Baculovirus Surface Display of Zika Virus Envelope Protein Protects against Virus Challenge in Mouse Model

摘要

Zika virus(ZIKV)is emerging as a significant pathogen worldwide and may cause severe neurological disorders such as fetal microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome.No drug or listed vaccines are currently available for preventing ZIKV infection.As a major target of neutralizing,ZIKV envelop(E)protein usually used for vaccine development.Nevertheless,the immunogenicity of ZIKV envelop(E)protein expressed by baculovirus display system has never been assessed.In this study,we reported a new strategy for surface display of ZIKV E protein by a recombinant baculovirus vector derived from Autographa californica multiple nuclear polyhedrosis virus(AcMNPV)and assessed its immunogenicity in mice.We produced recombinant fusion ZIKV E protein linked with signal peptide(SP)and transmembrane domain(TM)of AcMNPV GP64.The results showed that the recombinant protein was easy to produce by baculovirus display system.BALB/c mice immunized with this recombinant E protein developed ZIKV specific serum antibodies.The anti-E protein sera from the mice were able to effectively neutralize ZIKV in vitro.More importantly,AG6(IFN-a/b and IFN-c receptor deficient)mice immunized with recombinant E protein were protected against lethal ZIKV challenge.Together,thesefindings demonstrated that the recombinant E protein displayed by baculovirus can be conveniently prepared and displayed good immunogenicity in immunized mice.It is a promising practical approach for prompting the development of vaccine and related immunology research.