title: Chimeric plant virus particles as immunogens for inducing murine and human immune responses against human immunodeficiency virus type 1.
abstract: The high-yield expression of a neutralizing epitope from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) on the surface of a plant virus and its immunogenicity are presented. The highly conserved ELDKWA epitope from glycoprotein (gp) 41 was expressed as an N-terminal translational fusion with the potato virus X (PVX) coat protein. The resulting chimeric virus particles (CVPs), purified and used to immunize mice intraperitoneally or intranasally, were able to elicit high levels of HIV-1-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA antibodies. Furthermore, the human immune response to CVPs was studied with severe combined immunodeficient mice reconstituted with human peripheral blood lymphocytes (hu-PBL-SCID). hu-PBL-SCID mice immunized with CVP-pulsed autologous dendritic cells were able to mount a specific human primary antibody response against the gp41-derived epitope. Notably, sera from both normal and hu-PBL-SCID mice showed an anti-HIV-1-neutralizing activity. Thus, PVX-based CVPs carrying neutralizing epitopes can offer novel perspectives for the development of effective vaccines against HIV and, more generally, for the design of new vaccination strategies in humans.
authors.affiliation: Divisione Biotecnologie e Agricoltura, ENEA, 00060 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marusic
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rizza
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lattanzi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spada
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Belardelli
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benvenuto
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Capone
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002213:Capsid / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016513:Mice, SCID; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017863:Potexvirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*; D014771:Virion
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; C058750:coat protein, Potato virus X