IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-59533-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

SARS-CoV-2 virus lacking the envelope and membrane open-reading frames as a vaccine platform

Author

Listed:
  • Makoto Kuroda

    (University of Wisconsin)

  • Peter J. Halfmann

    (University of Wisconsin)

  • Ryuta Uraki

    (University of Tokyo
    National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute
    University of Tokyo)

  • Seiya Yamayoshi

    (University of Tokyo
    National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute
    University of Tokyo
    University of Tokyo)

  • Taksoo Kim

    (University of Wisconsin)

  • Tammy A. Armbrust

    (University of Wisconsin)

  • Sam Spyra

    (University of Wisconsin)

  • Randall Dahn

    (University of Wisconsin)

  • Lavanya Babujee

    (University of Wisconsin)

  • Yoshihiro Kawaoka

    (University of Wisconsin
    University of Tokyo
    National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute
    University of Tokyo)

Abstract

To address the need for broadly protective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, we developed an attenuated a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine virus that lacks the open reading frames of two viral structural proteins: the envelope (E) and membrane (M) proteins. This vaccine virus (ΔEM) replicates in a cell line stably expressing E and M but not in wild-type cells. Vaccination with ΔEM elicits a CD8 T-cell response against the viral spike and nucleocapsid proteins. Two vaccinations with ΔEM provide better protection of the lower respiratory tissues than a single dose against the Delta and Omicron XBB variants in hamsters. Moreover, ΔEM is effective as a booster in hamsters previously vaccinated with an mRNA-based vaccine, providing higher levels of protection in both respiratory tissues compared to the mRNA vaccine booster. Collectively, our data demonstrate the feasibility of a SARS-CoV-2 ΔEM vaccine candidate virus as a vaccine platform.

Suggested Citation

  • Makoto Kuroda & Peter J. Halfmann & Ryuta Uraki & Seiya Yamayoshi & Taksoo Kim & Tammy A. Armbrust & Sam Spyra & Randall Dahn & Lavanya Babujee & Yoshihiro Kawaoka, 2025. "SARS-CoV-2 virus lacking the envelope and membrane open-reading frames as a vaccine platform," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59533-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59533-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59533-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-59533-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59533-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.