Abstract
Viral-like particles (VLPs) of parvovirus B19 were employed as an antigen carrier to present antigenic determinants of Bacillus anthracis. The small-loop peptide and the full-length domain 4 of protective antigen (PA) were chosen as immunogens for presentation on the VLP-capsid surface and subsequent immunization of BALB/c mice. The recombinant VLPs induced anti-PA IgG titers of up to 2.5×104. Neutralization assays showed that the recombinant VLPs elicited neutralizing anti-PA antibody titers of up to 1:400 and showed potential for the prevention of lethal toxin-induced mortality of mouse-macrophage cells (RAW264.7). In post-immune sera, no anti-PA titers were detected against synthetic small-loop peptide. Recombinant VLPs demonstrated the capacity to retain the immunogenicity of the displayed microbial PA-epitopes and elicited robust levels of anti-PA antibody titers. These findings suggest that the recombinant VLPs of parvovirus B19 have potential as an additional tool in the development of sub-unit vaccines.
Footnotes
- Received April 6, 2006.
- Accepted April 13, 2006.
- Copyright © 2006 The Author(s). Published by the International Institute of Anticancer Research.
