An Epitope‐Specific Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Based on an Antibody Scaffold

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children. We have generated an epitope‐specific RSV vaccine by grafting a neutralizing epitope (F‐epitope) in its native conformation into an immunoglobulin scaffold. The resulting antibody fusion exhibited strong binding affinity to Motavizumab, an RSV neutralizing antibody, and effectively induced potent neutralizing antibodies in mice. This work illustrates the potential of the immunoglobulin molecule as a scaffold to present conformationally constrained B‐cell epitopes.     

Prediction, Synthesis and Antigenicity of the Antigenic Peptides of 26kDa Glutathione S-Transferasc of Schistosoma Japonicum (Sj26)

Schistosomiasisisaworldwideparasiticdiseasethataffectsmorethan200millionpersonsin70countriesallovertheworld.Itisveryimportanttodevelopaneffectivevaccineincludingsignificantlevelsofprotectionagainsttheinvasivestageoftheparasiteforthepreventionofrapidr...     

曼氏血吸虫谷胱甘肽S-转移酶Sm26/2的抗原肽研究

在计算机辅助下,应用Goldkey和PC-Gene程序,根据新报道的曼氏血吸虫谷胱甘肽S-转移酶Sm26/2的氨基酸序列,进行亲水性、柔韧性、可接近性、电荷分布和二级结构分析,预测出6个抗原肽,并用固相法进行了合成.经Dot-ELISA法测定,其中的2个对抗日本血吸虫免疫球蛋白多克隆抗体(抗-Sj-IgG-PcAb)显示出较好的抗原性,1个对抗血吸虫表膜单克隆抗体(A6McAb)显示出较好的抗原性,可作为抗血吸虫病合成多肽疫苗的候选肽段.     

基于高维特征非线性筛选的HLA-A*0201限制性CTL表位预测

高活性细胞毒T细胞(CTL)表位鉴定是设计肿瘤疫苗的关键内容.采用天然氨基酸的531个物理化学性质参数表征HLA-A^*0201限制性表位9肽, 从531×9个初始描述子出发, 经二元矩阵重排过滤器粗筛和多轮末尾淘汰精细筛选, 获得18个物理化学意义明确的保留描述子. 18个保留描述子主要涉及除1位、5位外各位置残基的疏水性和空间结构特征, 3位残基疏水性对活性影响最大, 且2位、4位、9位残基共占10个保留描述子,支持2位和9位残基为锚点、3位为关键位点以及4位残基为标志链的现有认知. 对18个保留描述子以支持向量回归构建定量序效模型,其拟合、留一法交叉验证决定系数R²、Q_cv²分别为0.957、0.708; 独立预测决定系数及均方根误差Q_ext² 、RMSE_ext分别为0.818、0.366, 明显优于文献报道. 通过对全组合虚拟9肽的预测, 得到了多条预测活性高于已知表位肽的9肽, 可供实验验证. 较全面阐明了特定位置残基对多肽亲和性的影响规律, 为高活性多肽疫苗分子设计提供了切实指导.     

基于定量序效模型的计算机辅助虚拟疫苗库设计

给出了基于定量序效模型(QSAM)的计算机辅助虚拟疫苗库设计方案, 并以此为基础成功组建了一个合理规模的HLA-A*0201限制性CTL表位库, 其实现流程如下: (1)从天然氨基酸516种理化性质经主成分分析(PCA)得到一种新的氨基酸描述子: 氨基酸综合性质得分(SP-score); (2)基于SP-score结合遗传-偏最小二乘(GA-PLS)技术建立QSAM模型; (3)利用QSAM模型作为评价工具采用遗传算法(GA)优化CTL表位种群; (4)统计优秀种群中20种氨基酸分别在抗原肽序列不同位置出现频率f; (5)保留f＞F (F为平均出现概率, 对于任意氨基酸为1/20)的氨基酸作为该位置的有利残基类型参与虚拟组合库的构建.     

Liposome-Mediated Delivery of MERS Antigen Induces Potent Humoral and Cell-Mediated Immune Response in Mice

The advancements in the field of nanotechnology have provided a great platform for the development of effective antiviral vaccines. Liposome-mediated delivery of antigens has been shown to induce the antigen-specific stimulation of the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Here, we prepared dried, reconstituted vesicles (DRVs) from DPPC liposomes and used them as the vaccine carrier system for the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus papain-like protease (DRVs-MERS-CoV PLpro). MERS-CoV PLpro emulsified in the Incomplete Freund’s Adjuvant (IFA-MERS-CoV PLpro) was used as a control. Immunization of mice with DRVs-MERS-CoV PLpro did not induce any notable toxicity, as revealed by the levels of the serum alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the blood of immunized mice. Immunization with DRVs-MERS-CoV PLpro induced greater antigen-specific antibody titer and switching of IgG1 isotyping to IgG2a as compared to immunization with IFA-MERS-CoV PLpro. Moreover, splenocytes from mice immunized with DRVs-MERS-CoV PLpro exhibited greater proliferation in response to antigen stimulation. Moreover, splenocytes from DRVs-MERS-CoV PLpro-immunized mice secreted significantly higher IFN-γ as compared to splenocytes from IFA-MERS-CoV PLpro mice. In summary, DRVs-MERS-CoV PLpro may prove to be an effective prophylactic formulation to prevent MERS-CoV infection.     

