PLoS Pathogens (Jan 2013)

Cross-serotype immunity induced by immunization with a conserved rhinovirus capsid protein.

  • Nicholas Glanville,
  • Gary R McLean,
  • Bruno Guy,
  • Valerie Lecouturier,
  • Catherine Berry,
  • Yves Girerd,
  • Christophe Gregoire,
  • Ross P Walton,
  • Rebecca M Pearson,
  • Tatiana Kebadze,
  • Nicolas Burdin,
  • Nathan W Bartlett,
  • Jeffrey W Almond,
  • Sebastian L Johnston

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003669
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 9
p. e1003669

Abstract

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Human rhinovirus (RV) infections are the principle cause of common colds and precipitate asthma and COPD exacerbations. There is currently no RV vaccine, largely due to the existence of ∼150 strains. We aimed to define highly conserved areas of the RV proteome and test their usefulness as candidate antigens for a broadly cross-reactive vaccine, using a mouse infection model. Regions of the VP0 (VP4+VP2) capsid protein were identified as having high homology across RVs. Immunization with a recombinant VP0 combined with a Th1 promoting adjuvant induced systemic, antigen specific, cross-serotype, cellular and humoral immune responses. Similar cross-reactive responses were observed in the lungs of immunized mice after infection with heterologous RV strains. Immunization enhanced the generation of heterosubtypic neutralizing antibodies and lung memory T cells, and caused more rapid virus clearance. Conserved domains of the RV capsid therefore induce cross-reactive immune responses and represent candidates for a subunit RV vaccine.