Functional and antigenic analyses of the 1918 influenza virus haemagglutinin using a recombinant vaccinia virus expression system

• Published in: Virus research Vol. 122; no. 1; pp. 11 - 19
• Main Authors: Elliot, Alex J., Steinhauer, David A., Daniels, Rod S., Oxford, John S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.12.2006
• Subjects: 1918 Pandemic; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antigens, Viral - immunology; Antigens, Viral - physiology; Cell Line; Gene Expression; Genetic Vectors; Haemagglutinin; Haplorhini; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - immunology; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - metabolism; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - physiology; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - immunology; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - pathogenicity; Influenza virus; Molecular Sequence Data; Pathogenicity; Protein expression; Recombinant vaccinia virus; Vaccinia virus; Vaccinia virus - genetics; Virulence Factors - immunology; Virulence Factors - physiology; Virus Attachment; Virus Internalization; Pathogenicity; Protein expression; Recombinant vaccinia virus; Haemagglutinin; Influenza virus; 1918 Pandemic
• ISSN: 0168-1702; 1872-7492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2006.06.004

The influenza pandemic of 1918 caused unprecedented levels of morbidity and mortality in its 12-month period of circulation around the globe. The haemagglutinin molecule has been shown to affect the pathogenicity of some subtypes of influenza A viruses. Using a recombinant vaccinia system that allowed expression of the 1918 influenza haemagglutinin, we performed functional assays to assess the glycoprotein's involvement in determining the high pathogenicity of the 1918 virus. We show that in respect of expression levels, proteolytic processing, receptor-binding, membrane fusion and antigenic properties, the haemagglutinin of the 1918 virus is unremarkable when compared with the haemagglutinins of other ‘early’ H1 influenza viruses. This suggests that whilst the 1918 haemagglutinin, as a new/novel antigen in the human population, was responsible for the influenza pandemic its functions per se were not responsible for the high mortality and acute symptoms experienced by patients infected with the 1918 influenza virus.