Unusual Features of Vaccinia Virus Extracellular Virion Form Neutralization Resistance Revealed in Human Antibody Responses to the Smallpox Vaccine

The extracellular virion form (EV) of vaccinia virus (VACV) is essential for viral pathogenesis and is difficult to neutralize with antibodies. Why this is the case and how the smallpox vaccine overcomes this challenge remain incompletely understood. We previously showed that high concentrations of anti-B5 antibodies are insufficient to directly neutralize EV (M. R. Benhnia, et al., J. Virol. 83:1201–1215, 2009). This allowed for at least two possible interpretations: covering the EV surface is insufficient for neutralization, or there are insufficient copies of B5 to allow anti-B5 IgG to cover the whole surface of EV and another viral receptor protein remains active. We endeavored to test these possibilities, focusing on the antibody responses elicited by immunization against smallpox. We tested whether human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the three major EV antigens, B5, A33, and A56, could individually or together neutralize EV. While anti-B5 or anti-A33 (but not anti-A56) MAbs of appropriate isotypes were capable of neutralizing EV in the presence of complement, a mixture of anti-B5, anti-A33, and anti-A56 MAbs was incapable of directly neutralizing EV, even at high concentrations. This remained true when neutralizing the IHD-J strain, which lacks a functional version of the fourth and final known EV surface protein, A34. These immunological data are consistent with the possibility that viral proteins may not be the active component of the EV surface for target cell binding and infectivity. We conclude that the protection afforded by the smallpox vaccine anti-EV response is predominantly mediated not by direct neutralization but by isotype-dependent effector functions, such as complement recruitment for antibodies targeting B5 and A33.     

Heavily Isotype-Dependent Protective Activities of Human Antibodies against Vaccinia Virus Extracellular Virion Antigen B5

