Curtis James Hayes

US Patent:

58956514, Apr 20, 1999

Filed:

Jun 27, 1996

Appl. No.:

8/671056

Inventors:

Monika Simmons - Gaithersburg MD
Curtis G. Hayes - Frederick MD
Kevin R. Porter - Gaithersburg MD

Assignee:

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC

International Classification:

A61K 3900
A61K 3912

US Classification:

4241921

Abstract:

A recombinant fusion protein (DEN-2 MBP) containing the B domain of the due (DEN 2 envelope protein is disclosed as a candidate subunit immunogen for vaccination against dengue virus infection. A gene fragment encoding amino acid 298 to amino acid 400 of the DEN-2 virus envelope was expressed as a fusion protein with the maltose binding protein (MBP) of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The recombinant fusion protein was purified and analyzed for its antigenicity imunogenicity and ability to protect mice against lethal challenge. This antigen is detected by monoclonal antibody (3H5) which is specific for a neutralizing epitope on the DEN-2 envelope and reacted with homologous polyclonal mouse immune ascitic fluid and DEN-2 immune human sera. A recombinant fusion plasmid bearing the DEN-2 MBP DNA sequence, expressing the fusion product in E. coli is disclosed.