NOVEL ANTIGENS AND METHODS FOR THEIR PREPARATION

• Main Authors: HARFORD, NIGEL, JACOBS, ERIC, RUTGERS, APOLONIA, HOLLENBERG, CORNELIS P, COMBERBACH, MARTIN, MERCKELBACH, ARMIN J, JANOWICZ, ZBIGNIEW A, CABEZON, TERESA, VOET, PIERRE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Korean
• Published: 01.04.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIREDCHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERSFROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PEPTIDES; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; PROCESSES USING MICROORGANISMS; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPIRITS; VINEGAR; WINE

A composite particle comprising at least two polypeptides corresponding to all or part of a protein having the biological activity of one of the hepatitis B surface antigens, wherein the particle presents at least two antigenic determinants provided by the S-protein, preS2-protein or preS1-protein, said particle optionally further comprising host specific lipids. The invention also provides a modified hepatitis B surface antigen L protein which may be used alone or incorporated into such composite particles. A particular embodiment of the modified L protein (L*) comprises residues 12-52 followed by residues 133-145 followed by residues 175-400 of the L protein and a particular embodiment of a composite particle has the form (L*, S) where S is the S-protein of HBsAg. Improved hepatitis B vaccines may be prepared following expression of the above immunogens, especially in yeasts such as S. cerevisiae and Hansenula polymorpha.