Antibodies against the extracellular virion (EV or EEV) form of vaccinia virus are an important component of protective immunity in animal models and likely contribute to the protection of immunized humans against poxviruses. Using fully human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), we now have shown that the protective attributes of the human anti-B5 antibody response to the smallpox vaccine (vaccinia virus) are heavily dependent on effector functions. By switching Fc domains of a single MAb, we have definitively shown that neutralization in vitro—and protection in vivo in a mouse model—by the human anti-B5 immunoglobulin G MAbs is isotype dependent, thereby demonstrating that efficient protection by these antibodies is not simply dependent on binding an appropriate vaccinia virion antigen with high affinity but in fact requires antibody effector function. The complement components C3 and C1q, but not C5, were required for neutralization. We also have demonstrated that human MAbs against B5 can potently direct complement-dependent cytotoxicity of vaccinia virus-infected cells. Each of these results was then extended to the polyclonal human antibody response to the smallpox vaccine. A model is proposed to explain the mechanism of EV neutralization. Altogether these findings enhance our understanding of the central protective activities of smallpox vaccine-elicited antibodies in immunized humans.The smallpox vaccine, live vaccinia virus (VACV), is frequently considered the gold standard of human vaccines and has been enormously effective in preventing smallpox disease. The smallpox vaccine led to the worldwide eradication of the disease via massive vaccination campaigns in the 1960s and 1970s, one of the greatest successes of modern medicine (30). However, despite the efficacy of the smallpox vaccine, the mechanisms of protection remain unclear. Understanding those mechanisms is key for developing immunologically sound vaccinology principles that can be applied to the design of future vaccines for other infectious diseases (3, 101).Clinical studies of fatal human cases of smallpox disease (variola virus infection) have shown that neutralizing antibody titers were either low or absent in patient serum (24, 68). In contrast, neutralizing antibody titers for the VACV intracellular mature virion (MV or IMV) were correlated with protection of vaccinees against smallpox (68). VACV immune globulin (VIG) (human polyclonal antibodies) is a promising treatment against smallpox (47), since it was able to reduce the number of smallpox cases ∼80% among variola-exposed individuals in four case-controlled clinical studies (43, 47, 52, 53, 69). In animal studies, neutralizing antibodies are crucial for protecting primates and mice against pathogenic poxviruses (3, 7, 17, 21, 27, 35, 61, 66, 85).The specificities and the functions of protective antipoxvirus antibodies have been areas of intensive research, and the mechanics of poxvirus neutralization have been debated for years. There are several interesting features and problems associated with the antibody response to variola virus and related poxviruses, including the large size of the viral particles and the various abundances of many distinct surface proteins (18, 75, 91, 93). Furthermore, poxviruses have two distinct virion forms, intracellular MV and extracellular enveloped virions (EV or EEV), each with a unique biology. Most importantly, MV and EV virions share no surface proteins (18, 93), and therefore, there is no single neutralizing antibody that can neutralize both virion forms. As such, an understanding of virion structure is required to develop knowledge regarding the targets of protective antibodies.Neutralizing antibodies confer protection mainly through the recognition of antigens on the surface of a virus. A number of groups have discovered neutralizing antibody targets of poxviruses in animals and humans (3). The relative roles of antibodies against MV and EV in protective immunity still remain somewhat unclear. There are compelling data that antibodies against MV (21, 35, 39, 66, 85, 90, 91) or EV (7, 16, 17, 36, 66, 91) are sufficient for protection, and a combination of antibodies against both targets is most protective (66). It remains controversial whether antibodies to one virion form are more important than those to the other (3, 61, 66). The most abundant viral particles are MV, which accumulate in infected cells and are released as cells die (75). Neutralization of MV is relatively well characterized (3, 8, 21, 35). EV, while less abundant, are critical for viral spread and virulence in vivo (93, 108). Neutralization of EV has remained more enigmatic (3).B5R (also known as B5 or WR187), one of five known EV-specific proteins, is highly conserved among different strains of VACV and in other orthopoxviruses (28, 49). B5 was identified as a protective antigen by Galmiche et al., and the available evidence indicated that the protection was mediated by anti-B5 antibodies (36). Since then, a series of studies have examined B5 as a potential recombinant vaccine antigen or as a target of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) (1, 2, 7, 17, 40, 46, 66, 91, 110). It is known that humans immunized with the smallpox vaccine make antibodies against B5 (5, 22, 62, 82). It is also known that animals receiving the smallpox vaccine generate antibodies against B5 (7, 20, 27, 70). Furthermore, previous neutralization assays have indicated that antibodies generated against B5 are primarily responsible for neutralization of VACV EV (5, 83). Recently Chen at al. generated chimpanzee-human fusion MAbs against B5 and showed that the MAbs can protect mice from lethal challenge with virulent VACV (17). We recently reported, in connection with a study using murine monoclonal antibodies, that neutralization of EV is highly complement dependent and the ability of anti-B5 MAbs to protect in vivo correlated with their ability to neutralize EV in a complement-dependent manner (7).The focus of the study described here was to elucidate the mechanisms of EV neutralization, focusing on the human antibody response to B5. Our overall goal is to understand underlying immunobiological and virological parameters that determine the emergence of protective antiviral immune responses in humans.     

Deletion of Specific Immune-Modulatory Genes from Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara-Based HIV Vaccines Engenders Improved Immunogenicity in Rhesus Macaques

Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is a safe, attenuated orthopoxvirus that is being developed as a vaccine vector but has demonstrated limited immunogenicity in several early-phase clinical trials. Our objective was to rationally improve the immunogenicity of MVA-based HIV/AIDS vaccines via the targeted deletion of specific poxvirus immune-modulatory genes. Vaccines expressing codon-optimized HIV subtype C consensus Env and Gag antigens were generated from MVA vector backbones that (i) harbor simultaneous deletions of four viral immune-modulatory genes, encoding an interleukin-18 (IL-18) binding protein, an IL-1β receptor, a dominant negative Toll/IL-1 signaling adapter, and CC-chemokine binding protein (MVAΔ4-HIV); (ii) harbor a deletion of an additional (fifth) viral gene, encoding uracil-DNA glycosylase (MVAΔ5-HIV); or (iii) represent the parental MVA backbone as a control (MVA-HIV). We performed head-to-head comparisons of the cellular and humoral immune responses that were elicited by these vectors during homologous prime-boost immunization regimens utilizing either high-dose (2 × 10⁸ PFU) or low-dose (1 × 10⁷ PFU) intramuscular immunization of rhesus macaques. At all time points, a majority of the HIV-specific T cell responses, elicited by all vectors, were directed against Env, rather than Gag, determinants, as previously observed with other vector systems. Both modified vectors elicited up to 6-fold-higher frequencies of HIV-specific CD8 and CD4 T cell responses and up to 25-fold-higher titers of Env (gp120)-specific binding (nonneutralizing) antibody responses that were relatively transient in nature. While the correlates of protection against HIV infection remain incompletely defined, our results indicate that the rational deletion of specific genes from MVA vectors can positively alter their cellular and humoral immunogenicity profiles in nonhuman primates.     

