OMPA-FMDV VP1 FUSION PROTEINS - PRODUCTION, CELL-SURFACE EXPOSURE ANDIMMUNE-RESPONSES TO THE MAJOR ANTIGENIC DOMAIN OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH-DISEASE VIRUS

Exposure at the bacterial outer surface of the major antigenic epitope of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMDV) viral protein VP1 was studied us ing protein fusion with outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of Shigella dy senteriae for production and transport of the foreign polypeptide to t he outer membrane of Escherichia coli. Fusion constructs with VP1 pept ide insertions of up to 56 amino acids in the third outer domain of Om pA could be demonstrated on the bacterial surface by indirect immunofl uorescence and immunogold labelling. OmpA fusion proteins with large i nsertions from sequences of the FMDV protein VP1 were shown to elicit virus-specific immune responses in rabbits.