title: Yeast-expressed Puumala hantavirus nucleocapsid protein induces protection in a bank vole model.
abstract: Hantaviruses are rodent-borne agents that cause severe human diseases. The coding sequences for the authentic and a His-tagged Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) nucleocapsid (N) protein were expressed in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). N-specific monoclonal antibodies demonstrated native antigenicity of the two proteins. All bank voles vaccinated with the His-tagged N protein in Freund's adjuvant (n=12) were defined as completely protected against subsequent virus challenge, based on the absence of viral N protein, RNA and G2-specific antibodies. In the group vaccinated with the yeast-expressed authentic N protein in Freund's adjuvant, 2/6 animals were defined as completely protected and 4/6 as partially protected. Moreover, when animals were vaccinated with the His-tagged N protein in an adjuvant certified for human use (alum), all (n=8) were at least partially protected (six completely, two partially). The general advantages of the yeast expression system make the described recombinant proteins promising candidate vaccines against hantavirus infection.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology, LT-2028, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Ausra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dargeviciute
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brus Sjölander
authors.forename: Kestutis
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sasnauskas
authors.forename: Detlev H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Krüger
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meisel
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.forename: Ake
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lundkvist
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D003411:Arvicolinae; D006801:Humans; D023421:Models, Animal; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D029262:Puumala virus / Q000276:immunology*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014765:Viral Vaccines