RECOMBINANT VACCINIA VIRUSES EXPRESSING HEPATITIS-A VIRUS STRUCTURAL POLYPEPTIDES - DETECTION OF AN ANTI-VP0 RESPONSE IN CONVALESCENT-PHASESERA

We have generated a number of recombinant vaccinia viruses which expre ssed the hepatitis A virus (HAV) structural polypeptides VPI, VP2, VP3 , and VP4, either alone or in combination. The relevant sequences enco ding these polypeptides were amplified from cloned cDNA by PCR and the n cloned into the insertion vector pGS62. The presence of the HAV stru ctural polypeptide-encoding sequences in the recombinant viruses was c onfirmed by Southern blot analysis, whilst their transcription and tra nslation were demonstrated by Northern (RNA) blot analysis and immunod etection, respectively. Immunoprecipitation studies using these constr ucts have detected the presence of an anti-VPO response in human conva lescent sera following HAV infection. The significance of this finding and the usefulness of these constructs in studying cell-mediated immu nity during recovery from HAV infection are discussed.