Functional studies and synchrotron FTIR biochemical signatures reveal the potential of protein nanoparticles as a VHS virus vaccine
Thwaite, Rosemary (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina "Vicent Villar Palasí")
Benseny Cases, Núria (ALBA Laboratori de Llum de Sincrotró)
Rojas Peña, Mauricio (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, de Fisiologia i d'Immunologia)
Chico, Veronica (Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche)
Carreras, Maria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, de Fisiologia i d'Immunologia)
Puente-Marin, Sara (Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche)
Villaverde Corrales, Antonio (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia)
Perez Garcia-Estañ, Luis (Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche)
Ortega-Villaizan, Maria del Mar (Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche)
Sabés Xamaní, Manuel (ALBA Laboratori de Llum de Sincrotró)
Roher Armentia, Nerea (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina "Vicent Villar Palasí")

Date:	2025
Abstract:	As an innovative strategy towards new biomaterials for fish vaccine development, we have generated the C-terminal half of the viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) G protein as nanostructured bacterial inclusion bodies (IBs). IBs offer a slow release of biologically active, native and native-like proteins from a protective scaffold based on a nontoxic amyloid network. These nanoscale materials are an attractive type of vaccine design for aquaculture, being cheap, scalable and stable in vivo without the need for encapsulation, unlike soluble proteins. The bacterial remnants carried in IBs, such as lipopolysaccharide, are safe for fish and act as immunostimulants. Here we tested VHSV-G fragment-based protein nanoparticles in a range of scenarios to ascertain cellular uptake, metabolic changes and immunogenicity. Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) macrophages, in the first line of defence against infections, uptake the particles, resulting in impacts on global cell biochemical signatures measured by synchrotron FTIR. These changes were similar to those observed using inactivated VHSV virus. In a trout VHSV infection model, fish immunized with the developed nanoparticles raised specific anti-VHSV IgM antibodies, detected by ELISA. Among these, neutralizing antibodies were present, shown by a viral neutralization assay in Epithelioma Papulosum Cyprini (EPC) carp cell line. Further, the anti-VHSV IgM antibody titre increased significantly in the vaccinated group post VHSV infection, compared to sham-vaccinated fish. We therefore show that viral proteins, nanostructured as IBs, can elicit specific, functional anti-viral antibodies in fish and also can mimic in vitro the metabolic signatures associated to viral stimuli. All together, these data demonstrate the potential of this strategy for vaccine development.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad AGL2015-65129-R Agencia Estatal de Investigación RTI2018-096957-B-C21 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-345
Note:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Protein nanoparticles ; VHSV ; Virus specific antibodies ; Vaccine ; Synchrotron FTIR
Published in:	Fish & shellfish immunology, Vol. 160 (May 2025) , art. 110202, ISSN 1095-9947

DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110202

11 p, 6.8 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina (IBB)
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > The ALBA Synchrotron
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles