Protection of cynomolgus monkeys against infection by human T‐cell leukemia virus type‐I by immunization with viral env gene products produced in Escherichia coli

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Abstract
Protection against human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTVL-1) infection in cynomolgus monkeys, achieved by immunizing the animals with env gene products of HTLV-I produced in Escherichia coll, was evaluated. Four monkeys that had been immunized with the env product produced antibody against HTLV-I gp68 and gp46, and their sera were found to cause strong inhibition of syncytium formation of a cat fibro-blast cell line induced by HTLV-I. Immunized and non-immunized monkeys were challenged with live MT-2 cells, a high HTLV-I-producer cell line. After challenge, all the control nonimmurized monkeys were infected with HTLV-I, as judged by the frequent detection of HTLV-I-antigens in cultures of their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), whereas no antigens were recovered from PBMC of immunized monkeys. These results indicate that humoral immunity against HTLV-I-envelope protein elicited by immunization with the polypeptides synthesized in bacteria protected the monkeys against primary infection with HTLV-I.

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