Abstract
In current study, we evaluated the safety and protective efficacy of recombinant unglycosylated RSV G protein ectodomain produced in E. coli (in presence and absence of oil-in-water adjuvant) in a preclinical RSV susceptible cotton rat challenge model compared to formaldehyde inactivated RSV (FI-RSV) and live RSV experimental infection. The adjuvanted G protein vaccine induced robust neutralization antibody responses comparable to those generated by live RSV infection. Importantly, adjuvanted G protein significantly reduced viral loads in both the lungs and nose at early time points following viral challenge. Antibody kinetics determined by Surface Plasmon Resonance showed that adjuvanted G generated 10-fold higher G-binding antibodies compared to non-adjvuanted G vaccine and live RSV infection, which correlated strongly with both neutralization titers and viral load titers in the nose and lungs post-viral challenge. Antibody diversity analysis revealed immunodominant antigenic sites in the N- and C-termini of the RSV-G protein, that were boosted >10-fold by adjuvant and inversely correlated with viral load titers. Enhanced lung pathology was observed only in animals vaccinated with FI-RSV, but not in animals vaccinated with unadjuvanted or adjuvanted RSV-G vaccine after viral challenge. The bacterially produced unglycosylated G protein could be developed as a protective vaccine against RSV disease.
Highlights
IntroductionWe evaluated the safety and protective efficacy of recombinant unglycosylated RSV G protein ectodomain produced in E. coli (in presence and absence of oil-in-water adjuvant) in a preclinical RSV susceptible cotton rat challenge model compared to formaldehyde inactivated RSV (FI-RSV) and live RSV experimental infection
In current study, we evaluated the safety and protective efficacy of recombinant unglycosylated RSV G protein ectodomain produced in E. coli in a preclinical RSV susceptible cotton rat challenge model compared to formaldehyde inactivated RSV (FI-RSV) and live RSV experimental infection
Cotton rats have been established as a relevant animal model for preclinical studies of RSV infection, evaluation of therapeutics, vaccine-induced protection or vaccine associated enhanced respiratory disease (VAERD)[19,20,21,22]
Summary
We evaluated the safety and protective efficacy of recombinant unglycosylated RSV G protein ectodomain produced in E. coli (in presence and absence of oil-in-water adjuvant) in a preclinical RSV susceptible cotton rat challenge model compared to formaldehyde inactivated RSV (FI-RSV) and live RSV experimental infection. RSV vaccine development efforts have been steadily increasing in recent years[1,2] in order to reduce the incidence of RSV associated hospitalization and death resulting from acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in the first year of life among infants[3,4]. This could be achieved through either maternal or infant immunization, wherein, vaccine safety is of prime importance. We examined the impact of adjuvant on immune www.nature.com/scientificreports/
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