LIVE-ATTENUATED FLAVIRUSES WITH HETEROLOGOUS ANTIGENS

Abstract

The invention relates to polynucleotides comprising the sequence of a flavivirus preceded by a sequence encoding an N terminal part of a flavivirus Capsid protein, an immunogenic protein, or a part thereof comprising a an immunogenic peptide, and a 2A cleaving peptide, and to the virus encoded by such sequences. The invention further relates to the use of such polynucleotides and viruses as vaccines.

Claims

1.-47. (canceled)

48. A polynucleotide comprising a sequence of a flavivirus wherein a nucleotide sequence encoding the flavivirus is preceded by a sequence encoding: a part of a flavivirus Capsid protein comprising or consisting of an N terminal part of the flavivirus Capsid protein, an immunogenic protein, or a part thereof comprising an immunogenic peptide, and a 2A cleaving peptide.

49. The polynucleotide according to claim 48, wherein the part of the flavivirus Capsid protein comprises or consists of 21N terminal amino acids of the flavivirus Capsid protein.

50. The polynucleotide according to claim 48, wherein the nucleotide sequence encoding the N terminal part of the capsid gene has one or more synonymous codons compared with a corresponding sequence in a full length viral sequence.

51. The polynucleotide according to claim 48, wherein the flavivirus is Yellow Fever virus.

52. The polynucleotide according to claim 48, wherein the flavivirus is Yellow Fever virus, and wherein the N terminal part of the Yellow Fever virus Capsid protein consists of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2.

53. The polynucleotide according to claim 48, wherein the 2A cleaving peptide is a Thosea asigna 2A peptide with an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16.

54. The polynucleotide according to claim 48, wherein the immunogenic protein is a T cell antigen and the immunogenic part thereof comprises a T cell epitope.

55. The polynucleotide according to claim 48, wherein codon usage of the immunogenic protein of immunogenic part thereof is adapted for expression in bacteria.

56. The polynucleotide according to claim 48, which is a Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC).

57. The polynucleotide according to claim 48, which is a Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) comprising an inducible bacterial ori sequence for amplification of the BAC to more than 10 copies per bacterial cell, and a viral expression cassette comprising a cDNA of the polynucleotide and comprising cis-regulatory elements for transcription of viral cDNA in mammalian cells and for processing of transcribed RNA into infectious RNA virus.

58. The polynucleotide according to claim 48, wherein the immunogenic protein is a T cell antigen, and the T cell antigen is selected from the group consisting of a core antigen of HBC, OVA and EBNA1.

59. A flavivirus fusion construct, wherein the flavivirus is preceded at its aminoterminus by: a part of a flavivirus Capsid protein comprising or consisting of an N terminal part of the flavivirus Capsid protein, an immunogenic protein, or a part thereof comprising an immunogenic peptide, and a 2A cleaving peptide.

60. A flavivirus fusion construct according to claim 59, wherein the part of the flavivirus Capsid protein comprises or consists of 21 N terminal amino acids of the flavivirus Capsid protein.

61. The flavivirus fusion construct according to claim 59, wherein the flavivirus is Yellow Fever virus.

62. The flavivirus fusion construct according to claim 59, wherein the flavivirus is Yellow Fever virus, and wherein the N terminal part of the Yellow Fever virus capsid consists of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2.

63. The flavivirus fusion construct according to claim 59, wherein the 2A cleaving peptide is Thosea asigna 2A peptide with an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16.

64. The flavivirus fusion construct according to claim 59, wherein the immunogenic protein is a T cell antigen and the immunogenic part thereof comprises a T cell epitope.

65. The flavivirus fusion construct according to claim 59, wherein the flavivirus is Yellow Fever virus, and wherein the Yellow Fever virus is YF 17D attenuated virus.

66. The flavivirus fusion construct according to claim 59, wherein the immunogenic protein is selected from the group consisting of a core antigen of HBC, OVA and EBNA1.

67. The flavivirus fusion construct according to claim 66, wherein the core antigen of HBC comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7, or a fragment thereof comprising a T cell epitope.

68. A pharmaceutical comprising a flavivirus fusion construct according to claim 59, and a pharmaceutical acceptable carrier.

69. A method of provoking an immune response to an immunogenic protein, the method comprising administering an effective amount of a flavivirus fusion construct according to claim 59 to a subject in need thereof.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0088] FIG. 1: Detail of polyprotein of YFV17D/HBc. The first 155 amino acids of HBc, serotype ayw are preceded upstream of the YFV17D capsid (amino acids 1-21) and followed downstream by the Thosea asigna 2A peptide and the full-length YFV17D polyprotein, including the capsid protein.

[0089] FIG. 2: shows a schematic map of cDNA constructs of the present invention. The Antigen Of Interest (AOI; e.g. HBV core antigen) is inserted as translational fusion to the first 21 N-terminal codons of the C gene in the YFV 17D ORF (C gene N-term 1-21) following an newly introduced in-frame BamH1 restriction endonuclease site. The AOI is fused C-terminally to a codon-optimized Thosea asigna virus 2A cleaving peptide (co T2A peptide) followed by a codon modified repeat of the 2-21 codons of the YFV 17D C-gene (C* gene N-term 2-21). Downstream of latter cDNA element the construct continues as genuine YFV 17D cDNA.

[0090] Sequence alignment of first 21 codons of the wild-type YFV 17D ORF (wt-YF17D C gene N-term) with the modified repeat thereof (Modified repeat) encoding for C* gene N-term 2-21 in (A). Small letters indicate nucleotide changes introduced relative to wt-YF17D C gene N-term. A newly introduced Not1 restriction endonuclease site (gcGGcCGc) is highlighted in Black.

[0091] FIG. 3: Immunofluorescence imaging of YFV17D/HBc passages and YFV17D. Red: HBc, Green: YFV antigens.

[0092] FIG. 4: in vitro characterization of YFV17D/HBc. A) YFV17D plaques, B) YFV17D/HBc, C) growth curves of YFV17D and YFV17D/HBc.

[0093] FIG. 5: mouse IFN- ELISPOT. Splenocytes isolated from YFV17D/HBc-immunized AG129 mice were stimulated with peptides derived from HBcAg (A) and HBsAg (B). Spot forming units (SFU) for splenocytes of YFV17D/HBc and Chimerivax-JE immunized mice stimulated with HBcAg and HBsAg (C).

[0094] FIG. 6: Fluorescence intensities from immunofluorescence assay with serum collected before and after YFV17D/HBc immunization.

[0095] FIG. 7: mouse IFN- ELISPOT. SFU for splenocytes (310.sup.5) isolated from AG129 mice immunized once (1) or twice (2) with YFV17D/HBc or twice with rHBc+Quil-A, stimulated with peptides derived from HBcAg (+) or not stimulated ().

[0096] FIG. 8: mouse IFN- ELISPOT. A) SFU for splenocytes (310.sup.5) isolated from AG129 mice immunized with YFV17D/HBc or with pDNA-YFV17D/HBc and PEI, stimulated with peptides derived from HBcAg (+) or not stimulated (). B) fold over background (HBc peptide-stimulated over non-stimulated) for splenocytes isolated from AG129 mice immunized with YFV17D/HBc or with pDNA-YFV17D/HBc and PEI.

[0097] FIG. 9: mouse IFN- ELISPOT. A) SFU for splenocytes (310.sup.5) isolated from AG129 mice immunized with YFV17D/OVA (and YFV17D/HBc as negative control), stimulated with a peptide derived from chicken ovalbumin (+OVA) or not stimulated (-pept). B) SFU for splenocytes (310.sup.5) isolated from AG129 mice immunized with YFV17D/EBNA1 (and YFV17D/HBc as negative control), stimulated with a peptide mixture derived from EBNA1 (+EBNA1) or not stimulated (-pept).

[0098] The present invention overcomes the prior art problems using one or more of the following modifications.

[0099] A more efficient cleaving peptide has been used namely Thosea asigna virus 2A peptide (T2A) [Donnelly et al. (2001) J Gen Virol 82, 1027-1041], the use of this peptide also overcomes the need to include a further ubiquitin cleavage sequence. Apart from Thosea asigna, other viral 2A peptides can be used in the compounds and methods of the present invention. Examples hereof are described in e.g. Chng et al. (2015) MAbs 7, 403-412, namely APVKQTLNFDLLKLAGDVESNPGP of foot- and mouth disease virus [SEQ ID NO: 38], ATNFSLLKQAGDVEENPGP [SEQ ID NO: 39] of porcine teschovirus-1, and QCTNYALLKLAGDVESNPGP from equine rhinitis A virus [SEQ ID NO: 40]. These peptides have a conserved LxxxGDVExNPGP motif [SEQ ID NO: 17]. Peptides with this consensus sequence can be used in the compounds of the present invention. Other suitable examples of viral 2A cleavage peptides represented by the consensus sequence DXEXNPGP [SEQ ID NO:46] are disclosed in Souza-Moreira et al. (2018) FEMS Yeast Res. August 1. Further suitable examples of 2A cleavage peptides from as well picornaviruses as from insect viruses, type C rotaviruses, trypanosome and bacteria (T. maritima) are disclosed in Donnelly (2001) J Gen Virol. 82, 1027-1041.

[0100] The present invention is illustrated with a yellow fever but can be equally performed using other flavivirus based constructs such as but not limited to, Japanese Encephalitis, Dengue, Murray Valley Encephalitis (MVE), St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE), West Nile (WN), Tick-borne Encephalitis (TBE), Russian Spring-Summer Encephalitis (RSSE), Kunjin virus, Powassan virus, Kyasanur Forest Disease virus, Zika virus, Usutu virus, Wesselsbron and Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever virus.

[0101] The viral fusion constructs further contains a repeat of the N-terminal part of the Capsid protein. In the present invention the repeat has the same amino acid sequence but the DNA sequence has been modified to include synonymous codons, resulting in a maximally 75% nucleotide sequence identity over the 21 codons used [herein codon 1 is the start ATG]. As demonstrated by Samsa et al. (2012) J. Virol. 2012 86, 1046-1058 the Capsid N-terminal part may be not limited to the 21 AA Capsid N terminal part, and may comprise for example an additional 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 amino acids. Prior art only mutated cis-acting RNA structural elements from the repeat [Stoyanov (2010) Vaccine 28, 4644-4652]. The approach of the present invention thus also abolishes any possibility for homologous recombination, which leads to an extraordinary stable viral fusion construct.

[0102] In typical embodiment the nucleotide sequence encoding the N-terminal part of the capsid protein, which is located 5 of the sequence encoding the epitope or antigen is identical to the sequence of the virus used for the generation of the construct. The mutations which are introduced to avoid recombination are introduced in the nucleotide sequence encoding the N-terminal part of the capsid protein, which is located 3 of the sequence encoding the epitope or antigen.

[0103] Furthermore in the repeat of the C gene encoding the Capsid, the sequence only starts from the second codon, which likely affects cleavage from T2A; T2A cleavage is favored in the constructs of the present invention because the amino acid (aa) c terminal of the T2A cleavage site (NPG/P) [SEQ ID NO: 47] is a small aa, namely serine (NPG/PS) [SEQ ID NO: 48] or alternatively Gly, Ala, or Thr instead of the start methionine in the original Capsid protein.

[0104] Further also codon-optimized cDNAs are used for the antigens that are cloned flavivirus constructs.

[0105] Overall, one or more of the above modifications minimize the replicative burden of inserting extra cargo in the vector that would otherwise unavoidably pose on a fitness cost on YFV replication.

[0106] The present invention is illustrated with immunogenic proteins comprising T cell epitopes but is applicable to any immunogenic protein which induce an humoral and/or cell-mediated immune response and include proteins comprising e.g. B cell epitopes or NKT epitopes. Immunogenic proteins can be for example human proteins causing autoimmune diseases or tumor antigens, and animal, plant, bacterial, fungal, or viral antigens causing allergies or infections.

[0107] The present invention relates to the use for vaccination purposes of (i) the plasmid DNA molecule encoding a full-length recombinant YFV17D genome containing the coding sequence of the HBcAg, (ii) the infectious RNA molecule that is encoded on said plasmid DNA and (iii) the recombinant live-attenuated virus obtained from cell cultures transfected with said plasmid DNA. The invention also comprises (i) the preparation of the plasmid DNA in bacteria or yeast and (ii) the preparation of the recombinant live-attenuated virus from in vitro cell cultures or rodent tissues. Described herein is the plasmid DNA molecule encoding a full-length recombinant live-attenuated yellow fever virus genome and derivatives thereof for vaccination purposes. Recombinant live-attenuated virus obtained by transfection of said plasmid DNA in in vitro cell cultures expresses hepatitis B virus core antigen and generates both a humoral and cellular immune response in mice lacking both interferon type I and type II receptors.

[0108] The propagation of the chimeric constructs prior to attenuation, as well as the cDNA of a construct after attenuation requires an error proof replication of the construct. The use of Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes, and especially the use of inducible BACS as disclosed by the present inventors in WO2014174078, is particularly suitable for high yield, high quality amplification of cDNA of RNA viruses such as chimeric constructs of the present invention.

[0109] A BAC as described in this publication BAC comprises: [0110] an inducible bacterial ori sequence for amplification of said BAC to more than 10 copies per bacterial cell, and [0111] a viral expression cassette comprising a cDNA of an the RNA virus genome and comprising cis-regulatory elements for transcription of said viral cDNA in mammalian cells and for processing of the transcribed RNA into infectious RNA virus.

