%0 Journal Article %A Massaer, Marc %A Haumont, Michèle %A Place, Martine %A Bollen, Alex %A Jacobs, Paul %T Induction of neutralizing antibodies by varicella-zoster virus gpII glycoprotein expressed from recombinant vaccinia virus %D 1993 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 74 %N 3 %P 491-494 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-74-3-491 %I Microbiology Society, %X The gpII glycoprotein of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) was produced in CV1 cells via vaccinia virus recombinants. Two different DNA constructs were expressed: the first one encodes the complete gpII protein (gpII s+a+) and the second a truncated species lacking the membrane anchorage domain (gpII s+a-). To achieve expression both coding sequences had to be engineered at the 5′ end by substituting the unusually short (24 bp) natural signal sequence by a more conventional one encoding 29 amino acids. Recombinant gpII proteins were detected in vaccinia virus-infected cells by ELISA and immunoprecipitation. Both forms of recombinant gpII proteins were produced as glycosylated single-chain molecules of respectively 110K and 90K. Upon reduction these were only partially converted into subunits. A rabbit infected with the vaccinia virus recombinant expressing the complete gpII produced antibodies which recognized VZV antigens and neutralized VZV infectivity in vitro, independent of complement. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-74-3-491