A Replication-incompetent Adenoviral Vector Encoding for HSV-2 GD2 is Immunogenic and Protective Against HSV-2 Intravaginal Challenge in Mice

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2024 Dec 31

PMID 39739963

Authors

Elisa Rossetti

Marija Vujadinovic

Ella van Huizen

Jeroen Tolboom

Hanneke Schuitemaker

Feng Yao

Roland Zahn

Eirikur Saeland

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Herpes Simplex virus (HSV) is the cause of genital herpes and no prophylactic treatment is currently available. Replication-incompetent adenoviral vectors are potent inducers of humoral and cellular immune responses in humans. We have designed an adenoviral vector type 35 (Ad35)-based vaccine encoding the HSV-2 major surface antigen gD2 (Ad35.HSV.gD2). Immunization of mice with Ad35.HSV.gD2 elicited virus neutralizing antibody titers (VNT) and cellular responses against HSV-2 and HSV-1. While immunity was lower than for CJ2-gD2, both vaccines showed 100% survival against intravaginal challenge with HSV-2 G strain and a strong inverse correlation was observed between HSV-2 infection (as measured by viral shedding) and VNT. A combination of Ad35.HSV.gD2 with Ad35 encoding for gB2 (Ad35.HSV.gB2) resulted in increased VNT and lower infection, compared with Ad35.HSV.gD2 alone. Transfer of immune serum into naïve BALB/c mice before intravaginal challenge confirmed the role of antibodies in the protection of mice against infection although other immune factors may play a role as well.

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