[0112] As is the case in the present invention the RNA virus genome is a chimeric viral cDNA construct of two virus genomes.

[0113] In these BACS, the viral expression cassette comprises a cDNA of a positive-strand RNA virus genome, an typically [0114] a RNA polymerase driven promoter preceding the 5 end of said cDNA for initiating the transcription of said cDNA, and [0115] an element for RNA self-cleaving following the 3 end of said cDNA for cleaving the RNA transcript of said viral cDNA at a set position.

[0116] The BAC may further comprise a yeast autonomously replicating sequence for shuttling to and maintaining said bacterial artificial chromosome in yeast. An example of a yeast ori sequence is the 2p plasmid origin or the ARS1 (autonomously replicating sequence 1) or functionally homologous derivatives thereof.

[0117] The RNA polymerase driven promoter of this first aspect of the invention can be an RNA polymerase II promoter, such as Cytomegalovirus Immediate Early (CMV-IE) promoter, or the Simian virus 40 promoter or functionally homologous derivatives thereof.

[0118] The RNA polymerase driven promoter can equally be an RNA polymerase I or III promoter.

[0119] The BAC may also comprise an element for RNA self-cleaving such as the cDNA of the genomic ribozyme of hepatitis delta virus or functionally homologous RNA elements.

[0120] The formulation of DNA into a vaccine preparation is known in the art and is described in detail in for example chapter 6 to 10 of DNA Vaccines Methods in Molecular Medicine Vol 127, (2006) Springer Saltzman, Shen and Brandsma (Eds.) Humana Press. Totoma, N.J. and in chapter 61 Alternative vaccine delivery methods, Pages 1200-1231, of Vaccines (6th Edition) (2013) (Plotkin et al. Eds.). Details on acceptable carrier, diluents, excipient and adjuvant suitable in the preparation of DNA vaccines can also be found in WO2005042014, as indicated below.

[0121] Acceptable carrier, diluent or excipient refers to an additional substance that is acceptable for use in human and/or veterinary medicine, with particular regard to immunotherapy.

[0122] By way of example, an acceptable carrier, diluent or excipient may be a solid or liquid filler, diluent or encapsulating substance that may be safely used in systemic or topic administration. Depending upon the particular route of administration, a variety of carriers, well known in the art may be used. These carriers may be selected from a group including sugars, starches, cellulose and its derivatives, malt, gelatine, talc, calcium sulphate and carbonates, vegetable oils, synthetic oils, polyols, alginic acid, phosphate buffered solutions, emulsifiers, isotonic saline and salts such as mineral acid salts including hydrochlorides, bromides and sulphates, organic acids such as acetates, propionates and malonates and pyrogen-free water.

[0123] A useful reference describing pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, diluents and excipients is Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences (Mack Publishing Co. N. J. USA, (1991)) which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0124] Any safe route of administration may be employed for providing a patient with the DNA vaccine. For example, oral, rectal, parenteral, sublingual, buccal, intravenous, intra-articular, intra-muscular, intra-dermal, subcutaneous, inhalational, intraocular, intraperitoneal, intracerebroventricular, transdermal and the like may be employed. Intra-muscular and subcutaneous injection may be appropriate, for example, for administration of immunotherapeutic compositions, proteinaceous vaccines and nucleic acid vaccines. It is also contemplated that microparticle bombardment or electroporation may be particularly useful for delivery of nucleic acid vaccines. Dosage forms include tablets, dispersions, suspensions, injections, solutions, syrups, troches, capsules, suppositories, aerosols, transdermal patches and the like. These dosage forms may also include injecting or implanting controlled releasing devices designed specifically for this purpose or other forms of implants modified to act additionally in this fashion. Controlled release of the therapeutic agent may be effected by coating the same, for example, with hydrophobic polymers including acrylic resins, waxes, higher aliphatic alcohols, polylactic and polyglycolic acids and certain cellulose derivatives such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose. In addition, the controlled release may be effected by using other polymer matrices, liposomes and/or microspheres.

[0125] DNA vaccines suitable for oral or parenteral administration may be presented as discrete units such as capsules, sachets or tablets each containing a pre-determined amount of plasmid DNA, as a powder or granules or as a solution or a suspension in an aqueous liquid, a non-aqueous liquid, an oil-in-water emulsion or a water-in-oil liquid emulsion. Such compositions may be prepared by any of the methods of pharmacy but all methods include the step of bringing into association one or more agents as described above with the carrier which constitutes one or more necessary ingredients. In general, the compositions are prepared by uniformly and intimately admixing the DNA plasmids with liquid carriers or finely divided solid carriers or both, and then, if necessary, shaping the product into the desired presentation.

[0126] The above compositions may be administered in a manner compatible with the dosage formulation, and in such amount as is effective. The dose administered to a patient, should be sufficient to effect a beneficial response in a patient over an appropriate period of time. The quantity of agent (s) to be administered may depend on the subject to be treated inclusive of the age, sex, weight and general health condition thereof, factors that will depend on the judgement of the practitioner. Furthermore DNA vaccine may be delivered by bacterial transduction as using live-attenuated strain of Salmonella transformed with said DNA plasmids as exemplified by Darji et al. (2000) FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol. 27, 341-349 and Cicin-Sain et al. (2003) J. Virol. 77, 8249-8255 given as reference.

[0127] Typically the DNA vaccines are used for prophylactic or therapeutic immunisation of humans, but can for certain viruses also be applied on vertebrate animals (typically mammals, birds and fish) including domestic animals such as livestock and companion animals. The vaccination is envisaged of animals which are a live reservoir of viruses (zoonosis) such as monkeys, mice, rats, birds and bats.

[0128] In certain embodiments vaccines may include an adjuvant, i.e. one or more substances that enhances the immunogenicity and/or efficacy of a vaccine composition However, life vaccines may eventually be harmed by adjuvants that may stimulate innate immune response independent of viral replication. Non-limiting examples of suitable adjuvants include squalane and squalene (or other oils of animal origin); block copolymers; detergents such as Tween-80; Quill A, mineral oils such as Drakeol or Marcol, vegetable oils such as peanut oil; Corynebacterium-derived adjuvants such as Corynebacterium parvum; Propionibacterium-derived adjuvants such as Propionibacterium acne; Mycobacterium bovis (Bacille Calmette and Guerin or BCG); interleukins such as interleukin 2 and interleukin 12; monokines such as interleukin 1; tumour necrosis factor; interferons such as gamma interferon; combinations such as saponin-aluminium hydroxide or Quil-A aluminium hydroxide; liposomes; ISCOMt) and ISCOMATRIX (B) adjuvant; mycobacterial cell wall extract; synthetic glycopeptides such as muramyl dipeptides or other derivatives; Avridine; Lipid A derivatives; dextran sulfate; DEAE-Dextran or with aluminium phosphate; carboxypolymethylene such as Carbopol'EMA; acrylic copolymer emulsions such as Neocryl A640; vaccinia or animal poxvirus proteins; sub-viral particle adjuvants such as cholera toxin, or mixtures thereof.

Example 1. Materials and Methods

[0129] Indirect immunofluorescence assay: For detection of HBcAg expressed from YFV-HBc, baby hamster kidney cells strain 21J (BHK21J) were transfected with PLLAV-YFV-HBc. Per chamber of an 8-chamber slide (Milliwell EZ slide, Millipore) 50,000 BHK21J cells were seeded and transfected the following day with a mixture of 100 ng PLLAV-YFV-HBc in 9 l serum-free medium and 0.3 l TranslT-LT1 transfection reagent (Mirus Bio LLC, US). Cells were fixed two days later with 3.7% formaldehyde in PBS, permeabilized with 0.1% Triton X-100 in PBS and subsequently incubated with a polyclonal mouse antibody raised against YFV antigens and a polyclonal rabbit antibody raised against HBcAg at a dilution of 1:500. The YFV antigens and HBcAg were detected with an Alexa Fluor488-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG and an Alexa Fluor647-conjugated donkey anti-rabbit IgG, respectively. Plaque assay: For the visualization of virus plaques, 510.sup.5 BHK21J cells were used to seed each well of a 12-well polystyrene microplate (Falcon, Corning). The following day these monolayers were incubated with 1 ml of a serial dilution of the virus for 1 hour and subsequently overlayed with a 1:1 mixture of 1% LMP agarose in dH.sub.2O and MEM 2 medium. After 5 days of incubation time at 37 C. and 5% CO.sub.2, cells were fixed with 8% formaldehyde in PBS. After removal of the agarose overlay plaques were visualized by staining of the cells with 1% methylene blue in PBS and 10% ethanol.

[0130] ELISPOT: To assess whether the YFV-HBc could stimulate splenocytes of immunized mice to secrete IFN-, an enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay was performed (mouse IFN gamma ELISPOT Ready-SET-Go!, eBioscience), according to the manufacturer's protocol. Briefly, polyvinylidene difluoride-backed ninety-six-well plates (Millipore) were coated with an IFN--binding capture antibody and stored overnight at 4 C. Splenocytes were added at a density of 410.sup.5 cells per well in triplicate. Peptide (5 g/ml) was used to stimulate the cells. The plates were incubated for 24 hours at 37 C. and 5% CO.sub.2. Plates were washed and a biotinylated detection antibody was added. After 2 hours, avidin-HRP was added to the wells and incubated again for 45 minutes before the addition of the substrate AEC, 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole. The colorimetric reaction was stopped after 10 minutes by washing the plate with dH.sub.2O. Spots were counted with an AID ELISPOT reader (Autoimmun Diagnostika GmbH, Germany).

Example 2. Construction and In Vitro Characterization of Recombinant Yellow Fever 17D Virus

[0131] The construction of a HBc-expressing YFV17D (YFV17D/HBc) was based on a patented reverse genetics system that comprises a full-length YFV17D cDNA as an expression cassette on a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) [Dallmeier & Neyts, WO2014/174078A1], henceforth called pShuttle/YFV17D.WO2014174078A1 The viral cDNA was modified to encode the hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg), serotype ayw, nucleotides 1-465. This sequence was inserted in frame into the YFV17D cDNA, preceded upstream by 63 nucleotides encoding the first 21 amino acids of the YFV17D capsid protein, and was followed immediately downstream by a 2A peptide of Thosea asigna virus to ensure post-translational cleavage from the YFV17D polypeptide, and by the rest of the viral polyprotein (including the full-length capsid gene, nucleotides 2-10862)[[Stoyanov (2010) Vaccine 28, 4644-4652]. To prevent recombination between the two sequences coding for YFV17D capsid upstream and downstream of HBc, synonymous codons were used (FIG. 1). This BAC expressing the YFV17D/HBc will henceforth be referred to as pShuttle/YFV17D/HBc. For the construction of pShuttle/YFV17D/HBc, following cloning steps were performed (schematic map in FIG. 2). First, we inserted an URA3 gene expression cassette upstream of the YFV17D capsid gene, flanked by a TEF promoter and a TEF terminator, upstream and downstream of the URA3 gene, respectively. The rationale behind this is to create a vector which offers increased ease of cloning, by introducing the selection marker URA3 (enabling counter-selection with 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FOA)). This cassette was preceded upstream by 63 nucleotides encoding the first 21 amino acids of the YFV17D capsid protein and was followed immediately downstream by a 2A peptide of Thosea asigna virus (T2A peptide) and the rest of the viral polyprotein. A custom synthesized DNA fragment (gBlock, Integrated DNA Technologies, Leuven, Belgium) encoding this expression cassette was amplified by PCR with primers #3 and #4 (see Table 1 for all primer sequences), and the resulting PCR product was further elongated in subsequent PCRs with primer pairs #5 & #6, #7 & #15 and #15 & #17. The destination plasmid, encoding red fluorescent protein mCherry from the same site in the YFV17D capsid gene (pShuttle/YFV17D/mCherry), was digested with restriction enzyme NotI at a unique site in the plasmid. Both PCR product and restricted destination plasmid (with overlapping ends) were transformed into yeast cells (S. cerevisiae, strain YPH500), and recombined in these cells by homologous recombination of the overlapping ends, into pShuttle/YFV17D/URA3. Second, we used the two PmeI sites flanking the URA3 gene to excise URA3 back out of pShuttle/YFV17D/URA3, and transformed this open vector back into yeast, together with a PCR-amplified gBlock encoding the first 155 amino acids of HBc (amplified and elongated in subsequent PCRs with primer pairs #8 & #16, #5 & #6, #15 & #7 and #15 & #17) [or encoding the first 155 amino acids of HBc, followed by the coding sequence of green fluorescent protein LOV [Buckley (2015) Curr. opinion chem. biol. 27, 39-45] (amplified and elongated in subsequent PCRs with primer pairs #8 & #9, #5 & #6, #15 & #7 and #15 & #17)]. By homologous recombination of the overlapping ends of PCR product and digested vector in yeast, this resulted in pShuttle/YFV17D/HBc.

[0132] Viability and transgene expression of YFV17D/HBc was assessed by transfection of pDNA-YFV17D/HBc into BHK21J cells. Immunofluorescence staining revealed stable expression of HBc in addition to YFV17D antigens. To determine if the resulting virus YFV17D/HBc stably expressed the transgene, it was passaged consecutively once every 3 days. Immunofluorescence staining showed stable expression of intact HBc up to passage 4 (FIG. 3).

[0133] The supernatant after transfection of pDNA-YFV17D/HBc was used in a plaque assay to investigate whether infectious virus was produced, and compared side by side with the parental YFV17D. Five days post-infection, the plaques produced by the recombinant YFV17D/HBc were visibly smaller than those produced by YFV17D (FIGS. 4A and 4B). Kinetics of viral replication was investigated by generation of a growth curve of YFV17D/HBc and YFV17D by infection of BHK21J cells (MOI 0.01) and titration of supernatant collected over the course of five days (FIG. 4C).

Example 3. Cellular Immune Response in Mice Immunized with YFV17D/HBc

[0134] To determine if YFV17D/HBc could prime an immune response in vivo, three AG129 mice (lacking both type I and type II interferon (IFN) receptors) were immunized i.p. with 4.510.sup.4 plaque forming units (PFU) and boosted with 4.510.sup.4 PFU after two weeks. As AG129 generally do not survive an injection with YFV17D, a single injection (910.sup.4 PFU) of a chimeric YFV/Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine strain (Chimerivax-JE) was used as negative control (2 mice). To detect levels of HBc-specific IFN- secretion by peptide-stimulated T-cells, the mice were sacrificed seven weeks after the first injection and their splenocytes used in a mouse IFN- enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT). Splenocytes were stimulated with peptides derived from either HBcAg or HBsAg. Spot counts were distinctly higher when splenocytes from YFV17D/HBc-immunized mice were stimulated with HBcAg-derived peptides compared to stimulation with HBsAg-derived peptides, or stimulation of splenocytes from the negative control group with either peptide (FIGS. 5A and 5B).

Example 4. Humoral Immune Response in Mice Immunized with YFV17D/HBc

[0135] To investigate whether immunization with YFV17D/HBc could mount an antibody response against the HBc transgene, three AG129 mice were immunized i.p. with 7.510.sup.4 PFU YFV17D/HBc and boosted five weeks later (4.510.sup.4 PFU). Before the first injection and three weeks after the booster, serum was collected and used in an immunofluorescence assay on HBV-infected human hepatoma cells. The use of serum collected after immunization resulted in a marked increase in fluorescence intensity compared to the use of preserum (FIG. 6).

Example 5. Homologous Prime-Boost of YFV17D/HBc

[0136] To determine the significance of delivering a homologous booster dose of YFV17D/HBc to HBc-specific T cell levels, mice were vaccinated once or twice (two weeks after the first dose) with 10.sup.4 pfu of YFV17D/HBc. Splenocytes were harvested four weeks after the first dose of YFV17D/HBc and stimulated with HBc-derived peptides in a mouse IFN ELISPOT assay. Spot counts for YFV17D/HBc double-vaccinated mice were not significantly higher than those of single-vaccinated mice. Two shots of 10 g recombinant HBc (rHBc, American Research Products Inc, Waltham, Mass., USA) adjuvanted by 10 g of Quil-A (InvivoGen, San Diego, Calif., USA) did not elicit higher levels of IFN-secreting T cells than our vaccine candidate (FIG. 7).

Example 6. Mounting of HBc-Specific T Cell Responses by Vaccination with pDNA-YFV17D/HBc

[0137] As mentioned above, transfection of YFV17D/HBc-encoding plasmid DNA (pDNA-YFV17D/HBc) in BHK21J results in release of infectious virus (YFV17D/HBc) in the cell culture supernatant, which can be used directly to inoculate mice. We have administered pDNA-YFV17D/HBc to AG129 mice as such, by two intraperitoneal injections of a mixture of this plasmid (3 g) and in vivo transfection reagent polyethylene imine (PEI), separated by one week. Two weeks after the first injection, mice were sacrificed and their splenocytes used in a mouse IFN ELISPOT assay, which showed that HBc-specific T cells had been elicited by pDNA-YFV17D/HBc (FIG. 8).

Example 7. Mounting of Specific T Cell Responses Against Other Antigens Expressed from the Capsid Gene of YFV17D

[0138] Other T cell antigens were cloned into the site of the YFV17D capsid gene, as described above, namely the full-length chicken ovalbumin (OVA) and the full-length Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1).

[0139] The OVA insert was amplified by PCR from a gBlock (Integrated DNA Technologies, Leuven, Belgium) which contained the coding sequence of the full-length chicken ovalbumin, flanked on its 5 end by the coding sequence of the first 21 amino acids of the YFV17D capsid protein, and on its 3 end by the coding sequence of the T2A peptide, with primers #1 and #2 (see Table 1 for all primer sequences), and elongated by subsequent PCRs with primer pairs #5 & #7, and #15 & #17. Then, pShuttle/YFV17D/OVA was made by homologous recombination in yeast of the PCR insert and PmeI-restricted pShuttle/YFV17D/URA3 destination plasmid, as described for pShuttle/YFV17D/HBc.

[0140] The EBNA1 insert was amplified by PCR from a plasmid which contained the coding sequence of the full-length EBNA1 (kindly provided by professor Christian Mnz, University of Zrich) with primers #9 and #10, and elongated by subsequent PCRs with primer pairs #5 & #6, and #15 & #17. Then, pShuttle/YFV17D/EBNA1 was made by homologous recombination in yeast of the PCR insert and PmeI-restricted pShuttle/YFV17D/URA3 destination plasmid, as described for pShuttle/YFV17D/HBc. Both pShuttle/YFV17D/OVA and pShuttle/YFV17D/EBNA1 were transfected in BHK21J, as described for pShuttle/YFV17D/HBc, resulting in the release of infectious virus in the supernatant, henceforth called YFV17D/OVA and YFV17D/EBNA1, respectively.

[0141] To investigate the T cell responses elicited by YFV17D/OVA and YFV17D/EBNA1 in vivo, three AG129 mice were immunized once i.p. with 110.sup.6 TCID.sub.50 of YFV17D/OVA and three AG129 mice were immunized once i.p. with 110.sup.6 TCID.sub.50 of YFV17D/EBNA1. A single injection (110.sup.6 TCID.sub.50) of YFV17D/HBc was used as negative control (3 AG129 mice). To detect levels of HBc-specific IFN- secretion by peptide-stimulated T-cells, the mice were sacrificed five weeks later and their splenocytes were used in a mouse IFN ELISPOT. For the mice vaccinated with YFV17D/OVA, splenocytes were stimulated with 5 g of mixture of peptides derived from EBNA1 (kindly provided by professor Christian Mnz, University of Zurich). Both YFV17D/OVA and YFV17D/EBNA1 elicited strong and specific IFN responses to peptides of ovalbumin and EBNA1, respectively (FIG. 9).

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE1 Primersequences SEQ Primer Sequence(5to3) IDNO: #1 aagctcagggaaaaaccctgggcgtcaata 19 tggtacgacgaggagttcgcggatcc #2 gtgtcttaccctgggctttgcggccgctag 20 gaccggggttctcctccacgtcgccacagg #3 gtcaatatggtacgacgaggagttcgcgga 21 tccgtttaaacctcgtccccgccgggtcac #4 gtcgccacaggtcagcagggacccgcgtcc 22 ctcgtttaaacagtatagcgaccagcattc #5 cagaacatgtctggtcgtaaagctcaggga 23 aaaaccctgggcgtcaatatggtacgacga #6 accctgggctttgcggccgctaggaccggg 24 gttctcctccacgtcgccacaggtcagcag #7 ccggacgccgcgacgaaccatgttcacgcc 25 cagtgtcttaccctgggctttgcggccgct #8 cctgggcgtcaatatggtacgacgaggagt 26 tcgcggatccatggacatcgacccttataa #9 cctccacgtcgccacaggtcagcagggacc 27 cgcgtccctccgcgagggcctttccctcgg #10 gtcttaccctgggctttgcggccgctagga 28 ccggggttctcctccacgtcgccacaggtc #11 tggaggagaaccccggtcctagcggccgca 29 aagcccagggtaagacactgggcgtgaaca #12 taagacactgggcgtgaacatggttcgtcg 30 cggcgtccggtccttgtcaaacaaaataaa #13 tgacgcccagggtttttccctgagctttac 31 gaccagacatgttctggtcagttctctgct #14 tcgatgtccatggatccgcgaactcctcgt 32 cgtaccatattgacgcccagggtttttccc #15 tggattaattttaatcgttcgttgagcgat 33 tagcagagaactgaccagaacatgtct #16 cctccacgtcgccacaggtcagcagggacc 34 cgcgtccctcggacctgcctcgtcgtc #17 tgtttccaatttgttttgttttttgtttta 35 ttttgtttgacaaggaccggacgccgcgac #18 gggcgtcaatatggtacgacgaggagttcg 36 cggatccatgggtagaaggccatttttcca #19 cctccacgtcgccacaggtcagcagggacc 37 cgcgtccctcctcctgcccttcctcaccct
Sequence of Interest of pShuttle/YFV17D/URA3

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[0142]

TABLE-US-00002 UPPER CASE YFV17D 5-UTR UNDERLINEDUPPER coding sequence of first 21 amino CASE acids of YFV17D capsid protein Lower case italics BamHI site UPPER CASE ITALICS TEF promotor and TEF terminator BOLD UPPER CASE URA3 gene Underlinedlowercase coding sequence of T2A (Thosea asigna 2A) peptide Lower case coding sequence of YFV17D genome, starting from amino acid #2

TABLE-US-00003 SEQIDNO:1 AGTAAATCCTGTGTGCTAATTGAGGTGCATTGGTCTGCAAATCGAGTTGC TAGGCAATAAACACATTTGGATTAATTTTAATCGTTCGTTGAGCGATTAG CAGAGAACTGACCAGAACATGTCTGGTCGTAAAGCTCAGG MSGRKAQ SEQIDNO:2 GAAAAACCCTGGGCGTCAATATGGTACGACGAGGAGTTCGCggatccGTT GKTLGVNMVRRGVR TAAACCTCGTCCCCGCCGGGTCACCCGGCCAGCGACATGGAGGCCCAGAA TACCCTCCTTGACAGTCTTGACGTGCGCAGCTCAGGGGCATGATGTGACT GTCGCCCGTACATTTAGCCCATACATCCCCATGTATAATCATTTGCATCC ATACATTTTGATGGCCGCACGGCGCGAAGCAAAAATTACGGCTCCTCGCT GCAGACCTGCGAGCAGGGAAACGCTCCCCTCACAGACGCGTTGAATTGTC CCCACGCCGCGCCCCTGTAGAGAAATATAAAAGGTTAGGATTTGCCACTG AGGTTCTTCTTTCATATACTTCCTTTTAAAATCTTGCTAGGATACAGTTC TCACATCACATCCGAACATAAACAACCATGACAGTCAACACTAAGACCTA MTVNTKTY TAGTGAGAGAGCAGAAACTCATGCCTCACCAGTAGCACAA SERAETHASPVAQ SEQIDNO:3 CGATTATTTCGATTAATGGAACTGAAGAAAACCAATTTATGTGCATCAAT RLFRLMELKKTNLCASI TGATGTTGATACCACTAAGGAATTCCTTGAATTAATTGATAAATTGGGTC DVDTTKEFLELIDKLGP CTTATGTATGCTTAATCAAGACTCATATTGATATAATCAATGATTTTTCC YVCLIKTHIDIINDFS TATGAATCCACTATTGAACCATTATTAGAACTTTCACGTAAACATCAATT YESTIEPLLELSRKHQF TATGATTTTTGAAGATAGAAAATTTGCTGATATTGGTAATACCGTGAAGA MIFEDRKFADIGNTVKK AACAATATATTGGTGGAGTTTATAAAATTAGTAGTTGGGCAGATATTACT QYIGGVYKISSWADIT AATGCTCATGGTGTCACTGGGAATGGAGTAGTTGAAGGATTAAAACAGGG NAHGVTGNGVVEGLKQG AGCTAAAGAAACCACCACCAACCAAGAGCCAAGAGGGTTATTGATGTTAG AKETTTNQEPRGLLMLA CTGAATTATCATCAGTGGGATCATTAGCATATGGAGAATATTCTCAAAAA ELSSVGSLAYGEYSQK ACTGTTGAAATTGCTAAATCCGATAAGGAATTTGTTATTGGATTTATTGC TVEIAKSDKEFVIGFIA CCAACGTGATATGGGTGGACAAGAAGAAGGATTTGATTGGCTTATTATGA QRDMGGQEEGFDWLIMT CACCTGGAGTTGGATTAGATGATAAAGGTGATGGATTAGGACAACAATAT PGVGLDDKGDGLGQQY AGAACTGTTGATGAAGTTGTTAGCACTGGAACTGATATTATCATTGTTGG RTVDEVVSTGTDIIIVG TAGAGGATTGTTTGGTAAAGGAAGAGATCCAGATATTGAAGGTAAAAGGT RGLFGKGRDPDIEGKRY ATAGAGATGCTGGTTGGAATGCTTATTTGAAAAAGACTGGCCAATTATAA RDAGWNAYLKKTGQL* TCAGTACTGACAATAAAAAGATTCTTGTTTTCAAGAACTTGTCATTTGTA TAGTTTTTTTATATTGTAGTTGTTCTATTTTAATCAAATGTTAGCGTGAT TTATATTTTTTTTCGCCTCGACATCATCTGCCCAGATGCGAAGTTAAGTG CGCAGAAAGTAATATCATGCGTCAATCGTATGTGAATGCTGGTCGCTATA CTGTTTAAACgagggacgcgggtccctgct EGRGSLL SEQIDNO:4 Gacctgtggcgacgtggaggagaaccccggtcctagcggccgcaaagccc TCGDVEENPGPSGRKAQ agggtaagacactgggcgtgaacatggttcgtcgcggcgtccggtccttg GKTLGVNMVRRGVRSL tcaaacaaaataaaacaaaaaacaaaacaaattg SNKIKQKTKQI
Sequence of Interest of pShuttle/YFV17D/HBc

