ABSTRACT
The nucleocapsid protein (NP) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) contains immunogenic epitopes that can induce cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) against viral infection. This makes the nucleocapsid protein a suitable candidate for developing a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection. This article reports the intradermal delivery of NP antigen using dissolvable microneedle skin patches that could induce both significant B cell and T cell responses.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/blood , COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology , Animals , B-Lymphocytes/immunology , COVID-19 Vaccines/administration & dosage , Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/administration & dosage , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Injections, Intradermal/methods , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Phosphoproteins/administration & dosage , Phosphoproteins/immunologyABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein has been proposed as a good vaccine target. N-specific T cells were observed in SARS-CoV-2 N immunized mice and COVID-19 convalescents. It is of importance to identify the T cell responses triggered by SARS-CoV-2 N protein. Intradermal immunization with SARS-CoV N protein was demonstrated to elicit non-protective T cell responses which may be avoided by intranasal vaccination. Therefore, we conducted intranasal vaccination of BALB/c mice with recombinant adenovirus type-5 expressing SARS-CoV-2 N protein. Such procedure induced CD8 T cell responses in the lung. Meanwhile CD4 T cell responses were observed in the spleen, which was associated with robust antibody production. Our study further supports the notion that SARS-CoV-2 N protein can work as a target for vaccine development.
