M448R and MGF505-7R: Two African Swine Fever Virus Antigens Commonly Recognized by ASFV-Specific T-Cells and with...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Immunology
• Vaccine Development

Background:

• African swine fever (ASF) poses a significant threat to the global swine industry, with no commercial vaccines or treatments currently available.
• Live attenuated viruses (LAV) offer protection against African swine fever virus (ASFV) challenge, but safer subunit vaccines are needed.
• Identifying ASFV proteins that induce protective immune responses is key for developing effective subunit vaccines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify ASFV antigens recognized by CD8+ T-cells.
• To develop and test a novel DNA vaccine strategy for ASF.
• To evaluate the protective potential of specific ASFV proteins as vaccine candidates.

Main Methods:

• Utilized immunopeptidomic studies to identify ASFV antigens presented by infected porcine cells.
• Generated a 15-plasmid DNA vaccine encoding individual peptide-bearing ORFs.
• Assessed vaccine efficacy through DNA prime and LAV booster vaccination in pigs challenged with ASFV.

Main Results:

• DNA vaccine priming enhanced protection when combined with a suboptimal LAV booster dose against lethal ASFV challenge.
• The M448R protein was identified as the sole promiscuously recognized antigen by induced ASFV-specific T-cells.
• Priming with DNA plasmids encoding M488R and MGF505-7R confirmed their T-cell antigen status and protective potential.

Conclusions:

• The developed DNA vaccine strategy shows promise in improving protection against ASF.
• ASFV proteins M448R and MGF505-7R are identified as potential targets for subunit vaccine development.
• These findings contribute to the design of safer and more effective ASF vaccines.