Cucumber mosaic virus as a possible carrier of an epitope deriving from hepatitis C virus

ADDENDUM II, 52-

Structural and biological properties of cucumber mosaic virus particles carrying hepatitis c virus-derived epitopes.

The Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is a three-component isodiametric plant virus with an extremely wide host range, present worldwide. A pseudorecombinant form has been described, deriving from the RNA3 component of the CMV-S strain, carrying the coat protein (CP) gene, and the RNA 1, 2 components of the CMV-D strain. The CP gene was then engineered to express one or two copies of a synthetic peptide derived from many hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) sequences of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope protein E2 (the so-called R9 mimotope). Study of the symptoms pattern displayed in tobacco by these chimeric CMV particles, together with determination of their structural characteristics, assessed by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and electron microscopy, revealed a possible relationship between the biological behavior and the structural properties of virus components

Structural studies of chimeric cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) particles carrying a hepatitis C virus-derived epitope.

ADDENDUM II, 52-

Cucumber mosaic virus as carrier of a hepatitis C virus-derived epitope.

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is a three component isodiametric plant virus which is common worldwide and has an extremely wide host range.A pseudorecombinant was made, derived from the RNA3 component of the CMVS strain, carrying the coat protein (CP) gene, and the RNA1,2 components of the CMV-D strain. This system developed mild mosaic and vein clearing in Xanthi tobacco three weeks after inoculation. The CP gene was then engineered in three different positions, to encode a Hepatitis C virus (HCV) epitope. The selected peptide was the so-called R9 mimotope, a synthetic surrogate derived from a consensus profile of many hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) sequences of the putative HCV envelope protein E2. Serum samples from 60 patients with chronic hepatitisCdisplayed a significant immunoreactivity to crude plant extracts infected with the chimeric CMV. These results suggest that further investigation should be made into a possible vaccine function for the CMV-HCV mimotope system

Cucumber mosaic virus as carrier of a hepatitis C virus-derived epitope

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is a three component isodiametric plant virus which is common worldwide and has an extremely wide host range.A pseudorecombinant was made, derived from the RNA3 component of the CMVS strain, carrying the coat protein (CP) gene, and the RNA1,2 components of the CMV-D strain. This system developed mild mosaic and vein clearing in Xanthi tobacco three weeks after inoculation. The CP gene was then engineered in three different positions, to encode a Hepatitis C virus (HCV) epitope. The selected peptide was the so-called R9 mimotope, a synthetic surrogate derived from a consensus profile of many hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) sequences of the putative HCV envelope protein E2. Serum samples from 60 patients with chronic hepatitisCdisplayed a significant immunoreactivity to crude plant extracts infected with the chimeric CMV. These results suggest that further investigation should be made into a possible vaccine function for the CMV-HCV mimotope system