Broad cross protection by recombinant live attenuated influenza H3N2 seasonal virus expressing conserved M2 extracellular domain in a chimeric hemagglutinin

Hemagglutinin (HA)-based current vaccines provide suboptimum cross protection. Influenza A virus contains an ion channel protein M2 conserved extracellular domain (M2e), a target for developing universal vaccines. Here we generated reassortant influenza virus rgH3N2 4xM2e virus (HA and NA from A/Switzerland/9715293/2013/(H3N2)) expressing chimeric 4xM2e-HA fusion proteins with 4xM2e epitopes inserted into the H3 HA N-terminus. Recombinant rgH3N2 4xM2e virus was found to retain equivalent growth kinetics as rgH3N2 in egg substrates. Intranasal single inoculation of mice with live rgH3N2 4xM2e virus was effective in priming the induction of M2e specific IgG antibody responses in mucosal and systemic sites as well as T cell responses. The rgH3N2 4xM2e primed mice were protected against a broad range of different influenza A virus subtypes including H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, H7N9, and H9N2. The findings support a new approach to improve the efficacy of current vaccine platforms by recombinant influenza virus inducing immunity to HA and cross protective M2e antigens.