title: Study of the protective immunity of co-expressed glycoprotein H and L of equine herpesvirus-1 in a murine intranasal infection model.
abstract: Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) glycoproteins H, and L (gH and gL) expressed individually or co-expressed by recombinant baculoviruses were used to immunise BALB/c mice prior to intranasal challenge in a murine model of respiratory infection. Only the co-expressed material (EHV-1 gH/gL) induced neutralising antibody (low levels). The same immunogen also produced the strongest cellular responses. Immunisation with gH/gL and, to a lesser extent, with gH alone was associated with a reduction of virus load in nasal turbinates and olfactory bulbs after challenge infection. Viraemia, detected by polymerase chain reaction, was also reduced. No such protective effects were observed for gL alone. Adoptive transfer of lymphocytes from gH/gL-immunised mice to näive mice subsequently challenged with EHV-1 indicated that both CD4+ and CD8+ cells had a role in protective immunity. Although clearance of EHV-1 from respiratory tissue was not as effective as previously found for glycoproteins D or C, these experiments provide evidence that the co-expression of EHV-1 gL with gH generates a conformational neutralising epitope which is not present in either molecule alone, and suggests that gH/gL antigen may have a better potential as a component of an EHV-1 vaccine than gH alone.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Veterinary Science, University of Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kukreja
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Whalley
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Field
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004858:Herpesvirus 3, Equid / Q000276:immunology; D006736:Horses; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D018411:Spodoptera; D013997:Time Factors; D014162:Transfection; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines; C108360:glycoprotein H, Equid herpesvirus 1