Duck CD40L as an adjuvant enhances systemic immune responses of avian flavivirus DNA vaccine

• Published in: npj vaccines Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 135 - 12
• Main Authors: Huang, Juan, Luo, Guiyuan, Wang, Wanfa, Lu, Yuxin, Wang, Mingshu, Liu, Mafeng, Zhu, Dekang, Chen, Shun, Zhao, Xinxin, Yang, Qiao, Wu, Ying, Zhang, Shaqiu, Ou, Xumin, Tian, Bin, Sun, Di, He, Yu, Wu, Zhen, Cheng, Anchun, Jia, Renyong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.08.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/250/24/590; 631/250/590/2291; Adjuvants; Aquatic birds; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Immunization; Immunogenicity; Infectious Diseases; Lymphocytes; Medical Microbiology; Pathogens; Public Health; Strategic management; Vaccine; Vaccines; Virology; Zoonoses
• ISSN: 2059-0105; 2059-0105
• DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00926-9

Under the dual pressure of emerging zoonoses and the difficulty in eliminating conventional zoonoses, the strategic management of bird diseases through vaccination represents a highly efficacious approach to disrupting the transmission of zoonotic pathogens to humans. Immunization with a DNA vaccine yielded limited protection against avian pathogen infection. To improve its immunogenicity, the extracellular domain of duck-derived CD40L (designated as dusCD40L) was employed as a bio-adjuvant. Our findings unequivocally established the evolutionary conservation of dusCD40L across avian species. Notably, dusCD40L exhibited a compelling capacity to elicit robust immune responses from both B and T lymphocytes. Furthermore, when employed as an adjuvant, dusCD40L demonstrated a remarkable capacity to significantly augment the titers of neutralizing antibodies and the production of IFNγ elicited by a DNA vaccine encoding the prM-E region of an avian flavivirus, namely, the Tembusu virus (TMUV). Moreover, dusCD40L could strengthen virus clearance of the prM-E DNA vaccine in ducks post-TMUV challenge. This research study presents a highly effective adjuvant for advancing the development of DNA vaccines targeting TMUV in avian hosts. Additionally, it underscores the pivotal role of duCD40L as a potent adjuvant in the context of vaccines designed to combat zoonotic infections in avian species.