Frontiers in Microbiology (Apr 2022)

A Bacterially Expressed SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain Fused With Cross-Reacting Material 197 A-Domain Elicits High Level of Neutralizing Antibodies in Mice

  • Liqin Liu,
  • Liqin Liu,
  • Tingting Chen,
  • Tingting Chen,
  • Lizhi Zhou,
  • Lizhi Zhou,
  • Jie Sun,
  • Jie Sun,
  • Yuqian Li,
  • Yuqian Li,
  • Meifeng Nie,
  • Meifeng Nie,
  • Hualong Xiong,
  • Hualong Xiong,
  • Yuhe Zhu,
  • Yuhe Zhu,
  • Wenhui Xue,
  • Wenhui Xue,
  • Yangtao Wu,
  • Yangtao Wu,
  • Tingting Li,
  • Tingting Li,
  • Tianying Zhang,
  • Tianying Zhang,
  • Zhibo Kong,
  • Zhibo Kong,
  • Hai Yu,
  • Hai Yu,
  • Jun Zhang,
  • Jun Zhang,
  • Ying Gu,
  • Ying Gu,
  • Qingbing Zheng,
  • Qingbing Zheng,
  • Qinjian Zhao,
  • Qinjian Zhao,
  • Ningshao Xia,
  • Ningshao Xia,
  • Shaowei Li,
  • Shaowei Li

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.854630
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents an unprecedented public health crisis worldwide. Although several vaccines are available, the global supply of vaccines, particularly within developing countries, is inadequate, and this necessitates a need for the development of less expensive, accessible vaccine options. To this end, here, we used the Escherichia coli expression system to produce a recombinant fusion protein comprising the receptor binding domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; residues 319–541) and the fragment A domain of Cross-Reacting Material 197 (CRM197); hereafter, CRMA-RBD. We show that this CRMA-RBD fusion protein has excellent physicochemical properties and strong reactivity with COVID-19 convalescent sera and representative neutralizing antibodies (nAbs). Furthermore, compared with the use of a traditional aluminum adjuvant, we find that combining the CRMA-RBD protein with a nitrogen bisphosphonate-modified zinc-aluminum hybrid adjuvant (FH-002C-Ac) leads to stronger humoral immune responses in mice, with 4-log neutralizing antibody titers. Overall, our study highlights the value of this E. coli-expressed fusion protein as an alternative vaccine candidate strategy against COVID-19.

Keywords