Elsevier

Vaccine

Volume 13, Issue 15, 1995, Pages 1399-1402
Vaccine

Paper
Protection of mice against influenza A virus challenge by vaccination with baculovirus-expressed M2 protein

https://doi.org/10.1016/0264-410X(95)92777-YGet rights and content

Abstract

We have investigated the potential of the conserved transmembrane M2 protein of influenza A/Ann Arbor/6/60 virus, expressed by a baculovirus recombinant, to induce protective immunity in BALBc mice. Vaccination of mice with shortened the duration of virus shedding and protected mice from a lethal infection with A/Ann Arbor/6/60 virus but not B/Ann Arbor/1/55 virus, suggesting that the protection was mediated by an M2-specific mechanism. Serum antibodies were detected which reacted with synthetic peptides defining three antigenic determinants located on both the external N- and internal C-termini of the M2 protein. Furthermore, vaccination with M2 protected mice from death following a lethal challenge with the heterologous A/Hong Kong/68 (H3N2) virus. These results demonstrate the potential to elicit heterosubtypic immunity to type A influenza viruses through vaccination with a conserved transmembrane protein.

References (15)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (172)

View all citing articles on Scopus
§

Present address: Department of Microbiology, School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, 2155 Webster Street, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA.

View full text