Mice immunized with a subviral particle containing the Japanese encephalitis virus prM/M and E proteins are protected from lethal JEV infection.
Extracellular subviral particles produced by HeLa cells infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding the prM and E genes of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) were purified and characterized. These particles contained the JEV prM/M and E proteins embedded in a lipid bilayer, and RNA was not detected in particles using the polymerase chain reaction and primers recognizing a part of the JEV E gene. The particles were uniformly spherical with a 20-nm diameter and had 5-nm projections on their surface. Mice that received a single inoculation of the purified extracellular particles emulsified with Freund's complete adjuvant were fully protected against 4.9 x 10(5) LD50 of JEV. Comparison of the neutralizing and hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody titers and radioimmunoprecipitation data showed that immunization with the particles induced an immune response similar to that following inoculation with the recombinant vaccinia virus.
Konishi
E
E
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
Pincus
S
S
Paoletti
E
E
Shope
R E
RE
Burrage
T
T
Mason
P W
PW
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004664:Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D051379:Mice; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D011498:Protein Precursors; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines