scholarly journals A Novel Bacterium-Like Particle Vaccine Displaying the MERS-CoV Receptor-Binding Domain Induces Specific Mucosal and Systemic Immune Responses in Mice

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li ◽  
Chi ◽  
Huang ◽  
Yan ◽  
Zhang ◽  
...  

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a new coronavirus that has been causing severe and fatal acute respiratory illnesses in humans since its outbreak in 2012, has raised public fear worldwide. The development of prophylactics and therapeutics is urgently needed to prevent and control MERS-CoV infections. In this study, a bacterium (Lactococcus lactis)-like particle (BLP) vaccine displaying the MERS-CoV receptor-binding domain (RBD) was developed, and gram-positive enhancer matrix (GEM) particles were used as substrates to externally bind to the MERS-CoV RBD through a protein anchor (PA). The designs included different numbers of lysin motif (LysM) repeats in the PAs linked by linkers (RBD-linker-PA2 (RLP2), RBD-linker-PA3 (RLP3) and RBD-PA3 (RP3)), and three LysM repeats and a linker in the fusion proteins increased the binding activity to the RBD. The specific immune responses were tested by intranasally immunizing mice with RLP3-GEM with or without the adjuvant GEL01. The results showed that GEL01-adjuvanted RLP3-GEM increased the systemic humoral, cellular and local mucosal immune responses in the mouse model, especially in the intestinal tract. The above results indicate that the MERS-CoV BLP product has the potential to be developed into a promising mucosal candidate vaccine to protect against MERS-CoV infections.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A514-A514
Author(s):  
Shawn Jensen ◽  
Christopher Twitty ◽  
Christopher Paustian ◽  
Madelein Laws ◽  
Glenna McDonnell ◽  
...  

BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 (CoV2) has precipitated a global pandemic and the effectiveness of standard vaccine strategies to induce potent and persistent immunity to CoV2 is in question, particularly for the elderly. This problem is not dissimilar to what we have struggled with in our quest to induce immunity to cancer antigens, where vaccine-induced anti-cancer immune responses can be weak. Here, we describe a novel vaccine approach which leverages electroporation (EP) of a plasmid encoding a prefusion stabilized CoV2 spike protein (CORVax). As IL-12 has been shown to augment the efficacy of immunotherapy in aged mice,1 we have initiated studies to evaluate if plasmid IL-12 (TAVO™) can similarly augment anti-CoV2 immune responses in young mice and have planned studies in aged animals.MethodsA prefusion stabilized CoV2 spike plasmid expression vector was constructed, a master cell bank generated and clinical-grade plasmid manufactured. C57BL/6 and BALB/c were vaccinated via intramuscular (IM) and/or intradermal (ID) injection followed immediately by EP of plasmids encoding the CoV2 spike protein with or without plasmid-encoded murine IL-12 on days 1 and 14 or 21. Mice were followed for >120 days to assess safety. Splenocytes and serum were harvested at different time points to interrogate virus-specific cellular responses as well anti-spike IgG1/IgG2 antibody titers. A surrogate viral neutralization test (sVNT) assessed serum blockade of soluble hACE2R binding to immobilized CoV2 spike.ResultsPreliminary data shows that EP of CORVax alone or combined with IL-12 was safe. EP of CORVax was able to elicit anti-Spike IgG antibodies (IC50 = 1/2112), as well as IgG antibodies targeting the receptor binding domain of the Spike protein (IC50 = 1/965) approximately 40 days after the booster vaccination. In 2 of 2 experiments, CORVax combined with IL-12 significantly (P<0.0001) increased the sVNT titers at 2 months, but this benefit was lost by 3 months.ConclusionsEarly preclinical data shows that EP of CORVax can induce IgG responses to CoV2 Spike and the receptor binding domain (RBD) as well as apparent viral neutralizing activity. The addition of IL-12, at least transiently, increased sVNT titer. We plan to investigate alternate vaccine boosting strategies while extending these studies into aged animals and initiate a clinical trial in the near future.ReferencesRuby CE, Weinberg AD. OX40-Enhanced tumor rejection and effector T cell differentiation decreases with age. J Immunol2009;182:1481–9. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.182.3.1481.


Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 635
Author(s):  
Ju Kim ◽  
Ye Lin Yang ◽  
Yongsu Jeong ◽  
Yong-Suk Jang

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes severe acute respiratory symptoms. Due to the lack of medical countermeasures, effective and safe vaccines against MERS-CoV infection are urgently required. Although different types of candidate vaccines have been developed, their immunogenicity is limited, and the dose and administration route need optimization to achieve optimal protection. We here investigated the potential use of human β-defensin 2 (HBD 2) as an adjuvant to enhance the protection provided by MERS-CoV vaccination. We found that immunization of human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (hDPP4)-transgenic (hDPP4-Tg) mice with spike protein receptor-binding domain (S RBD) conjugated with HBD 2 (S RBD-HBD 2) induced potent antigen (Ag)-specific adaptive immune responses and protected against MERS-CoV infection. In addition, immunization with S RBD-HBD 2 alleviated progressive pulmonary fibrosis in the lungs of MERS-CoV-infected hDPP4-Tg mice and suppressed endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling activation upon viral infection. Compared to intramuscular administration, intranasal administration of S RBD-HBD 2 induced more potent mucosal IgA responses and was more effective for protecting against intranasal MERS-CoV infection. In conclusion, our findings suggest that HBD 2 potentiates Ag-specific immune responses against viral Ag and can be used as an adjuvant enhancing the immunogenicity of subunit vaccine candidates against MERS-CoV.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byoung-Jun Kim ◽  
Hyein Jeong ◽  
Hyejun Seo ◽  
Mi-Hyun Lee ◽  
Hyun Mu Shin ◽  
...  

