Development of recombinant vp1 protein immunised in mice as a model of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine

¹ Research Center for Vaccine and Drugs, Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency, Kawasan Sains dan Teknologi (KST) Habibie, LAPTIAB Building 610, PUSPIPTEK Street, Serpong, 15315 South Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia
² Research Center for Veterinary Sciences, Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency, Kawasan Sains dan Teknologi (KST) Soekarno, Cibinong Science Center, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor Km.46, 16915 Bogor, West Java, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: tika003@brin.go.id

Abstract

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease that infects cloven-hoofed animals, becoming a serious threat to livestock production and leading to significant economic losses. The re-occurring FMD outbreak in Indonesia was reported back in 2022, causing hundreds of cattle deaths. The immunogenic viral capsid VP1 protein has been extensively researched as a vaccine candidate despite the fact that the existing FMD vaccine uses an inactivated virus. The vp1 gene (648 bps) from FMD virus serotype O was integrated into pET-32b vector and transformed into Escherichia coli TOP10F’. The recombinant pET32b-VP1-1D plasmid was expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3), followed by N-terminal His tag purification. Protein profiles were determined with SDS-PAGE, showing the target protein at 33KDa. Five 6-week-old BALB/c mice were administered intraperitoneal injections of 50 μg and 100 μg protein, respectively, with two booster shots within two-week intervals. The immune response of polyclonal antibodies was tested using indirect ELISA, resulting in a high absorbance signal compared to non-immunized mice. Thus, the outcomes demonstrate that the VP1 recombinant protein from this study has potential as an immunogen in FMD vaccine development.