Recombinant negative strand RNA virus expression systems and vaccines

摘要

Recombinant negative-strand viral RNA templates are described which may be used with purified RNA-directed RNA polymerase complex to express heterologous gene products in appropriate host cells and/or to rescue the heterologous gene in virus particles. Heterologous gene products include peptides or proteins derived from HIV which may be presented by a chimeric influenza virus to generate an immune response that is protective against challenge with HIV. A chimeric virus is described which contains an HIV peptide inserted into an influenza protein and which induced both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against HIV. The RNA templates are prepared by transcription of appropriate DNA sequences with a DNA-directed RNA polymerase. The resulting RNA templates are of the negative-polarity and contain appropriate terminal sequences which enable the viral RNA-synthesizing apparatus to recognize the template.