A recombinant Lactobacillus plantarum strain expressing the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 , which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic in the past four months and causes respiratory disease in humans of almost all ages. Although several drugs have been announced to be partially effective treatments for this disease, no approved vaccine is available. Here, we described the construction of a recombinant Lactobacillus plantarum strain expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The results showed that the spike gene with optimized codons could be efficiently expressed on the surface of recombinant L. plantarum and exhibited high antigenicity. The highest protein yield was obtained under the following conditions: cells were induced with 50 ng/mL SppIP at 37°C for 6-10 h. The recombinant spike (S) protein was stable under normal conditions and at 50°C, pH = 1.5, or a high salt concentration. Recombinant L. plantarum may provide a promising foodgrade oral vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Recombinant protein vaccines, a proven approach against coronavirus pandemics

“…Wang et al [ 136 ] have conceived a strategy to produce an oral vaccine based on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Oral vaccines promise to be particularly suitable for low-and middle-income countries since they can be administered without trained personnel and can be transported and stored without requiring a cold chain.…”

Review on 3D printing: Fight against COVID-19

“…Also, the aperture can be adjusted by changing the UV intensity, or other properties of the glass can be altered by mixing borate or phosphate into the resin. A major Swiss glassware distributor has expressed interest in using the technology, which is similar to the equipment developed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany [ [49] , [50] , [51] ], as shown in Fig. 7 .…”

The Role of Mucosal Immunity and Recombinant Probiotics in SARS-CoV2 Vaccine Development

“…As previously mentioned, it is worth noting that adequate immune responses including antigen-specific IgG, mucosal IgA, and Th1/Th17 responses are induced by proper oral vaccines [ 44 , 166 , 167 ]. Thus, oral vaccines are rather appropriate for respiratory tract and intestinal mucosal infections [ 168 ]. Probiotics have antiviral potentials and protective efficiency particularly against respiratory viral infections such as influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, dengue virus, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, and Ebola virus [ 9 , 98 , 169 – 178 ].…”

“…After the oral immunization in mice, both mucosal and systemic humoral responses were induced and persisted in intestine for a week due to adhesion to the jejunum and ileum [ 142 ]. In this regard, COVID-19 is not an exception and similar to other respiratory and intestinal mucosa infections, an oral/mucosal vaccine is an urgent global need [ 168 ]. Moreover, according to the role of mucosa in SARS transmission and infection, working on mucosal immunization to induce systemic and mucosal immunity is favorable [ 183 ].…”