Rift valley fever virus-like particles and their use for immunization and as test system

摘要

Disclosed is a method for producing virus-like particles (VLP) comprising
a) transfecting a mammalian cell line with several independent vectors comprising
aa) a vector containing at least a substantial part of the M gene from Rift Valley Fever Virus,
bb) a vector containing at least a substantial part of the L gene from Rift Valley Fever Virus,
cc) a vector containing at least a substantial part of the N gene from Rift Valley Fever Virus and
dd) a vector containing a multicloning site flanked by the non-coding 5'-and 3'-ends of the M-segment of Rift Valley Fever Virus, and
b) culturing the transfected mammalian cell line under suitable conditions and obtaining the VLPs from the supernatant of the transfected cultured cell lines. Said VLPs can be used for vaccination and in methods for testing the antiviral activity of compounds.