Potential Immunogenic Activity of Computationally Designed mRNA- and Peptide-Based Prophylactic Vaccines against MERS,SARS-CoV,and SARS-CoV-2: A Reverse Vaccinology Approach

The continued emergence of human coronaviruses (hCoVs) in the last few decades has posed an alarming situation and requires advanced cross-protective strategies against these pandemic viruses. Among these, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been highly associated with lethality in humans. Despite the challenges posed by these viruses, it is imperative to develop effective antiviral therapeutics and vaccines for these human-infecting viruses. The proteomic similarity between the receptor-binding domains (RBDs) among the three viral species offers a potential target for advanced cross-protective vaccine designs. In this study, putative immunogenic epitopes including Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTLs), Helper T Lymphocytes (HTLs), and Beta-cells (B-cells) were predicted for each RBD-containing region of the three highly pathogenic hCoVs. This was followed by the structural organization of peptide- and mRNA-based prophylactic vaccine designs. The validated 3D structures of these epitope-based vaccine designs were subjected to molecular docking with human TLR4. Furthermore, the CTL and HTL epitopes were processed for binding with respective human Lymphocytes Antigens (HLAs). In silico cloning designs were obtained for the prophylactic vaccine designs and may be useful in further experimental designs. Additionally, the epitope-based vaccine designs were evaluated for immunogenic activity through immune simulation. Further studies may clarify the safety and efficacy of these prophylactic vaccine designs through experimental testing against these human-pathogenic coronaviruses.     

Design,Synthesis, and In Vivo Evaluation of C1-Linked 4,5-Epoxymorphinan Haptens for Heroin Vaccines

In our continuing effort to develop effective anti-heroin vaccines as potential medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder, herein we present the design and synthesis of the haptens: 1-AmidoMorHap (1), 1-AmidoMorHap epimer (2), 1 Amido-DihydroMorHap (3), and 1 Amido-DihydroMorHap epimer (4). This is the first report of hydrolytically stable haptenic surrogates of heroin with the attachment site at the C1 position in the 4,5-epoxymorophinan nucleus. We prepared respective tetanus toxoid (TT)–hapten conjugates as heroin vaccine immunogens and evaluated their efficacy in vivo. We showed that all TT–hapten conjugates induced high antibody endpoint titers against the targets but only haptens 2 and 3 can induce protective effects against heroin in vivo. The epimeric analogues of these haptens, 1 and 4, failed to protect mice from the effects of heroin. We also showed that the in vivo efficacy is consistent with the results of the in vitro drug sequestration assay. Attachment of the linker at the C1 position induced antibodies with weak binding to the target drugs. Only TT-2 and TT-3 yielded antibodies that bound heroin and 6-acetyl morphine. None of the TT–hapten conjugates induced antibodies that cross-reacted with morphine, methadone, naloxone, or naltrexone, and only TT-3 interacted weakly with buprenorphine, and that subtle structural difference, especially at the C6 position, can vastly alter the specificity of the induced antibodies. This study is an important contribution in the field of vaccine development against small-molecule targets, providing proof that the chirality at C6 in these epoxymorphinans is a vital key to their effectiveness.     

离子凝聚法制备负载流感疫苗的壳聚糖微球

采用三聚磷酸钠(TPP)作为离子交联剂, 应用离子凝聚法制备负载流感疫苗的壳聚糖微球. 筛选出壳聚糖起始质量分数为1%. TPP的浓度对壳聚糖微球的制备影响较大, 采用低浓度的TPP(200 μg/mL)制备的微球放置过夜均出现沉淀现象, 高浓度的TPP(800 μg/mL)在制备过程中出现絮状沉淀. 固化比影响微球的释放行为, 固化比为1∶1的微球爆炸式释放率达到90％, 固化比为1∶3的微球6 h后逐步释放, 12 h后释放率达到95％. 固化比为1∶5的微球6 h后没有明显的释放行为. 壳聚糖溶液的pH对微球的制备和释放没有显著的影响. 通过对负载流感疫苗的壳聚糖微球的制备条件和释放行为的研究结果表明, pH=5.6的壳聚糖溶液, 固化比为1∶3, TPP的质量浓度为400 μg/mL是较理想的流感疫苗壳聚糖微球的制备条件.     

氧化石墨烯量子点对鸡卵清蛋白递送-免疫增强佐剂效力评估

利用改进的Hummers法氧化鳞片石墨,获得富含羟基和羧基的氧化石墨烯量子点(GOQDs)。通过透射电子显微镜、X射线衍射、红外光谱及拉曼光谱测试表征其理化性质。此外,利用鸡卵清蛋白(OVA)作为模式抗原,构筑GOQDs/OVA纳米疫苗并评估其载量、安全性、免疫效力等。结果显示,GOQDs/OVA纳米疫苗直径在5 nm左右,具有高度的水分散性和稳定性。其对OVA的最大负载量约为500 mg·g^-1,在pH=5.5和7.4环境下24 h的释放率分别为74.65%和56.93%,表现出pH刺激响应释放性能。当GOQDs浓度在500 μg·mL^-1以下时,不会引起溶血、细胞损伤、重要组织发生病变等现象。免疫后,与OVA单独免疫对照组相比,GOQDs/OVA纳米疫苗可以诱导产生高水平的免疫球蛋白G(IgG)、免疫球蛋白G1(IgG1)及免疫球蛋白G2a(IgG2a)抗体,提高白细胞介素(IL)-1β、IL-2、IL-4和IL-6、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)和γ干扰素(IFN-γ)的分泌,同时促进脾中辅助性(CD4⁺)和细胞毒性(CD8⁺)T淋巴细胞百分比的增加。