Poliovirus recombinants expressing hepatitis B virus antigens elicited a humoral immune response in susceptible mice.

Expression of foreign antigens in the context of poliovirus vectors may provide a plausible approach to vaccine development. Poliovirus recombinants were constructed by fusing preS surface or core HBV proteins to the poliovirus polyprotein as previously described (Andino et al., Science, 265, 1448-1451, 1994). All recombinant viruses replicated with near wild-type efficiency in tissue culture cells and stably expressed high levels of the HBV antigens. The kinetics of recombinant RNA synthesis were indistinguishable from that of wild-type poliovirus. Exogenous proteins were not incorporated into the poliovirus particles, but HBV core proteins self-assembled into 100S particles composed of free HBV core proteins and fusions with poliovirus capsid proteins. Mice susceptible to poliovirus infection were inoculated with recombinant virus and elicited humoral immune responses against the HBV antigens.