NSRRC Activity Report 2022

Life Science 045 Fighting Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants: Mono-GlcNAc-Decorated Spike Vaccine Can Help The conserved areas between the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 variants tend to be shielded with glycans on the surface to escape immune recognition. Trimming down the glycan shield to expose the conserved epitopes on these spike proteins can facilitate the development of vaccine against variants. T he coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2) has caused millions of deaths worldwide. As a result, tremendous efforts have been made to develop COVID-19 vaccines. Although several COVID-19 vaccines are now available, viruses constantly mutate, which enables them to escape vaccine-induced immune recognition and decreases vaccine efficacy. SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) that can evade vaccine protection remain a major obstacle, and novel strategies for tackling them are urgently required. Chi-Huey Wong, Che Ma and Kuo-I Lin (Academia Sinica) launched a joint effort to develop a broader-spectrum COVID-19 vaccine against VOCs during the pandemic. 1 Because the vaccine antigen, namely the spike protein, disguises itself with Fig. 1 : (a) Structural models of S FG and S MG protein vaccine. (b) Immunization schedule for BALB/c mice, Syrian hamsters, and hACE2 transgenic mice. (c) Anti-spike IgG titers. (d) Pseudovirus neutralization titers against SARS-CoV-2 wildtype and VOCs. (e) Weight change and survival analysis for WT-SARS-CoV-2-challenged hamsters (n = 5). (f) Weight change and survival analysis for SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant-challenged hACE2 transgenic mice (n = 5). [Reproduced from Ref. 1]