Development of Dengue virus type 2 replicons capable of prolonged expression in host cells.
BACKGROUND
As part of a program to develop a Dengue virus vaccine which avoids the deleterious effects of antibody dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection mediated by antibodies to Dengue virus structural proteins, we have begun to investigate the possibility of designing Dengue vaccines based on non-structural proteins.


RESULTS
Dengue constructs which lack major structural proteins replicate intracellularly in tissue culture. These replicons are capable of prolonged expression of Dengue virus non-structural proteins for at least seven days in culture.


CONCLUSIONS
Dengue virus genomes lacking major structural proteins can, like other flaviviruses, replicate intracellularly and express virus non-structural proteins with minimal toxicity to host cells. These findings pave the way for the development of dengue virus replicons as a form of live, attenuated virus vaccine.
Pang
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X
Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, FDA, Bethesda, MD, USA. dayton@cber.fda.gov
Zhang
M
M
Dayton
A I
AI
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000821:virology; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000882:Haplorhini; D051379:Mice; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012093:Replicon; D014779:Virus Replication
D012367:RNA, Viral