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Metabolic and Proteomic Profiles Associated with Immune Responses Induced by Different Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine
Shouzhi Yu1, Yao He1, Wenheng Ji1
1Beijing Institute of Biological Products Company Limited, Beijing 100176, China.
Abstract:
Since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in late 2019, the virus has been mutating continuously, resulting in the continuous emergence of variants and creating challenges for epidemic prevention and control. Here, we immunized mice with different vaccine candidates, revealing the immune, protein, and metabolomic changes that take place in vaccines composed of different variants. We found that the prototype strain and Delta- and Omicron-variant inactivated vaccine candidates could all induce a high level of neutralizing antibodies and cellular immunity responses in mice. Next, we found that the metabolic and protein profiles were changed, showing a positive association with immune responses, and the level of the change was distinct in different inactivated vaccines, indicating that amino acid variations could affect metabolomics and proteomics. Our findings reveal differences between vaccines at the metabolomic and proteomic levels. These insights provide a novel direction for the immune evaluation of vaccines and could be used to guide novel strategies for vaccine design.
Insights
Different inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines targeting the prototype, Delta, and Omicron variants induced strong immune responses in mice. Variations in vaccine strains altered protein and metabolic profiles, offering insights for future vaccine design.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Virology
- Metabolomics
- Proteomics
Background:
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continuously mutates, leading to new variants and challenges in epidemic control.
- Understanding the impact of these variants on vaccine efficacy is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the immune, protein, and metabolomic changes induced by inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines composed of different variants.
- To explore how amino acid variations in SARS-CoV-2 strains affect host responses.
Main Methods:
- Mice were immunized with inactivated vaccine candidates based on the prototype strain and Delta and Omicron variants.
- Immune responses, including neutralizing antibodies and cellular immunity, were assessed.
- Metabolomic and proteomic profiling was performed to analyze systemic changes.
Main Results:
- All tested inactivated vaccine candidates (prototype, Delta, Omicron) successfully induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies and cellular immunity in mice.
- Significant alterations in metabolic and protein profiles were observed post-vaccination.
- The extent of these metabolic and proteomic changes positively correlated with immune responses and varied distinctly among different vaccine variants, suggesting an impact of amino acid variations.
Conclusions:
- Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines targeting different variants elicit comparable robust immune responses but induce distinct metabolomic and proteomic profiles.
- Amino acid variations within SARS-CoV-2 strains influence host metabolomic and proteomic landscapes.
- These findings offer novel insights for vaccine immune evaluation and can guide future vaccine design strategies.
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