Abstract
We have developed a method for attenuating vaccinia virus recombinants by expressing a fusion protein of a lymphokine and an immunogen. Chimeric genes were constructed that coded for γ Interferon (IFN-γ) and structural proteins of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). In this study, we describe the biological and immunological properties of vaccinia virus recombinants expressing chimeric genes of murine or human IFN-γ with glycoprotein gp120, gag, and a fragment of gp41. All fusion proteins retained the antigenic characteristics of both IFN-γ and HIV as shown by immunoblot analysis. However, the antiviral activity of IFN-γ could be demonstrated only for the IFN-γ-gag fusion protein. In contrast, the attenuating activity of IFN-γ for nude mice was retained by all of the recombinants, albeit at various rates. Unlike the antiviral activity, the attenuating activity of IFN-γ was not species specific. Implications for the development of attenuated live recombinant vaccines for AIDS are discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3409-3413 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Volume | 89 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1992 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Chimeric proteins
- Lymphokines
- Vaccine development
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General