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Characterization of M Gene‐Deficient Rabies Virus with Advantages of Effective Immunization and Safety as a Vaccine Strain
Author(s) -
Ito Naoto,
Sugiyama Makoto,
Yamada Kentaro,
Shimizu Kenta,
TakayamaIto Mutsuyo,
Hosokawa Junji,
Minamoto Nobuyuki
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2005.tb03692.x
Subject(s) - virology , biology , rabies virus , rabies , immunization , strain (injury) , duck embryo vaccine , rabies vaccine , virus , genetics , antibody , anatomy
Matrix (M) protein of rabies virus is known to play an important role in assembly and budding of the progeny virus. We generated an M gene‐deficient rabies virus, RC‐HLAM, using a reverse genetics system of rabies virus RC‐HL strain to develop a novel type of vaccine. RC‐HLAM infection was confined within a single cell in mouse neuroblastoma cells. This deficient virus failed to generate the progeny virus in the cells. In contrast, RC‐HLAM propagated in BHK cells inductively expressing M protein. Suckling and adult mice inoculated intracerebrally with the parental RC‐HL strain showed lethal infection and transient body weight loss, respectively, whereas both suckling and adult mice inoculated with RC‐HLAM showed no symptoms. The neutralizing antibody against rabies virus was successfully induced by intramuscular immunization with 10 5 focus‐forming units of RC‐HLAM but not UV‐inactivated RC‐HL. Intranasal immunization with RC‐HLAM resulted in almost the same antibody titer to rabies virus as that in the case of immunization with live RC‐HL strain. These findings indicate that RC‐HLAM is a candidate for a novel rabies vaccine that is safer and more effective than are current vaccines.