The S gene of transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) was inserted into the genome of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) using the transfer plasmid pVL941. Infection of Sf9 insect cells with the recombinant virus resulted in the synthesis of a 175K polypeptide which was able to trimerize and was transported to the cell surface as is the authentic TGEV S protein. Despite the lack of complete carbohydrate processing, the recombinant S protein exhibited antigenic properties similar to TGEV S and induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies in immunized rats. Engineering a deletion (70 amino acids) into the carboxy-terminus containing the membrane anchor of the polypeptide allowed its secretion. The oligomerization process and the antigenic profile of the anchor-free S protein were shown to be partially altered. ยฉ 1991.
year โฐ 1991
issn ๐Ÿ—„ 10960341 00426822
volume 185
number 2
page 732-740
citedbycount 28