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Western equine encephalitis virus virus‐like particles from an insect cell‐baculovirus system elicit the strong immune responses in mice
Author(s) -
Ma JinZhu,
Wang HuaLei,
Zheng XueXing,
Wu HongXia,
Yang SongTao,
Xia XianZhu
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.144
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1860-7314
pISSN - 1860-6768
DOI - 10.1002/biot.202100008
Subject(s) - biology , alphavirus , virology , togaviridae , immunogenicity , immune system , virus , virus like particle , encephalitis , recombinant dna , immunology , gene , genetics
Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) causes lethal encephalitis in humans and equines, and it poses a serious public health threat in many countries. Therefore, the development of an efficient vaccine remains an important challenge for the prevention of WEEV infection. This study presents the first description of WEEV virus‐like particles (VLPs) generated from insect cells using recombinant baculoviruses. WEEV VLPs with 206 adjuvant could trigger a strong cellular immune response; increase the levels of IL‐2, IL‐4 and IFN‐γ; and induce a high level of neutralizing antibodies against WEEV in mice. These data showed that the insect cell‐baculovirus system is suitable for the production of WEEV VLPs and that these VLPs could elicit the strong immunogenicity in mice. These results suggest a new, nonreplicating, and effective vaccine candidate against WEEV infection.