1. The PCV3 Cap Virus-like Particle Vaccine with the Chimeric PCV2-Neutralizing Epitope Gene Is Effective in Mice.
- Author
-
Wu, Xingchen, Wang, Qikai, Lu, Wang, Wang, Ying, Han, Zehao, Liang, Libin, Gao, Shimin, Ma, Haili, and Luo, Xiaomao
- Subjects
VIRUS-like particles ,PORCINE reproductive & respiratory syndrome ,CIRCOVIRUS diseases ,ESCHERICHIA coli ,ANIMAL experimentation ,SWINE industry - Abstract
Simple Summary: Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) infection can lead to clinical symptoms in weaned piglets similar to porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection. The increasing incidence of PCV2 and PCV3 infections, along with the prevalence of coinfections, has led to significant economic losses in the swine industry. Currently, there are no commercial vaccines available for PCV3, and PCV2 vaccines do not provide cross-protection against PCV3. This study optimized the cap3 sequence based on the codon preferences of E. coli and mammalian cells, resulting in the production of highly immunogenic PCV3 virus-like particles (VLPs). Animal experiments with various immunization strategies showed that pCap3-Cap2E VLPs significantly enhanced both humoral and cellular immune responses. This improvement not only reduced the PCV3 viral load in the lungs but also alleviated lung damage. These findings offer valuable insights into a potential strategy for the efficient development of a PCV3 vaccine. Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) infection can cause symptoms similar to those of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection, and coinfections with both PCV2 and PCV3 are observed in the swine industry. Consequently, developing chimeric vaccines is essential to prevent and control porcine circovirus infections. In this study, we used both E. coli and mammalian expression systems to express PCV3 Cap (Cap3) and a chimeric gene containing the PCV2-neutralizing epitope within the PCV3 Cap (Cap3-Cap2E), which were assembled into virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines. We found that Cap3 lacking nuclear localization signal (NLS) could not form VLPs, while Cap3 with a His-tag successfully assembled into VLPs. Additionally, the chimeric of PCV2-neutralizing epitopes did not interfere with the assembly process of VLPs. Various immunization approaches revealed that pCap3-Cap2E VLP vaccines were capable of activating high PCV3 Cap-specific antibody levels and effectively neutralizing both PCV3 and PCV2. Furthermore, pCap3-Cap2E VLPs demonstrated a potent ability to activate cellular immunity, protecting against PCV3 infection and preventing lung damage in mice. In conclusion, this study successfully developed a PCV3 Cap VLP vaccine incorporating chimeric PCV2-neutralizing epitope genes, providing new perspectives for PCV3 vaccine development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF