# Glycosylated Foot‐And‐Mouth Disease Virus‐Like Particles Produced in Pichia Pastoris Enhance Stability and Immunogenicity

## TL;DR

This paper shows that adding sugar molecules to virus-like particles improves their stability and immune response, making them better vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease.

## Contribution

The study introduces artificial N-glycosylation in FMDV VLPs using Pichia pastoris, enhancing stability and immunogenicity.

## Key findings

- Glycosylated FMDV VLPs showed enhanced stability and improved uptake by antigen-presenting cells.
- Glycosylated VLPs induced a stronger Th1-type immune response in mice and pigs.
- Glycosylated VLPs provided 100% protection against FMDV in pigs.

## Abstract

Despite the availability of vaccines, foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) remains a significant concern in many developing countries, causing severe economic losses and affecting local farming communities. Virus‐like particle (VLP) vaccines are highly regarded for their safety and efficacy. N‐glycosylation for stabilisation and recognition by antigen‐presenting cells has been a widely adopted strategy, particularly in enveloped viruses. Here, FMD virus (FMDV) VLPs were employed as a model for artificial glycosylation. N‐glycosylation was introduced by mutating the potential glycosylation site of VP1 and then N‐glycosylated FMDV VLPs were successfully produced in Pichia pastoris. Glycan profiling revealed that the majority of associated glycans (72.93%) were of the high‐mannose type, with additional hybrid type (4.16%) and complex type (22.92%) detected. Functional analyses demonstrated that glycosylation significantly enhanced the stability of VLPs and facilitated the uptake by antigen‐presenting cells. Animal experiments further revealed that glycosylation could induce a higher cellular immune response compared to WT VLPs, offering a reference for the glycosylation design of VLP vaccines.

An N‐glycosylation was strategically introduced at the 166th position of VP1 via artificial mutagenesis. The glycans mainly consist of high‐mannose type, significantly enhancing the stability and uptake of VLPs. The glycosylated VLPs conferred a robust Th1‐type immune response in mice and pigs and provided 100% protection against FMDV in pigs.