Immunization with hybrid hepatitis B virus core particles carrying circumsporozoite antigen epitopes protects mice against Plasmodium yoelii challenge.
The hepatitis B virus nucleocapsid antigen (HBcAg) was investigated as a carrier moiety for circumsporozoite protein (CS) repeat B cell epitopes of the rodent malaria agent Plasmodium yoelii. A vector expressing a hybrid gene coding for the dominant CS repeat epitope (QGPGAP)4 was constructed and transformed into avirulent Salmonella typhimurium. The resulting hybrid HBcAg-CS polyproteins were purified from recombinant Salmonella typhimurium. They purified as particles and displayed HBc as well as P. yoelii CS antigenicity. To investigate immunogenicity and protective efficacy, BALB/c mice were immunized with the hybrid HBcAg-CS particles. Immunization resulted in high titered antinative CS serum IgG antibody litres. BALB/c mice immunized with hybrid HBcAgCS particles were between 90-100% protected against subsequent P. yoelli challenge. Protective immunity persisted for a minimum of three months. These data confirm the previous suggestion (Schödel et al., 1994), that hybrid HBcAg particles could become a useful component of future human malaria vaccines.
Schödel
F
F
INSERM U 80, Pavillon P. Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France.
Peterson
D
D
Milich
D R
DR
Charoenvit
Y
Y
Sadoff
J
J
Wirtz
R
R
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings; D008288:Malaria / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010967:Plasmodium yoelii / Q000276:immunology*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic
D000939:Epitopes; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; C041595:circumsporozoite protein, Protozoan