A Recombinant Zika Virus Envelope Protein with Mutations in the Conserved Fusion Loop Leads to Reduced Antibody Cross-Reactivity upon Vaccination.

ABSTRACT: Zika virus (ZIKV) is a zoonotic, human pathogenic, and mosquito-borne flavivirus. Its distribution is rapidly growing worldwide. Several attempts to develop vaccines for ZIKV are currently ongoing. Central to most vaccination approaches against flavivirus infections is the envelope (E) protein, which is the major target of neutralizing antibodies. Insect-cell derived, recombinantly expressed variants of E from the flaviviruses West Nile and Dengue virus have entered clinical trials in humans. Also for ZIKV, these antigens are promising vaccine candidates. Due to the structural similarity of flaviviruses, cross-reactive antibodies are induced by flavivirus antigens and have been linked to the phenomenon of antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE). Especially the highly conserved fu

SUBMITTER: Berneck BS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7712286 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature