Production of an antigenic C4(V3)6 multiepitopic HIV protein in bacterial and plant systems

A C4(V3)6 multiepitopic protein was designed in an effort to pursue broad immunization against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This C4(V3)6 chimeric protein is based on sequences of gp120, including epitopes from the fourth conserved domain (C4) and six tandem repeats of the third variable domain (V3), which represent different HIV isolates. The histidine-tagged C4(V3)6 was subsequently over-expressed in a recombinant Escherichia coli strain, and purified by immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography. Expression of the C4(V3)6 in both tobacco and lettuce plants was also achieved with no toxic effects on plant growth as transgenic plants were phenotypically normal. Moreover, the functional C4(V3)6 protein showed HIV antigenic determinants. The implications of these findings on the development of a new low-cost HIV vaccine are discussed. © 2012 Springer Science%2bBusiness Media Dordrecht.

HIV vaccine; Multiepitopic protein; Plant-based vaccine Affinity chromatography; Amino acids; Epitopes; Escherichia coli; Ion chromatography; Metal ions; Metals; Proteins; Vaccines; Viruses; Chimeric proteins; Hiv vaccines; Human immunodeficiency virus; Immobilized metal ion affinity chromatographies; Recombinant Escherichia coli; Tandem repeats; Transgenic plants; Variable domain; Diseases; Bacteria (microorganisms); Escherichia coli; Human immunodeficiency virus; Lactuca; Nicotiana tabacum

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