Modified plant viruses as vectors of heterologous peptides
AssigneeAxis Genetics PLC
InventorGeorge Peter Lomonossoff
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Abstract
The invention relates to assembled particles of a plant virus containing a foreign peptide insert in the coat protein of the virus. The site of the insert is free from direct sequence repeats flanking the insert. The invention also relates to a method of production of the particles and their use, in particular in vaccines.
Claims34
Assembled particles of a plant virus containing a foreign peptide insert as an addition at a non-terminal site in the coat protein of the virus, the site of the insert in the coat protein corresponding to a site in the plant virus genome which is free from direct nucleotide sequence repeats flanking the insert and wherein the coat protein of the virus has a .beta.-barrel structure and the site of insertion of the foreign peptide is in a loop connecting .beta. sheets of the plant virus, wherein the plant virus is a comovirus.
A fragment of a CPMV coat protein cDNA containing a DNA sequence which encodes a foreign peptide, said cDNA encoding said foreign peptide corresponding to a site in the CPMV genome which is free from direct nucleotide sequence repeats flanking the DNA encoding the foreign peptide.
A vector comprising a full length cDNA of CPMV M RNA containing a DNA insert encoding a foreign peptide at a site corresponding to an exposed surface of the coat protein of CPMV, the site being free from direct sequence repeats flanking the DNA insert.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.