title: Probing the ability of the coat and vertex protein of the membrane-containing bacteriophage PRD1 to display a meningococcal epitope.
abstract: Bacteriophage PRD1 is an icosahedral dsDNA virus with a diameter of 740 A and an outer protein shell composed of 720 copies of major coat protein P3. Spike complexes at the vertices are composed of a pentameric base (protein P31) and a spike structure (proteins P5 and P2) where the N-terminal region of the trimeric P5 is associated with the base and the C-terminal region of P5 is associated with receptor-binding protein P2. The functionality of proteins P3 and P5 was investigated using insertions and deletions. It was observed that P3 did not tolerate changes whereas P5 tolerated changes much more freely. These properties support the hypothesis that viruses have core structures and functions, which remain stable over time, as well as other elements, responsible for host interactions, which are evolutionally more fluid. The insertional probe used was the apex of exposed loop 4 of group B meningococcal outer membrane protein PorA, a medically important subunit vaccine candidate. It was demonstrated that the epitope could be displayed on the virus surface as part of spike protein P5.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences and Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Juha T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Huiskonen
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laakkonen
authors.forename: Maija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toropainen
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarvas
authors.forename: Dennis H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Bamford
authors.forename: Jaana K H
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Bamford
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D025622:Bacteriophage PRD1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002213:Capsid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D038541:Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup B / Q000276:immunology*; D018272:Porins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D018272:Porins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; C057699:porin protein, Neisseria; C084392:protein P3, bacteriophage PRD1; C413083:protein P5, bacteriophage PRD1