Influenza A virus transfectants with chimeric hemagglutinins containing epitopes from different subtypes.
Influenza virus transfectants with chimeric hemagglutinins were constructed by using a ribonucleoprotein transfection method. Transfectants W(H1)-H2 and W(H1)-H3 contained A/WSN/33(H1N1) (WSN) hemagglutinins in which the six-amino-acid loop (contained in antigenic site B) was replaced by the corresponding structures of influenza viruses A/Japan/57(H2N2) and A/Hong Kong/8/68(H3N2) (HK), respectively. Serological analysis indicated that the W(H1)-H3 transfectant virus reacted with antibodies against both the WSN and HK viruses in hemagglutination inhibition and plaque neutralization assays. Furthermore, mice immunized with W(H1)-H3 transfectant virus produced antibodies to the WSN and HK viruses. The results demonstrate that influenza virus transfectants can be engineered to express epitopes of different subtypes on their hemagglutinins.
Department of Microbiology, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029.
S Q
SQ
Li
J L
JL
Schulman
T
T
Moran
C
C
Bona
P
P
Palese
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002678:Chimera; D004279:DNA, Viral; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D014162:Transfection
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral