Logo image
Back
A versatile H5N1-VSV platform for safe influenza virus research applications
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

A versatile H5N1-VSV platform for safe influenza virus research applications

Boopathi Sownthirarajan, Maya Mason, Gayathri Loganathan, Senthamizharasi Manivasagam, Rohit K Jangra, Gene S Tan, Daniel R Perez and Balaji Manicassamy
Journal of virology, Vol.99(9), e00975-25
09/23/2025
DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00975-25
PMCID: PMC12455992
PMID: 40778766
url
https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.00975-25View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The H5N1 strain of influenza A virus (IAV) continues to cause severe infections in a range of avian and mammalian species, including sporadic but concerning cases in humans. There is growing concern that circulating H5N1 strains could lead to widespread human outbreaks. Research with highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses is restricted to Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratories. Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-based vaccine vectors expressing heterologous viral proteins from Ebola, SARS-CoV-2, Lassa virus, etc., have previously been shown to be safe and effective in animal models and human clinical trials. Here, we report the development of a recombinant VSV expressing the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of H5N1 IAV (H5N1-VSV), which serves as a versatile platform to study various aspects of H5N1 IAV biology. H5N1-VSV replicated robustly to titers comparable to those of the full H5N1 virus in multiple cell lines. In mice, H5N1-VSV vaccination was safe, elicited strong immunity, and conferred protection against a circulating H5N1 strain. Notably, we found that polymorphisms in antigenic site Sa of circulating strains emerged under immune selection pressure in cattle, resembling the evolution of pandemic IAV in humans. These findings suggest that H5N1-VSV can serve as a safe, adaptable platform for influenza research.
 VSV vector influenza virus H5N1 H5N1-VSV

Details

Metrics

2 Record Views
Logo image