A chimeric multi-epitope DNA vaccine elicited specific antibody response against severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus which attenuated the virulence of SARS-CoV in vitro.
Epitope-based vaccines designed to induce antibody responses specific for severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) are being developed as a means for increasing vaccine potency. In this study, we identified four B cell epitopes from the spike (S) and membrane (M) protein through bioinformatics analysis and constructed a multi-epitope DNA vaccine. Intramuscular immunization of mice with this vaccine was sufficient to induce specific prime as well as a long-term memory humoral immune response to at least two candidate epitopes, S(437-459) and M(1-20). A DNA prime-protein boost strategy greatly enhanced the antibody generation and the immune sera not only reacted with the lysates of SARS-CoV-infected Vero cells but also neutralized the cytopathic effect of SARS by 75% at 1:160 dilution. The novel immunogenic S protein peptide revealed in this study provides new target for SARS vaccine design; and our work indicated multi-epitope DNA vaccine as an effective means for eliciting polyvalent humoral immune response against SARS-CoV.
Institute for ImmunoBiology, Department of Immunology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
Xiaohua
X
Wang
Wei
W
Xu
Deyan
D
Tong
Jing
J
Ni
Haifeng
H
Gao
Ying
Y
Wang
Yiwei
Y
Chu
Pingping
P
Li
Xiaoming
X
Yang
Sidong
S
Xiong
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D000086862:Coronavirus M Proteins; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D064370:Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000086862:Coronavirus M Proteins; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; C000706237:M protein, SARS-CoV; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D064370:Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C578557:spike glycoprotein, SARS-CoV; C578553:spike protein, mouse hepatitis virus