Abstract
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the leading cause of epidemic encephalitis in Asia, and vaccination is the most effective way to prevent JE. Although several licensed vaccines were widely used, there is still a demand for developing safer, cheaper, and more effective JE vaccines. In the current study, a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate containing the envelope structural protein of JEV expressed by the Pichia pastoris was assembled in vitro. It elicited a robust humoral and cellular immune response in mice model, conferring immunodeficient mice complete protection against lethal doses of JEV challenge. Furthermore, pigs immunized with VLP alone without adjuvant via intramuscular produced high neutralizing antibodies against JEV. Consequently, this study showed a new design of JEV subunit vaccine based on VLP strategy and demonstrated the potential for clinical application.
Highlights
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a zoonotic mosquito-borne disease caused by JE virus (JEV)
The intracellular expression plasmid bearing precursor membrane (prM)/Env gene was transformed into Pichia pastoris and identified by PCR
SDS-PAGE and Western blot assays for the methanol-induced positive samples showed that prM/Env was successfully expressed with the molecular size of about 52 kDa (Figure 1b,c)
Summary
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a zoonotic mosquito-borne disease caused by JE virus (JEV). JEV belongs to the genus Flavivirus and is transmitted between pigs and humans by culicine mosquitoes [1]. Pigs serve as amplifying hosts, and humans are dead-end hosts [2]. The first confirmed JE case was reported in Japan in 1924. JE is mainly endemic in Asia and adjacent regions, and it has been gradually spreading to other territories. JE can lead to central nervous system injury and long-term neurological, psychological, and cognitive impairment sequelae, with a mortality rate of 5–40% [5]. JEV will lead to abortion, stillbirth, congenital disabilities, and fatal neurological disease in pig herds, causing considerable losses to the pig industry every year [6]. It is of great significance to control the prevalence of JEV
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