RBD-Fc-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate induces highly potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody response

Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2020 Nov 27;5(1):282. doi: 10.1038/s41392-020-00402-5.

Abstract

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed serious threats to global health and economy, thus calling for the development of safe and effective vaccines. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for its binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. It contains multiple dominant neutralizing epitopes and serves as an important antigen for the development of COVID-19 vaccines. Here, we showed that immunization of mice with a candidate subunit vaccine consisting of SARS-CoV-2 RBD and Fc fragment of human IgG, as an immunopotentiator, elicited high titer of RBD-specific antibodies with robust neutralizing activity against both pseudotyped and live SARS-CoV-2 infections. The mouse antisera could also effectively neutralize infection by pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 with several natural mutations in RBD and the IgG extracted from the mouse antisera could also show neutralization against pseudotyped SARS-CoV and SARS-related coronavirus (SARSr-CoV). Vaccination of human ACE2 transgenic mice with RBD-Fc could effectively protect mice from the SARS-CoV-2 challenge. These results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc has good potential to be further developed as an effective and broad-spectrum vaccine to prevent infection of the current SARS-CoV-2 and its mutants, as well as future emerging SARSr-CoVs and re-emerging SARS-CoV.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 / immunology
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / immunology
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / pharmacology*
  • COVID-19 / immunology
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
  • COVID-19 Vaccines / immunology
  • COVID-19 Vaccines / pharmacology*
  • Epitopes / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / immunology
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Pandemics
  • Protein Binding / drug effects
  • Protein Binding / immunology
  • Receptors, Virus / genetics
  • Receptors, Virus / immunology
  • SARS-CoV-2 / immunology
  • SARS-CoV-2 / pathogenicity
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Epitopes
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments
  • Receptors, Virus
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
  • ACE2 protein, human
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2