Immunogenicity of the <i>Xcl1</i>-SARS-CoV-2 Spike Fusion DNA Vaccine for COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) variants that may evade antibody-mediated immunity are emerging. Evidence shows that vaccines with a stronger immune response are still effective against mutant strains. Here, we report a targeted type 1 conventional dendritic (cDC1) cell strategy for improved COVID-19 vaccine d...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/3/407 |
| Summary: | SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) variants that may evade antibody-mediated immunity are emerging. Evidence shows that vaccines with a stronger immune response are still effective against mutant strains. Here, we report a targeted type 1 conventional dendritic (cDC1) cell strategy for improved COVID-19 vaccine design. cDC1 cells specifically express X-C motif chemokine receptor 1 (Xcr1), the only receptor for chemokine Xcl1. We fused the <i>S</i> gene sequence with the <i>Xcl1</i> gene to deliver the expressed S protein to cDC1 cells. Immunization with a plasmid encoding the S protein fused to Xcl1 showed stronger induction of antibody and antigen-specific T cell immune responses than immunization with the <i>S</i> plasmid alone in mice. The fusion gene-induced antibody also displayed more powerful SARS-CoV-2 wild-type virus and pseudovirus neutralizing activity. Xcl1 also increased long-lived antibody-secreting plasma cells in bone marrow. These preliminary results indicate that Xcl1 serves as a molecular adjuvant for the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and that our Xcl1-S fusion DNA vaccine is a potential COVID-19 vaccine candidate for use in further translational studies. |
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| ISSN: | 2076-393X |