Enhanced cross-recognition of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant by peptide vaccine-induced antibodies

Frontiers in Immunology

Immunology

Mariano Esteban¹  Guillermo Albericio¹  Patricia Pérez²  Juan García-Arriaza²  Marta Ruiz³  Pablo Sarobe³  Leyre Silva³  Josune Egea³  Belén Aparicio³  Juan J. Lasarte⁴  Noelia Casares⁴ 

[1] Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain;Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain;Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain;Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain;Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Pamplona, Spain;Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain;Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain;Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain;

关键词: SARS-CoV-2;    peptide vaccine;    Omicron variant;    cross-recognizing antibodies;    conserved regions;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fimmu.2022.1044025

 received in 2022-09-14, accepted in 2022-12-29,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Current vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, based on the original Wuhan sequence, induce antibodies with different degrees of cross-recognition of new viral variants of concern. Despite potent responses generated in vaccinated and infected individuals, the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant causes breakthrough infections, facilitating viral transmission. We previously reported a vaccine based on a cyclic peptide containing the 446-488 S1 sequence (446-488cc) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein from Wuhan isolate. To provide the best immunity against Omicron, here we compared Omicron-specific immunity induced by a Wuhan-based 446-488cc peptide, by a Wuhan-based recombinant receptor-binding domain (RBD) vaccine and by a new 446-488cc peptide vaccine based on the Omicron sequence. Antibodies induced by Wuhan peptide 446-488cc in three murine strains not only recognized the Wuhan and Omicron 446-488 peptides similarly, but also Wuhan and Omicron RBD protein variants. By contrast, antibodies induced by the Wuhan recombinant RBD vaccine showed a much poorer cross-reactivity for the Omicron RBD despite similar recognition of Wuhan and Omicron peptide variants. Finally, although the Omicron-based 446-488cc peptide vaccine was poorly immunogenic in mice due to the loss of T cell epitopes, co-immunization with Omicron peptide 446-488cc and exogenous T cell epitopes induced strong cross-reactive antibodies that neutralized Omicron SARS-CoV-2 virus. Since mutations occurring within this sequence do not alter T cell epitopes in humans, these results indicate the robust immunogenicity of 446-488cc-based peptide vaccines that induce antibodies with a high cross-recognition capacity against Omicron, and suggest that this sequence could be included in future vaccines targeting the Omicron variant.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Aparicio, Ruiz, Casares, Silva, Egea, Pérez, Albericio, Esteban, García-Arriaza, Lasarte and Sarobe