Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), a versatile platform for polyvalent display of antigenic epitopes and vaccine design

Journal Article · Mon May 25 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Virology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2009.02.051· OSTI ID:21357514

Kumar, Shantanu; Ochoa, Wendy ^[1]; Singh, Pratik ^[2]; Hsu, Catherine; Schneemann, Anette ^[1]; Manchester, Marianne ^[2]; Olson, Mark ^[3]; Reddy, Vijay ^[1]

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1. Department of Molecular Biology, TPC-6, Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037 (United States)
2. Department of Cell Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 (United States)
3. Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Frederick, MD 21702 (United States)

Viruses-like particles (VLPs) are frequently being used as platforms for polyvalent display of foreign epitopes of interest on their capsid surface to improve their presentation enhancing the antigenicity and host immune response. In the present study, we used the VLPs of Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), an icosahedral plant virus, as a platform to display 180 copies of 16 amino acid epitopes of ricin toxin fused to the C-terminal end of a modified TBSV capsid protein (NDELTA52). Expression of the chimeric recombinant protein in insect cells resulted in spontaneous assembly of VLPs displaying the ricin epitope. Cryo-electron microscopy and image reconstruction of the chimeric VLPs at 22 A resolution revealed the locations and orientation of the ricin epitope exposed on the TBSV capsid surface. Furthermore, injection of chimeric VLPs into mice generated antisera that detected the native ricin toxin. The ease of fusing of short peptides of 15-20 residues and their ability to form two kinds (T = 1, T = 3) of bio-nanoparticles that result in the display of 60 or 180 copies of less constrained and highly exposed antigenic epitopes makes TBSV an attractive and versatile display platform for vaccine design.

• OSTI ID: 21357514
• Journal Information: Virology, Journal Name: Virology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 388; ISSN VIRLAX; ISSN 0042-6822
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
AMINO ACIDS
ANIMALS
ARTHROPODS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
FOOD
FRUITS
IMAGE PROCESSING
INSECTS
INVERTEBRATES
MAMMALS
MICE
MICROORGANISMS
MICROSCOPY
NANOSTRUCTURES
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PARASITES
PEPTIDES
PROCESSING
PROTEINS
RODENTS
TOMATOES
VACCINES
VERTEBRATES
VIRUSES