Immunogenicity and protective efficacy induced by an mRNA vaccine encoding gD antigen against pseudorabies virus infection

Messenger RNA-based vaccines represent new tools with prophylactic and therapeutic potential characterized by high flexibility of application for infectious diseases. Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is one of the major viruses affecting the pig industry. PRV has serious effects in piglets, sows, and growing-fattening pigs and can lead to huge economic losses. In this study, an envelope glycoprotein D (gD) gene-based specific mRNA vaccine was generated, and a mouse model was used to investigate the protective efficacy of the vaccine. The gD mRNA vaccine and the recombinant plasmid pVAX-gD were transfected into BHK21 cells, and the antigenicity of the expressed proteins was detected by Western blot analysis. Groups of mice were vaccinated with the gD mRNA vaccine, pVAX-gD, and PBS. T cell immune responses were measured by flow cytometry or ELISA and serum neutralization tests every two weeks. The challenge with the PRV-XJ strain was performed eight weeks after the primary immunization, and the response was monitored for 15 days. The levels of specific and neutralizing antibodies in the gD mRNA vaccine group were significantly increased in 8 weeks compared to those in the control group, and cytokine levels, including that of IFN-γ/IL-2, were considerably higher than those in the control animal. Additionally, the proportion of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ cells in peripheral lymphocytes was remarkably increased. Our data demonstrate that mRNA is a promising and effective tool for the development of vaccines. The PRV-gD-based mRNA vaccine can elicit an efficient neutralizing antibody response and induce effective protection in mice in defense against PRV infection.

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