title: Hemagglutinin stalk domain from H5N1 strain as a potentially universal antigen.
abstract: Influenza A virus infections are the major public health concern and cause significant morbidity and mortality each year worldwide. Vaccination is the main strategy of influenza epidemic prevention. However, seasonal vaccines induce strain-specific immunity and must be reformulated annually based on prediction of the strains that will circulate in the next season. Thus, it is essential to develop vaccines that would induce broad and persistent immunity to influenza viruses. Hemagglutinin is the major surface antigen of the influenza virus. Recent studies revealed the importance of HA stalk-specific antibodies in neutralization of different influenza virus strains. Therefore, it is important to design an immunogen that would focus the immune response on the HA stalk domain in order to elicit neutralizing antibodies. In the present study, we report characterization of a conserved truncated protein, potentially a universal influenza virus antigen from the H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A virus strain. Our results indicate that exposure of the HA stalk domain containing conserved epitopes results in cross reactivity with different antibodies (against group 1 and 2 HAs). Additionally, we conclude that HA stalk domain contains not only conformational epitopes recognized by universal FI6 antibody, but also linear epitopes recognized by other antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Recombinant Vaccines, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uranowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Recombinant Vaccines, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tyborowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Recombinant Vaccines, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jurek
authors.affiliation: Department of Recombinant Vaccines, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Bogusław
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Szewczyk
authors.affiliation: Department of Recombinant Vaccines, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gromadzka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D001717:Birds; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus