Attenuated equine herpesvirus
AssigneeAkzo Nobel N.V.
InventorsPaulus Jacobus Antonius Sondermeijer, Nicolaas N. Visser, Cherida Rachel Dhore
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to novel Equine herpesvirus (EHV) mutants comprising one or more deletions, substitutions, or insertions in the endogenous promoter region of an essential viral gene, preferably the immediate early gene of EHV. The EHV mutants are stable and have reduced virulence, which makes them very suitable for use in a live vaccine. The invention furthermore relates to live vaccines comprising said EHV mutants, to DNA sequences and vectors harbouring a mutated EHV sequence, to host cells transfected with said DNA or vectors. The invention also relates to a method of attenuating EHV in general, and EHV-1 in particular.
Claims19
An equine herpes virus (EHV) mutant, having at least one mutation comprising one or more deletions, substitutions or insertions introduced into the endogenous promoter region of the Immediate Early (IE) gene or the EHV, whereby the level of expression of an essential gene located downstream from the mutation is reduced and the virulence of the EHV is attenuated.
An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising the endogenous promoter region of the Immediate Early gene from EHV and optionally one or more flanking sequences, which promoter region comprises a deletion or the SacI—SacI fragment, the HindIII-ClaI fragment, the NdeI—NdeI fragment or the SphI—SphI fragment, thereof.
A method of genetically attenuating EHV, comprising the step of mutating the endogenous promoter region of the IE gene, which mutation comprises one or more deletions, substitutions or insertions, whereby the level of expression of an essential gene located downstream from the mutation is reduced and the virulence of the EHV is attenuated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.