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[0143]

TABLE-US-00004 UPPER CASE YFV17D 5-UTR UNDERLINEDUPPER coding sequence of first 21 amino CASE acids of YFV17D capsid protein Lower case italics BamHI site BOLD UPPER CASE HBc coding sequence Underlinedlowercase coding sequence of T2A (Thosea asigna 2A) peptide Lower case coding sequence of YFV17D genome, starting from amino acid #2

TABLE-US-00005 SEQIDNO:5 AGTAAATCCTGTGTGCTAATTGAGGTGCATTGGTCTGCAAATCGAGTTGC TAGGCAATAAACACATTTGGATTAATTTTAATCGTTCGTTGAGCGATTAG CAGAGAACTGACCAGAACATGTCTGGTCGTAAAGCTCAGG MSGRKAQG SEQIDNO:6 GAAAAACCCTGGGCGTCAATATGGTACGACGAGGAGTTCGCggatccATG KTLGVNMVRRGVRGSM GACATCGACCCTTATAAAGAATTTGGAGCTACTGTGGAGTTACTCTCGTT DIDPYKEFGATVELLSF TTTGCCTTCTGACTTCTTTCCTTCAGTACGAGATCTTCTAGATACCGCCT LPSDFFPSVRDLLDTAS CAGCTCTGTATCGGGAAGCCTTAGAGTCTCCTGAGCATTGTTCACCTCAC ALYREALESPEHCSPH CATACTGCACTCAGGCAAGCAATTCTTTGCTGGGGGGAACTAATGACTCT HTALRQAILCWGELMTL AGCTACCTGGGTGGGTGTTAATTTGGAAGATCCAGCGTCTAGAGACCTAG ATWVGVNLEDPASRDLV TAGTCAGTTATGTCAACACTAATATGGGCCTAAAGTTCAGGCAACTCTTG VSYVNTNMGLKFRQLL TGGTTTCACATTTCTTGTCTCACTTTTGGAAGAGAAACAGTTATAGAGTA WFHISCLTFGRETVIEY TTTGGTGTCTTTCGGAGTGTGGATTCGCACTCCTCCAGCTTATAGACCAC LVSFGVWIRTPPAYRPP CAAATGCCCCTATCCTATCAACACTTCCGGAGACTACTGTTGTTAGACGA NAPILSTLPETTVVRR CGAGGCAGGTCCgagggacgcgggtccctgctgacctgtggcgacgtgga RGRSEGRGSLLTCGDVE ggagaaccccggtcctagcggccgcaaagcccagggtaagacactgggcg ENPGPSGRKAQGKTLGV tgaacatggttcgtcgcggcgtccggtccttgtcaaacaaaataaaacaa NMVRRGVRSLSNKIKQK aaaacaaaacaaattg TKQI* SEQIDNO:7 1mdidpykefgasvellsflpsdffpsirdlldtasalyre alespehcsphhtalrqail 61cwgelmnlatwvggnledpasreavvsyvnvnmglkirql lwfhiscltfgretvleylv 121sfgvwirtppayrpqnapilstlpettvvrrrgr
Sequence of Interest of pShuttle/YFV17D/OVA

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[0144]

TABLE-US-00006 UPPER CASE YFV17D 5-UTR UNDERLINEDUPPER coding sequence of first 21 amino CASE acids of YFV17D capsid protein Lower case italics BamHI site BOLD UPPER CASE OVA coding sequence Underlinedlowercase coding sequence of T2A (Thosea asigna 2A) peptide Lower case coding sequence of YFV17D genome, starting from amino acid #2

TABLE-US-00007 SEQIDNO:8 AGTAAATCCTGTGTGCTAATTGAGGTGCATTGGTCTGCAAATCGAGTTGC TAGGCAATAAACACATTTGGATTAATTTTAATCGTTCGTTGAGCGATTAG CAGAGAACTGACCAGAACATGTCTGGTCGTAAAGCTCAGG MSGRKAQG SEQIDNO:9 GAAAAACCCTGGGCGTCAATATGGTACGACGAGGAGTTCGCggatccATG KTLGVNMVRRGVRGSM GGTAGTATCGGGGCAGCCTCCATGGAGTTCTGCTTTGACGTATTCAAAGA GSIGAASMEFCFDVFKE GCTCAAGGTTCATCATGCTAACGAAAACATTTTTTATTGCCCCATCGCCA LKVHHANENIFYCPIAI TAATGAGTGCTCTGGCCATGGTGTATCTTGGGGCCAAAGATTCAACACGG MSALAMVYLGAKDSTR ACACAGATAAACAAAGTAGTCCGCTTCGACAAATTGCCTGGATTTGGCGA TQINKVVRFDKLPGFGD TTCTATCGAAGCTCAGTGCGGGACATCCGTGAATGTGCATAGTAGTCTCA SIEAQCGTSVNVHSSLR GGGATATCCTCAACCAGATAACAAAACCAAATGACGTTTATTCTTTTAGC DILNQITKPNDVYSFS CTCGCCAGTCGCCTTTATGCCGAGGAACGGTATCCCATTTTGCCAGAGTA LASRLYAEERYPILPEY CTTGCAATGTGTAAAAGAGTTGTACCGAGGCGGGCTCGAACCCATTAATT LQCVKELYRGGLEPINF TCCAGACAGCAGCAGACCAAGCAAGAGAGCTTATAAATAGCTGGGTAGAA QTAADQARELINSWVE TCTCAAACTAACGGAATTATAAGAAACGTGCTCCAACCAAGTTCAGTGGA SQTNGIIRNVLQPSSVD TTCTCAGACAGCCATGGTCCTTGTTAATGCCATTGTTTTCAAAGGTCTTT SQTAMVLVNAIVFKGLW GGGAGAAAGCATTTAAAGATGAGGATACCCAGGCTATGCCCTTTCGAGTA EKAFKDEDTQAMPFRV ACCGAACAAGAGAGTAAGCCCGTACAAATGATGTACCAGATAGGATTGTT TEQESKPVQMMYQIGLF TAGAGTCGCCTCCATGGCTAGTGAGAAGATGAAGATTCTGGAGCTCCCCT RVASMASEKMKILELPF TTGCCAGCGGTACAATGAGCATGCTTGTCCTGCTCCCTGACGAGGTGTCA ASGTMSMLVLLPDEVS GGGCTCGAACAATTGGAGAGCATTATCAACTTCGAGAAACTCACAGAATG GLEQLESIINFEKLTEW GACTAGTAGCAATGTGATGGAGGAAAGGAAGATTAAGGTATATCTTCCAC TSSNVMEERKIKVYLPR GGATGAAAATGGAAGAGAAATACAATCTCACAAGCGTACTCATGGCTATG MKMEEKYNLTSVLMAM GGAATAACAGATGTGTTTTCATCCAGCGCCAACTTGAGCGGCATTAGCTC GITDVFSSSANLSGISS TGCCGAAAGTCTGAAGATTTCACAGGCCGTACATGCCGCCCACGCTGAAA AESLKISQAVHAAHAEI TAAATGAGGCTGGCAGGGAAGTAGTTGGGAGTGCAGAGGCTGGCGTAGAT NEAGREVVGSAEAGVD GCTGCCAGCGTATCCGAGGAGTTCCGAGCCGATCACCCTTTTCTCTTTTG AASVSEEFRADHPFLFC TATCAAACATATTGCTACTAATGCAGTCCTCTTTTTCGGTCGGTGTGTGA IKHIATNAVLFFGRCVS GCCCAgagggacgcgggtccctgctgacctgtggcgacgtggaggagaac PEGRGSLLTCGDVEEN cccggtcctagcggccgcaaagcccagggtaagacactgggcgtgaacat PGPSGRKAQGKTLGVNM ggttcgtcgcggcgtccggtccttgtcaaacaaaataaaacaaaaaacaa VRRGVRSLSNKIKQKTK aacaaattg QI SEQIDNO:10 1mgsigaasmefcfdvfkelkvhhanenifycpiaimsala mvylgakdstrtqinkvvrf 61dklpgfgdsieaqcgtsvnvhsslrdilnqitkpndvysf slasrlyaeerypilpeylq 121cvkelyrgglepinfqtaadqarelinswvesqtngiirn vlqpssvdsqtamvlvnaiv 181fkglwekafkdedtqampfrvteqeskpvqmmyqiglfrv asmasekmkilelpfasgtm 241smlvllpdevsgleqlesiinfekltewtssnvmeerkik vylprmkmeekynltsvlma 301mgitdvfsssanlsgissaeslkisqavhaahaeineagr evvgsaeagvdaasvseefr 361adhpflfcikhiatnavlffgrcvsp
Sequence of Interest of pShuttle/YFV17D/EBNA1

