Recombinant Baculovirus

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a recombinant Baculovirus having integrated at least a part of cDNA encoding envelope protein of Japanese encephalitis virus into a genome non-essential to proliferation of Baculovirus, a process for efficiently producing envelope protein of Japanese encephalitis virus using said recombinant Baculovirus and a vaccine for Japanese encephalitis virus.

2. Statement of the Prior Art

As a Japanese encephalitis vaccine, there has been hitherto used a vaccine containing inactivated Japanese encephalitis virus as an effective ingredient. The stock solution of inactivated Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine is produced by inoculating Japanese encephalitis virus Nakayama strain found in the National Institute of Health into newborn mice intra-cerebrally, collecting brains from infected mice purifying by the alcohol protamine method and inactivating virus ["Vaccine of Japan", revised second edition, edited by National Institute of Health Alumini Association (published Jan. 20, 1977 by Maruzen Publishing Co., Ltd.)].

In such a vaccine producing process, Japanese encephalitis virus itself must be handled in large quantities so that the handling was extremely highly dangerous to workers in producing vaccines and production costs were also high.

As a vaccine, antigenic protein having viral antigenicity may also be used, not the virus per se. So it has been investigated to produce the antigenic protein in procaryotic cells or eucaryotic cells using recombinant DNA technique. An attempt has also been made to express envelope protein (hereafter sometime referred to as E protein) of Japanese encephalitis virus by genetic manipulation using yeast as a host (Preliminary Abstract of the 34th Meeting of the Japanese Virus Society held in October 1986, page 91). However, expression of natural E protein was unsuccessful.

The present inventors recently succeeded in expressing natural E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus by the recombinant vaccinia virus integrated cDNA encoding E protein into the genome of vaccinia virus used as a live vaccine. Although the recombinant virus is promising as a live vaccine, it involved a problem that its yield was too small to recover the expressed proteins and to use them for the purpose of vaccination or diagnosis.

On the other hand, methods for expressing an exogenous gene in insect cells using an insect viral vector [Japanese Patent Application KOKAI (the term "KOKAI" is used to mean an unexamined application laid open to public inspection) Nos. 37988/1985 and 5787/1986]have been proposed. It is reported that the amount of protein expressed in these methods is markedly higher than that in the other expression systems.

However, Japanese encephalitis virus belonging to the genus Flavivirus of Togaviridae is characterized in that it has a single stranded RNA genome and that a single long polypeptide monocistronically translated from the genome in virus-infected cells undergoes processing (which is used to mean that a single polypeptide is cleaved with protease in cells to form the respective proteins)into capsid protein, membrane protein, E protein and 5 kinds of non-structural proteins; it is thus difficult in its manipulation to integrate cDNA encoding E protein into Baculovirus genome and express E protein. Therefore, no report has yet been made on an example of the expression.

In view of the prior art described above, the present inventors have made extensive investigations on a process for producing E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus in large quantities and as a result, have found that by selecting a region encoding E protein from cDNA prepared from genome RNA of Japanese encephalitis virus, ligating said region encoding E protein with a promoter of Baculovirus and integrating the ligation product into a genome region non-essential for proliferation of Baculovirus, large quantities of Japanese encephalitis virus E protein utilizable as vaccines or diagnostics can be expressed in infected insect cells. Based on this finding, the present invention has come to be accomplished.

According to the present invention, there are provided a recombinant Baculovirus harbouring cDNA encoding E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus into a genome region non-essential to proliferation of Baculovirus, a process for producing E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus which comprises infecting the insect cell with said recombinant virus, culturing the insect cell and recovering the expressed Japanese encephalitis virus E protein, and a recombinant Baculovirus usable for said process and a vaccine for Japanese encephalitis virus.

FIG. 1 shows the procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the procedure for cloning of cDNA of Japanese encephalitis virus.

FIG. 3 indicates a positional relation of restriction enzyme sites in cDNA.

FIG. 4 (parts 1-5) shows base sequence and amino acid sequence of cDNA containing a region encoding E protein.

FIGS. 5 through 7 show the procedures for constructing the first recombinant vector pAcYMS1.

FIG. 8 shows the procedures for constructing the second recombinant vector pAcYMJ3 containing cDNA encoding E protein.

