A recombinant vaccinia virus expressing hepatitis B virus middle surface protein. Restricted expression of HBV antigens in human diploid cells.

Several vaccinia virus recombinants inducing the synthesis of the middle surface (M) protein of hepatitis B virus (HBV) were constructed. One of them, denoted v137, was examined in some detail. The virus replicated nearly to the same extent in various cell lines, viz. human embryo diploid fibroblast LEP and MRC-5 cells, rabbit embryo fibroblast REF cells, TK- rat RAT-2 cells, and green monkey CV-1 cells. However, the production of M protein was found considerably lower in the human LEP and MRC-5 than in the other cells examined. In addition, the kinetics of M formation were different in these two cell systems, LEP cells lagging significantly behind CV-1 cells. The low-level production of M protein in LEP cells was not increased by repeated v137 passages in LEP cells, nor by a passage in a laboratory worker accidentally infected with the v137 virus, nor by shortening the leader sequence preceding the translation initiation codon. The greater part of the M antigen was found to be cell associated, more so in the cells of human than monkey origin. From the major HBV S antigen (HBsAg) isolated from the plasma of chronically infected subjects, the antigen released by cell destruction differed by binding to polymerized human albumin. This property was utilized in ELISA to detect anti-preS2 antibody. Rabbits inoculated intradermally with the v137 virus developed antibodies reactive in this assay as well as with a synthetic peptide corresponding in the amino acids 14-34 of the NH2 terminus of the HBsAg preS2 region.