tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Sci Adv
. 2021 May 28;7(22):eabg7156.
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abg7156. Print 2021 May.
Immunization with RBD-P2 and N protects against SARS-CoV-2 in nonhuman primates
So-Hee Hong[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hanseul Oh[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yong Wook Park[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hye Won Kwak[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eun Young Oh[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hyo-Jung Park[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kyung Won Kang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Green Kim[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Bon-Sang Koo[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Eun-Ha Hwang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Seung Ho Baek[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hyeong-Jun Park[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yu-Sun Lee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yoo-Jin Bang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jae-Yong Kim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Seo-Hyeon Bae[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Su Jeen Lee[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ki-Weon Seo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hak Kim[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Taewoo Kwon[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ji-Hwan Kim[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Seonghwan Lee[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Eunsom Kim[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yeonhwa Kim[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jae-Hak Park[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Sang-In Park[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Marta Gonçalves[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Byung Mook Weon[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Haengdueng Jeong[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Ki Taek Nam[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Kyung-Ah Hwang[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Jihye Kim[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Hun Kim[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sang-Myeong Lee, Jung Joo Hong[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Jae-Hwan Nam[SUP] 12 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), various vaccines are being developed, with most vaccine candidates focusing on the viral spike protein. Here, we developed a previously unknown subunit vaccine comprising the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein fused with the tetanus toxoid epitope P2 (RBD-P2) and tested its efficacy in rodents and nonhuman primates (NHPs). We also investigated whether the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N) could increase vaccine efficacy. Immunization with N and RBD-P2 (RBDP2/N) + alum increased T cell responses in mice and neutralizing antibody levels in rats compared with those obtained using RBD-P2 + alum. Furthermore, in NHPs, RBD-P2/N + alum induced slightly faster SARS-CoV-2 clearance than that induced by RBD-P2 + alum, albeit without statistical significance. Our study supports further development of RBD-P2 as a vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2. Also, it provides insights regarding the use of N in protein-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.
. 2021 May 28;7(22):eabg7156.
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abg7156. Print 2021 May.
Immunization with RBD-P2 and N protects against SARS-CoV-2 in nonhuman primates
So-Hee Hong[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hanseul Oh[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yong Wook Park[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hye Won Kwak[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eun Young Oh[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hyo-Jung Park[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kyung Won Kang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Green Kim[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Bon-Sang Koo[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Eun-Ha Hwang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Seung Ho Baek[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hyeong-Jun Park[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yu-Sun Lee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yoo-Jin Bang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jae-Yong Kim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Seo-Hyeon Bae[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Su Jeen Lee[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ki-Weon Seo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hak Kim[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Taewoo Kwon[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ji-Hwan Kim[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Seonghwan Lee[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Eunsom Kim[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yeonhwa Kim[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jae-Hak Park[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Sang-In Park[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Marta Gonçalves[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Byung Mook Weon[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Haengdueng Jeong[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Ki Taek Nam[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Kyung-Ah Hwang[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Jihye Kim[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Hun Kim[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sang-Myeong Lee, Jung Joo Hong[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Jae-Hwan Nam[SUP] 12 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34049881
- DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg7156
Abstract
Since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), various vaccines are being developed, with most vaccine candidates focusing on the viral spike protein. Here, we developed a previously unknown subunit vaccine comprising the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein fused with the tetanus toxoid epitope P2 (RBD-P2) and tested its efficacy in rodents and nonhuman primates (NHPs). We also investigated whether the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N) could increase vaccine efficacy. Immunization with N and RBD-P2 (RBDP2/N) + alum increased T cell responses in mice and neutralizing antibody levels in rats compared with those obtained using RBD-P2 + alum. Furthermore, in NHPs, RBD-P2/N + alum induced slightly faster SARS-CoV-2 clearance than that induced by RBD-P2 + alum, albeit without statistical significance. Our study supports further development of RBD-P2 as a vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2. Also, it provides insights regarding the use of N in protein-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.