Vaccinia virus expression vector: a new tool for immunologists

Advances in genetic engineering have made it possible to use animal viruses as vectors for expression of unrelatedgenes(1). Small DNA viruses, such as SV40 and adenovirus, provide powerful tools for molecular biologists interested in studying the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic cells. The more recent development of large DNA viruses, such as vaccinia virus(2-4) and herpes simplex virus(5), as vectors may prove equally valuablefor immunological studies. These large viruses can express one or many foreign genes while retaining infectivity for animals as well as cultured cells. Moreover, the proteins appear to undergo appropriate processing steps including glycosylation and membrane transport. Here Bernard Moss reviews initial studies indicating that both humoral(6,7) and cell-mediated(8) immune responses are made to the expressed protein and that the recombinant viruses have potential as live vaccines(9,10).