DNA vaccines against COVID-19: Perspectives and challenges

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Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is associated with several fatal cases worldwide. The rapid spread of this pathogen and the increasing number of cases highlight the urgent development of vaccines. Among the technologies available for vaccine development, DNA vaccination is a promising alternative to conventional vaccines. Since its discovery in the 1990s, it has been of great interest because of its ability to elicit both humoral and cellular immune responses while showing relevant advantages regarding producibility, stability, and storage. This review aimed to summarize the current knowledge and advancements on DNA vaccines against COVID-19, particularly those in clinical trials.

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Highlights

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Explanation about the functionality and effectiveness of DNA vaccines in pandemic scenarios
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Summary of DNA vaccines in clinical trials, and nucleic acid vaccines against COVID-19.
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Perspectives on the improvement of DNA vaccines as safe and cheap technology for prevention.

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Most cited references 62

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Cryo-EM structure of the 2019-nCoV spike in the prefusion conformation

Daniel Wrapp, Nianshuang Wang, Kizzmekia S. Corbett … (2020)

Structure of the nCoV trimeric spike The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) to be a public health emergency of international concern. The virus binds to host cells through its trimeric spike glycoprotein, making this protein a key target for potential therapies and diagnostics. Wrapp et al. determined a 3.5-angstrom-resolution structure of the 2019-nCoV trimeric spike protein by cryo–electron microscopy. Using biophysical assays, the authors show that this protein binds at least 10 times more tightly than the corresponding spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)–CoV to their common host cell receptor. They also tested three antibodies known to bind to the SARS-CoV spike protein but did not detect binding to the 2019-nCoV spike protein. These studies provide valuable information to guide the development of medical counter-measures for 2019-nCoV. Science, this issue p. 1260

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Structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain bound to the ACE2 receptor

Jun Lan, Jiwan Ge, Jinfang Yu … (2020)

A new and highly pathogenic coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, SARS-CoV-2) caused an outbreak in Wuhan city, Hubei province, China, starting from December 2019 that quickly spread nationwide and to other countries around the world1-3. Here, to better understand the initial step of infection at an atomic level, we determined the crystal structure of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 bound to the cell receptor ACE2. The overall ACE2-binding mode of the SARS-CoV-2 RBD is nearly identical to that of the SARS-CoV RBD, which also uses ACE2 as the cell receptor4. Structural analysis identified residues in the SARS-CoV-2 RBD that are essential for ACE2 binding, the majority of which either are highly conserved or share similar side chain properties with those in the SARS-CoV RBD. Such similarity in structure and sequence strongly indicate convergent evolution between the SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV RBDs for improved binding to ACE2, although SARS-CoV-2 does not cluster within SARS and SARS-related coronaviruses1-3,5. The epitopes of two SARS-CoV antibodies that target the RBD are also analysed for binding to the SARS-CoV-2 RBD, providing insights into the future identification of cross-reactive antibodies.

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The trinity of COVID-19: immunity, inflammation and intervention

Matthew Tay, Chek Meng Poh, Laurent Rénia … (2020)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Alongside investigations into the virology of SARS-CoV-2, understanding the fundamental physiological and immunological processes underlying the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 is vital for the identification and rational design of effective therapies. Here, we provide an overview of the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We describe the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with the immune system and the subsequent contribution of dysfunctional immune responses to disease progression. From nascent reports describing SARS-CoV-2, we make inferences on the basis of the parallel pathophysiological and immunological features of the other human coronaviruses targeting the lower respiratory tract — severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Finally, we highlight the implications of these approaches for potential therapeutic interventions that target viral infection and/or immunoregulation.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Life Sci

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Life Sci

Title: Life Sciences

Publisher: Published by Elsevier Inc.

ISSN (Print): 0024-3205

ISSN (Electronic): 1879-0631

Publication date PMC-release: 19 December 2020

Publication date (Electronic): 19 December 2020

Electronic Location Identifier: 118919

Affiliations

[a ]Faculty Anhanguera, Department of Pharmacy, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

[b ]Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

[c ]Federal University of Agreste of Pernambuco, Veterinary Medicine Course, Garanhuns, Pernambuco, Brazil

Author notes

[* ]Corresponding author at: Faculty Anhanguera, Av. Fernando Osório, 2301, Pelotas 96055–035, RS, Brazil.

[1]

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Article

Publisher Item ID: S0024-3205(20)31679-9 Publisher ID: 118919

DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118919

PMC ID: 7749647

PubMed ID: 33352173

SO-VID: 823a757b-66bd-4e53-b20f-4a14a0b797f1

License:

Since January 2020 Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information website. Elsevier hereby grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre - including this research content - immediately available in PubMed Central and other publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains active.

History

Date received : 25 September 2020

Date revision received : 1 December 2020

Date accepted : 13 December 2020

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DNA vaccines against COVID-19: Perspectives and challenges

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Abstract

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Novel Coronavirus Disease COVID-19

Most cited references 62

Cryo-EM structure of the 2019-nCoV spike in the prefusion conformation

Structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain bound to the ACE2 receptor

The trinity of COVID-19: immunity, inflammation and intervention

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