Immunogenicity and Neutralization of Recombinant Vaccine Candidates Expressing F and G Glycoproteins against Nipah Virus
Seo Young Moon,
Rochelle A. Flores,
Min Su Yim,
Heeji Lim,
Seungyeon Kim,
Seung Yun Lee,
Yoo-kyoung Lee,
Jae-Ouk Kim,
Hyejin Park,
Seong Eun Bae,
In-Ohk Ouh,
Woo H. Kim
Affiliations
Seo Young Moon
Division of Vaccine Development Coordination, Center for Vaccine Research National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju-si 28159, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea
Rochelle A. Flores
College of Veterinary Medicine & Institute of Animal Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea
Min Su Yim
Division of Vaccine Development Coordination, Center for Vaccine Research National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju-si 28159, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea
Heeji Lim
Division of Vaccine Development Coordination, Center for Vaccine Research National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju-si 28159, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea
Seungyeon Kim
Division of Vaccine Development Coordination, Center for Vaccine Research National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju-si 28159, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea
Seung Yun Lee
College of Veterinary Medicine & Institute of Animal Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea
Yoo-kyoung Lee
Division of Vaccine Development Coordination, Center for Vaccine Research National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju-si 28159, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea
Jae-Ouk Kim
Molecular Immunology, Science Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
Hyejin Park
Division of Vaccine Development Coordination, Center for Vaccine Research National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju-si 28159, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea
Seong Eun Bae
Molecular Immunology, Science Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
In-Ohk Ouh
Division of Vaccine Development Coordination, Center for Vaccine Research National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju-si 28159, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea
Woo H. Kim
College of Veterinary Medicine & Institute of Animal Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea
Nipah virus (NiV), of the Paramyxoviridae family, causes highly fatal infections in humans and is associated with severe neurological and respiratory diseases. Currently, no commercial vaccine is available for human use. Here, eight structure-based mammalian-expressed recombinant proteins harboring the NiV surface proteins, fusion glycoprotein (F), and the major attachment glycoprotein (G) were produced. Specifically, prefusion NiV-F and/or NiV-G glycoproteins expressed in monomeric, multimeric (trimeric F and tetra G), or chimeric forms were evaluated for their properties as sub-unit vaccine candidates. The antigenicity of the recombinant NiV glycoproteins was evaluated in intramuscularly immunized mice, and the antibodies in serum were assessed. Predictably, all homologous immunizations exhibited immunogenicity, and neutralizing antibodies to VSV-luciferase-based pseudovirus expressing NiV-GF glycoproteins were found in all groups. Comparatively, neutralizing antibodies were highest in vaccines designed in their multimeric structures and administered as bivalent (GMYtet + GBDtet) and trivalent (Ftri + GMYtet + GBDtet). Additionally, while all adjuvants were able to elicit an immunogenic response in vaccinated groups, bivalent (GMYtet + GBDtet) and trivalent (Ftri + GMYtet + GBDtet) induced more potent neutralizing antibodies when administered with oil-in-water nano-emulsion adjuvant, AddaS03. For all experiments, the bivalent GMYtet + GBDtet was the most immunogenic vaccine candidate. Results from this study highlight the potential use of these mammalian-expressed recombinant NiV as vaccine candidates, deserving further exploration.