RT Journal Article
T1 Non-replicative antibiotic resistance-free DNA vaccine encoding S and N proteins induces full protection in mice against SARS-CoV-2
A1 Alcolea Alcolea, Pedro José
A1 Larraga, Jaime
A1 Rodríguez-Martín, Daniel
A1 Alonso, Ana
A1 Loayza, Francisco
A1 Rojas, José M.
A1 Ruiz García, Silvia
A1 Louloudes Lázaro, Andrés
A1 Carlón, Ana B.
A1 Sánchez Cordón, Pedro José
A1 Nogales Altozano, Pablo
A1 Redondo, Natalia
A1 Manzano García, Miguel
A1 Lozano Borregón, Daniel
A1 Palomero, Jesús
A1 Montoya Redondo, María Luisa
A1 Vallet Regí, María Dulce Nombre
A1 Martín García, Verónica
A1 Sevilla, Noemí
A1 Larraga, Vicente
AB SARS-CoV-2 vaccines currently in use have contributed to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding, the high mutation rate, fundamentally in the spike glycoprotein (S), is causing the emergence of new variants. Solelyutilizing this antigen is a drawback that may reduce the efficacy of these vaccines. Herein we pre ent a DNA vaccine candidate that contains the genes encoding the S and the nucleocapsid (N) proteins implemented into the nonreplicative mammalian expression plasmid vector, pPAL. This plasmid lacks antibiotic resistance genes and contains an alternative selectable marker forproduction. The S gene sequence was modified to avoid furin cleavage (Sfs). Potent humoral and cellular immune responses were observed in C57BL/6J mice vaccinated with pPAL-Sfs + pPAL-N following a prime/boost regimen by the intramuscular route applying in vivo electroporation. The immunogen fully protected K18-hACE2 mice against a lethal dose (105 PFU) of SARS-CoV-2. Viral replication was completely controlled in the lungs, brain, and heart of vaccinated mice. Therefore, pPAL-Sfs + pPAL-N is a promising DNA vaccine candidate for protection from COVID-19.
PB Frontiers Media
SN 1664-3224
YR 2022
FD 2022-11-09
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/73418
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/73418
LA eng
NO PTI-Salud Global (CSIC)
NO Center for Technological and Industrial Development (CDTI)
NO REACT-ANTICIPA-UCM (Comunidad de Madrid)
NO European Research Council (Advanced Grant VERDI, ERC2015AdG grant number 694160)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 8 jul 2025