期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2021
卷号：118
期号：44
DOI：10.1073/pnas.2116147118
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：Significance
Vaccines remain the best hope of curtailing SARS-CoV-2 transmission, morbidity, and mortality. Currently available vaccines require cold storage and sophisticated manufacturing capacity, complicating their distribution, especially in less developed countries. We report a protein-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine that directly and specifically targets antigen-presenting cells. It consists of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike receptor-binding domain (Spike
RBD) fused to a nanobody that recognizes class II major histocompatibility complex antigens (VHH
MHCII). Our vaccine elicits robust humoral (high-titer binding and neutralizing antibodies) and cellular immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in both young and aged mice. VHH
MHCII-Spike
RBD is stable for at least 7 d at room temperature and can be lyophilized without loss of efficacy, desirable attributes for logistical reasons.
The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in over 100 million infections and millions of deaths. Effective vaccines remain the best hope of curtailing SARS-CoV-2 transmission, morbidity, and mortality. The vaccines in current use require cold storage and sophisticated manufacturing capacity, which complicates their distribution, especially in less developed countries. We report the development of a candidate SARS-CoV-2 vaccine that is purely protein based and directly targets antigen-presenting cells. It consists of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike receptor-binding domain (Spike
RBD) fused to an alpaca-derived nanobody that recognizes class II major histocompatibility complex antigens (VHH
MHCII). This vaccine elicits robust humoral and cellular immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. Both young and aged mice immunized with two doses of VHH
MHCII-Spike
RBD elicit high-titer binding and neutralizing antibodies. Immunization also induces strong cellular immunity, including a robust CD8 T cell response. VHH
MHCII-Spike
RBD is stable for at least 7 d at room temperature and can be lyophilized without loss of efficacy.
