Advances in Antigenic Peptide-Based Vaccine and Neutralizing Antibodies against Viruses Causing Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

Abstract

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) commonly produces herpangina, but fatal neurological complications have been observed in children. Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) and Coxsackievirus 16 (CV-A16) are the predominant viruses causing HFMD worldwide. With rising concern about HFMD outbreaks, there is a need for an effective vaccine against EV-A71 and CV-A16. Although an inactivated vaccine has been developed against EV-A71 in China, the inability of the inactivated vaccine to confer protection against CV-A16 infection and other HFMD etiological agents, such as CV-A6 and CV-A10, necessitates the exploration of other vaccine platforms. Thus, the antigenic peptide-based vaccines are promising platforms to develop safe and efficacious multivalent vaccines, while the monoclonal antibodies are viable therapeutic and prophylactic agents against HFMD etiological agents. This article reviews the available information related to the antigenic peptides of the etiological agents of HFMD and their neutralizing antibodies that can provide a basis for the design of future therapies against HFMD etiological agents.

Keywords: antigenic peptide; neutralizing antibodies; vaccine.

Figure 1

Position of VP1 BC loop and VP2 EF loop on the EV-A71 viral capsid. Representation of the EV-A71 VLP viral capsid. VP1, VP2 and VP3 structural proteins are shown in grey. The VP1 BC loop and VP2 EF loop are shown in black and labelled. PDB code: 4RQP.

Figure 2

Multiple sequence alignment of SP70 motif from various Enterovirus A viruses. The SP70 motif of Enterovirus A species can be denoted as YPTFGX₁HPX₂X₃X₄X₅X₆X₇Y. The consensus amino acid is highlighted in grey and in bold.