Enhanced immunogenicity and protective efficacy in mice following a Zika DNA vaccine designed by modulation of membrane-anchoring regions and its association to adjuvants.

ABSTRACT: Zika virus (ZIKV) is a re-emerging pathogen with high morbidity associated to congenital infection. Despite the scientific advances since the last outbreak in the Americas, there are no approved specific treatment or vaccines. As the development of an effective prophylactic approach remains unaddressed, DNA vaccines surge as a powerful and attractive candidate due to the efficacy of sequence optimization in achieving strong immune response. In this study, we developed four DNA vaccine constructs encoding the ZIKV prM/M (pre-membrane/membrane) and E (envelope) proteins in conjunction with molecular adjuvants. The DNA vaccine candidate (called ZK_ΔSTP), where the entire membrane-anchoring regions were completely removed, was far more immunogenic compared to their counterparts. Furthermore, i

SUBMITTER: Teixeira FME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10867427 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature