Baculovirus Surface Display of Immunogenic Proteins for Vaccine Development

Abstract

Vaccination is an efficient way to prevent the occurrence of many infectious diseases in humans. To date, several viral vectors have been utilized for the generation of vaccines. Among them, baculovirus—categorized as a nonhuman viral vector—has been used in wider applications. Its versatile features, like large cloning capacity, nonreplicative nature in mammalian cells, and broad tissue tropism, hold it at an excellent position among vaccine vectors. In addition to ease and safety during swift production, recent key improvements to existing baculovirus vectors (such as inclusion of hybrid promoters, immunostimulatory elements, etc.) have led to significant improvements in immunogenicity and efficacy of surface-displayed antigens. Furthermore, some promising preclinical results have been reported that mirror the scope and practicality of baculovirus as a vaccine vector for human applications in the near future. Herein, this review provides an overview of the induced immune responses by baculovirus surface-displayed vaccines against influenza and other infectious diseases in animal models, and highlights the strategies applied to enhance the protective immune responses against the displayed antigens.

Baculovirus as Versatile Vectors for Protein Display and Biotechnological Applications

“…Display of immunogenic proteins on baculovirus surfaces as vaccine antigens is one of the most popular ways of applying the BEVS technology (Premanand et al, 2018). Immunogenic determinants (usually the membrane or capsid proteins) from infectious pathogens are displayed on the surface of the baculovirus envelope to serve as vaccine immunogens that can be administered to animal hosts.…”

Induction of mucosal immunity against pathogens by using recombinant baculoviral vectors: Mechanisms, advantages, and limitations

“…95 Two approaches of surface display in rAcMNPV exist: to express the foreign Ag per se to be recognized directly by receptors of immune cells, or to display proteins that help to augment the transduction efficiency of BacMam vectors in the host cells. 33 In any case, the most utilized procedure is to generate cassettes in which the desired proteins or peptides are displayed as aminoterminal fusions with the stem of GP64, the major envelope protein of AcMNPV. 96 Another approach is to use the stem of VSV-G to anchor the foreign protein to the baculoviral membrane instead of GP64.…”

“…30,31 Also, virions of rAcMNPV could be modified, either to be used as transduction vectors in mammalian cells (BacMam vectors) or to display antigenic proteins in their envelope (surface display). 32,33 Several reviews have addressed the use of the baculovirus expression vector system and rAcMNPV as immunization platforms, from the perspective of molecular biology and biotechnology, discussing general immunological basis. 28,[33][34][35] The publication of a considerable number of reports in which rAcMNPV virions provided mucosal and systemic immunity against mucosal pathogens-with mice being the most frequent animal model used-suggests the feasibility of employing these vectors for mucosal immunization.…”

Baculovirus Surface Display of Zika Virus Envelope Protein Protects against Virus Challenge in Mouse Model

“…Recombinant baculovirus vectors derived from the Autographa californica multiple nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) are widely used to express foreign proteins in insect cells (Ono et al 2018). These proteins are produced by inserting a gene fragment in frame between the signal peptide (SP) and the mature domain of the major surface glycoprotein 64 (GP64) nucleotide sequence of AcMNPV (Premanand et al 2018). After expression in insect cells, these proteins are processed, modified and translocated to the plasma membrane, then displayed on the surface of the recombinant baculovirus with the GP64 (Kost et al 2005).…”