title: Production of Chikungunya Virus-Like Particles and Subunit Vaccines in Insect Cells.
abstract: Chikungunya virus is a reemerging human pathogen that causes debilitating arthritic disease in humans. Like dengue and Zika virus, CHIKV is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes in an epidemic urban cycle, and is now rapidly spreading through the Americas since its introduction in the Caribbean in late 2013. There are no licensed vaccines or antiviral drugs available, and only a few vaccine candidates have passed Phase I human clinical trials. Using recombinant baculovirus expression technology, we have generated CHIKV glycoprotein subunit and virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines that are amenable to large scale production in insect cells. These vaccines, in particular the VLPs, have shown high immunogenicity and protection against CHIKV infection in different animal models of CHIKV-induced disease. Here, we describe the production, purification, and characterization of these potent CHIKV vaccine candidates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.|Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 NW, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Stefan W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Metz
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 NW, Wageningen, The Netherlands. gorben.pijlman@wur.nl.
authors.forename: Gorben P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Pijlman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D002646:Chikungunya virus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D061987:Sf9 Cells; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit; D058425:Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit; D058425:Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins
keywords: Baculovirus; Chikungunya virus; Insect cells; Production and purification; Secreted E1 and E2; Virus-like particles