Research progress of dengue virus T cell epitope mediated cellular immunity in avoiding ADE

Dengue virus (DENV), as a widely circulating arbovirus, is prone to causing dengue fever and poses a serious threat to human health. Nevertheless, there is currently no ideal safe and effective vaccine for DENV. In particular, vaccination with approved DENV vaccines may increase the chance of infection with heterotypic serotypes of DENV and the risk of severe dengue upon infection. Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) is considered a major mechanism contributing to severe disease in secondary infections, which seriously restricts the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Notably, many studies have shown that DENV T cell epitopes induce cellular immunity by producing large amounts of cytokines, which may contribute to controlling DENV infection and potentially modulating ADE risk. However, the relationship between T cell responses and ADE is complex and requires careful balance to avoid immunopathology. Additionally, the novel mRNA-LNP vaccine has shown promise in preclinical models due to its superior stability and controllability. This review highlights the potential of T cell epitope-based vaccines to complement existing strategies of DENV vaccine development and provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of DENV.