Frontiers in Immunology (May 2022)

Self-Assembling Nanovaccine Confers Complete Protection Against Zika Virus Without Causing Antibody-Dependent Enhancement

  • Heng Rong,
  • Heng Rong,
  • Mi Qi,
  • Mi Qi,
  • Jingdi Pan,
  • Jingdi Pan,
  • Yuhan Sun,
  • Yuhan Sun,
  • Jiawang Gao,
  • Jiawang Gao,
  • Xiaowei Zhang,
  • Wei Li,
  • Bo Zhang,
  • Xian-En Zhang,
  • Zongqiang Cui,
  • Zongqiang Cui

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.905431
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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The Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic poses a substantial threat to the public, and the development of safe and effective vaccines is a demanding challenge. In this study, we constructed a kind of self-assembling nanovaccine which confers complete protection against ZIKV infection. The ZIKV envelop protein domain III (zEDIII) was presented on recombinant human heavy chain ferritin (rHF) to form the zEDIII-rHF nanoparticle. Immunization of mice with zEDIII-rHF nanoparticle in the absence of an adjuvant induced robust humoral and cellular immune responses. zEDIII-rHF vaccination conferred complete protection against lethal infection with ZIKV and eliminated pathological symptoms in the brain. Importantly, the zEDIII-rHF nanovaccine induced immune response did not cross-react with dengue virus-2, overcoming the antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) problem that is a safety concern for ZIKV vaccine development. Our constructed zEDIII-rHF nanovaccine, with superior protective performance and avoidance of ADE, provides an effective and safe vaccine candidate against ZIKV.

Keywords