Longitudinal mapping of hepatitis B vaccine‐induced B‐cell linear epitopes in healthy individuals

The elimination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is partially facilitated by the prophylactic HB vaccine. As the loss of seroprotection over time remains a conundrum for long‐lasting protection, a comprehensive dynamic analysis of immunogenic targets of the HB vaccine will provide novel insights into the improvement and design of potential targets. In this study, 36 healthy subjects without prior history of hepatitis B infection and negative for hepatitis B surface antibody (anti‐HBs) were enrolled. Participants were given a series of three doses of HB vaccine on a 0‐, 1‐, and 6‐month schedule and longitudinally followed up. We systematically mapped 55 overlapping 15‐mer peptides covering the small S protein of hepatitis B virus (SHBs) of vaccinees' serum samples at seven time points by performing an ELISA assay. Additionally, the frequencies and function dynamics of adaptive immune response were assessed by flow cytometry. We found that the SHBs peptide coverage presented an overall upward trend along with the vaccination progress, and the individual subpartition recognition was strongly correlated with the anti‐HBs titers. Moreover, we identified one dominant epitope (S29) located on “a determinant region” associated with effective vaccine response. Besides, significant correlations between the proportion of plasmablasts and proliferating B cells and levels of anti‐HBs were ascertained. Taken together, our data characterized the dynamics of HB vaccine‐induced neutralizing antibodies against B‐cell linear epitopes on SHBs and adaptive immune response, which will be constructive to develop the next‐generation vaccine.