title: Recombinant Flagellin-Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Cap Fusion Protein Promotes Protective Immune Responses in Mice.
abstract: The Cap protein of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) that serves as a major host-protective immunogen was used to develop recombinant vaccines for control of PCV2-associated diseases. Growing research data have demonstrated the high effectiveness of flagellin as an adjuvant for humoral and cellular immune responses. Here, a recombinant protein was designed by fusing a modified version of bacterial flagellin to PCV2 Cap protein and expressed in a baculovirus system. When administered without adjuvant to BALB/c mice, the flagellin-Cap fusion protein elicited stronger PCV2-specific IgG antibody response, higher neutralizing antibody levels, milder histopathological changes and lower viremia, as well as higher secretion of cytokines such as TNF-α and IFN-γ that conferred better protection against virus challenge than those in the recombinant Cap alone-inoculated mice. These results suggest that the recombinant Cap protein when fused to flagellin could elicit better humoral and cellular immune responses against PCV2 infection in a mouse model, thereby acting as an attractive candidate vaccine for control of the PCV2-associated diseases.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, No. 9 Shuguang Garden Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chunyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, No. 9 Shuguang Garden Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shanshan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, No. 9 Shuguang Garden Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, No. 9 Shuguang Garden Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, No. 9 Shuguang Garden Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100197, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100197, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ruiping
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: She
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100197, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fengjiao
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, No. 9 Shuguang Garden Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D017925:Circovirus / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005408:Flagellin / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D007109:Immunity / Q000187:drug effects*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014765:Viral Vaccines; D005408:Flagellin; D007371:Interferon-gamma