FUSION PROTEIN CONSTRUCT AND METHOD FOR INDUCING HIV-SPECIFIC SERUM IGG AND SECRETORY IGA ANTIBODIES IN-VIVO

摘要

The present invention provides a fusion protein construct (gp41HA) consistingof the ectodomain of the HIV-1IIIB envelope glycoprotein gp41 fused to afragment of the influenza virus HA2 hemagglutinin protein. Immunization in-vivo via an intraperitoneal prime followed by intranasal or intragastricboosts with gp41HA induces high concentrations of serum IgG antibodies andfecal IgA antibodies that reacted with gp41 in HIV-1IIIB viral lysate and arecross-reactive with gp41 in HIV-1MN lysate. Followup analyses by indirectimmunofluorescence showed that both serum IgG and fecal IgA recognized humanperipheral blood mononuclear cells infected with either syncytium-inducing(SI) or non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) North American HIV-1 field isolates, butnot uninfected cells.