Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Measuring or testing process involving enzymes or... – Involving antigen-antibody binding – specific binding protein...
Patent
1996-07-31
1998-06-30
Achutamurthy, Ponnathapura
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Measuring or testing process involving enzymes or...
Involving antigen-antibody binding, specific binding protein...
435 71, 435 691, 436536, 5303883, 5303894, 536 2372, 4241861, A61K 3912, G01N 3353, C12P 2102, C07K 1608
Patent
active
057732353
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to recombinant DNA and proteins encoded thereby having use in provision of vaccines, diagnostics test kits and methods of diagnosis for equine arteritis virus (EAV) and equine arteritis virus mediated disease.
Equine viral arteritis, a disease for which horses and donkeys are the only reported hosts, has been known for some 40 years and manifests itself with widely varying clinical signs. In its most severe form EAV infection causes abortion which makes it a potentially significant commercial threat to, inter alia, the race horse breeding industry. Early veterinary articles refer to it as epizootic cellulitus pinkeye or equine influenza. Disease outbreaks are identified infrequently and field isolates of the single stranded RNA virus itself are rare.
The virus is transmitted by the respiratory and venereal routes, with a 30% carrier state existing in seropositive stallions making the latter route a particular cause for concern as these shedding stallions may consequently infect brood-mares. In the light of the potential economic importance of the virus and its stud carrier mediated infection capability there exist a requirement for both prophylactic treatment and reliable diagnosis of EAV.
Laboratory tests based upon ELISA, virus neutralisation (VN) and complement fixation (CF) formats have been developed (see Chirnside (1992) Br. vet. J. 148 ppl18). The known ELISA is relatively insensitive when applied to tissues, eg. sera, from horses previously vaccinated for other diseases such as influenza and herpesvirus, while the VN and CF formats have limited temporal sensitivity; the VN test is unable to distinguish between vaccination and natural infection.
Vaccination procedures have concentrated on safety and efficacy of whole inactivated virus and attenuated live virus vaccine. The live vaccine can induce shedding of virus from the nasopharynx and does not prevent this causing infection of commonly housed animals that have not been so treated. The known formalinised vaccine does not provide reliable protection.
Attempts to provide improvements to both diagnostic tests and vaccines have included studies into panels of antibodies raised against various EAV proteins. A 29K envelope protein in particular has been identified as antigenic and capable of causing production of neutralising antibodies in mouse (Balasuriya et al (1993) Journal of General Virology, 74, p2525-2529). The identity of this protein is unknown but work reported since the priority date of the present application by Deregt et al (J. General Virology 75, pp2439-2444) has shown that some monoclonal antibodies raised to G.sub.L protein are EAV neutralising, as are those to the nucleocapsid N protein. Results of tests in horse have yet to be reported.
The present inventor now provides isolated peptides that produce a potent neutralising immune response against EAV when administered to animals, particularly horses, and these peptides provide sensitive detection of EAV antibodies when used as binding agent in binding assay format. Further provided is DNA encoding for these peptides.
In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a peptide or peptide conjugate comprising one or more epitopes capable of evoking an immune response in animals producing antibodies which are neutralising to equine arteritis virus, characterised in that the epitopes are selected from those present in the amino acid sequence corresponding to amino acid 19 to 137 (SEQ ID No 3) of equine arteritis virus (EAV) G.sub.L protein; the peptide not being the G.sub.L protein.
Preferred peptides or peptide conjugates of the invention comprise the epitopes present in the amino acid sequence corresponding to amino acid 28 to 137 (SEQ ID No 4), more preferably 75 to 97 (SEQ ID No 5) and most preferably 85 to 97 (SEQ ID No 7) of EAV G.sub.L. Preferred peptides or peptide conjugates comprise the amino acid sequence corresponding to amino acid 75 to 97 or a sequence having at least 90% homology thereto; preferably comprising an amino acid sequence
REFERENCES:
Balasuriya et al. J Gen Virol vol. 74, 1993, pp. 2525-2529.
Boon et al. J Virol, vol. 65, No. 6, Jun. 1991, pp. 2910-2920.
Achutamurthy Ponnathapura
Bui Phuong T.
The Minister of Agriculture Fisheries & Food in her Britannic Ma
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