The effect of thioredoxin and prochymosin coexpression on the refolding of recombinant alpaca chymosin.

The milk-clotting enzyme chymosin is a member of the group of aspartate proteinases. Chymosin is the main component of rennet traditionally obtained from the stomachs of dairy calves and widely used to coagulate milk in the production of various types of cheese. Another source of chymosin, which does not require the killing of animals, is based on recombinant DNA technology.

SARS-CoV-2 RBD Conjugated to Polyglucin, Spermidine, and dsRNA Elicits a Strong Immune Response in Mice.

Despite the rapid development and approval of several COVID vaccines based on the full-length spike protein, there is a need for safe, potent, and high-volume vaccines. Considering the predominance of the production of neutralizing antibodies targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of S-protein after natural infection or vaccination, it makes sense to choose RBD as a vaccine immunogen. However, due to its small size, RBD exhibits relatively poor immunogenicity.

Are Hamsters a Suitable Model for Evaluating the Immunogenicity of RBD-Based Anti-COVID-19 Subunit Vaccines?

Currently, SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding-domain (RBD)-based vaccines are considered one of the most effective weapons against COVID-19. During the first step of assessing vaccine immunogenicity, a mouse model is often used. In this paper, we tested the use of five experimental animals (mice, hamsters, rabbits, ferrets, and chickens) for RBD immunogenicity assessments.

Comparative Immunogenicity of the Recombinant Receptor-Binding Domain of Protein S SARS-CoV-2 Obtained in Prokaryotic and Mammalian Expression Systems.

The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the protein S SARS-CoV-2 is considered to be one of the appealing targets for developing a vaccine against COVID-19. The choice of an expression system is essential when developing subunit vaccines, as it ensures the effective synthesis of the correctly folded target protein, and maintains its antigenic and immunogenic properties. Here, we describe the production of a recombinant RBD protein using prokaryotic (pRBD) and mammalian (mRBD) expression systems, and compare the immunogenicity of prokaryotic and mammalian-expressed RBD using a BALB/c mice model.

Structure- and Interaction-Based Design of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Aptamers.

Aptamer selection against novel infections is a complicated and time-consuming approach. Synergy can be achieved by using computational methods together with experimental procedures. This study aims to develop a reliable methodology for a rational aptamer in silico et vitro design.