Merbecovirus S2 subunit vaccines elicit cross reactive antibodies and provide partial protection against MERS coronavirus
Abstract Since the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a virus that has caused a high case fatality rate of 36%, other merbecoviruses have been reported to also be capable of infecting human cells. Given the threat of Merbecovirus spillover to humans, we developed vi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | npj Viruses |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44298-025-00142-9 |
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| author | Peter J. Halfmann Jeong Soo Lee Augustine Duffy Bingcheng Huang Jie E. Yang Elizabeth R. Wright Yoshihiro Kawaoka Ravi S. Kane |
| author_facet | Peter J. Halfmann Jeong Soo Lee Augustine Duffy Bingcheng Huang Jie E. Yang Elizabeth R. Wright Yoshihiro Kawaoka Ravi S. Kane |
| author_sort | Peter J. Halfmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Since the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a virus that has caused a high case fatality rate of 36%, other merbecoviruses have been reported to also be capable of infecting human cells. Given the threat of Merbecovirus spillover to humans, we developed virus-like particle vaccines presenting the S2 subunit proteins of MERS-CoV, NeoCoV, HKU4, or HKU25. Mice were vaccinated with the homotypic vaccines, and IgG endpoint titers were measured against S2 proteins of the same panel of viruses, confirming high cross-reactivity across all four viruses. Based on characterization by antigenic cartography, MERS-CoV and HKU4 S2 proteins were selected as optimal components for a cocktail vaccine. MERS-CoV and NeoCoV homotypic vaccines, along with the mixture vaccine, provided partial protection in transgenic mice against a MERS-CoV challenge. These findings could serve as an important step toward designing pan-Merbecovirus vaccines in preparation for future outbreaks. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4fdd5b84bd714dc8b50a8b67331bfc2f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2948-1767 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Viruses |
| spelling | doaj-art-4fdd5b84bd714dc8b50a8b67331bfc2f2025-08-20T04:01:52ZengNature Portfolionpj Viruses2948-17672025-07-013111010.1038/s44298-025-00142-9Merbecovirus S2 subunit vaccines elicit cross reactive antibodies and provide partial protection against MERS coronavirusPeter J. Halfmann0Jeong Soo Lee1Augustine Duffy2Bingcheng Huang3Jie E. Yang4Elizabeth R. Wright5Yoshihiro Kawaoka6Ravi S. Kane7Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Influenza Research Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of WisconsinSchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologySchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologySchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Biochemistry, University of WisconsinDepartment of Biochemistry, University of WisconsinDepartment of Pathobiological Sciences, Influenza Research Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of WisconsinSchool of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAbstract Since the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a virus that has caused a high case fatality rate of 36%, other merbecoviruses have been reported to also be capable of infecting human cells. Given the threat of Merbecovirus spillover to humans, we developed virus-like particle vaccines presenting the S2 subunit proteins of MERS-CoV, NeoCoV, HKU4, or HKU25. Mice were vaccinated with the homotypic vaccines, and IgG endpoint titers were measured against S2 proteins of the same panel of viruses, confirming high cross-reactivity across all four viruses. Based on characterization by antigenic cartography, MERS-CoV and HKU4 S2 proteins were selected as optimal components for a cocktail vaccine. MERS-CoV and NeoCoV homotypic vaccines, along with the mixture vaccine, provided partial protection in transgenic mice against a MERS-CoV challenge. These findings could serve as an important step toward designing pan-Merbecovirus vaccines in preparation for future outbreaks.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44298-025-00142-9 |
| spellingShingle | Peter J. Halfmann Jeong Soo Lee Augustine Duffy Bingcheng Huang Jie E. Yang Elizabeth R. Wright Yoshihiro Kawaoka Ravi S. Kane Merbecovirus S2 subunit vaccines elicit cross reactive antibodies and provide partial protection against MERS coronavirus npj Viruses |
| title | Merbecovirus S2 subunit vaccines elicit cross reactive antibodies and provide partial protection against MERS coronavirus |
| title_full | Merbecovirus S2 subunit vaccines elicit cross reactive antibodies and provide partial protection against MERS coronavirus |
| title_fullStr | Merbecovirus S2 subunit vaccines elicit cross reactive antibodies and provide partial protection against MERS coronavirus |
| title_full_unstemmed | Merbecovirus S2 subunit vaccines elicit cross reactive antibodies and provide partial protection against MERS coronavirus |
| title_short | Merbecovirus S2 subunit vaccines elicit cross reactive antibodies and provide partial protection against MERS coronavirus |
| title_sort | merbecovirus s2 subunit vaccines elicit cross reactive antibodies and provide partial protection against mers coronavirus |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44298-025-00142-9 |
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