PMID: 9632891Jun 20, 1998Paper

Specificity of humoral and cellular immune response against recombinant particles of nucleocapsid protein of human hepatitis B virus in rabbits

Biochemistry. Biokhimii︠a︡
M G IsaguliantsB Wahren

Abstract

Nucleocapsid (core) protein of hepatitis B virus (HBcAg) induces potent cellular and humoral responses that have a clear protective potential. Rabbits were immunized by particles formed by recombinant molecules of HBcAg carrying N-terminally inserted heterologous sequences. Specificity of humoral and cellular immune response against HBcAg and selection of HBcAg epitopes was surveyed. Immunological properties of the recombinant particles were similar to those of the original HBcAg. Recombinant particles were not toxic to the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of non-immune or HBcAg-immunized animals ex vivo. Proliferative response of PBMC (T-lymphocytes) to HBcAg in immunized animals increased in a concentration-dependent manner in the broad interval of HBcAg concentrations (10-104 ng/ml). On the contrary, a narrow bell-shaped HBcAg dose-dependence curve was earlier observed for T-lymphocytes of donors immune to HBV after natural infection that was probably due to the cytotoxic effect of HBcAg on the expressing cells. Specificity of humoral and cellular immune response against HBcAg particles in the immunized animals and in natural infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) was compared. Immunization with recombinant HBcAg pa...Continue Reading

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