Prospects for a virus non-structural protein as a subunit vaccine

The design of contemporary vaccines to date has been dependent upon our understanding of the process of stimulation of protective immunity by virion proteins. However, studies with the flaviviruses have demonstrated that protective immunity can be elicited by a non-structural protein, NS1. Surprisingly, immunity to infection is stimulated in the absence of neutralizing antibodies. The information concerning NS1-induced immunity is described and is discussed with relevance to the role of the protein in immunity and vaccine development, against flavivirus diseases. The possibility exists that the phenomenon of non-structural protein induced immunity is applicable to the prophylaxis of other virus diseases.