title: Capsomer vaccines protect mice from vaginal challenge with human papillomavirus.
abstract: Capsomers were produced in bacteria as glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins with human papillomavirus type 16 L1 lacking the first nine and final 29 residues (GST-HPV16L1Δ) alone or linked with residues 13-47 of HPV18, HPV31 and HPV45 L2 in tandem (GST-HPV16L1Δ-L2x3). Subcutaneous immunization of mice with GST-HPV16L1Δ or GST-HPV16L1Δ-L2x3 in alum and monophosphoryl lipid A induced similarly high titers of HPV16 neutralizing antibodies. GST-HPV16L1Δ-L2x3 also elicited moderate L2-specific antibody titers. Intravaginal challenge studies showed that immunization of mice with GST-HPV16 L1Δ or GST-HPV16L1Δ-L2x3 capsomers, like Cervarix®, provided complete protection against HPV16. Conversely, vaccination with GST-HPV16 L1Δ capsomers failed to protect against HPV18 challenge, whereas mice immunized with either GST-HPV16L1Δ-L2x3 capsomers or Cervarix® were each completely protected. Thus, while the L2-specific response was moderate, it did not interfere with immunity to L1 in the context of GST-HPV16L1Δ-L2x3 and is sufficient to mediate L2-dependent protection against an experimental vaginal challenge with HPV18.
authors: Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors: Wai-Hong
authors: WH
authors: Wu
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Gersch
authors: Kihyuck
authors: K
authors: Kwak
authors: Subhashini
authors: S
authors: Jagu
authors: Balasubramanyam
authors: B
authors: Karanam
authors: Warner K
authors: WK
authors: Huh
authors: Robert L
authors: RL
authors: Garcea
authors: Richard B S
authors: RB
authors: Roden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000276:immunology; D002213:Capsid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D052162:Human papillomavirus 16 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014621:Vagina / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D014771:Virion
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines