A recombinant measles virus expressing hepatitis B virus surface antigen induces humoral immune responses in genetically modified mice.
It has been shown previously that measles virus (MV) can be successfully used to express foreign proteins (M. Singh and M. A. Billeter, J. Gen. Virol. 80:101-106, 1998). To develop an inexpensive MV-based vaccine, we generated recombinant MVs that produce structural proteins of hepatitis B virus (HBV). A recombinant virus that expressed the HBV small surface antigen (HBsAg) was analyzed in terms of its replication characteristics, its genetic stability in cell culture, and its immunogenic potential in genetically modified mice. Although this virus showed a progression of replication slightly slower than that of the parental MV, it appeared to stably maintain the added genetic information; it uniformly expressed the appropriately glycosylated HBsAg after 10 serial passages. Genetically modified mice inoculated with this recombinant MV produced humoral immune responses against both HBsAg and MV proteins.
Singh
M
M
Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
Cattaneo
R
R
Billeter
M A
MA
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D007114:Immunization; D008459:Measles virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*; D014709:Vero Cells; D014779:Virus Replication
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic