Human papillomavirus type 11 recombinant L1 capsomeres induce virus-neutralizing antibodies.
The human papillomavirus type 11 (HPV-11) L1 major capsid protein can be trypsinized to generate recombinant capsomeres that retain HPV genotype-restricted capsid antigenicity (M. Li, T. P. Cripe, P. A. Estes, M. K. Lyon, R. C. Rose, and R. L. Garcea, J. Virol. 71:2988-2995, 1997). In the present study, HPV-11 virion-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies H11.F1 and H11.H3, previously characterized as recognizing two distinct HPV-11 capsid-neutralizing antigenic domains (S. W. Ludmerer, D. Benincasa, and G. E. Mark III, J. Virol. 70:4791-4794, 1996), were each found to be highly immunoreactive with trypsin-generated capsomeres in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Capsomeres were used to generate high-titer polyclonal immune sera that demonstrated HPV genotype-restricted reactivity by ELISA. The capsomere antisera were then tested in an in vitro infectivity assay and found to neutralize HPV-11 virions. In this assay, HPV-11 capsomere polyclonal antisera exhibited neutralization titers (10(-5) to 10(-6)) comparable to those obtained with a virion-neutralizing antiserum raised previously against intact HPV-11 VLPs (R. C. Rose, R. C. Reichman, and W. Bonnez, J. Gen. Virol. 75:2075-2079, 1994). These results indicate that highly immunogenic, genotype-restricted HPV capsid-neutralizing antigenic domains are contained entirely within capsomeres. Thus, capsomeres may be viable vaccine candidates for the prevention of HPV disease.
Rose
R C
RC
Departments of Medicine, Rochester, New York 14642; MedImmune, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, USA. rrose@medicine.rochester.edu
White
W I
WI
Li
M
M
Suzich
J A
JA
Lane
C
C
Garcea
R L
RL
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D014771:Virion / Q000276:immunology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral