Molecular presenting system
AssigneeInternational Centre For Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Trieste
InventorsFrancesco Ernesto Baralle, Eduardo Scodeller, Sergio Tisminetzky
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Abstract
The invention refers to a molecular presentation system in which viral proteins are foreseen as carriers for heterologous amino acid sequences. Hereby, the viral protein is derived from small insect viruses, primarily from Flock House Virus (FHV), with a known 3-dimensional structure and amino acid sequence, whereby heterologous amino acid sequences, for example epitopes, are inserted in the outwardly directed loops of the viral capsid protein. Moreover, the expression of the FHV capsid protein in insect cells can produce mature virus like particles (VLP) through a recombinant baculovirus.
Claims10
A molecular presentation system utilizing a viral protein carrier comprising a Flock House Virus (FHV) viral protein in which at least one heterologous amino acid sequence is inserted into at least one region of the outwardly directed loops of the Flock House Virus capsid protein.
A process for the production of a molecular presentation system utilizing a viral protein carrier comprising
- modifying the RNA-2 gene encoding the Flock House Virus capsid protein in at least one of the regions encoding loops L1, L2, L3, I1, I2, or I3 designated in FIG. 1, by at least one modification selected from the group consisting of a deletion, mutagenesis and an insertion in said regions to create at least one enzyme restriction site;
- and
- inserting at least one DNA sequence encoding at least one heterologous amino acid sequence into said restriction site.
A method of inducing an immune response against at least one specific amino acid sequence in a subject comprising
- administering a Flock House Virus (FHV) viral protein in which at least one heterologous amino acid sequence is inserted into at least one region of the outwardly directed loops of the Flock House Virus capsid protein to said subject.
A method of detecting the presence of antibodies to specific amino acid sequences in a sample comprising
- contacting said sample with a Flock House Virus (FHV) viral protein in which at least one heterologous amino acid sequence is inserted into at least one region of the outwardly directed loops of the Flock House Virus capsid protein;
- and
- detecting binding of said FHV viral protein to said antibodies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.