In the present invention, any virus is usable as the one provided for production of recombinant virus so long as it is classified into Baculovirus. Examples include Autographa californica, Trichoplusia ni, Rachiplusia ou, Galleria mellonella, Bombyx mori, etc. Of these viruses, Autographa californica (hereafter simply referred to as AcNPV) is preferred. These viruses have been widely investigated so far and their samples can be obtained from many sources including Texas Agricultural Experiment Station & Extension Service of Texas A & M University, U.S.A.

Further, cDNA encoding envelope protein of Japanese encephalitis virus can be prepared using above-described Nakayama strain found in the National Institute of Health, JaOAr strain (Arboviruses Research Unit of Yale College, Connecticut, U.S.A.), or Sagayama strain (same college).

For example, cDNA encoding E protein which is prepared from Sagayama strain described above is composed of 1500 base pairs in total as shown in FIG. 4. In the present invention, cDNA may also be modified (namely, its base sequence is replaced, inserted or deleted) within a range that has substantially the same function as in the aforesaid cDNA. Of course, cDNA may also be modified to such an extent that its amino acid sequence is modified so long as it has substantially the same function.

In the production of recombinant virus, a first recombinant vector having therein a DNA region which is not essential to proliferation of Baculovirus is firstly constructed. In this case, it is required that a promoter functioning in Baculovirus be present in the region described above. It is further preferred to insert a synthetic linker containing an appropriate restriction enzyme cleavage sequence downstream the promoter.

The DNA region which is not essential to proliferation as used herein refers to a region such as polyhedrin gene of Baculovirus (L.K. Miller, et al., Science, 219, 715-721 (1983)) or the like, that does not substantially affect proliferation of virus even though the region undergoes mutation by insertion of exogenous DNA.

For reference, it is reported that polyhedrin is a protein having a molecular weight of about 29,000 daltons and its gene is present on EcoR I-I fragment of AcNPV genome (G.E. Smith, et al., J. Virol., 45, 215-225 (I983)). DNA sequence of polyhedrin gene is shown in the monograph authored by G.E. Smith, et al. (Virology, 131, 561-565 (1983)).

Further any promoter is usable as the promoter functioning in Baculovirus, irrespective of synthetic or natural one, so long as it can be effectively functioned as a promoter in the transcription system of Baculovirus. Specific examples are a promoter of polyhedrin gene of Baculovirus, a promoter of 10K polypeptide gene of Baculovirus, etc.

The production of the first recombinant vector can be carried out in a conventional manner (for example, Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Nos. 37988/1985 and 5787/1986, etc.). For example, the procedure proceeds as follows. DNA fragment bearing polyhedrin gene is isolated from Baculovirus AcNPV and purified. Then, digestion with EcoR I restriction endonuclease gives 7.3 kilobase EcoR I-I fragment containing polyhedrin gene and other appropriate fragments. The EcoR I-I fragment is cloned to a suitable cloning plasmid at the EcoR I site.

In the case of this system, the promoter of polyhedrin gene is present in the non-essential region. This promoter effectively functions also in a second recombinant vector.

In order to increase the expression level, it is preferred to use a vector, which has a restriction enzyme site immediately after promoter and 5' non-translational region of polyhedrin gene followed by 3' non-translational region of polyhedrin gene, but lacks the coding sequence of polyhedrin gene. It is reported that such a vector causes an extremely high expression level of an exogenous gene (Matsuura et al., J. gen. Virol., 68, 1233-1250 (1987)).

As has been stated hereinbefore, protein of Japanese encephalitis virus is monocistronically synthesized and then processed to separate into envelope protein, etc. Accordingly, when cDNA for the entire virus genome is inserted, it is unnecessary to insert translation initiation codon and translation termination codon artificially. This also applies to the case that cDNA to be inserted contains at its upstream a sequence (e.g., ATG) capable of acting as translation initiation codon, in addition to the region for encoding E protein. When cDNA encoding E protein alone is above integrated, it is necessary to integrate a synthetic linker having translation initiation codon, translation termination codon and a restriction enzyme sites between the two codons into the restriction enzyme site as the downstream of promoter.

The translation termination codon to be inserted is desirably provided at 3 positions by shifting the reading frame so as to be in accord with the reading frame of cDNA encoding E protein, whichever it is.

The cDNA to be inserted may also be cDNA containing a region for encoding any additional protein, so long as it contains the region for encoding E protein. In Flavivirus, a region encoding a membrane protein (hereafter referred to as M protein), a premembrane protein (hereafter referred to as preM protein) and a capsid protein (hereafter referred to as C protein) are present at the upstream in the region for encoding E protein. In the present invention, there may also be used a virus in which all or a part of cDNAs encoding these proteins may be linked to the cDNA encoding E protein at the upstream thereof.

Specific examples of the used vector include plasmids such as pBR322, pBR325, pBR327, pBR328, pUC7, pUC8, pUC9, pUC19 and the like; phages such as .lambda. phage, M13 phage and the like; cosmids such as pHC79 (Gene, 11, 291, 1980), etc.

In the present invention, the region for encoding E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus is then inserted at the downstream of the promoter of the first recombinant vector thereby to construct a second recombinant vector. The method for insertion may also be performed in a conventional manner (e.g., cf. the patent publications supra); for example, a cDNA fragment derived from Japanese encephalitis virus may be inserted into the restriction enzyme site provided artificially at the downstream of the first vector.

Upon construction of these first and second recombinant vectors, the Escherichia coli system which is easy in genetic manipulation may be used. Plasmid vectors to be used are not particularly limited as long as they are suited for the purpose.

In the present invention, genome DNA of Baculovirus is mixed with the second recombinant vector and the mixture is then transfected to insect cells to cause homologus recombination between the vector DNA and virus genome DNA, whereby recombinant Baculovirus is constructed.

The insect culture cell as used herein may be any cell insofar as Baculovirus can grow there. Specific examples include Sf9 cell, derived from Spodoptera frugiperda, and the like.

The construction of the recombinant Baculovirus may be carried out in a conventional manner. The procedures can be performed, for example, in a manner similar to the examples of Japanese Patent Application KOKAI No. 37988/1985. That is, the second recombinant vector and Baculovirus genome DNA are transfected to insect cells and the supernatant fluids containing recombinant Baculoviruses are recovered. The fluids containing recombinant Baculoviruses are subjected to standard AcNPV polyhedrin plaque assay described in L.E. Borgman et al. (J. Virol., 19, 820-832, 1976). Plaques that do not form virus occlusions are selected as virus plaques of candidate of the recombinant virus. A virus is recovered from the plaque. As a method for selecting the virus harbouring therein the DNA fragment encoding E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus from these candidate, plaque by hybridization using a DNA probe; alternatively, immunoassay using anti-serum or monoclonal antibody may be utilized.

The thus purified recombinant Baculovirus is infected to insect cells susceptible to be infected. The insect cells are cultured under appropriate growth conditions in a conventional manner. After suitable incubation period, the cells are collected and sonicated to prepare an extract. The expression protein is recovered from the extract in an appropriate fashion.

The insect cells used for the incubation are not particularly limited so long as Baculovirus can grow in the cells. The particularly preferred one is Sf9 cell. The Sf9 cells can be cultured under the conditions generally known to the artisan in the art (see, J. Gen. Virol, 36, 361-364 (1977)). Suitable culture conditions can easily be determined by preliminary experiment but, it is preferred to culture in a medium containing 10% fetal calf serum at 28.degree. C. Recovery methods of the expression protein from the cells are not particularly limited so far as they are done through conventional method for biochemical purification, but affinity chromatography using antibodies to Japanese encephalitis virus is the desired one.

As above, the present invention has been described. One of the embodiments of the present invention is outlined in FIG. 1.

According to the present invention, there is thus obtained the recombinant Baculovirus in which the cDNA encoding E protein derived from Japanese encephalitis virus is integrated into the genome region non-essential to proliferation of Baculovirus under control of the promoter; insect cells are infected with the recombinant virus and the infected cells are cultured, whereby E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus can be obtained. This E protein is useful as vaccines or diagnostics. For the preparation of a vaccine preparation, E protein can be diluted with any of conventional diluents and/or carriers in the conventional manner. The application dose of such vaccine can be determined according to the conventional manner; however, it would be sufficient to administer it in an amount capable of producing antibody having a titer of 1.0 to 1.0 (log.sub.10) in blood.

Hereafter the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the examples below.

Production of cDNA encoding E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus

(1) Extraction of RNA genome from Japanese encephalitis virus

Mosquito-derived established cell C6/36 (J. Gen. Virol., 40, 531-544 (1978)) were infected with Japanese encephalitis virus Sagayama strain. After the viruses were proliferated, the culture supernatant was mixed with polyethylene glycol. The mixture was centrifuged to purify Japanese encephalitis viruses. After extraction from the purified viruses with phenol, ethanol was added to the extract to cause precipitation, whereby virus genome RNA (about 11 Kbp) are isolated from said extract.

(2) Cloning of cDNA of Japanese encephalitis virus (cf. FIG. 2):

Using poly(A) polymerase (Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd.), poly(A) was added to the virus genome RNA prepared in (1) and this is used as a template: 4 kinds (A, G, C, T) of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates were reacted with reverse transcriptase using oligo dT as a primer to synthesize first strand cDNA. Next, double stranded cDNA was constructed using E. coli RNase H and 4 kinds (A, G, C, T) of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates and E. coli DNA polymerase (Molecular Cloning [Cold Spring Harbor Lab., (1982)], p. 211-246) and, dC chain was added using terminal transferase. On the other hand, after digesting plasmid pUC9 (manufactured by Pharmacia Fine Chemicals) with restriction enzyme Pst I, dG chain was added to the digestion product by terminal transferase. The dG chain-added product was mixed with the cDNA described above. The mixture was subjected to ligation to cyclize. This recombinant plasmid was transfected into E. coli HB101 competent cell to obtain a transformant. A plasmid was taken out from the transformant and the length of insert cDNA was compared on agarose gel. With respect to the longest insert cDNA, a sequence at the 5'-end was analyzed (Gene, 19, p. 269 (1982)). Based on the results of sequential analysis, cDNA was again constructed by the method described above using 20-mer synthetic oligonucleotide (5'-dATTCCGTACCATGCAGTCCA-3') as a primer and virus genome RNA as a template. The cDNA was ligated with plasmid pUC9 to obtain a number of transformants. From the obtained transformants, a transformant containing a recombinant plasmid bearing cDNA encoding the objective envelope protein was screened by a method described below.

With respect to a method for constructing cDNA clone of Japanese encephalitis virus, an example of constructing cDNA clone of Japanese encephalitis virus using Japanese encephalitis virus JaOArS 982 strain in a similar manner is described in Gene, 48, p. 195-201 (1986).

(3) Screening of recombinant plasmid pJE4118 containing cDNA (4118) encoding envelope protein of Japanese encephalitis virus (cf. FIGS. 2 and 3):

The transformants obtained in (2) were grown on agar plate and replicated onto a nitrocellulose filter. After gently washing the replicated filter with 0.2% NP-40 (surfactant, Nakarai Kagaku), the filter was subjected to immunoscreening using anti JE serum. One transformant capable of positively reacting was obtained, while the reactivity was weak. A plasmid possessed by the transformant was named pJE4118. Then, plasmid pJE4118 was prepared in a conventional manner (Molecular Cloning, p. 75-95, [supra]) and cDNA inserted into plasmid pUC9 was excised with restriction enzyme Pst I. Using this cDNA as a DNA probe, the various transformants obtained in (2) were subjected to screening by the colony hybridization method (Molecular Cloning, p. 382-387 [supra]). A plasmid bearing cDNA overlapping with the insert cDNA (4118) of pJE4118 was selected. The thus selected cDNA (2-20) was recovered from the plasmid and its positional relationship was determined by restriction enzymes (cf. FIG. 3). It was thus made clear that cDNA (2-20) partially overlapped with the N-terminal of cDNA (4118).

(4) Analysis of the base sequence of cDNA encoding envelope protein (cf. FIG. 4):

Recombinant plasmids pJE4118 and pJE2-20 were cleaved with restriction enzyme Pst I to give DNA fragments of about 2.5 Kbp and about 1.0 Kbp, respectively. With respect to these fragments, their sequences were analyzed by the method of Messing et al. using M13 phage (Gene, 19, p. 269 (1982); Science, 241, p. 1205 (1981)), from in order the 5'-end in the case of cDNA (4118) and from the 3'-end in the case of cDNA (2-20).