Vaccinia Virus Extracellular Enveloped Virion Neutralization In Vitro and Protection In Vivo Depend on Complement

Antibody neutralization is an important component of protective immunity against vaccinia virus (VACV). Two distinct virion forms, mature virion and enveloped virion (MV and EV, respectively), possess separate functions and nonoverlapping immunological properties. In this study we examined the mechanics of EV neutralization, focusing on EV protein B5 (also called B5R). We show that neutralization of EV is predominantly complement dependent. From a panel of high-affinity anti-B5 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), the only potent neutralizer in vitro (90% at 535 ng/ml) was an immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a), and neutralization was complement mediated. This MAb was the most protective in vivo against lethal intranasal VACV challenge. Further studies demonstrated that in vivo depletion of complement caused a >50% loss of anti-B5 IgG2a protection, directly establishing the importance of complement for protection against the EV form. However, the mechanism of protection is not sterilizing immunity via elimination of the inoculum as the viral inoculum consisted of a purified MV form. The prevention of illness in vivo indicated rapid control of infection. We further demonstrate that antibody-mediated killing of VACV-infected cells expressing surface B5 is a second protective mechanism provided by complement-fixing anti-B5 IgG. Cell killing was very efficient, and this effector function was highly isotype specific. These results indicate that anti-B5 antibody-directed cell lysis via complement is a powerful mechanism for clearance of infected cells, keeping poxvirus-infected cells from being invisible to humoral immune responses. These findings highlight the importance of multiple mechanisms of antibody-mediated protection against VACV and point to key immunobiological differences between MVs and EVs that impact the outcome of infection.     

Protective Efficacy and Immunogenicity of an Adenoviral Vector Vaccine Encoding the Codon-Optimized F Protein of Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Adenoviral vectors (AdV) have received considerable attention for vaccine development because of their high immunogenicity and efficacy. In previous studies, it was shown that DNA immunization of mice with codon-optimized expression plasmids encoding the fusion protein of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV F) resulted in enhanced protection against RSV challenge compared to immunization with plasmids carrying the wild-type cDNA sequence of RSV F. In this study, we constructed AdV carrying the codon-optimized full-length RSV F gene (AdV-F) or the soluble form of the RSV F gene (AdV-Fsol). BALB/c mice were immunized twice with AdV-F or AdV-Fsol and challenged with RSV intranasally. Substantial levels of antibody to RSV F were induced by both AdV vaccines, with peak neutralizing-antibody titers of 1:900. Consistently, the viral loads in lung homogenates and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids were significantly reduced by a factor of more than 60,000. The protection against viral challenge could be measured even 8 months after the booster immunization. AdV-F and AdV-Fsol induced similar levels of immunogenicity and protective efficacy. Therefore, these results encourage further development of AdV vaccines against RSV infection in humans.Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a highly infectious member of the paramyxovirus family causing upper and lower respiratory tract infections in humans. Serious acute RSV infections, including fatal cases of bronchiolitis and pneumonia, occur particularly in premature infants, immunocompromised adults, and patients with pre-existing chronic lung diseases or underlying heart defects (11, 12, 14, 39, 46, 56). In young children, RSV is the most common respiratory tract pathogen, accounting for approximately 50% of hospitalizations due to lower respiratory tract infections (21). In population-based surveillance studies for hospitalization in Europe, RSV was identified in 42 to 45% of enrolled children younger than 2 years with lower respiratory tract infections, and the rate of hospitalization due to RSV-induced respiratory illnesses was estimated at 3 to 6% among industrialized nations (45). Children with severe RSV infections suffer from oxygen deficiency with cyanosis and require intensive medical care. Furthermore, RSV infection in childhood is suspected to be a risk factor for development of asthma (36, 41, 43, 59). The urgent need for an RSV vaccine is further demonstrated by a study showing that levels of disease burden, mortality, and morbidity caused by RSV infections in the elderly are comparable to those induced by nonpandemic influenza A infections (11). However, the immunization of children with a formalin-inactivated (FI) RSV vaccine in the 1960s resulted in a more severe clinical illness, with two fatal cases, than in nonvaccinated infants following RSV infection, pointing out the difficulties in developing a safe and efficacious RSV vaccine (7, 29). It was shown previously that the enhanced disease severity and the development of pulmonary eosinophilia are mainly attributable to an excessive Th2-polarized immune response (15, 35, 57). Furthermore, the lack of high-affinity antibodies after poor Toll-like receptor stimulation has been suggested to be a key factor of the enhanced disease induced by FI RSV vaccination and subsequent RSV infection shown recently (8). However, the enhanced disease induced by FI RSV could partially be reversed by the chemical reduction of the carbonyl groups produced by prior treatment with aldehyde (34).Passive transfer of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody directed against RSV F (palivizumab) results in significant reduction of hospitalization rate due to RSV infection in children and preterm infants (16, 25), making RSV F a promising vaccine candidate for active immunization. Besides being a target for neutralizing antibodies, RSV F additionally contains cytotoxic-T-cell epitopes (1, 37). Moreover, RSV F based DNA vaccines induced encouraging immune responses of a balanced Th1/Th2 type in mice, as pulmonary eosinophilia and disease-enhancing effects were not observed after viral challenge (4, 5, 19, 31, 52). Additionally, RSV F is highly conserved between the two antigenic subgroups of RSV, which allows generation of cross-reactive antibodies after immunization (26).We recently showed that vaccination with codon-optimized RSV F expression plasmids induced improved humoral immune responses in mice compared to vaccination with wild-type cDNA expression plasmids (52). Consequently, viral load was reduced 13-fold in mice immunized with full-length RSV F and 170-fold in mice immunized with the soluble form of RSV F following RSV challenge in comparison to nonimmunized mice. Based on these results, we inserted the codon-optimized open reading frame (ORF) of both full-length RSV F and its soluble form into a replication-deficient adenoviral serotype 5 vector (AdV), generating AdV-F and AdV-Fsol, respectively, to further enhance the immunogenicity and efficiency of the delivered RSV F transgenes. AdVs were chosen because these viral vectors have been extensively studied and have proven their potential as vaccine vectors in multiple successful preclinical studies (reviewed in references 47, 24, and 51). AdVs are also potent inducers of both humoral and cellular immune responses in animal models and in humans (48, 49, 55). Furthermore, convenience of vector design, ease of handling and a robust antigen expression make AdVs a promising vaccine delivery platform. Another main advantage is their natural tropism for mucosal surfaces, which makes adenoviral vaccines convenient for the purpose of immunization against respiratory pathogens that preferentially initiate infection at the mucosal site (40).However, AdV vaccines expressing the wild-type RSV F protein were tested in several animal models without achieving convincing protection against RSV challenge (13, 22, 23). This might be due to poor RSV F expression levels caused by premature polyadenylation, which could be overcome by codon optimization (53). Hence, here we used the codon-optimized RSV F based AdVs AdV-F and AdV-Fsol and evaluated their potential as RSV vaccines, showing greatly improved vaccine efficacy.     

以减毒沙门氏菌为载体的小鼠肝炎病毒DNA疫苗的构建及其免疫原性

目的：构建以减毒沙门氏菌为载体的小鼠肝炎病毒DNA疫苗,研究该疫苗的免疫原性。方法：以小鼠肝炎病毒S1基因的重组真核表达质粒pVAX1—S1免疫BALB／c小鼠,ELISA检测其诱导抗体产生情况;再将重组质粒pVAX1—S1电转化到减毒鼠伤寒沙门氏菌SL7207中,构建运送S1基因的重组减毒沙门氏菌SL7207（pVAX1—S1）,口服免疫BALB／c小鼠,间接免疫荧光试验鉴定减毒沙门氏菌运送的DNA疫苗的免疫原性。结果：与pVAX1空载体对照组相比,重组真核表达质粒pVAX1—S1免疫组二免及三免后抗体水平分别存在显著性差异（P〈0．05）和极显著性差异（P〈0．01）。减毒沙门氏菌运送的DNA疫苗SL7207（pVAX1—S1）诱导小鼠产生了特异性的血清抗体。结论：构建的重组减毒沙门氏菌SL7207（pVAX1—S1）具有良好的免疫原性,可诱导小鼠产生特异性的体液免疫应答。这为进一步研制冠状病毒新型基因疫苗奠定了基础。     

Protective Efficacy and Immunogenicity of a Combinatory DNA Vaccine against Influenza A Virus and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus

The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Influenza A Virus (IAV) are both two major causative agents of severe respiratory tract infections in humans leading to hospitalization and thousands of deaths each year. In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity and efficacy of a combinatory DNA vaccine in comparison to the single component vaccines against both diseases in a mouse model. Intramuscular electroporation with plasmids expressing the hemagglutinin (HA) of IAV and the F protein of RSV induced strong humoral immune responses regardless if they were delivered in combination or alone. In consequence, high neutralizing antibody titers were detected, which conferred protection against a lethal challenge with IAV. Furthermore, the viral load in the lungs after a RSV infection could be dramatically reduced in vaccinated mice. Concurrently, substantial amounts of antigen-specific, polyfunctional CD8⁺ T-cells were measured after vaccination. Interestingly, the cellular response to the hemagglutinin was significantly reduced in the presence of the RSV-F encoding plasmid, but not vice versa. Although these results indicate a suppressive effect of the RSV-F protein, the protective efficacy of the combinatory vaccine was comparable to the efficacy of both single-component vaccines. In conclusion, the novel combinatory vaccine against RSV and IAV may have great potential to reduce the rate of severe respiratory tract infections in humans without increasing the number of necessary vaccinations.     

Deletion in the Genes Encoding Outer Surface Proteins OspA and OspB of Borrelia garinii Isolated from Patients in Japan

We detected the expression of outer surface proteins OspA and OspB, and characterized the genes encoding the two Osps of eight Borrelia garinii isolates from patients in Japan. Six of the eight strains shared a common antigenic epitope in their OspA and/or OspB proteins to monoclonal antibody P3134 against OspB, and were identified to have a conserved carboxyl terminus on their ospA and ospB genes by Southern blot hybridization. One strain, JEM4, did not express OspB protein, which was due to lack of the ospB gene. Gene cloning and sequencing analysis revealed that it had only one osp open reading frame with 819 nucleotides, which was similar to the ospA gene. The deletion of the ospB gene could be explained by a homologous recombination based on the common C-terminal sequences on the ospAB operon.     

Comparison of the Cowpox Virus and Vaccinia Virus Mature Virion Proteome: Analysis of the Species- and Strain-Specific Proteome

Cowpox virus (CPXV) causes most zoonotic orthopoxvirus (OPV) infections in Europe and Northern as well as Central Asia. The virus has the broadest host range of OPV and is transmitted to humans from rodents and other wild or domestic animals. Increasing numbers of human CPXV infections in a population with declining immunity have raised concerns about the virus’ zoonotic potential. While there have been reports on the proteome of other human-pathogenic OPV, namely vaccinia virus (VACV) and monkeypox virus (MPXV), the protein composition of the CPXV mature virion (MV) is unknown. This study focused on the comparative analysis of the VACV and CPXV MV proteome by label-free single-run proteomics using nano liquid chromatography and high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (nLC-MS/MS). The presented data reveal that the common VACV and CPXV MV proteome contains most of the known conserved and essential OPV proteins and is associated with cellular proteins known to be essential for viral replication. While the species-specific proteome could be linked mainly to less genetically-conserved gene products, the strain-specific protein abundance was found to be of high variance in proteins associated with entry, host-virus interaction and protein processing.     

跨膜蛋白基因克隆载体pMBL的构建及验证

自行设计一对引物,从质粒pUC18上扩增一段无启动子和信号肽的β-内酰胺酶基因(△P△SP Amp),以作为最终构建的载体克隆到带跨膜信号基因片段的报告基因。所设计的上游引物中依次带有分别处于3个不同阅读框架、且形成匹配粘性末端的3个酶切位点BglⅡ、BclI、BamHI,以便最终构建的载体捕获基因时的对位融合和表达。pET-28经BglI、Bst1107I双酶切,去除约2．5kh的lac I等基因的冗余片段,保留Kan抗性基因、复制原点、多克隆位点等结构,并消除BglⅡ位点,获得作为最终构建载体的抗性基因和基本骨架的过渡质粒pKan。△p△SP Amp基因经pGEM-T-EASY载体,克隆到pKan的EcoRI和XbaI间,得到在Kan平板中生长而在Amp和Kan双抗平板中不能生长的转化子pMBL-E质粒;经部分酶切补平自连,筛选得到消除HindⅢ位点端EcoRI位点的质粒,即得到用于跨膜蛋白信号基因片段捕获克隆的目的载体pMBL,大小为3．46kb。经酶切鉴定和测序,证明构建的载体与预期设计的一致。应用四环素抗性基因(Tet)片段对构建的跨膜蛋白基因克隆载体pMBL．的有效性进行了验证,在克隆人EcoRI和BglⅡ双酶切(0位)的载体中,Kan和Amp双抗平板筛选到阳性克隆子,经酶切和测序均显示Tet基因已对位插人,并启动了β-内酰胺酶的表达和跨膜分泌。由此证明：构建的跨膜蛋白克隆载体pMBL能有效捕获含启动子和信号肽序列的跨膜蛋白基因。     

IL-5在非复制重组痘苗病毒中的表达及其对重组病毒免疫效果的影响

利用非复制型痘苗病毒表达载体 pNEOCK11β75IL5和重组病毒RVJ12 3,通过两步重组构建了能同时表达IL 5和乙型肝炎病毒HBsAg的非复制型重组痘苗病毒RVJ12 3Δ11β75IL5。Southern blot证实 ,痘苗病毒C K片段间基因缺失的同时伴有IL 5基因的插入。鼻腔吸入分别免疫Balb/c小鼠和新西兰白兔 ,ELISPOT实验证实 ,免疫后两周小鼠肺淋巴细胞的抗HBsAgIgA抗体分泌细胞 (ASC)数比对照组 (RVJ12 3Δ11β75 )增加约 2倍 ,而同时小鼠肺淋巴细胞的抗HBsAgIgG抗体分泌细胞 (ASC)数与对照组无差别。可在小鼠血液、肺浸出液以及新西兰白兔血液、肺浸出液、其它分泌液样品中检测到抗乙型肝炎病毒HBsAg的特异性的IgA、IgG抗体 ,与对照组相比 ,IgA抗体阳转率及抗体滴度提高 ,而IgG则无差异。本实验说明 :IL 5可在体内选择性地增强机体的粘膜IgA反应。提示非复制载体疫苗中 ,表达的该细胞因子可有效的增强疫苗的粘膜免疫反应 ,为粘膜疫苗的发展策略提供了新的途径     

Immunization with a Recombinant Vaccinia Virus That Encodes Nonstructural Proteins of the Hepatitis C Virus Suppresses Viral Protein Levels in Mouse Liver

Chronic hepatitis C, which is caused by infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), is a global health problem. Using a mouse model of hepatitis C, we examined the therapeutic effects of a recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV) that encodes an HCV protein. We generated immunocompetent mice that each expressed multiple HCV proteins via a Cre/loxP switching system and established several distinct attenuated rVV strains. The HCV core protein was expressed consistently in the liver after polyinosinic acid–polycytidylic acid injection, and these mice showed chronic hepatitis C-related pathological findings (hepatocyte abnormalities, accumulation of glycogen, steatosis), liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Immunization with one rVV strain (rVV-N25), which encoded nonstructural HCV proteins, suppressed serum inflammatory cytokine levels and alleviated the symptoms of pathological chronic hepatitis C within 7 days after injection. Furthermore, HCV protein levels in liver tissue also decreased in a CD4 and CD8 T-cell-dependent manner. Consistent with these results, we showed that rVV-N25 immunization induced a robust CD8 T-cell immune response that was specific to the HCV nonstructural protein 2. We also demonstrated that the onset of chronic hepatitis in CN2-29^(+/−)/MxCre^(+/−) mice was mainly attributable to inflammatory cytokines, (tumor necrosis factor) TNF-α and (interleukin) IL-6. Thus, our generated mice model should be useful for further investigation of the immunological processes associated with persistent expression of HCV proteins because these mice had not developed immune tolerance to the HCV antigen. In addition, we propose that rVV-N25 could be developed as an effective therapeutic vaccine.     

Evolution of the Genes Encoding Seed Storage Proteins in Sugarcane and Maize

Prolamins, the seed storage proteins of maize, sorghum and coix were also found in sugarcane. Prolamins are grouped into structurally distinct classes termed the α-, β-, γ- and δ-prolamins. Orthologues for almost all of the α-, β-, γ- and δ-prolamins classes were identified in sugarcane. In maize, there are two molecular weight classes of α-prolamins, the 22 and 19 kD α-zeins. Sugarcane also possesses both the 22 kD and the 19 kD α-prolamins, which we denote as caneins, whereas sorghum and coix contain only the 22 kD α-prolamin (α-kafirin and α-coixin, respectively). Amino acid sequence alignments of the 22 and 19 kD α-prolamins from these plants revealed that both the 19 kD α-zein and the 19 kD α-canein lack around 20 amino acids at the sixth α-helix domain. We postulate that the 19 kD α-prolamins originated from a deletion of the sixth α-helix of a 22 kD counterpart in the saccharum lineage. Saccharum and sorghum diverged around five to nine million years ago (Mya), when only the 22 kD α-prolamins existed. The 19 kD α-canein must therefore have emerged after this time. Sorghum possesses a 19 kD α-prolamin similar to that of sugarcane and maize, but it contains the sixth α-helix domain lacking in the 19 kD α-zein and the 19 kD α-canein. This sorghum α-prolamin that we called 19 kD-like α-kafirin must be the ancestor of the 19 kD α-canein. The 19 kD-like α-kafirin could also be the ancestor of the 19 kD α-zein but it is also possible that the genes encoding the 19 kD α-zein and the 19 kD α-canein have evolved separately in these close groups.     

呼吸道合胞病毒重组蛋白候选疫苗的质粒构建、表达及免疫原性和保护性研究

PCR扩增呼吸道合胞病毒（respiratory syncytial virus,RSV）M2 蛋白的CD8＋T细胞表位F/M2:81-95和RSV-G蛋白的B细胞表位片段G:125～225（简称G1）,以一个Linker连接,插入质粒pET-DsbA中构建原核表达重组质粒, 转染E.coli BL21(DE3)后成功表达了融合蛋白DsbA-G1-Linker-F/M2:81-95（简称D-G1LF/M2）,Western-blot结果表明该融合蛋白是RSV特异性的,采用Ni+螯合亲和层析法纯化变性的包涵体溶液,经梯度透析法复性,用该蛋白免疫BALB/c小鼠,结果表明被免疫小鼠肺部及血清中产生了高滴度的抗D-G1LF/M2及抗RSV IgG抗体和中和抗体,同时还诱导产生了RSV特异性的CTL应答;IgG的亚型IgG1/IgG2a的比值为2.66;用RSV攻击免疫后的小鼠,病毒滴定法检测肺部RSV滴度,结果表明D-G1LF/M2对小鼠肺部具有保护作用。