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Construction and immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particle expressed by recombinant baculovirus BacMam.

Hai Trong NguyenDarryl FalzaranoVolker GerdtsQiang Liu
Published in: Microbiology spectrum (2024)
Although existing vaccines have significantly mitigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, none of the vaccines can induce sterilizing immunity. The spike protein is the main component of all approved vaccines for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) due primarily to its ability to induce neutralizing antibodies. The conformation of the spike protein in the vaccine formulation should be critical for the efficacy of a vaccine. By way of closely resembling the authentic virions, virus-like particles (VLPs) should render the spike protein in its natural conformation. To this end, we utilized the baculovirus vector, BacMam, to express virus-like particles consisting of the spike, membrane, and envelope proteins of SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrated the immunogenicity of our VLP vaccine with neutralizing activity. Our data warrant further evaluation of the virus-like particles as a vaccine candidate in protecting against virus challenges.
Keyphrases
  • sars cov
  • respiratory syndrome coronavirus
  • protein protein
  • binding protein
  • dengue virus
  • electronic health record
  • disease virus
  • molecular dynamics simulations
  • zika virus
  • crystal structure
  • cell free