title: Antigenicity, immunogenicity and passive protection induced by immunization of mice with baculovirus-expressed VP7 protein from rhesus rotavirus.
abstract: The major neutralization antigen VP7 of rhesus rotavirus (RRV) was expressed in a baculovirus recombinant system. The expressed VP7 showed the same molecular mass as native VP7, and was recognized by hyperimmune sera as well as neutralizing and non-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) raised against RRV. Intraperitoneal administration of the expressed VP7 in mice elicited the production of serum antibodies which were able to immunoprecipitate VP7 from RRV-infected cell lysates and to neutralize the virus in vitro. Sera from immunized mice competed for binding to RRV in an ELISA with both neutralizing and non-neutralizing MAbs specific for VP7. Using a passive protection model of rotavirus disease, vaccination of mice with the recombinant VP7 induced partial protection from infection. These results suggest that the baculovirus-expressed VP7 may be useful in priming a protective immune response to rotavirus infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fiore
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ridolfi
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Mackow
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Greenberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D002213:Capsid / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D007114:Immunization; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D017924:Nucleopolyhedroviruses / Q000235:genetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018411:Spodoptera
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus