Abstract
The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed more than 5 million lives. Emerging variants of concern (VOCs) continually challenge viral control. Directing vaccine-induced humoral and cell-mediated responses to mucosal surfaces may enhance vaccine efficacy. Here we investigate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of optimized synthetic DNA plasmids encoding wild-type severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein (pS) co-formulated with the plasmid-encoded mucosal chemokine cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (pCTACK; CCL27). pCTACK-co-immunized animals exhibit increased spike-specific antibodies at the mucosal surface and increased frequencies of interferon gamma (IFNγ) + CD8 + T cells in the respiratory mucosa. pCTACK co-immunization confers 100% protection from heterologous Delta VOC challenge. This study shows that mucosal chemokine adjuvants can direct vaccine-induced responses to specific immunological sites and have significant effects on heterologous challenge. Further study of this unique chemokine-adjuvanted vaccine approach in the context of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is likely important.
Keywords: COVID-19; DNA vaccine; SARS-CoV-2; adjuvant; chemokine; mucosal.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, chemokine, adjuvant, DNA vaccine, mucosal., 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, Coronavirus disease 2019, Efficacy, Vaccine, coronavirus, immunogenicity, pandemic, T cells, vaccine efficacy, variants of concern, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, CD8, chemokine, SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, Spike protein, DNA, T cell, Viral, response, VOCs, adjuvant, respiratory, Delta VOC, DNA vaccine, Heterologous, Protective, interferon gamma, mucosal, Frequency, Plasmid, humoral, mucosa, respiratory mucosa, Cell-mediated responses, cell-mediated response, acute respiratory syndrome, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, significant effect, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, IFNγ, heterologous challenge, wild-type, viral control, mucosal surfaces, Spike-specific antibody, approach, immunological, mucosal surface, CCL27, DNA plasmid, ENhance, unique, claimed, 【제목키워드】 response, in vivo, Heterologous, ENhance, provide,