From virus to vaccine: developments using the simple eukaryote, Dictyostelium discoideum.

Mass vaccination compaigns against viral diseases, both human and anim al, depend on the availability of cheap viral antigens. The eukaryote Dictyostelium discoideum has simple growth requirements and rapid growth rates and forms stable cell lines. These features, together with the possibility of secreting recombinant (glyco)proteins into a defined buffer, make the D. discoideum expression system an attractive option for producing economical recombinant subunit vaccines.