Buffin S, et al. Influenza A and B virus-like particles produced in mammalian cells are highly immunogenic and induce functional antibodies. Vaccine. 2019 Oct 4.
Influenza virus-like particles (VLPs) represent an attractive alternative to traditional influenza vaccine formulations. Influenza VLPs mimic the natural virus while lacking the genetic material, are easily recognized by the immune system, and are considered safe. The use of a mammalian cell platform offers many advantages for VLP production, such as flexibility and the same glycosylation patterns as a human virus. In this study, the influenza VLPs containing hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA) and matrix M1 proteins were expressed in CHO-K1, Vero or 293?T cell lines using transient transfection. After production in 3L bioreactor and purification, extensive characterization was performed on two batches of VLPs produced in 293?T, the best cell line for VLP expression; one batch expressed the HA and NA genes from A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 (H3N2) strain and the other, HA and NA genes from B/Phuket/3073/2013. Characterizations provided evidence that mammalian VLPs closely emulate the exterior of authentic virus particles in terms of both antigen presentation and biological properties. The two VLPs produced contained more NA proteins on their surface with a HA:NA ratio around 1:1 than influenza viruses which present a HA:NA ratio of around 4:1. Immunogenicity studies in BALB/c mice demonstrated that the VLPs, administered intra-muscularly, were highly immunogenic at low doses, with the induction of functional antibodies against HA and NA. Immunogenicity was also shown in a human in vitro model (MIMIC? system). In conclusion, we believe that influenza vaccines made of VLPs produced in mammalian cell lines, constitute a potential alternative to the classical influenza vaccines.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- [preprint]Mutational fitness landscapes of diverse human influenza H1N1 neuraminidases 6 hours ago
- [preprint]A modelling challenge to improve preparedness for highly pathogenic avian influenza epidemics: objectives, design and synthetic data generation 6 hours ago
- Influenza A H1N1 Infection Triggers Endothelial Immunothrombosis via TNF-α–Tissue Factor–Thrombin Signaling in Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells 7 hours ago
- Antiviral Susceptibility of Clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 and H5N5 Influenza Viruses Detected in Birds in Russia During 2021-2022 7 hours ago
- Dairy producers´ perceptions of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 and their influence on implementation of biosecurity changes 1 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