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[0145]

TABLE-US-00008 UPPER CASE YFV17D 5-UTR UNDERLINEDUPPER coding sequence of first 21 amino CASE acids of YFV17D capsid protein Lower case italics BamHI site BOLD UPPER CASE EBNA1 coding sequence Underlinedlowercase coding sequence of T2A (Thosea asigna 2A) peptide Lower case coding sequence of YFV17D genome, starting from amino acid #2

TABLE-US-00009 SEQIDNO:11 AGTAAATCCTGTGTGCTAATTGAGGTGCATTGGTCTGCAAATCGAGTTGC TAGGCAATAAACACATTTGGATTAATTTTAATCGTTCGTTGAGCGATTAG CAGAGAACTGACCAGAACATGTCTGGTCGTAAAGCTCAGG MSGRKAQG SEQIDNo:12 GAAAAACCCTGGGCGTCAATATGGTACGACGAGGAGTTCGCggatccGGT KTLGVNMVRRGVRGSG AGAAGGCCATTTTTCCACCCTGTAGGGGAAGCCGATTATTTTGAATACCA RRPFFHPVGEADYFEYH CCAAGAAGGTGGCCCAGATGGTGAGCCTGACGTGCCCCCGGGAGCGATAG QEGGPDGEPDVPPGAIE AGCAGGGCCCCGCAGATGACCCAGGAGAAGGCCCAAGCACTGGACCCCGG QGPADDPGEGPSTGPR GGTCAGGGTGATGGAGGCAGGCGCAAAAAAGGAGGGTGGTTTGGAAAGCA GQGDGGRRKKGGWFGKH TCGTGGTCAAGGAGGTTCCAACCCGAAATTTGAGAACATTGCAGAAGGTT RGQGGSNPKFENIAEGL TAAGAGCTCTCCTGGCTAGGAGTCACGTAGAAAGGACTACCGACGAAGGA RALLARSHVERTTDEG ACTTGGGTCGCCGGTGTGTTCGTATATGGAGGTAGTAAGACCTCCCTTTA TWVAGVFVYGGSKTSLY CAACCTAAGGCGAGGAACTGCCCTTGCTATTCCACAATGTCGTCTTACAC NLRRGTALAIPQCRLTP CATTGAGTCGTCTCCCCTTTGGAATGGCCCCTGGACCCGGCCCACAACCT LSRLPFGMAPGPGPQP GGCCCGCTAAGGGAGTCCATTGTCTGTTATTTCATGGTCTTTTTACAAAC GPLRESIVCYFMVFLQT TCATATATTTGCTGAGGTTTTGAAGGATGCGATTAAGGACCTTGTTATGA HIFAEVLKDAIKDLVMT CAAAGCCCGCTCCTACCTGCAATATCAGGGTGACTGTGTGCAGCTTTGAC KPAPTCNIRVTVCSFD GATGGAGTAGATTTGCCTCCCTGGTTTCCACCTATGGTGGAAGGGGCTGC DGVDLPPWFPPMVEGAA CGCGGAGGGTGATGACGGAGATGACGGAGATGAAGGAGGTGATGGAGATG AEGDDGDDGDEGGDGDE AGGGTGAGGAAGGGCAGGAGgagggacgcgggtccctgctgacctgtggc GEEGQEEGRGSLLTCG gacgtggaggagaaccccggtcctagcggccgcaaagcccagggtaagac DVEENPGPSGRKAQGKT actgggcgtgaacatggttcgtcgcggcgtccggtccttgtcaaacaaaa LGVNMVRRGVRSLSNKI taaaacaaaaaacaaaacaaattg KQKTKQI SEQIDNO:13 1pffhpvgeadyfeylqeggpdgepdvppgaieqgpaddpg egpstgprgqgdggrrkkgg 61wfgkhrgqggsnpkfeniaeglrvllarshvertteegtw vagvfvyggsktslynlrrg 121talaipqcrltplsrlpfgmapgpgpqpgplresivcyfm vflqthifaevlkdaikdlv 181mtkpaptcnikvtvcsfddgvdlppwfppmvegaaaegdd gddgdeggdgdegeegqe

Capsid Synonymous Codons Sequences:

[0146]

TABLE-US-00010 (SEQIDNO:14) atgtctggtcgtaaagctcagggaaaaaccctgggcgtcaatatggtacg acgaggagttcgc (SEQIDNO:15) agcggccgcaaagcccagggtaagacactgggcgtgaacatggttcgtcg cggcgtccgg.