang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
| | - Xiaoyang Chen
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China.
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Habib A, Liang Y, Xu X, Zhu N, Xie J. Immunoinformatic Identification of Multiple Epitopes of gp120 Protein of HIV-1 to Enhance the Immune Response against HIV-1 Infection. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2432. [PMID: 38397105 PMCID: PMC10889372 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042432] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and a significant number of fatalities occur annually. There is a dire need to develop an effective vaccine against HIV-1. Understanding the structural proteins of viruses helps in designing a vaccine based on immunogenic peptides. In the current experiment, we identified gp120 epitopes using bioinformatic epitope prediction tools, molecular docking, and MD simulations. The Gb-1 peptide was considered an adjuvant. Consecutive sequences of GTG, GSG, GGTGG, and GGGGS linkers were used to bind the B cell, Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTL), and Helper T Lymphocytes (HTL) epitopes. The final vaccine construct consisted of 315 amino acids and is expected to be a recombinant protein of approximately 35.49 kDa. Based on docking experiments, molecular dynamics simulations, and tertiary structure validation, the analysis of the modeled protein indicates that it possesses a stable structure and can interact with Toll-like receptors. The analysis demonstrates that the proposed vaccine can provoke an immunological response by activating T and B cells, as well as stimulating the release of IgA and IgG antibodies. This vaccine shows potential for HIV-1 prophylaxis. The in-silico design suggests that multiple-epitope constructs can be used as potentially effective immunogens for HIV-1 vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arslan Habib
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; (A.H.); (X.X.); (N.Z.)
| | - Yulai Liang
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; (A.H.); (X.X.); (N.Z.)
| | - Xinyi Xu
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; (A.H.); (X.X.); (N.Z.)
| | - Naishuo Zhu
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; (A.H.); (X.X.); (N.Z.)
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Jun Xie
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; (A.H.); (X.X.); (N.Z.)
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Guo W, Wang C, Song X, Xu H, Zhao S, Gu J, Zou Z, Li J, Qian J, Zhang X, Guo R, Li J, Li L, Hu Z, Ren L, Fan B, Li B. Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a trimeric full-length S protein subunit vaccine for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. Vaccine 2024; 42:828-839. [PMID: 38220489 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.01.020] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has caused serious economic losses to the pig husbandry worldwide, and the effects of existing commercialized vaccines are suboptimal. Therefore, research to develop an efficacious vaccine for prevention and control of PEDV is essential. In this study, we designed and produced trimerized proteins of full-length PEDV spike (S) protein, S1 subunit, and a tandem of multiple epitopes of S protein using an efficient mammalian expression vector system in HEK 293F cells. The immunogenicity of two commercial adjuvants, M401 and M103, was also evaluated in mice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays demonstrated that all immunized mice generated highly systemic PEDV S-specific IgG and IgA antibodies. Mice in S/M103-immunized group generated the highest neutralizing antibody titer with 1:96. Compared with control group, the subunit vaccines elicited multifunctional CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ T cells, B220+CD19+ B cells, and CD3-CD49b+ natural killer cells in the spleen. PEDV S/M103 vaccine, which had the best immune effect, was selected for further evaluation in piglets. Immunization with S/M103 vaccine induced high levels of S-specific IgG, IgA, and neutralizing antibodies, and increased the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the expression levels of interferon-γ and interleukin-4 in peripheral blood of piglets. Virus challenge test results showed significantly lower diarrheal index scores and fecal viral loads, and less pathological damage to the intestines in S/M103-immunized piglets than in controls, indicating that S/M103 provides good protection against the virulent virus challenge. Our findings suggest that trimeric PEDV S/M103 has potential as a clinical vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weilu Guo
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Tech University, 5th Mofan Road, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China; Taizhou Polytechnic College, Taizhou 225300, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chuanhong Wang
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Xu Song
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Hong Xu
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Shuqing Zhao
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Jun Gu
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Zhikun Zou
- Chengdu Yisikang Biotechnology LLC, Chendou 610095, China
| | - Jing Li
- Chengdu Yisikang Biotechnology LLC, Chendou 610095, China
| | - Jiali Qian
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Xue Zhang
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Rongli Guo
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Jizong Li
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Li Li
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Zhaoyang Hu
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Lili Ren
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Tech University, 5th Mofan Road, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Baochao Fan
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
| | - Bin Li
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China; GuoTai (Taizhou) Center of Technology Innovation for Veterinary Biologicals, Taizhou 225300, China.
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Chen YS, Lee CY, Wu CC, Kao PL, Chen TA, Huang Y, Chung WB, Kuo TY, Chen C. Efficacy evaluation of a bivalent subunit vaccine against classical swine fever virus and porcine circovirus type 2. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2997. [PMID: 38316873 PMCID: PMC10844208 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53624-w] [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: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) are two of the most devastating and economically significant pathogens affecting pig populations worldwide. Administration of a combination of vaccines against swine pathogens has been demonstrated to be as efficacious as the administration of single vaccines. In this study, we developed and tested a novel bivalent subunit vaccine against CSFV and PCV2. The safety and efficacy of this vaccine were demonstrated in mice and specific pathogen-free (SPF) piglets. In addition to investigating the serological responses after immunization, challenge studies with both viruses were also conducted. The results showed that this CSFV/PCV2 bivalent vaccine elicited a high level of neutralizing antibodies against both viruses and provided protection in challenge studies. In conclusion, the CSFV/PCV2 bivalent vaccine is safe and effective against CSFV or PCV2 challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-San Chen
- Schweitzer Biotech Company Ltd, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Chang-Ye Lee
- Schweitzer Biotech Company Ltd, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Chien Wu
- Schweitzer Biotech Company Ltd, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Lun Kao
- Department of Biotechnology and Animal Science, National Ilan University, Yilan County, Taiwan
| | - Tai-An Chen
- Schweitzer Biotech Company Ltd, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yahui Huang
- Schweitzer Biotech Company Ltd, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Bin Chung
- Research Center for Animal Biologics, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung County, Taiwan
| | - Tsun-Yung Kuo
- Department of Biotechnology and Animal Science, National Ilan University, Yilan County, Taiwan
| | - Charles Chen
- Schweitzer Biotech Company Ltd, Taipei City, Taiwan.
- Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
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31
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Elshafei SO, Mahmoud NA, Almofti YA. Immunoinformatics, molecular docking and dynamics simulation approaches unveil a multi epitope-based potent peptide vaccine candidate against avian leukosis virus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2870. [PMID: 38311642 PMCID: PMC10838928 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53048-6] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Lymphoid leukosis is a poultry neoplastic disease caused by avian leukosis virus (ALV) and is characterized by high morbidity and variable mortality rates in chicks. Currently, no effective treatment and vaccination is the only means to control it. This study exploited the immunoinformatics approaches to construct multi-epitope vaccine against ALV. ABCpred and IEDB servers were used to predict B and T lymphocytes epitopes from the viral proteins, respectively. Antigenicity, allergenicity and toxicity of the epitopes were assessed and used to construct the vaccine with suitable adjuvant and linkers. Secondary and tertiary structures of the vaccine were predicted, refined and validated. Structural errors, solubility, stability, immune simulation, dynamic simulation, docking and in silico cloning were also evaluated.The constructed vaccine was hydrophilic, antigenic and non-allergenic. Ramchandran plot showed most of the residues in the favored and additional allowed regions. ProsA server showed no errors in the vaccine structure. Immune simulation showed significant immunoglobulins and cytokines levels. Stability was enhanced by disulfide engineering and molecular dynamic simulation. Docking of the vaccine with chicken's TLR7 revealed competent binding energies.The vaccine was cloned in pET-30a(+) vector and efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli. This study provided a potent peptide vaccine that could assist in tailoring a rapid and cost-effective vaccine that helps to combat ALV. However, experimental validation is required to assess the vaccine efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siham O Elshafei
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, National University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Nuha A Mahmoud
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, National University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Yassir A Almofti
- Department of Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bahri, P.O. Box 1660, Khartoum, Sudan.
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Krämer C, Kilian M, Chih YC, Kourtesakis A, Hoffmann DC, Boschert T, Koopmann P, Sanghvi K, De Roia A, Jung S, Jähne K, Day B, Shultz LD, Ratliff M, Harbottle R, Green EW, Will R, Wick W, Platten M, Bunse L. NLGN4X TCR transgenic T cells to treat gliomas. Neuro Oncol 2024; 26:266-278. [PMID: 37715782 PMCID: PMC10836769 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noad172] [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: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroligin 4 X-linked (NLGN4X) harbors a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*02-restricted tumor-associated antigen, overexpressed in human gliomas, that was found to induce specific cytotoxic T cell responses following multi-peptide vaccination in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. METHODS T cell receptor (TCR) discovery was performed using droplet-based single-cell TCR sequencing of NLGN4X-tetramer-sorted T cells postvaccination. The identified TCR was delivered to Jurkat T cells and primary human T cells (NLGN4X-TCR-T). Functional profiling of NLGN4X-TCR-T was performed by flow cytometry and cytotoxicity assays. Therapeutic efficacy of intracerebroventricular NLGN4X-TCR-T was assessed in NOD scid gamma (NSG) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I/II knockout (KO) (NSG MHC I/II KO) mice bearing NLGN4X-expressing experimental gliomas. RESULTS An HLA-A*02-restricted vaccine-induced T cell receptor specifically binding NLGN4X131-139 was applied for preclinical therapeutic use. Reactivity, cytotoxicity, and polyfunctionality of this NLGN4X-specific TCR are demonstrated in various cellular models. Intracerebroventricular administration of NLGN4X-TCR-T prolongs survival and leads to an objective response rate of 44.4% in experimental glioma-bearing NSG MHC I/II KO mice compared to 0.0% in control groups. CONCLUSION NLGN4X-TCR-T demonstrate efficacy in a preclinical glioblastoma model. On a global scale, we provide the first evidence for the therapeutic retrieval of vaccine-induced human TCRs for the off-the-shelf treatment of glioblastoma patients.Keywords cell therapy | glioblastoma | T cell receptor | tumor antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoper Krämer
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Michael Kilian
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Yu-Chan Chih
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alexandros Kourtesakis
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Neurology Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK CCU Neurooncology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dirk C Hoffmann
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Neurology Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK CCU Neurooncology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tamara Boschert
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute of Translational Oncology (HI-TRON), Mainz, Germany
| | - Philipp Koopmann
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Khwab Sanghvi
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alice De Roia
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- DNA Vector Laboratory, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Jung
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kristine Jähne
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bryan Day
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston, Australia
- Cell and Molecular Biology Department, Sid Faithfull Brain Cancer Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer MRI, Brisbane, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point, Australia
| | - Lenny D Shultz
- Department of Immunology, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA
| | - Miriam Ratliff
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | | | - Edward W Green
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rainer Will
- Neurology Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK CCU Neurooncology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Core Facility Cellular tools, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Michael Platten
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute of Translational Oncology (HI-TRON), Mainz, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
- DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lukas Bunse
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
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Coria LM, Rodriguez JM, Demaria A, Bruno LA, Medrano MR, Castro CP, Castro EF, Del Priore SA, Hernando Insua AC, Kaufmann IG, Saposnik LM, Stone WB, Prado L, Notaro US, Amweg AN, Diaz PU, Avaro M, Ortega H, Ceballos A, Krum V, Zurvarra FM, Sidabra JE, Drehe I, Baqué JA, Li Causi M, De Nichilo AV, Payes CJ, Southard T, Vega JC, Auguste AJ, Álvarez DE, Flo JM, Pasquevich KA, Cassataro J. A Gamma-adapted subunit vaccine induces broadly neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants and protects mice from infection. Nat Commun 2024; 15:997. [PMID: 38307851 PMCID: PMC10837449 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45180-8] [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: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
In the context of continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), one strategy to prevent the severe outcomes of COVID-19 is developing safe and effective broad-spectrum vaccines. Here, we present preclinical studies of a RBD vaccine derived from the Gamma SARS-CoV-2 variant adjuvanted with Alum. The Gamma-adapted RBD vaccine is more immunogenic than the Ancestral RBD vaccine in terms of inducing broader neutralizing antibodies. The Gamma RBD presents more immunogenic B-cell restricted epitopes and induces a higher proportion of specific-B cells and plasmablasts than the Ancestral RBD version. The Gamma-adapted vaccine induces antigen specific T cell immune responses and confers protection against Ancestral and Omicron BA.5 SARS-CoV-2 challenge in mice. Moreover, the Gamma RBD vaccine induces higher and broader neutralizing antibody activity than homologous booster vaccination in mice previously primed with different SARS-CoV-2 vaccine platforms. Our study indicates that the adjuvanted Gamma RBD vaccine is highly immunogenic and a broad-spectrum vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena M Coria
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Juan Manuel Rodriguez
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
- Fundación Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Agostina Demaria
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura A Bruno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mayra Rios Medrano
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Celeste Pueblas Castro
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eliana F Castro
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sabrina A Del Priore
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Andres C Hernando Insua
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
- Fundación Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Ingrid G Kaufmann
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Lucas M Saposnik
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - William B Stone
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Lineia Prado
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ulises S Notaro
- Centro de Medicina Comparada, ICiVet-Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral-CONICET; Esperanza, Santa Fe, 3080, Argentina
| | - Ayelen N Amweg
- Centro de Medicina Comparada, ICiVet-Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral-CONICET; Esperanza, Santa Fe, 3080, Argentina
| | - Pablo U Diaz
- Centro de Medicina Comparada, ICiVet-Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral-CONICET; Esperanza, Santa Fe, 3080, Argentina
| | - Martin Avaro
- Servicio Virosis Respiratorias, Laboratorio de Referencia de Influenza, SARS-CoV-2 y otros Virus Respiratorios, Centro Nacional de Influenza de OPS/OMS, Departamento de Virología, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas - ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán". Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1282AFF, Argentina
| | - Hugo Ortega
- Centro de Medicina Comparada, ICiVet-Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral-CONICET; Esperanza, Santa Fe, 3080, Argentina
| | - Ana Ceballos
- Facultad de Medicina UBA, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA, INBIRS-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Valeria Krum
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Francisco M Zurvarra
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
- Fundación Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Johanna E Sidabra
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Ignacio Drehe
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Jonathan A Baqué
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Mariana Li Causi
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Analia V De Nichilo
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
- Fundación Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Cristian J Payes
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Teresa Southard
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Julio C Vega
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará - I+D+i, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1408GBV, Argentina
| | - Albert J Auguste
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Diego E Álvarez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juan M Flo
- Laboratorio Pablo Cassará, Unidad de I+D de Biofármacos, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1440FFX, Argentina
| | - Karina A Pasquevich
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juliana Cassataro
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (EByN), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín (1650), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Dikhit MR, Sen A. Elucidation of conserved multi-epitope vaccine against Leishmania donovani using reverse vaccinology. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:1293-1306. [PMID: 37054523 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2201630] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a tropical disease that causes severe public health problems in humans when untreated. As no licensed vaccine exists against VL, we aimed to formulate a potential MHC-restricted chimeric vaccine construct against this dreadful parasitic disease. Amastin-like protein derived from L. donovani is considered to be stable, immunogenic and non-allergic. A comprehensive established framework was used to explore the set of immunogenic epitopes with estimated population coverage of 96.08% worldwide. The rigorous assessment revealed 6 promiscuous T-epitopes which can plausibly be presented by more than 66 diverse HLA alleles. Further docking and simulation study of peptide receptor complexes identified a strong and stable binding interaction with better structural compactness. The predicted epitopes were combined with appropriate linkers and adjuvant molecules and their translation efficiency was evaluated in pET28+(a), an bacterial expression vector using in-silico cloning. Molecular docking followed by MD simulation study revealed a stable interaction between chimeric vaccine construct with TLRs. Immune simulation of the chimeric vaccine constructs showed an elevated Th1 immune response against both B and T epitopes. With this, the detailed computational analysis suggested that the chimeric vaccine construct can evoke a robust immune response against Leishmania donovani infection. Future studies are required to validate the role of amastin as a promising vaccine target.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manas Ranjan Dikhit
- Department of Molecular Biology, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, India
| | - Abhik Sen
- Department of Molecular Biology, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, India
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Lahimchi MR, Madanchi H, Ahmadi K, Shahbazi B, Yousefi B. In silico designing a novel TLR4-mediating multiepitope vaccine against monkeypox via advanced immunoinformatics and bioinformatics approaches. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:2094-2110. [PMID: 37129119 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2203253] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Monkeypox virus is a member of the Poxviridae family, which causes monkeypox zoonotic disease. Since July 2022, the prevention of monkeypox have become more considerable due to the new outbreak, making it a global concern. Therefore, we used an in silico-based method, including immunoinformatics, bioinformatics, molecular docking, and gene cloning approaches to design a novel multiepitope vaccine against monkeypox. Three immunogenic envelope proteins of monkeypox virus, including G10R, E8L, and A30L, were selected to predict appropriate immune system stimulator epitopes. The A30L is common between smallpox and monkeypox virus, so the proposed vaccine may be effective against smallpox too. There is no evidence of allergenicity and toxicity of the vaccine epitopes. To boost the immunogenicity of the designed vaccine, we used the helper epitope of PADRE and RS01as adjuvants. Furthermore, some linkers are used to link epitopes and adjuvants together. The physicochemical futures of the designed vaccine were assessed. The tertiary structure of the vaccine was modeled and then refined to improve its structure and physicochemical properties. To analyze the vaccine construct and TLR4 complex affinity, they were docked to gather. Besides, the vaccine was cloned into E.coli. pET-21b(+) plasmid to reveal that it can be expressed and stimulate the immune system. Immune stimulation evaluation showed that the candidate vaccine could induce the production of IgM, IgG1, and IgG2 antibodies. Overall, we suggested an effective vaccine candidate against monkeypox. However, Future studies and clinical trials should be done to ensure the efficacy and safety of this vaccine.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Reza Lahimchi
- Department of Medical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Hamid Madanchi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Drug Design and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Khadijeh Ahmadi
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Behzad Shahbazi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bahman Yousefi
- Department of Medical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Cancer Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
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36
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Khan A, Khanzada MH, Khan K, Jalal K, Uddin R. Integrating core subtractive proteomics and reverse vaccinology for multi-epitope vaccine design against Rickettsia prowazekii endemic typhus. Immunol Res 2024; 72:82-95. [PMID: 37608125 DOI: 10.1007/s12026-023-09415-y] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Rickettsia prowazekii is an intracellular, obligate, gram-negative coccobacillus responsible for epidemic typhus. Usually, the infected body louse or its excrement when rubbed into the skin abrasions transmits the disease. The infection with R. prowazekii causes the highest death rate (> 20% without antibiotic treatment and now 1-7%), followed by epidemic typhus, which often manifests in unsanitary conditions (up to 15-30%). Conventionally, vaccine design has required pathogen growth and both assays (in vivo and in vitro), which are costly and time-consuming. However, advancements in bioinformatics and computational biology have accelerated the development of effective vaccine designs, reducing the need for traditional, time-consuming laboratory experiments. Subtractive genomics and reverse vaccinology have become prominent computational methods for vaccine model construction. Therefore, the RefSeq sequence of Rickettsia prowazekii (strain Madrid E) (Proteome ID: UP000002480) was subjected to subtractive genomic analysis, including factors such as non-similarity to host proteome, essentiality, subcellular localization, antigenicity, non-allergenicity, and stability. Based on these parameters, the vaccine design process selected specific proteins such as outer membrane protein R (O05971_RICPR PETR; OmpR). Eventually, the OmpR was subjected to a reverse vaccinology approach that included molecular docking, immunological simulation, and the discovery of B-cell epitopes and MHC-I and MHC-II epitopes. Consequently, a chimeric or multi-epitope-based vaccine was proposed by selecting the V11 vaccine and its 3D structure modeling along with molecular docking against TLR and HLA protein, in silico simulation, and vector designing. The obtained results from this investigation resulted in a new perception of inhibitory ways against Rickettsia prowazekii by instigating novel immunogenic targets. To further assess the efficacy and protective ability of the newly designed V11 vaccine against Rickettsia prowazekii infections, additional evaluation such as in vitro or in vivo immunoassays is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariba Khan
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
- Lab 103, PCMD ext. Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Hassan Khanzada
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
- Lab 103, PCMD ext. Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Kanwal Khan
- Lab 103, PCMD ext. Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Khurshid Jalal
- HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Reaz Uddin
- Lab 103, PCMD ext. Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.
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37
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Dhanushkumar T, Selvam PK, M E S, Vasudevan K, C GPD, Zayed H, Kamaraj B. Rational design of a multivalent vaccine targeting arthropod-borne viruses using reverse vaccinology strategies. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 258:128753. [PMID: 38104690 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128753] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Viruses transmitted by arthropods, such as Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya, represent substantial worldwide health threats, particularly in countries like India. The lack of approved vaccines and effective antiviral therapies calls for developing innovative strategies to tackle these arboviruses. In this study, we employed immunoinformatics methodologies, incorporating reverse vaccinology, to design a multivalent vaccine targeting the predominant arboviruses. Epitopes of B and T cells were recognized within the non-structural proteins of Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya viruses. The predicted epitopes were enhanced with adjuvants β-defensin and RS-09 to boost the vaccine's immunogenicity. Sixteen distinct vaccine candidates were constructed, each incorporating epitopes from all three viruses. FUVAC-11 emerged as the most promising vaccine candidate through molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, demonstrating favorable binding interactions and stability. Its effectiveness was further evaluated using computational immunological studies confirming strong immune responses. The in silico cloning performed using the pET-28a(+) plasmid facilitates the future experimental implementation of this vaccine candidate, paving the way for potential advancements in combating these significant arboviral threats. However, further in vitro and in vivo studies are warranted to confirm the results obtained in this computational study, which highlights the effectiveness of immunoinformatics and reverse vaccinology in creating vaccines against major Arboviruses, offering a promising model for developing vaccines for other vector-borne diseases and enhancing global health security.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Dhanushkumar
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, Bengaluru 560064, India
| | - Prasanna Kumar Selvam
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, Bengaluru 560064, India
| | - Santhosh M E
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, Bengaluru 560064, India
| | - Karthick Vasudevan
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, Bengaluru 560064, India.
| | - George Priya Doss C
- Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology, School of BioSciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India.
| | - Hatem Zayed
- Department of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Balu Kamaraj
- Department of Dental Education, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
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Yu R, Zhang L, Zhou P, Zhang Z, Liu X, Wang Y, Guo H, Pan L, Liu X. Evaluation of the immunoprotective effects of porcine deltacoronavirus subunit vaccines. Virology 2024; 590:109955. [PMID: 38070302 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.109955] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), a new porcine enteric coronavirus, has seriously endangered the pig breeding industry and caused great economic losses. However, a PDCoV vaccine is not commercially available. Therefore, new and efficient PDCoV vaccines must be developed without delay. In this study, we used the ExpiCHO eukaryotic expression system to express and purify the following 3 structural proteins of PDCoV: S, N and M. Subsequently, the level of humoral and cellular immunity induced by the S protein (immunization with the S protein alone) and a protein mixture (immunization with a mixture of S, N and M proteins) were evaluated in mice and piglets, respectively, and the performances of the 2 immunizations in a challenge protection test were assessed in piglets. The results showed that both the S protein and the protein mixture induced the production of high levels of specific IgG antibodies and neutralizing antibodies and effectively neutralized PDCoV-infected LLC-PK cells in vitro. Furthermore, compared with the S protein, the N and M proteins in the protein mixture promoted the expression of CD8+ T cells and IFN-γ, induced a stronger cellular immune response, and effectively protected 4/5 of the piglets from PDCoV infection. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that the N and M proteins play important roles in inducing an immunoprotective response. Using N and M antigens as effective antigenic components in the development of PDCoV vaccines in the future will effectively increase the immune efficacy of the vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiming Yu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China; National Center of Technology Innovation for Pigs, China
| | - Liping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China; National Center of Technology Innovation for Pigs, China
| | - Peng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhongwang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaoqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yonglu Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Huichen Guo
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Li Pan
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China.
| | - Xinsheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China; National Center of Technology Innovation for Pigs, China.
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Han J, Zhang J, Hu L, Wang C, Wang S, Miao G. Chloroplast display of subunit vaccines and their efficacy via oral administration. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 258:129125. [PMID: 38163512 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.129125] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
As a safe and natural "capsule," plants have several advantages over mammals and microorganisms for the production of oral vaccines. In this study, we innovatively utilized the transmembrane region of the pea Translocase of chloroplast 34 (TOC34) protein to display two subunit vaccines, capsid protein VP2 of Porcine parvovirus (PPV) and the heat-labile enterotoxin B (LTB) of Escherichia coli, on the surface of chloroplasts. Unlike microbial display techniques, chloroplast display circumvents antigen degradation in the stomach while retaining the size characteristic of microorganisms. Additionally, a co-expressed peptide adjuvant, antimicrobial peptide protegin-1 (PG1), was used to enhance the strength of oral immunization. Immunohistochemistry and trypsin digestion of chloroplast surface proteins confirmed the successful localization of both antigens on the chloroplast surface. In stable transgenic tobacco plants, the expression level of VP2-TOC34 ranged from 0.21 to 6.83 μg/g FW, while LTB-TOC34 ranged from 2.42 to 10.04 μg/g FW. By contrasting the digestive characteristics of plant materials with different particle sizes, it was observed that plant materials with diameters around 1 mm exhibited more prominent advantages in terms of chloroplast release and antigen exposure compared to both larger and smaller particles. Oral immunization resulted in significantly increased levels of specific IgG and secretory IgA in the mice compared to the control, with similar effects observed between the groups receiving oral immunization alone and those receiving a combination of initial injection and subsequent oral immunization. Challenge experiments further demonstrated the effective protection against infection in mice using this approach. These findings highlight the potential of chloroplast display technology for the development of effective oral vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Han
- Department of Bioengineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui Province 232038, China
| | - Jifeng Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui Province 232038, China; Institute of Digital Ecology and Health, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui Province 232038, China
| | - Luya Hu
- Department of Bioengineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui Province 232038, China
| | - Chengrun Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui Province 232038, China; Key Laboratory of Bioresource and Environmental Biotechnology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui Province 232038, China
| | - Shunchang Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui Province 232038, China; Key Laboratory of Bioresource and Environmental Biotechnology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui Province 232038, China
| | - Guopeng Miao
- Department of Bioengineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui Province 232038, China; Key Laboratory of Bioresource and Environmental Biotechnology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui Province 232038, China.
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Asadollahi P, Kalani BS. Novel toxin-based mRNA vaccine against Clostridium perfringens using in silico approaches. Toxicon 2024; 238:107584. [PMID: 38185287 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107584] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens is a bacterium that causes gastrointestinal diseases in humans and animals. The several powerful toxins such as alpha toxin (CPA), beta toxin (CPB), enterotoxin (CPE), Epsilon toxin (ETX), and theta toxin, play a major role in its pathogenesis. Traditional vaccine development methods are time-consuming and costly. In silico approaches offer an alternative strategy for designing vaccines by analyzing biological data and predicting immunogenic peptides. In this study, computational tools were utilized to design a RNA vaccine targeting C. perfringens toxins. Toxin protein sequences were retrieved and their linear B-cell, MHCI, and MHCII binding epitopes were predicted. Allergenicity, toxigenicity, and IFN-γ induction were assessed to select non-allergenic, non-toxic, and IFN-γ-inducing epitopes. Molecular docking was performed to identify epitopes that fit within the binding cleft of MHC alleles. A final peptide vaccine construct was designed with selected epitopes separated by a linker sequence. The antigenicity and physicochemical properties of the vaccine were evaluated. Immune response simulation showed enhanced secondary and tertiary immune responses, increased levels of immunoglobulins, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, helper T lymphocytes, macrophage activity, and elevated levels IFN-γ and interleukin-2. Docking analysis was done to assess interactions between the vaccine structure and Toll-like receptors. Codon optimization was performed, and a final RNA vaccine construct was designed. The secondary structure of the RNA vaccine was predicted and validated. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of in silico approaches for designing an RNA vaccine against C. perfringens toxins, contributing to improved prevention and control of associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parisa Asadollahi
- Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
| | - Behrooz Sadeghi Kalani
- Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
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Choudhury A, Kumar P, Nafidi HA, Almaary KS, Wondmie GF, Kumar A, Bourhia M. Immunoinformatics approaches in developing a novel multi-epitope chimeric vaccine protective against Saprolegnia parasitica. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2260. [PMID: 38278861 PMCID: PMC10817918 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52223-z] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Saprolegnia parasitica is responsible for devastating infections in fish and poses a tremendous threat to the global aquaculture industry. Presently, no safe and effective control measures are available, on the contrary, use of banned toxic compounds against the pathogen is affecting humans via biomagnification routes. This pioneering study aims to design an effective multi-epitope multi-target vaccine candidate against S. parasitica by targeting key proteins involved in the infection process. The proteins were analyzed and linear B-cell epitopes, MHC class I, and class II epitopes were predicted. Subsequently, highly antigenic epitopes were selected and fused to a highly immunogenic adjuvant, 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12, to design a multi-epitope chimeric vaccine construct. The structure of the vaccine was generated and validated for its stereochemical quality, physicochemical properties, antigenicity, allergenicity, and virulence traits. Molecular docking analyses demonstrated strong binding interactions between the vaccine and piscine immune receptors (TLR5, MHC I, MHC II). Molecular dynamics simulations and binding energy calculations of the complexes, further, reflected the stability and favorable interactions of the vaccine and predicted its cytosolic stability. Immune simulations predicted robust and consistent kinetics of the immune response elicited by the vaccine. The study posits the vaccine as a promising solution to combat saprolegniasis in the aquaculture industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhigyan Choudhury
- Department of Animal Science, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, West Bengal, 713 340, India.
| | - Pawan Kumar
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, 124 001, India
| | - Hiba-Allah Nafidi
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, 2325G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Khalid S Almaary
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P. O. Box 2455, 114 51, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Ajit Kumar
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, 124 001, India.
| | - Mohammed Bourhia
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ibn Zohr University, 700 00, Laayoune, Morocco
- Laboratory of Chemistry-Biochemistry, Environment, Nutrition, and Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Hassan II, B. P. 5696, Casablanca, Morocco
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Wang Y, Wu A, Xu Z, Zhang H, Li H, Fu S, Liu Y, Cui L, Miao Y, Wang Y, Zhumanov K, Xu Y, Sheng J, Yi J, Chen C. A multi-epitope subunit vaccine based on CU/ZN-SOD, OMP31 and BP26 against Brucella melitensis infection in BALB/C mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 127:111351. [PMID: 38113688 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.111351] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Brucellosis, a zoonosis caused by Brucella, is highly detrimental to both humans and animals. Most existing vaccines are live attenuated vaccines with safety flaws for people and animals. Therefore, it is advantageous to design a multi-epitope subunit vaccine (MEV) to prevent Brucella infection. To this end, we applied a reverse vaccinology approach. Six cytotoxic T cell (CTL) epitopes, seven T helper cell (HTL) epitopes, and four linear B cell epitopes from CU/ZN-SOD, Omp31, and BP26 were obtained. We linked the CTL, HTL, B-cell epitopes, the appropriate CTB molecular adjuvant, and the universal T helper lymphocyte epitope, PADRE, with linkers AAY, GPPGG, and KK, respectively. This yielded a 412-amino acid MEV construct, which we named MEVcob. The immunogenicity, stability, safety, and feasibility of the construct were evaluated by bioinformatics tools (including the AlphaFold2 prediction tool, the AlphaFold2 tool, NetMHC-I pan 4.0 server, IEDB MHC-I server, ABCpred service, and C-ImmSim server); the physicochemical properties, secondary and tertiary structures, and binding ability of MEVocb to toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was analyzed. Then, codon adaptation and computer cloning studies were performed. MEVocb is highly immunogenic in immunostimulation experiments, The proteins translated by these sequences were relatively stable, exhibiting a high antigenic index. Furthermore, mouse experiments confirmed that the MEVocb construct could raise IFN-γ, IgG, IgG2a, IgG1, IL-2, TNF-α levels in mice, indicating that induced a specific humoral and cellular immune response in BALB/c mice. This vaccine induced a statistically significant level of protection in BALB/c mice when challenged with Brucella melitensis 043 in Xinjiang. Briefly, we utilized immunoinformatic tools to design a novel multi-epitope subunit candidate vaccine against Brucella. This vaccine aims to induce host immune responses and confer specific protective effects. The study results offer a theoretical foundation for the development of a novel Brucella subunit vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueli Wang
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China
| | - Aodi Wu
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China
| | - Zhenyu Xu
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China
| | - Huan Zhang
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China
| | - Honghuan Li
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China
| | - Shuangshuang Fu
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yajing Liu
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China
| | - Lijin Cui
- Fujian Biotechnology Co., LTD., 353000 Nanping, Fujian, China
| | - Yuhe Miao
- Fujian Biotechnology Co., LTD., 353000 Nanping, Fujian, China
| | - Yong Wang
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China
| | - Kaiat Zhumanov
- Kazakh National Agrarian University, The Republic of Kazakhstan
| | - Yimei Xu
- Xinjiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 830000 Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Jinliang Sheng
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China.
