title: Immunogenic compositions assembled from tobacco mosaic virus-generated spherical particle platforms and foreign antigens.
abstract: We reported recently that RNA-free spherical particles (SPs) generated by thermal remodelling of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) are capable of binding GFP to their surface. Here, we show that SPs represent a universal particle platform that can form compositions by binding a diversity of various foreign proteins/epitopes of viral and non-viral origin to their surface. Numerous molecules of a foreign protein linked to the SP surface were revealed by immunogold electron microscopy. Several SP-based compositions were obtained containing one of the following foreign antigens: antigenic determinant A of rubella virus E1 glycoprotein; a recombinant protein containing the M2e epitope of influenza virus A protein M2; a recombinant antigen consisting of three epitopes of influenza virus A haemagglutinin; potato virus X (PVX) coat protein (CP); BSA; and PVX CP fused with the epitope of plum pox virus CP. The 'mixed' compositions could be also assembled by binding two different foreign antigens to each of the SPs. Immunogenicity of foreign antigens adsorbed or linked covalently to SPs in the SP-based compositions was examined. The antigenic specificity of foreign antigens was retained, whereas their immunogenicity increased significantly. It was inferred that SPs exhibit immunopotentiating activity, in particular in the form of compositions comprising SP and foreign antigen linked covalently to their surface by formaldehyde.
authors: Department of Virology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia.
authors: Olga
authors: O
authors: Karpova
authors: Department of Virology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia.
authors: Nikolai
authors: N
authors: Nikitin
authors: Department of Virology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia.
authors: Sergey
authors: S
authors: Chirkov
authors: Department of Virology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia.
authors: Ekaterina
authors: E
authors: Trifonova
authors: Department of Virology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Sheveleva
authors: Department of Virology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia.
authors: Ekaterina
authors: E
authors: Lazareva
authors: A. N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia.|Department of Virology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia.
authors: Joseph
authors: J
authors: Atabekov
mesh_terms: D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D011485:Protein Binding; D014027:Tobacco Mosaic Virus / Q000737:chemistry*; D014771:Virion / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004337:Drug Carriers