Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) amplicon vectors are versatile and useful tools for transferring genes into cells that are capable of stimulating a specific immune response to their expressed antigens. In this work, two HSV-1-derived amplicon vectors were generated. One of these expressed the full-length glycoprotein D (gD) of bovine herpesvirus 1 while the second expressed the truncated form of gD (gDtr) which lacked the trans-membrane region. After evaluating gD expression in the infected cells, the ability of both vectors to induce a specific gD immune response was tested in BALB/c mice that were intramuscularly immunized. Specific serum antibody responses were detected in mice inoculated with both vectors, and the response against truncated gD was higher than the response against full-length gD. These results reinforce previous findings that HSV-1 amplicon vectors can potentially deliver antigens to animals and highlight the prospective use of these vectors for treating infectious bovine rhinotracheitis disease.
Animals ; Antibodies, Viral/blood ; Blotting, Western/veterinary ; Cattle ; Female ; Genetic Vectors/*immunology ; Herpesvirus 1, Bovine/genetics/*immunology ; Herpesvirus 1, Human/genetics/*immunology ; Immunity, Humoral/immunology ; Immunization/methods/veterinary ; Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis/*immunology/prevention & control/virology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Neutralization Tests/veterinary ; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms ; Viral Proteins/genetics/*immunology ; Viral Vaccines/immunology