At present, concerns that the recent global emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants could compromise the current vaccines have been raised, highlighting the urgent demand for new vaccines capable of eliciting T cell-mediated immune responses, as well as B cell-mediated neutralizing antibody production. In this study, we developed a novel recombinant Mycobacterium paragordonae expressing the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) (rMpg-RBD-7) that is capable of eliciting RBD-specific immune responses in vaccinated mice. The potential use of rMpg-RBD-7 as a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 infections was evaluated in in vivo using mouse models of two different modules, one for single-dose vaccination and the other for two-dose vaccination. In a single-dose vaccination model, we found that rMpg-RBD-7 versus a heat-killed strain could exert an enhanced cell-mediated immune (CMI) response, as well as a humoral immune response capable of neutralizing the RBD and ACE2 interaction. In a two-dose vaccination model, rMpg-RBD-7 in a two-dose vaccination could also exert a stronger CMI and humoral immune response to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 infections in pseudoviral or live virus infection systems, compared to single dose vaccinations of rMpg-RBD or two-dose RBD protein immunization. In conclusion, our data showed that rMpg-RBD-7 can lead to an enhanced CMI response and humoral immune responses in mice vaccinated with both single- or two-dose vaccination, highlighting its feasibility as a novel vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first in which mycobacteria is used as a delivery system for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.


Author(s):  
Christopher O. Barnes ◽  
Claudia A. Jette ◽  
Morgan E. Abernathy ◽  
Kim-Marie A. Dam ◽  
Shannon R. Esswein ◽  
...  

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic presents an urgent health crisis. Human neutralizing antibodies (hNAbs) that target the host ACE2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike1–5 show therapeutic promise and are being evaluated clincally6–8. To determine structural correlates of SARS-CoV-2 neutralization, we solved 8 new structures of distinct COVID-19 hNAbs5 in complex with SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer or RBD. Structural comparisons allowed classification into categories: (1) VH3-53 hNAbs with short CDRH3s that block ACE2 and bind only to “up” RBDs, (2) ACE2-blocking hNAbs that bind both “up” and “down” RBDs and can contact adjacent RBDs, (3) hNAbs that bind outside the ACE2 site and recognize “up” and “down” RBDs, and (4) Previously-described antibodies that do not block ACE2 and bind only “up” RBDs9. Class 2 comprised four hNAbs whose epitopes bridged RBDs, including a VH3-53 hNAb that used a long CDRH3 with a hydrophobic tip to bridge between adjacent “down” RBDs, thereby locking spike into a closed conformation. Epitope/paratope mapping revealed few interactions with host-derived N-glycans and minor contributions of antibody somatic hypermutations to epitope contacts. Affinity measurements and mapping of naturally-occurring and in vitro-selected spike mutants in 3D provided insight into the potential for SARS-CoV-2 escape from antibodies elicited during infection or delivered therapeutically. These classifications and structural analyses provide rules for assigning current and future human RBD-targeting antibodies into classes, evaluating avidity effects, suggesting combinations for clinical use, and providing insight into immune responses against SARS-CoV-2.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth A. Karron ◽  
Maria Garcia Quesada ◽  
Elizabeth A. Schappell ◽  
Stephen D. Schmidt ◽  
Maria Deloria Knoll ◽  
...  

SARS-CoV-2 infections are frequently milder in children than adults, suggesting that immune responses may vary with age. However, information is limited regarding SARS-CoV-2 immune responses in young children. We compared Receptor Binding Domain binding antibody (RBDAb) and SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody (neutAb) in children aged 0-4 years, 5-17 years, and in adults aged 18-62 years in a SARS-CoV-2 household study. Among 55 participants seropositive at enrollment, children aged 0-4 years had >10-fold higher RBDAb titers than adults (373 vs.35, P<0.0001), and the highest RBDAb titers in 11/12 households with seropositive children and adults. Children aged 0-4 years had 2-fold higher neutAb than adults, resulting in higher binding to neutralizing (B/N)Ab ratios compared to adults (1.9 vs. 0.4 for ID50, P=0.0002). Findings suggest that young children mount robust antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 following community infections. Additionally, these results support using neutAb to measure the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in children aged 0-4 years.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1080-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisreen M. A. Okba ◽  
Ivy Widjaja ◽  
Brenda van Dieren ◽  
Andrea Aebischer ◽  
Geert van Amerongen ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanying Du ◽  
Guangyu Zhao ◽  
Chris CS Chan ◽  
Lin Li ◽  
Yuxian He ◽  
...  

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