Virus-Like Particle Vaccine Containing the F Protein of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Confers Protection without Pulmonary Disease by Modulating Specific Subsets of Dendritic Cells and Effector T Cells

There is no licensed vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) since the failure of formalin-inactivated RSV (FI-RSV) due to its vaccine-enhanced disease. We investigated immune correlates conferring protection without causing disease after intranasal immunization with virus-like particle vaccine containing the RSV fusion protein (F VLP) in comparison to FI-RSV and live RSV. Upon RSV challenge, FI-RSV immune mice showed severe weight loss, eosinophilia, and histopathology, and RSV reinfection also caused substantial RSV disease despite their viral clearance. In contrast, F VLP immune mice showed least weight loss and no sign of histopathology and eosinophilia. High levels of interleukin-4-positive (IL-4 + ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha-positive (TNF-α + ) CD4 + T cells were found in FI-RSV immune mice, whereas gamma interferon-positive (IFN-γ + ) and TNF-α + CD4 + T cells were predominantly detected in live RSV-infected mice. More importantly, in contrast to FI-RSV and live RSV that induced higher levels of CD11b + dendritic cells, F VLP immunization induced CD8α + and CD103 + dendritic cells, as well as F-specific IFN-γ + and TNF-α + CD8 + T cells. These results suggest that F VLP can induce protection without causing pulmonary RSV disease by inducing RSV neutralizing antibodies, as well as modulating specific subsets of dendritic cells and CD8 T cell immunity. IMPORTANCE It has been a difficult challenge to develop an effective and safe vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a leading cause of respiratory disease. Immune correlates conferring protection but preventing vaccine-enhanced disease remain poorly understood. RSV F virus-like particle (VLP) would be an efficient vaccine platform conferring protection. Here, we investigated the protective immune correlates without causing disease after intranasal immunization with RSV F VLP in comparison to FI-RSV and live RSV. In addition to inducing RSV neutralizing antibodies responsible for clearing lung viral loads, we show that modulation of specific subsets of dendritic cells and CD8 T cells producing T helper type 1 cytokines are important immune correlates conferring protection but not causing vaccine-enhanced disease.