Abstract | PURPOSE:
Hantavirus infections cause severe haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome ( HFRS) in humans and are associated with high fatality rates. In 2017, numerous outbreaks were reported in China and Germany. This represents a significant public-healthcare issue with no effective HFRS vaccines that offer a long-term immune response. In this study, we investigated the long-term humoral and cellular immune responses and protective immunity of Hantaan virus (HTNV) granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor ( GM-CSF) and CD40 ligand ( CD40L) virus-like particles (VLPs) in mice. METHODOLOGY:
GM-CSF and CD40L VLPs were constructed via co-transfection of pCI-S and pCI-M-CD40L, and pCI-S and pCI-M- GM-CSF, into dihydrofolatereductase (dhfr)-deficient Chinese hamster ovary cells, respectively. Mice were immunized with HTNV VLPs 2 weeks apart. The animals were challenged 6 months after immunization. Specific and neutralizing antibodies were assessed by ELISA; IFN-γ was measured by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay and effectiveness by cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) cytotoxicity assays. Nucleic acid loads of HTNV were tested by quantitative real-time PCR and viral antigen was detected via indirect ELISA. Pathological alterations were detected via haematoxylin- eosin staining. RESULTS:
GM-CSF and CD40L VLPs provided stable, long-term protection with a high titre of neutralizing antibody in mice 6 months after immunization. Furthermore, VLPs increased HTNV-specific cellular immune responses via higher expression of IFN-γ and CTL responses. HTNV challenge assay results showed long-term protection against HFRS. No significant pathological alteration was observed in the organs of mice after immunization. CONCLUSION: This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report demonstrating the long-term potency of HTNV VLP vaccines against HTNV infection and offers new insights into HTNV vaccine development.
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Authors | Yuhang Dong, Tiejun Ma, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Qikang Ying, Mingwei Han, Muqi Zhang, Rongjin Yang, Yuan Li, Fang Wang, Rongrong Liu, Xingan Wu |
Journal | Journal of medical microbiology
(J Med Microbiol)
Vol. 68
Issue 3
Pg. 480-492
(Mar 2019)
ISSN: 1473-5644 [Electronic] England |
PMID | 30657443
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Chemical References |
- Antibodies, Neutralizing
- Antibodies, Viral
- Antigens, Viral
- Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle
- CD40 Ligand
- Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor
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Topics |
- Animals
- Antibodies, Neutralizing
(blood)
- Antibodies, Viral
(blood)
- Antigens, Viral
(immunology)
- CD40 Ligand
(administration & dosage, genetics)
- CHO Cells
- Cricetulus
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
- Female
- Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor
(administration & dosage, genetics)
- Hantaan virus
(genetics)
- Hantavirus Infections
(immunology, prevention & control)
- Immunity, Cellular
- Immunity, Humoral
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Transfection
- Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle
(genetics, immunology)
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