Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The occurrence of infectious diseases still has a significant impact on public health and the economy. Infectious diseases spread from person to person, and it is important to control the spread of these diseases globally to ensure the well-being of everyone and a country's economic prosperity. Vaccination is an important step towards achieving universal health coverage. Recent outbreaks of emerging, re-emerging, and neglected infectious diseases show the need for effective control and prevention measures, including advancements in vaccine development, adjuvants, and immunity studies to understand the protective effects of the vaccines better. This Special Issue invites researchers to contribute their insights and on vaccines and vaccination, exploring vaccines and emerging, re-emerging, and neglected infectious diseases. Original articles, perspectives, and reviews on vaccine studies, viral immunology, and vaccine tools that facilitate examining these interactions at an immunological molecular level are welcome.

Dr. Salvatore Giovanni De Simone
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Related Special Issues

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

16 pages, 5701 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Production of Promising Heat-Labile Enterotoxin (LT) B Subunit-Based Self-Assembled Bioconjugate Nanovaccines against Infectious Diseases

by Caixia Li, Juntao Li, Peng Sun, Ting Li, Xue Yan, Jingqin Ye, Jun Wu, Li Zhu, Hengliang Wang and Chao Pan

Vaccines 2024, 12(4), 347; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12040347 - 23 Mar 2024

Viewed by 714

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely utilized in vaccine design. Although numerous NPs have been explored, NPs with adjuvant effects on their own have rarely been reported. We produce a promising self-assembled NP by integrating the pentameric Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTB) (studied as a vaccine adjuvant) with a trimer-forming peptide. This fusion protein can self-assemble into the NP during expression, and polysaccharide antigens (OPS) are then loaded in vivo using glycosylation. We initially produced two Salmonella paratyphi A conjugate nanovaccines using two LTB subfamilies (LTIB and LTIIbB). After confirming their biosafety in mice, the data showed that both nanovaccines (NP(LTIB)-OPS_SPA and NP(LTIIbB)-OPS_SPA) elicited strong polysaccharide-specific antibody responses, and NP(LTIB)-OPS resulted in better protection. Furthermore, polysaccharides derived from Shigella or Klebsiella pneumoniae were loaded onto NP(LTIB) and NP(LTIIbB). The animal experimental results indicated that LTIB, as a pentamer module, exhibited excellent protection against lethal infections. This effect was also consistent with that of the reported cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) modular NP in all three models. For the first time, we prepared a novel promising self-assembled NP based on LTIB. In summary, these results indicated that the LTB-based nanocarriers have the potential for broad applications, further expanding the library of self-assembled nanocarriers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Vaccines against Infectious Diseases)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 6196 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Receptor-Binding Motif Linear Epitopes

by Maria E. S. Monteiro, Guilherme C. Lechuga, Paloma Napoleão-Pêgo, João P. R. S. Carvalho, Larissa R. Gomes, Carlos M. Morel, David W. Provance and Salvatore G. De-Simone

Vaccines 2024, 12(4), 342; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12040342 - 22 Mar 2024

Viewed by 797

Abstract

The worldwide spread of SARS-CoV-2 has led to a significant economic and social burden on a global scale. Even though the pandemic has concluded, apprehension remains regarding the emergence of highly transmissible variants capable of evading immunity induced by either vaccination or prior infection. The success of viral penetration is due to the specific amino acid residues of the receptor-binding motif (RBM) involved in viral attachment. This region interacts with the cellular receptor ACE2, triggering a neutralizing antibody (nAb) response. In this study, we evaluated serum immunogenicity from individuals who received either a single dose or a combination of different vaccines against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and a mutated linear RBM. Despite a modest antibody response to wild-type SARS-CoV-2 RBM, the Omicron variants exhibit four mutations in the RBM (S477N, T478K, E484A, and F486V) that result in even lower antibody titers. The primary immune responses observed were directed toward IgA and IgG. While nAbs typically target the RBD, our investigation has unveiled reduced seroreactivity within the RBD’s crucial subregion, the RBM. This deficiency may have implications for the generation of protective nAbs. An evaluation of S1WT and S2WT RBM peptides binding to nAbs using microscale thermophoresis revealed a higher affinity (35 nM) for the S2WT sequence (GSTPCNGVEGFNCYF), which includes the FNCY patch. Our findings suggest that the linear RBM of SARS-CoV-2 is not an immunodominant region in vaccinated individuals. Comprehending the intricate dynamics of the humoral response, its interplay with viral evolution, and host genetics is crucial for formulating effective vaccination strategies, targeting not only SARS-CoV-2 but also anticipating potential future coronaviruses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Vaccines against Infectious Diseases)

► Show Figures