In the Shadow of Hemagglutinin: A Growing Interest in Influenza Viral Neuraminidase and Its Role as a Vaccine Antigen
نویسندگان
چکیده
Despite the availability of vaccine prophylaxis and antiviral therapeutics, the influenza virus continues to have a significant, annual impact on the morbidity and mortality of human beings, highlighting the continued need for research in the field. Current vaccine strategies predominantly focus on raising a humoral response against hemagglutinin (HA)-the more abundant, immunodominant glycoprotein on the surface of the influenza virus. In fact, anti-HA antibodies are often neutralizing, and are used routinely to assess vaccine immunogenicity. Neuraminidase (NA), the other major glycoprotein on the surface of the influenza virus, has historically served as the target for antiviral drug therapy and is much less studied in the context of humoral immunity. Yet, the quest to discern the exact importance of NA-based protection is decades old. Also, while antibodies against the NA glycoprotein fail to prevent infection of the influenza virus, anti-NA immunity has been shown to lessen the severity of disease, decrease viral lung titers in animal models, and reduce viral shedding. Growing evidence is intimating the possible gains of including the NA antigen in vaccine design, such as expanded strain coverage and increased overall immunogenicity of the vaccine. After giving a tour of general influenza virology, this review aims to discuss the influenza A virus neuraminidase while focusing on both the historical and present literature on the use of NA as a possible vaccine antigen.
منابع مشابه
Bioinformatics study of complete amino acid sequences of neuraminidase (NA) antigen of H1N1 influenza viruses from 2006 to 2013 in Iran
Introduction: Influenza is a contagious acute viral disease of the respiratory tract that causes fever, headache, muscle aches and cough. One of the unique features of influenza virus is antigenic variation in viral protein neuraminidase (NA) which causes emergence of new virus variants. NA is responsible for the release and spread of progeny virions. Due to the continuous changes of NA genes, ...
متن کاملExpression of HA1 antigen of H5N1 influenza virus as a potent candidate for vaccine in bacterial system
The impending influenza virus pandemic requires global vaccination to prevent large-scale mortality and morbidity, but traditional influenza virus vaccine production is too slow for rapid responses. In this study, bacterial system has been developed for expression and purification of properly folded HA1 antigen as a rapid response to emerging pandemic strains. Here, a recombinant H5N1 (A/Indone...
متن کاملBacillus subtilis as a Host for Recombinant Hemagglutinin Production of the Influenza A (H5N1) Virus
Abstract Background and Aims: Influenza A(H5N1) viruses circulating in animals might evolve and acquire the ability to spread from human to human and thus start a pandemic. Hemagglutinin (HA) has been shown to play a major role in binding of influenza virus to its target cell and the main neutralizing antibody responses elicit against this region. Recent studies have shown that...
متن کاملBaculoviral Expression of Influenza A Virus (H1N1 New Caledonia) Neuraminidase in Insect Cells
Background and Aims: Each year, the influenza virus causes moderate to severe infections with a high prevalence throughout the world. Accordingly, an influenza vaccine that ensures protection with only a single dose would be a much more cost effective approach to influenza prophylaxis. Generation of Influenza non-replicating virus-like particles (VLP) in baculoviral expression system is an attr...
متن کاملHeamagglutinin Conserved Domain (HA2) Prepared in Prokaryotic System is Immunogenic in Mice but not Protective against Lethal Influenza Challenge
Background and Aims: Influenza vaccine production process is time-consuming with little-to-no cross-protection which requires annual adjustment. The construction of a universal vaccine to deal with the pandemics and epidemics which occasionally threat human population is the aim of many researches worldwide. Today, influenza vaccines are mostly against two major antigenic proteins, hemagglutini...
متن کامل