Recombinant HBsAg hybrid particles having morphological characteristics of the HBsAg antigen and containing an immunogenic sequence which induces neutralizing antibodies directed against HIV or susceptible of being recognized by such antibodies. Nucleotide sequences coding for such particles and vaccines containing them

摘要

The invention relates to an active principle of a vaccine against HIV. This active principle consists of recombinant particles exhibiting the essential morphological characteristics of HBsAg particles and comprising, flush with the surface of these particles, the essence of the amino acid sequence (S) coded by the S region and, if appropriate, all or part of the amino acid sequence coded by the pre-S region of the genome of the hepatitis B virus, upstream of the said amino acid sequence (S), these recombinant particles being characterised in that they additionally comprise an immunogenic amino acid sequence inducing antibodies which are neutralising in respect of a retrovirus of the HIV class or capable of being recognised by such antibodies, this sequence itself comprising at least one epitope capable of being recognised by the B lymphocytes, and at least one epitope capable of being recognised by the T lymphocytes and, where appropriate, at least one site of attachment to the CD4 receptor of human T4 lymphocytes, this immunogenic sequence being either inserted in the pre-S amino acid sequence or wholly or partly substituted with the pre-S protein.