Modeling the Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus (TBSV), a platform for viral epitope display

Le résumé fourni par la source

Several antigen display platforms are being explored to optimize the immune response. While various viruses have been studied as antigen delivery tools, the tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) has great potential for use as a platform due to its symmetrical structure that enhances epitope display. 180 identical subunits form a single TBSV particle that can prominently display multiple copies of an epitope. TBSV's high antigen density makes it a highly efficient means of ensuring epitope recognition, thereby increasing antibody response. TBSV is especially useful because the C‐terminus sites of its capsid protein are clearly exposed. This structure allows epitopes to be added and to maintain their original tertiary structure when bound to the viral capsid. The TBSV platform was tested by addition of modified ricin toxin to the capsid protein C‐terminus. Mice injected with the construct had increased antibody responses, indicating that the high antigen density created by modified TBSV led to increased immune response. The Canyon Crest Academy SMART Team (Students Modeling A Research Topic) modeled TBSV using 3D printing technology. This 3D model allows for more thorough analysis of TBSV's structure and fuller understanding of the characteristics that make it an attractive platform for vaccine design. Supported by a grant from the HHMI Pre‐College Program.

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