A recombinant measles virus expressing hepatitis B virus surface antigen induces humoral immune responses in genetically modified mice

It has been shown previously that measles virus (MV) can be successfully us ed to express foreign proteins (M. Singh and M. A. Billeter, J. Gen. Virol. 80:101-106, 1998), To develop an inexpensive MV-based vaccine, we generate d recombinant MVs that produce structural proteins of hepatitis B virus (HB V), A recombinant virus that expressed the HBV small surface antigen (HBsAg ) was analyzed in terms of its replication characteristics, its genetic sta bility in cell culture, and its immunogenic potential in genetically modifi ed mice. Although this virus showed a progression of replication slightly s lower than that of the parental MV, it appeared to stably maintain the adde d genetic information; it uniformly expressed the appropriately glycosylate d HBsAg after 10 serial passages. Genetically modified mice inoculated with this recombinant MV produced humoral immune responses against both HBsAg a nd MV proteins.