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Genetically Engineered Virus Nanofibers as an Efficient Vaccine for Preventing Fungal Infection
Author(s) -
Huai Yanyan,
Dong Shuai,
Zhu Ye,
Li Xin,
Cao Binrui,
Gao Xiang,
Yang Mingying,
Wang Li,
Mao Chuanbin
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
advanced healthcare materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.288
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 2192-2659
pISSN - 2192-2640
DOI - 10.1002/adhm.201500930
Subject(s) - genetically engineered , virology , nanofiber , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , virus , materials science , biology , nanotechnology , gene , genetics
Candida albicans (CA) is a kind of fungus that can cause high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. However, preventing CA infection in these patients is still a daunting challenge. Herein, inspired from the fact that immunization with secreted aspartyl proteinases 2 (Sap2) can prevent the infection, it is proposed to use filamentous phage, a human‐safe virus nanofiber specifically infecting bacteria (≈900 nm long and 7 nm wide), to display an epitope peptide of Sap2 (EPS, with a sequence of Val–Lys–Tyr–Thr–Ser) on its side wall and thus serve as a vaccine for preventing CA infection. The engineered virus nanofibers and recombinant Sap2 (rSap2) are then separately used to immunize mice. The humoral and cellular immune responses in the immunized mice are evaluated. Surprisingly, the virus nanofibers significantly induce mice to produce strong immune response as rSap2 and generate antibodies that can bind Sap2 and CA to inhibit the CA infection. Consequently, immunization with the virus nanofibers in mice dramatically increases the survival rate of CA‐infected mice. All these results, along with the fact that the virus nanofibers can be mass‐produced by infecting bacteria cost‐effectively, suggest that virus nanofibers displaying EPS can be a vaccine candidate against fungal infection.