Messenger RNA vaccines lack specificity for dendritic cells (DCs)-the most effective cells at antigen presentation. Here we report the design and performance of a DC-targeting virus-like particle pseudotyped with an engineered Sindbis-virus glycoprotein that recognizes a surface protein on DCs, and packaging mRNA encoding for the Spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or for the glycoproteins B and D of herpes simplex virus 1. Injection of the DC-targeting SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine in the footpad of mice led to substantially higher and durable antigen-specific immunoglobulin-G titres and cellular immune responses than untargeted virus-like particles and lipid-nanoparticle formulations. The vaccines also protected the mice from infection with SARS-CoV-2 or with herpes simplex virus 1. Virus-like particles with preferential uptake by DCs may facilitate the development of potent prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41551-024-01208-4 | DOI Listing |
ACS Nano
January 2025
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Dr., Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
Structural variants of the synthetic opioid fentanyl are a major threat to public health. Following an investigation showing that many derivatives are poorly detected by commercial lateral flow and related assays, we created hapten conjugate vaccines using an immunogenic virus-like particle carrier and eight synthetic fentanyl derivatives designed to mimic the structural features of several of the more dangerous analogues. Immunization of mice elicited strong antihapten humoral responses, allowing the screening of hundreds of hapten-specific hybridomas for binding strength and specificity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States of America.
PEG10 is a retroelement-derived Mart-family gene that is necessary for placentation and has been implicated in neurological disease. PEG10 resembles both retrotransposon and retroviral proteins and forms virus-like particles (VLPs) that can be purified using iodixanol ultracentrifugation. It is hypothesized that formation of VLPs is crucial to the biological roles of PEG10 in reproduction and neurological health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnal Chem
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana 47401, United States.
Charge detection mass spectrometry (CD-MS) is used to monitor the dissociation of large (300 kDa to 20 MDa) protein complexes in droplets heated with a 10.6 μm CO laser. In this approach, electrospray ionization (ESI) is used to produce charged droplets containing macromolecular complexes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViruses
December 2024
Animal Infectious Disease Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225012, China.
The ongoing global health crisis caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) necessitates the continuous development of innovative vaccine strategies, especially in light of emerging viral variants that could undermine the effectiveness of existing vaccines. In this study, we developed a recombinant virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine based on the Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) platform, displaying a stabilized prefusion form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. This engineered S protein includes two proline substitutions (K986P, V987P) and a mutation at the cleavage site (RRAR to QQAQ), aimed at enhancing both its stability and immunogenicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViruses
December 2024
State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, National Engineering Center for Swine Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) is a small non-enveloped circovirus associated with porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS). It has occurred worldwide and poses a serious threat to the pig industry. However, there is no commercially available vaccine.
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