Zika virus baculovirus-expressed envelope protein elicited humoral and cellular immunity in immunocompetent mice

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 660 - 12
• Main Authors: Shin, Minna, Kim, Kiju, Lee, Hyo-Ji, Lee, Rangyeon, Jung, Yu-Jin, Park, Jeongho, Hahn, Tae-Wook
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 13.01.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 692/699/255; 692/700/459; Animals; Antibodies; Baculoviridae - immunology; Cell-mediated immunity; Dengue fever; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humoral immunity; Immunity, Cellular; Immunity, Humoral; Immunization; Immunocompetence - immunology; Interleukin 12; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microencephaly; multidisciplinary; Neonates; Proteins; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Strains (organisms); Tumor necrosis factor-α; Vaccination; Vaccines; Vaccines, Synthetic; Vector-borne diseases; Viral envelope proteins; Viral Envelope Proteins - immunology; Viral Envelope Proteins - physiology; Viral Vaccines - immunology; Viruses; Zika virus; Zika Virus - immunology; Zika Virus Infection - immunology; Zika Virus Infection - virology; γ-Interferon
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04713-7

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that has a high risk of inducing Guillain–Barré syndrome and microcephaly in newborns. Because vaccination is considered the most effective strategy against ZIKV infection, we designed a recombinant vaccine utilizing the baculovirus expression system with two strains of ZIKV envelope protein (MR766, Env_M; ZBRX6, Env_Z). Animals inoculated with Env_M and Env_Z produced ZIKV-specific antibodies and secreted effector cytokines such as interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-12. Moreover, the progeny of immunized females had detectable maternal antibodies that protected them against two ZIKV strains (MR766 and PRVABC59) and a Dengue virus strain. We propose that the baculovirus expression system ZIKV envelope protein recombinant provides a safe and effective vaccine strategy.