AI Article Synopsis

  • Zika virus infection can lead to serious health issues like Guillain-Barré syndrome and birth defects, prompting the need for effective vaccines for prevention.
  • Researchers created a plant-based vaccine that effectively produced Zika virus proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana, showing promise in provoking immune responses in mice even at low doses.
  • The vaccine not only enhanced immunity with an adjuvant but also allowed for the transfer of protective antibodies from immunized mother mice to their offspring, offering protection against Zika and Dengue viruses.

Article Abstract

Zika virus infection causes multiple clinical issues, including Guillain-Barré syndrome and neonatal malformation. Vaccination is considered as the only strategy for the prevention of ZIKV-induced clinical issues. This study developed a plant-based recombinant vaccine that transiently expressed the ZIKV envelope protein (ZikaEnv:aghFc) in Nicotiana benthamiana and evaluated the protective immunity afforded by it in immunocompetent mice. ZikaEnv:aghFc induced both humoral and cellular immunity at a low dose (1-5 μg). This immune-inducing potential was enhanced further when adjuvanted CIA09A. In addition, antigen-specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies were vertically transferred from immunized females to their progeny and afforded both protective immunity to ZIKV and cross-protection to Dengue virus infection. These results suggest that our plant-based ZIKV vaccine provides a safe and efficient protective strategy with a competitive edge.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10752873PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-47428-7DOI Listing

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