Wa-VP4 as a candidate rotavirus vaccine induced homologous and heterologous virus neutralizing antibody responses in mice, pigs, and cynomolgus monkeys

Group A rotavirus (RVA) is the primary etiological agent of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children under 5 years of age. Despite the global implementation of vaccines, rotavirus infections continue to cause over 120,000 deaths annually, with a majority occurring in developing nations. Among infants, the P[8] rotavirus strain is the most prevalent and can be categorized into four distinct lineages. In this investigation, we expressed five VP4(aa26-476) proteins from different P[8] lineages of human rotavirus in E. coli and assessed their immunogenicity in rabbits. Among the different P[8] strains, the Wa-VP4 protein, derived from the MT025868.1 strain of the P[8]-1 lineage, exhibited successful purification in a highly homogeneous form and significantly elicited higher levels of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) against both homologous and heterologous rotaviruses compared to other VP4 proteins derived from different P[8] lineages in rabbits. Furthermore, we assessed the immunogenicity of the Wa-VP4 protein in mice, pigs, and cynomolgus monkeys, observing that it induced robust production of nAbs in all animals. Interestingly, there was no significant difference between in nAb titers against homologous and heterologous rotaviruses in pigs and mankeys. Collectively, these findings suggest that the Wa-VP4* protein may serve as a potential candidate for a rotavirus vaccine.