Zhang C, Hou J, Li Z, Shen Q, Bai H, Chen L, Shen. PROTAR Vaccine 2.0 generates influenza vaccines by degrading multiple viral proteins. Nat Chem Biol. 2025 Jan 15
Manipulating viral protein stability using the cellular ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) represents a promising approach for developing live-attenuated vaccines. The first-generation proteolysis-targeting (PROTAR) vaccine had limitations, as it incorporates proteasome-targeting degrons (PTDs) at only the terminal ends of viral proteins, potentially restricting its broad application. Here we developed the next-generation PROTAR vaccine approach, referred to as PROTAR 2.0, which enabled flexible incorporation of PTDs at various genomic loci of influenza viruses, including internal regions and terminal ends. The PROTAR 2.0 influenza viruses maintained efficient replication in UPS-deficient cells for large-scale production but were attenuated by PTD-mediated proteasomal degradation of viral proteins in conventional cells. Incorporation of multiple PTDs into one virus generated optimized PROTAR 2.0 vaccine candidates. In animal models, PROTAR 2.0 vaccine candidates were highly attenuated and a single-dose intranasal immunization induced robust and broad immune responses that provided complete cross-reactive protection against both homologous and heterologous viral challenges.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- [preprint]Emergence and antigenic characterisation of influenza A(H3N2) viruses with hemagglutinin substitutions N158K and K189R during the 2024/25 influenza season 16 hours ago
- Epitope specificity shapes the CD4+ T cell response to influenza virus infection in mice 16 hours ago
- Vaccination against H5 HP avian influenza virus leads to persistent immune response in wild king penguins 1 days ago
- Molecular Epidemiology and Genetic Diversity of Influenza B Viruses Based on Whole-Genome Analysis in Japan and Myanmar, 2016-2020 1 days ago
- Assessing HPAI-H5 transmission risk across wild bird migratory flyways in the United States 1 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


