title: Neutralizing and fusion-blocking antibodies induced by recombinant visna virus envelope glycoprotein.
abstract: A recombinant envelope glycoprotein derived from visna virus, a natural lentivirus pathogen of sheep, induced antibodies that neutralized cell-free virus and blocked virus-mediated cell-to-cell fusion. The visna virus envelope gene was subcloned into a baculovirus expression vector and was expressed in insect cells. A pair of guinea pigs were immunized with the recombinant glycoprotein, and postimmunization sera neutralized cell-free visna virus infectivity and also blocked virus-mediated syncytium formation when infected and uninfected cells were cocultured together. Thus, the recombinant visna surface envelope glycoprotein is capable of inducing both neutralizing and fusion-blocking antibodies. In addition to its relevance for vaccine development, the recombinant glycoprotein will be a useful tool to study differences between antibody-mediated enhancement versus neutralization during virus-host interactions in lentivirus infections in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Huso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D002459:Cell Fusion; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000166:cytology; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014790:Visna-maedi virus / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D006023:Glycoproteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins