ARS | Publication request: EXPRESSION OF FUNCTIONAL PROTEASE AND SUBVIRAL PARTICLES BY VACCINIA VIRUS CONTAINING EQUINE INFECTIOUS ANAEMIA VIRUS GAG AND 5' POL GENES

Submitted to: Journal of General Virology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: November 4, 1993
Publication Date: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Horses with equine infectious anemia virus, like humans infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), have a life-long infection, although many infected horses remain clinically normal for long periods of time. EIAV could be controlled by several potentially protective immune responses. An understanding of the mechanisms by which the horse controls the virus may be helpful in designing control measures to extend the life of humans infected with HIV. In this paper, the authors describe a recombinant virus that contains several key EIAV proteins. This recombinant virus can be used to further examine the immune system responses to EIAV infection in horses.

Technical Abstract: Cells infected with vaccinia viruses expressing the equine infections anaemia virus (EIAV) gag gene (Vgag) and gag plus 5¿ pol encoding protease (Vgag/PR) were evalused with monoclonal antibody to a p26 capsid protein linear epitope (QEISKFLTD). Both recombinant viruses expressed Gag precursor protein (55K) whereas only Vgag/PR expressed a detectable Gag-Pol fusion protein (82K) with a functional protease, shown by subviral particles containing processed p26. Horses inoculated with Vgag/PR produced antibodies reactive with EIAV Gag proteins.