The chimera of S1 and N proteins of SARS-CoV-2: can it be a potential vaccine candidate for COVID-19?

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has emerged as one of the biggest global health issues. Spike protein (S) and nucleoprotein (N), the major immunogenic components of SARS-CoV-2, have been shown to be involved in the attachment and replication of the virus inside the host cell.

Areas covered

Several investigations have shown that the SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein can elicit a cell-mediated immune response capable of regulating viral replication and lowering viral burden. However, the development of an effective vaccine that can stop the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 remains a matter of concern. Literature was retrieved using the keywords COVID-19 vaccine, role of nucleoprotein as vaccine candidate, spike protein, nucleoprotein immune responses against SARS-CoV-2, and chimera vaccine in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Google.

Expert opinion

We have focussed on the use of chimera protein, consisting of N and S-1 protein components of SARS-CoV-2, as a potential vaccine candidate. This may act as a polyvalent mixed recombinant protein vaccine to elicit a strong T and B cell immune response, which will be capable of neutralizing the wild and mutated variants of SARS-CoV-2, and also restricting its attachment, replication, and budding in the host cell.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• mutated variant of SARS-CoV-2
• S-1 and N proteins
• T cells
• B cells
• antibody
• chimeric recombinant protein mixture
• vaccine candidate

Article highlights

• How does SARS-CoV-2 induce immune response?

• The roles of SARS-CoV-2 S-1 and N protein in vaccine development.

• The current status of COVID-19 vaccine development.

• The possible immune response against the chimera vaccine.

• How does the chimera vaccine candidate induce an everlasting, strong, and protective immune response against COVID-19?

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Santosh Singh, Scientist, BHU, IMS, India for helpful comments and discussion in revising the manuscript. Authors are greatly thankful to ICMR, Govt. of India for assisting the study through their sponsored extramural Adhoc Project ref. No. 59/03/2020/TRM/BMS.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants, or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Geolocation information

Scientific study of UK, India, USA, IRAN, Europe, and China

Author contributions

All authors have contributed substantially to the conception and designing of the review article and interpretation and analysis of the relevant literature. They have been involved equally in writing and revising the review article for intellectual content.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was sponsored by ICMR, Govt of India Adhoc research project (59/3/TRM/BMS) and financially assisted by Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic. University fund, 2022.