title: Anchoring a secreted plasmodium antigen on the surface of recombinant vaccinia virus-infected cells increases its immunogenicity.
abstract: We show that the subcellular location of foreign antigens expressed in recombinant vaccinia viruses influences their effectiveness as immunogens. Live recombinant viruses induced very poor antibody responses to a secreted repetitive plasmodial antigen (the S-antigen) in rabbits and mice. The poor response accords with epidemiological data suggesting that S-antigens are poorly immunogenic. Appending the transmembrane domain of a membrane immunoglobulin (immunoglobulin G1) to its carboxy terminus produced a hybrid S-antigen that was no longer secreted but was located on the surface of virus-infected cells. This recombinant virus elicited high antibody titers to the S-antigen. This approach will facilitate the use of live virus delivery systems to immunize against a wide range of foreign nonsurface antigens.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D004274:DNA, Recombinant / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005796:Genes; D051379:Mice; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014162:Transfection; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell