Mutant of L1 Protein of Human Papillomavirus Type 39

A mutated HPV39 L1 protein or a variant thereof, wherein as compared with a wild type HPV39 L1 protein,

• (I) the mutated HPV39 L1 protein has the following mutations:
• (1) N-terminal truncation of 1-25 amino acids;
• and
• (2) substitution of amino acid residues at positions 269-288 of the wild type HPV39 L1 protein with amino acid residues at the corresponding positions of a L1 protein of a second type of wild-type HPV;
• or,
• (II) the mutated HPV39 L1 protein has the mutations as defined in (1) and (2), and further has the following mutation:
• (3)(a) substitution of amino acid residues at positions 117-140 of the wild type HPV39 L1 protein with amino acid residues at the corresponding positions of a L1 protein of a third type of wild-type HPV;
• or
• (b) substitution of amino acid residues at positions 169-181 of the wild type HPV39 L1 protein with amino acid residues at the corresponding positions of a L1 protein of a third type of wild-type HPV;
• or
• (c) substitution of amino acid residues at positions 347-358 of the wild type HPV39 L1 protein with amino acid residues at the corresponding positions of a L1 protein of a third type of wild-type HPV,
• and, the variant differs from the mutated HPV39 L1 protein only by substitution, addition or deletion of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 amino acids, and retains the function of the mutated HPV39 L1 protein, i.e. capability of inducing generation of neutralizing antibodies against at least two HPV types.