The transmembrane domain of vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein suffices to anchor HIV-1 envelope gp120 expressed by a recombinant vaccinia virus.

The shedding of HIV-1 glycoprotein gp120 results from the proteolytic cleavage of its precursor gp160 into gp120 and an anchoring gp41, to which gp120 is non-covalently attached. This report is directed toward the anchorage of gp120 expressed by three recombinant vaccinia virus (rvv): vPE16 expresses wild-type gp160; vvE13 the gp120-vesicular stomatitis virus G transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail (VSVGTMCT) fusion protein; and vvE14 the gp120 with 52 amino acids (aa) from the vector. In order to convert gp120 into an integral membrane protein, a gp120- VSVGTMCT chimerical gene fragment has been constructed and expressed in mammalian cells. This gp120 fusion protein expressed by an rvv, vvE13, has been shown to elicit better immunogenicity and protection against a gp160-expressing tumor cell line than the full-length envelope (env) glycoprotein gp160 in mice. The results show that gp120-VSVGTMCT expressed by vvE13 is not shed because it is membrane associated. The hydrophobic fragment of vesicular stomatitis virus G (VSVG) furnishes an anchor of the chimeric protein just as it does in the native VSVG.