Expression of the cloned hemagglutinin-neuraminidase gene of the Newcastledisease virus in mouse myeloma cells

Vaccination with autologous cancer cells expressing a potent foreign antige n is promising for immunotherapy of tumors. A construct was obtained to tra nsfect cancer cells with the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) gene of the N ewcastle disease virus (NDV). Specific primers were designed, and the HN cD NA was amplified from RNA isolated from the allantoic fluid of NDV-infected embryonated chicken eggs. The amplified fragment was cloned in pCR2.1, seq uenced, and recloned in expression vector pCDNA3.1/Zeo(+). The resulting co nstruct was used to transfect mouse myeloma cells SP2/0. Production of HN w as checked by ELISA and by a neuraminidase activity assay. Cell agglutinati on on ice was proposed as a test for surface HN.