Expression of the merozoite surface protein gp195 in vaccinia virus

The DNA sequence coding for the merozoite protein gp195 was inserted into the vaccinia virus expression plasmid pvHAX31. This recombinant plasmid was used to integrate the gp195 DNA into the vaccinia virus genome by homologous recombination. The resulting chimeric virus was tested for gp195 expression in CV-1 cells by Western blotting. The virus that gave positive results was then grown on a large scale and used to infect rabbits. The animal antibody response towards gp195 was analysed in detail. The possibility of using gp195 as a component in a multivalent malaria vaccine is discussed.