1. Vaccine based on folded RBD-PreS fusion protein with potential to induce sterilizing immunity to SARS-CoV-2 variants
- Author
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Gattinger, Pia, Kratzer, Bernhard, Tulaeva, Inna, Niespodziana, Katarzyna, Ohradanova-Repic, Anna, Gebetsberger, Laura, Borochova, Kristina, Garner-Spitzer, Erika, Trapin, Doris, Hofer, Gerhard, Keller, Walter, Baumgartner, Isabella, Tancevski, Ivan, Khaitov, Musa, Karaulov, Alexander, Stockinger, Hannes, Wiedermann, Ursula, Pickl, Winfried F., Valenta, Rudolf, Gattinger, Pia, Kratzer, Bernhard, Tulaeva, Inna, Niespodziana, Katarzyna, Ohradanova-Repic, Anna, Gebetsberger, Laura, Borochova, Kristina, Garner-Spitzer, Erika, Trapin, Doris, Hofer, Gerhard, Keller, Walter, Baumgartner, Isabella, Tancevski, Ivan, Khaitov, Musa, Karaulov, Alexander, Stockinger, Hannes, Wiedermann, Ursula, Pickl, Winfried F., and Valenta, Rudolf
- Abstract
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. One possibility to control the pandemic is to induce sterilizing immunity through the induction and maintenance of neutralizing antibodies preventing SARS-CoV-2 from entering human cells to replicate in. Methods: We report the construction and in vitro and in vivo characterization of a SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccine (PreS-RBD) based on a structurally folded recombinant fusion protein consisting of two SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein receptor-binding domains (RBD) fused to the N- and C-terminus of hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen PreS to enable the two unrelated proteins serving as immunologic carriers for each other. Results: PreS-RBD, but not RBD alone, induced a robust and uniform RBD-specific IgG response in rabbits. Currently available genetic SARS-CoV-2 vaccines induce mainly transient IgG1 responses in vaccinated subjects whereas the PreS-RBD vaccine induced RBD-specific IgG antibodies consisting of an early IgG1 and sustained IgG4 antibody response in a SARS-CoV-2 naive subject. PreS-RBD-specific IgG antibodies were detected in serum and mucosal secretions, reacted with SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the omicron variant of concern and the HBV receptor-binding sites on PreS of currently known HBV genotypes. PreS-RBD-specific antibodies of the immunized subject more potently inhibited the interaction of RBD with its human receptor ACE2 and their virus-neutralizing titers (VNTs) were higher than median VNTs in a random sample of healthy subjects fully immunized with registered SARS-CoV-2 vaccines or in COVID-19 convalescent subjects. Conclusion: The PreS-RBD vaccine has the potential to serve as a combination vaccine for inducing sterilizing immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and HBV by stopping viral replication through the inhibition of cellular virus entry.
- Published
- 2022
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