| | - Jihai Yi
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China.
| | - Chuangfu Chen
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, 832000 Shihezi City, Xinjiang, China.
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Tabarsi P, Mamishi S, Anjidani N, Shahpari R, Kafi H, Fallah N, Yazdani B, Ebrahimi A, Roshanzamir K, Ebrahimi H, Oveisi S, Soltani A, Petrovsky N, Barati S. Comparative immunogenicity and safety of SpikoGen®, a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike protein vaccine in children and young adults: An immuno-bridging clinical trial. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 127:111436. [PMID: 38147778 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.111436] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND SpikoGen® is a recombinant subunit spike protein ectodomain vaccine manufactured in insect cells and formulated with the novel polysaccharide-based Advax-CpG55.2 adjuvant. This study aimed to compare the immunogenicity and safety of SpikoGen® vaccine in children, adolescents and young adults. METHODS This was a non-randomized, three-arm, open-label, parallel-group, immuno-bridging, non-inferiority trial to compare the immunogenicity and safety of a primary course of two intramuscular doses of SpikoGen® vaccine in children aged 5 to < 12 years, adolescents aged 12 to < 18 years and young adults aged 18 to 40 years. Children 5-12 years received a half dose of 12.5 μg spike protein, whereas the other groups received the full vaccine dose. Vaccine immunogenicity was evaluated via assessment of serum anti-spike and neutralizing antibodies 14 days after the second dose. Solicited adverse events were recorded for 7 days after each vaccination. Safety assessments including serious adverse events were continued through six months after the second dose in children and adolescents. RESULTS Two weeks after the second dose, seroconversion rates for neutralizing antibody levels were not significantly different for children (59.50 %), adolescents (52.06 %) and adults (56.01 %). The 95 % confidence interval of the difference in seroconversion rates between children and adults was within the prespecified non-inferiority margin of 10 % (-12 % to 5 %). SpikoGen® vaccine was well tolerated in all age groups with the most common solicited adverse events being injection site pain and fatigue which were generally transient and mild. CONCLUSION SpikoGen® vaccine was shown to be safe, well tolerated and immunogenic in children as young as 5 years of age, with non-inferior responses to those seen in adults. The Iranian FDA authorisation of SpikoGen® vaccine is now extended down to 5 years of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Payam Tabarsi
- Clinical Tuberculosis and Epidemiology Research Center, National Research Institute for Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Setareh Mamishi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Ramin Shahpari
- Medical Department, Orchid Pharmed Company, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Kafi
- Medical Department, Orchid Pharmed Company, Tehran, Iran
| | - Newsha Fallah
- Medical Department, Orchid Pharmed Company, Tehran, Iran
| | - Babak Yazdani
- Medical Department, Orchid Pharmed Company, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Ebrahimi
- Medical Department, Orchid Pharmed Company, Tehran, Iran
| | - Khashayar Roshanzamir
- CinnaGen Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Ebrahimi
- CinnaGen Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
| | - Soudabeh Oveisi
- CinnaGen Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
| | - Adele Soltani
- CinnaGen Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
| | | | - Saghar Barati
- Medical Department, Orchid Pharmed Company, Tehran, Iran.
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Wang Y, Liu S, Li B, Sun X, Pan Q, Zheng Y, Liu J, Zhao Y, Wang J, Liu L, Du E. A novel CpG ODN compound adjuvant enhances immune response to spike subunit vaccines of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1336239. [PMID: 38322258 PMCID: PMC10846067 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1336239] [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: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODNs) boost the humoral and cellular immune responses to antigens through interaction with Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). These CpG ODNs have been extensively utilized in human vaccines. In our study, we evaluated five B-type CpG ODNs that have stimulatory effects on pigs by measuring the proliferation of porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and assessing interferon gamma (IFN-γ) secretion. Furthermore, this study examined the immunoenhancing effects of the MF59 and CpG ODNs compound adjuvant in mouse and piglet models of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) subunit vaccine administration. The in vitro screening revealed that the CpG ODN named CpG5 significantly stimulated the proliferation of porcine PBMCs and elevated IFN-γ secretion levels. In the mouse vaccination model, CpG5 compound adjuvant significantly bolstered the humoral and cellular immune responses to the PEDV subunit vaccines, leading to Th1 immune responses characterized by increased IFN-γ and IgG2a levels. In piglets, the neutralizing antibody titer was significantly enhanced with CpG5 compound adjuvant, alongside a considerable increase in CD8+ T lymphocytes proportion. The combination of MF59 adjuvant and CpG5 exhibits a synergistic effect, resulting in an earlier, more intense, and long-lasting immune response in subunit vaccines for PEDV. This combination holds significant promise as a robust candidate for the development of vaccine adjuvant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yating Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Shijia Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Boshuo Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Xinyao Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Qi Pan
- Nanjing JSIAMA Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Nanjing, China
| | - Yuxin Zheng
- Yangling Carey Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Yangling, China
| | - Jia Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Yongqiang Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Jingyu Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Liming Liu
- Nanjing JSIAMA Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Nanjing, China
| | - Enqi Du
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
- Yangling Carey Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Yangling, China
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Zhu S, Nie Z, Che Y, Shu J, Wu S, He Y, Wu Y, Qian H, Feng H, Zhang Q. The Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell-Based H9 HA Subunit Avian Influenza Vaccine Provides Complete Protection against the H9N2 Virus Challenge in Chickens. Viruses 2024; 16:163. [PMID: 38275973 PMCID: PMC10821000 DOI: 10.3390/v16010163] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Avian influenza has attracted widespread attention because of its severe effect on the poultry industry and potential threat to human health. The H9N2 subtype of avian influenza viruses was the most prevalent in chickens, and there are several commercial vaccines available for the prevention of the H9N2 subtype of avian influenza viruses. However, due to the prompt antigenic drift and antigenic shift of influenza viruses, outbreaks of H9N2 viruses still continuously occur, so surveillance and vaccine updates for H9N2 subtype avian influenza viruses are particularly important. (2) Methods: In this study, we constructed a stable Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHO) to express the H9 hemagglutinin (HA) protein of the major prevalent H9N2 strain A/chicken/Daye/DY0602/2017 with genetic engineering technology, and then a subunit H9 avian influenza vaccine was prepared using the purified HA protein with a water-in-oil adjuvant. (3) Results: The results showed that the HI antibodies significantly increased after vaccination with the H9 subunit vaccine in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens with a dose-dependent potency of the immunized HA protein, and the 50 μg or more per dose HA protein could provide complete protection against the H9N2 virus challenge. (4) Conclusions: These results indicate that the CHO expression system could be a platform used to develop the subunit vaccine against H9 influenza viruses in chickens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunfan Zhu
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (S.Z.); (Z.N.); (J.S.); (Y.H.)
| | - Zhenyu Nie
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (S.Z.); (Z.N.); (J.S.); (Y.H.)
| | - Ying Che
- Zhejiang Novo Biotech Co., Ltd., Shaoxing 312366, China; (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.W.); (H.Q.)
| | - Jianhong Shu
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (S.Z.); (Z.N.); (J.S.); (Y.H.)
| | - Sufang Wu
- Zhejiang Novo Biotech Co., Ltd., Shaoxing 312366, China; (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.W.); (H.Q.)
| | - Yulong He
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (S.Z.); (Z.N.); (J.S.); (Y.H.)
| | - Youqiang Wu
- Zhejiang Novo Biotech Co., Ltd., Shaoxing 312366, China; (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.W.); (H.Q.)
| | - Hong Qian
- Zhejiang Novo Biotech Co., Ltd., Shaoxing 312366, China; (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.W.); (H.Q.)
| | - Huapeng Feng
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (S.Z.); (Z.N.); (J.S.); (Y.H.)
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Zhejiang Novo Biotech Co., Ltd., Shaoxing 312366, China; (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.W.); (H.Q.)
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Aiman S, Farooq QUA, Han Z, Aslam M, Zhang J, Khan A, Ahmad A, Li C, Ali Y. Core-genome-mediated promising alternative drug and multi-epitope vaccine targets prioritization against infectious Clostridium difficile. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0293731. [PMID: 38241420 PMCID: PMC10798517 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Prevention of Clostridium difficile infection is challenging worldwide owing to its high morbidity and mortality rates. C. difficile is currently being classified as an urgent threat by the CDC. Devising a new therapeutic strategy become indispensable against C. difficile infection due to its high rates of reinfection and increasing antimicrobial resistance. The current study is based on core proteome data of C. difficile to identify promising vaccine and drug candidates. Immunoinformatics and vaccinomics approaches were employed to construct multi-epitope-based chimeric vaccine constructs from top-ranked T- and B-cell epitopes. The efficacy of the designed vaccine was assessed by immunological analysis, immune receptor binding potential and immune simulation analyses. Additionally, subtractive proteomics and druggability analyses prioritized several promising and alternative drug targets against C. difficile. These include FMN-dependent nitroreductase which was prioritized for pharmacophore-based virtual screening of druggable molecule databases to predict potent inhibitors. A MolPort-001-785-965 druggable molecule was found to exhibit significant binding affinity with the conserved residues of FMN-dependent nitroreductase. The experimental validation of the therapeutic targets prioritized in the current study may worthy to identify new strategies to combat the drug-resistant C. difficile infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Aiman
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Qurrat ul Ain Farooq
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongjie Han
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Muneeba Aslam
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Jilong Zhang
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Asifullah Khan
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Abbas Ahmad
- Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan
| | - Chunhua Li
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Yasir Ali
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Simbulan AM, Banico EC, Sira EMJS, Odchimar NMO, Orosco FL. Immunoinformatics-guided approach for designing a pan-proteome multi-epitope subunit vaccine against African swine fever virus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1354. [PMID: 38228670 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-51005-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite being identified over a hundred years ago, there is still no commercially available vaccine for the highly contagious and deadly African swine fever virus (ASFV). This study used immunoinformatics for the rapid and inexpensive designing of a safe and effective multi-epitope subunit vaccine for ASFV. A total of 18,858 proteins from 100 well-annotated ASFV proteomes were screened using various computational tools to identify potential epitopes, or peptides capable of triggering an immune response in swine. Proteins from genotypes I and II were prioritized for their involvement in the recent global ASFV outbreaks. The screened epitopes exhibited promising qualities that positioned them as effective components of the ASFV vaccine. They demonstrated antigenicity, immunogenicity, and cytokine-inducing properties indicating their ability to induce potent immune responses. They have strong binding affinities to multiple swine allele receptors suggesting a high likelihood of yielding more amplified responses. Moreover, they were non-allergenic and non-toxic, a crucial prerequisite for ensuring safety and minimizing any potential adverse effects when the vaccine is processed within the host. Integrated with an immunogenic 50S ribosomal protein adjuvant and linkers, the epitopes formed a 364-amino acid multi-epitope subunit vaccine. The ASFV vaccine construct exhibited notable immunogenicity in immune simulation and molecular docking analyses, and stable profiles in secondary and tertiary structure assessments. Moreover, this study designed an optimized codon for efficient translation of the ASFV vaccine construct into the Escherichia coli K-12 expression system using the pET28a(+) vector. Overall, both sequence and structural evaluations suggested the potential of the ASFV vaccine construct as a candidate for controlling and eradicating outbreaks caused by the pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alea Maurice Simbulan
- Department of Science and Technology, Virology and Vaccine Research and Development Program, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Bicutan, 1634, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
| | - Edward C Banico
- Department of Science and Technology, Virology and Vaccine Research and Development Program, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Bicutan, 1634, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
| | - Ella Mae Joy S Sira
- Department of Science and Technology, Virology and Vaccine Research and Development Program, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Bicutan, 1634, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
| | - Nyzar Mabeth O Odchimar
- Department of Science and Technology, Virology and Vaccine Research and Development Program, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Bicutan, 1634, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
| | - Fredmoore L Orosco
- Department of Science and Technology, Virology and Vaccine Research and Development Program, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Bicutan, 1634, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines.
- Department of Science and Technology, S&T Fellows Program, Bicutan, 1634, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines.
- Department of Biology, University of the Philippines Manila, 1000, Manila, Philippines.
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48
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Haldar R, Dhar A, Ganguli D, Chakraborty S, Pal A, Banik G, Miyoshi SI, Das S. A candidate glycoconjugate vaccine induces protective antibodies in the serum and intestinal secretions, antibody recall response and memory T cells and protects against both typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1304170. [PMID: 38264668 PMCID: PMC10804610 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1304170] [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: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Human Salmonella infections pose significant public health challenges globally, primarily due to low diagnostic yield of systemic infections, emerging and expanding antibiotic resistance of both the typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella strains and the development of asymptomatic carrier state that functions as a reservoir of infection in the community. The limited long-term efficacy of the currently licensed typhoid vaccines, especially in smaller children and non-availability of vaccines against other Salmonella serovars necessitate active research towards developing a multivalent vaccine with wider coverage of protection against pathogenic Salmonella serovars. We had earlier reported immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a subunit vaccine containing a recombinant outer membrane protein (T2544) of Salmonella Typhi in a mouse model. This was achieved through the robust induction of serum IgG, mucosal secretory IgA and Salmonella-specific cytotoxic T cells as well as memory B and T cell response. Here, we report the development of a glycoconjugate vaccine, containing high molecular weight complexes of Salmonella Typhimurium O-specific polysaccharide (OSP) and recombinant T2544 that conferred simultaneous protection against S. Typhi, S. Paratyphi, S. Typhimurium and cross-protection against S. enteritidis in mice. Our findings corroborate with the published studies that suggested the potential of Salmonella OSP as a vaccine antigen. The role of serum antibodies in vaccine-mediated protection is suggested by rapid seroconversion with high titers of serum IgG and IgA, persistently elevated titers after primary immunization along with a strong antibody recall response with higher avidity serum IgG against both OSP and T2544 and significantly raised SBA titers of both primary and secondary antibodies against different Salmonella serovars. Elevated intestinal secretory IgA and bacterial motility inhibition by the secretory antibodies supported their role as well in vaccine-induced protection. Finally, robust induction of T effector memory response indicates long term efficacy of the candidate vaccine. The above findings coupled with protection of vaccinated animals against multiple clinical isolates confirm the suitability of OSP-rT2544 as a broad-spectrum candidate subunit vaccine against human infection due to typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Risha Haldar
- Division of Clinical Medicine, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India
| | - Amlanjyoti Dhar
- Division of Molecular Biology and Genomics, International Institute of Innovation and Technology (I3T), Kolkata, India
| | - Debayan Ganguli
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Suparna Chakraborty
- Division of Clinical Medicine, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India
| | - Ananda Pal
- Division of Clinical Medicine, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India
| | | | - Shin-ichi Miyoshi
- Division of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Santasabuj Das
- Division of Clinical Medicine, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India
- Division of Biological Science, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, India
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Shen F, Wang H, Liu Z, Sun L. DNA Nanostructures: Self-Adjuvant Carriers for Highly Efficient Subunit Vaccines. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202312624. [PMID: 37737971 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202312624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Subunit vaccines based on antigen proteins or epitopes of pathogens or tumors show advantages in immunological precision and high safety, but are often limited by their low immunogenicity. Adjuvants can boost immune responses by stimulating immune cells or promoting antigen uptake by antigen presenting cells (APCs), yet existing clinical adjuvants struggle in simultaneously achieving these dual functions. Additionally, the spatial organization of antigens might be crucial to their immunogenicity. Hence, superior adjuvants should potently stimulate the immune system, precisely arrange antigens, and effectively deliver antigens to APCs. Recently, precisely organizing and delivering antigens with the unique editability of DNA nanostructures has been proposed, presenting unique abilities in significantly improving the immunogenicity of antigens. In this minireview, we will discuss the principles behind using DNA nanostructures as self-adjuvant carriers and review the latest advancements in this field. The potential and challenges associated with self-adjuvant DNA nanostructures will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengyun Shen
- Institute of Materiobiology, Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 201240, China
| | - Haihan Wang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Lab Carbon Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhuang Liu
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Lab Carbon Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lele Sun
- Institute of Materiobiology, Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China
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Margaroni M, Tsanaktsidou E, Agallou M, Kiparissides C, Kammona O, Karagouni E. Development of a novel squalene/α-tocopherol-based self-emulsified nanoemulsion incorporating Leishmania peptides for induction of antigen-specific immune responses. Int J Pharm 2024; 649:123621. [PMID: 38000650 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123621] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Vaccination has emerged as the most effective strategy to confront infectious diseases, among which is leishmaniasis, that threat public health. Despite laborious efforts there is still no vaccine for humans to confront leishmaniasis. Multi-epitope protein/peptide vaccines present a number of advantages, however their use along with appropriate adjuvants that may also act as antigen carriers is considered essential to overcome subunit vaccines' low immunogenicity. In the present study, a stable self-emulsified nanoemulsion was developed and double-adjuvanted with squalene and α-tocopherol. The prepared nanoemulsion droplets exhibited low cytotoxicity in a certain range of concentrations, while they were efficiently taken up by macrophages and dendritic cells in vitro as well as in vivo in secondary lymphoid organs. To further characterize nanoformulation's potent antigen delivery capability, three multi-epitope Leishmania peptides were incorporated into the nanoemulsion. Peptide encapsulation resulted in dendritic cells' functional differentiation characterized by elevated levels of maturation markers and intracellular cytokine production. Intramuscular administration of the nanoemulsion incorporating Leishmania peptides induced antigen-specific spleen cell proliferation as well as elicitation of CD4+ central memory cells, supporting the potential of the developed nanoformulation to successfully act also as an antigen delivery vehicle and thus encouraging further preclinical studies on its vaccine candidate potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maritsa Margaroni
- Immunology of Infection Laboratory, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 125 21 Athens, Greece.
| | - Evgenia Tsanaktsidou
- Chemical Process & Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, P.O. Box 60361, 57 001 Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Maria Agallou
- Immunology of Infection Laboratory, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 125 21 Athens, Greece.
| | - Costas Kiparissides
- Chemical Process & Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, P.O. Box 60361, 57 001 Thessaloniki, Greece; Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.O. Box 472, 54 124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Olga Kammona
- Chemical Process & Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, P.O. Box 60361, 57 001 Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Evdokia Karagouni
- Immunology of Infection Laboratory, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 125 21 Athens, Greece.
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