Inventors:
Robert Rose - Dansville NY, US
William Bonnez - Rochester NY, US
Richard Reichman - Pittsford NY, US
Assignee:
University of Rochester - Rochester NY
International Classification:
A61K 39/12
US Classification:
4242041, 435 691, 435 693, 530300
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a method of expressing the papillomavirus capsid protein coding sequence in a cell using an expression system under conditions facilitating expression of the protein in the cell. In another aspect of the invention, it has been discovered that virus-like particle(s) (VLPs), fragment(s), capsomer(s) or portion(s) thereof are formed from the papillomavirus capsid protein. It was further discovered that the virus-like particle(s) comprises antigenic characteristics similar to those of native infectious papillomavirus particles. In an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of expressing the L1 major capsid protein of human papillomavirus type-11 (HPV-11) in Sf-9 insect cells using the baculovirus expression system, and the production of HPV-11 virus-like particles.