Synthetic Liposomal Mimics of Biological Viruses for the Study of Immune Responses to Infection and Vaccination
Wei-Yun Wholey, James L. Mueller, Corey Tan, Jeremy F. Brooks, Julie Zikherman, Wei Cheng
Abstract
. We conjugated the purified recombinant HEL proteins onto the surface of a virion-sized liposome in an orientation-specific manner at defined spatial densities and also encapsulated nucleic acid molecules into the interior of the liposome. Both the chemical conjugation of the HEL antigen on liposome surfaces and the encapsulation of nucleic acids were stable under physiologically relevant conditions. These liposomes elicited antigen-specific B-cell responses in vitro, which validate these supramolecular structures as a novel and effective approach to mimic and systematically isolate the role of essential viral features in directing the B-cell response to particulate antigens.