Maternal immunization with a DNA vaccine candidate elicits specific passive protection against post-natal Zika virus infection in immunocompetent BALB/c mice.

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is closely associated in the fetus with microcephaly and in the adults with Guillain-Barré syndrome and even male infertility. It is an urgent international priority to develop a safe and effective vaccine that offers protection to both women of childbearing age and their children. In this study, female immunocompetent BALB/c mice were immunized with a DNA-based vaccine candidate, pVAX1-ZME, expressing the prM/E protein of ZIKV, and the immunogenicity for maternal mice and the post-natal protection for suckling mice were evaluated. It was found that administration with three doses of 50 μg pVAX1-ZME via in vivo electroporation induced robust ZIKV-specific cellular and long-term humoral immune responses with high and sustained neutralizing activity in adult mice. Moreover, using a maternal immunization protocol, neutralizing antibodies provided specific passive protection against ZIKV infection in neonatal mice and effectively inhibited the growth delay. This vaccine candidate is expected to be further evaluated in higher animals, and maternal vaccination shows great promise for protecting both women of childbearing age and their offspring against post-natal ZIKV infection. The vaccinated mothers and ZIKV-challenged pups provide key insight into Zika vaccine evaluation in an available fully immunocompetent animal model.

• Authors: Ran Wang, Xianzheng Liao, Dongying Fan, Lei Wang, Ji Song, Kaihao Feng, Mingyuan Li, Peigang Wang, Hui Chen, Jing An
• Journal: Vaccine (Vaccine) Vol. 36 Issue 24 Pg. 3522-3532 (06 07 2018) ISSN: 1873-2518 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 29753607 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Neutralizing
• Antibodies, Viral
• Vaccines, DNA
• Viral Envelope Proteins
• Viral Vaccines
• prM protein, Flavivirus

Topics

• Animals
• Animals, Suckling
• Antibodies, Neutralizing (biosynthesis)
• Antibodies, Viral (biosynthesis)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Female
• Gene Expression
• Genetic Vectors (administration & dosage, immunology, metabolism)
• Humans
• Immunity, Cellular (drug effects)
• Immunity, Humoral (drug effects)
• Immunity, Maternally-Acquired (drug effects)
• Immunization, Passive (methods)
• Immunocompetence
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred BALB C
• Vaccination
• Vaccines, DNA (administration & dosage, genetics, immunology)
• Viral Envelope Proteins (genetics, immunology)
• Viral Vaccines (administration & dosage, genetics, immunology)
• Zika Virus (drug effects, immunology, pathogenicity)
• Zika Virus Infection (immunology, prevention & control, virology)