As the result, it has been noted that the cDNA sequence at portions where both were overlapping was 334 bases from the third codon of the 5th amino acid to the 116th amino acid in FIG. 4. Based on the comparison of the amino acid sequence expected from this base sequence with the amino acid sequence of E protein of yellow fever virus (akin to and belonging to the same genus as in Japanese encephalitis virus) already known (Science, 229, 726-733 (1985)), it has been deduced that E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus is the amino acids from +1st to the 500th shown in FIG. 4.

Likewise, it has been deduced that M protein of Japanese encephalitis virus is the amino acids from the -75th to the -1st and, preM protein is the amino acids from the -167th to the -76th as shown in FIG. 4. Furthermore, it has been deduced that the upstream of preM protein encodes a part of C protein of Japanese encephalitis virus.

(5) Construction of cDNA encoding envelope protein of Japanese encephalitis virus (cf. FIGS. 3 and 4):

cDNA (4118) is deleted of bases encoding 5 amino acids at the N-terminal of E protein. Thus, spliced cDNA (2-20) was jointed with cDNA (4118) at the Aat II site to obtain cDNA (203) covering full E protein region.

Then, cDNA (203) was treated with Hind III and EcoR V to recover about 2.7 Kbp of cDNA fragment (J3). This fragment contains the region for encoding M protein and preM protein, in addition to the region for encoding E protein.

Production of the first recombinant vector pAcYMS1 having integrated therein the DNA region non essential to proliferation of Baculovirus (cf. FIGS. 5 through 7):

(1) Production of plasmid pAcRP61 wherein 3'-end of polyhedrin gene is deleted (cf. FIG. 5)

In order to constitute the first recombinant vector, the DNA fragment containing polyhedrin gene of AcNPV (wild strain) was cloned to plasmid pUC8 at the EcoR I site. DNA of AcNPV was purified by extracting from the virus followed by equilibrated centrifugation in cesium chloride density gradient, as explained by G.E. Smith and M.D. Summers (Virology, 89, 517-527, 1978). Next, this DNA was fully digested with restriction enzyme EcoR I. After 7.3 Kbp of the EcoR I-I fragment was recovered by agarose gel, the fragment was cloned to pUC8 at the EcoR I site to prepare pAcEcoR I-I. This recombinant plasmid pAcEcoR I-I has 3 BamH I recognition sites (cf. FIG. 5). One is in the polyhedrin gene, one is far downstream the polyhedrin gene and the last one is in polylinker of pUC8. The latter two BamH I recognition sites were removed from pAcEcoR I-I in a manner similar to the method described by G.E. Smith et al. (Molecular and Cellular Biology, 3, p. 2156-2165, 1983) to produce pAc101.

Next, pAc101 was cleaved at the Kpn I site present in the polyhedrin gene and sequentially deleted from the terminal using 0.5 unit of Bal 31 exonuclease. Thereafter, the terminals of it were repaired using E. coli DNA polymerase (Klenow fragment). The plasmid DNA was purified and 0.5 .mu.g of phosphorylated BamH I linker (5'-pCGGATCCG-3') was added to 100 .mu.l of the reaction mixture, together with 10 units of T4 DNA ligase. After incubation at room temperature for 2 hours, the DNA was purified. Then, the DNA was again digested with BamH I in 100 .mu.l of the reaction solution. The digested DNA was subjected to 0.7% agarose gel electrophoresis and then recovered to purify it. After ligation of the DNA using T4 DNA ligase, E. coli JM109 cells were transformed by the ligated DNA (ampicillin resistance). From several transformants, plasmids were prepared. With respect to fragments excised from the respective plasmids with EcoR V and Hinf I, sequence analysis was performed by the method of Messing et al. (Gene, 19, p. 269, 1982). It was found that one of the fragments had a deletion in the bases from just after the end of the bases for the Bam HI linker up to the 13th base downstream from the translation termination codon of the polyhedrin gene, as shown in FIG. 5. The plasmid was named pAcRP61 (FIG. 5).

(2) Production of plasmid pAcE1 wherein polyhedrin gene is deleted (cf. FIG. 6)

pAcEcoR I-I was cleaved with BamH I, and deleted from the end of the strand using 0.5 unit of Bal 31 exonuclease. Thereafter, the ends were repaired using E. coli DNA polymerase (Klenow fragment). The plasmid DNA was purified and the aforesaid phosphorylated BamH I linker was added to the reaction mixture, together with T4 DNA ligase. After incubation at room temperature for 2 hours, the DNA was purified. Then, the DNA was again digested with BamH I in 100 .mu.l of the reaction solution. The digested DNA was subjected to 0.7% agarose gel electrophoresis and then recovered to purify it. After ligation of the DNA using T4 DNA ligase, E. coli JM109 cells were transformed by the ligated DNA (ampicillin resistance). From several transformants, plasmids were prepared. With respect to fragments excised from the respective plasmids with EcoR V and BamH I, sequence analysis was performed. From a number of plasmids, a plasmid containing the fragment deleted up to T of translation initiation codon (ATG) of the polyhedrin gene was selected. The plasmid was named pAcEl (FIG. 6).

(3) Production of the first recombinant vector plasmid pAcYMS1 (cf. FIG. 7)

The previously obtained pAcRP61 was cleaved with Xho I and BamH I. The longer fragment shown with arrows in FIG. 7 was subjected to 0.7% agarose gel electrophoresis and then recovered. On the other hand, pAcEl was cleaved with Xho I and BamH I. The shorter fragment shown with arrows in FIG. 7 was subjected to 0.7% agarose gel electrophoresis and then recovered. These two fragments were ligated using T4 DNA ligase. The thus obtained plasmid was named pAcYM1. Next, pAcYM1 was cleaved with BamH I, at which site a synthetic linker (5'-pGATCCCCGGG-3') of BamH I-Sma I-BamH I was inserted. The thus produced plasmid was named pAcYMS1 (cf. FIG. 7). The pAcYMS1 contains in the EcoR I-I fragment, in succession, polyhedrin promoter, the 5' non-translational region of polyhedrin gene, the BamH I-Sma I-BamH I restriction enzyme site and the 3' non-translational region of polyhedrin gene.

Production of the second recombinant vector having cDNA encoding E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus (cf. FIG. 8)

After the terminals were repaired using E. coli DNA polymerase (Klenow fragment), cDNA (J3) obtained in Example 1, (5) was ligated with pAcYMS1 which was cleaved with restriction enzyme Sma I using T4 DNA ligase. Then, JM109 was transformed. Plasmids were purified from several transformants. The plasmid in which cDNA (J3) described above had been integrated at the Sma I site of pAcYMS1 in the positive direction (when the translation direction of cDNA is directed to the same direction of transcription of polyhedrin promoter, it is termed the positive direction) is selected based on the results of cleavage pattern using suitable restriction enzymes. The thus obtained second recombinant vector was named pAcYMJ3.

Construction of recombinant Baculovirus

In a manner similar to the process described in the monograph of F.L. Graham et al. (Virology, 52, p. 456-467, 1973), 1 .mu.g of genome DNA of AcNPV was mixed with 1 to 10 .mu.g of pAcYMJ3. The mixture was diluted with 1-HEPES (N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonate) buffer (pH 7.0) containing 15 .mu.g/ml calf thymus DNA to 950 .mu.l. While stirring the mixture, 50 ml of 2.5 M CaCl.sub.2 was dropwise added thereto to form precipitates at room temperature for 30 minutes. The precipitated DNA, 1 ml, was added to Sf9 cells in 2 ml of medium charged in a 60 ml culture plate. The cell monolayer was washed with the medium 4 hours later and 2 ml of medium containing 10% fetal calf serum was added thereto followed by incubation for 3 days. Thereafter, the medium was collected with a sterile pipette. In this medium, recombinant and non-recombinant AcNPVs were mixed. In order to isolate recombinant AcNPV from the mixture, the collected medium was appropriately diluted and the dilution was infected to the Sf9 monolayer cultured cells to form plaques. The plaque in which no virus occlusion was formed was selected and the virus was recovered from the plaque. The virus was suspended in PBS. A part of the suspension was spotted on a nylon or nitrocellulose membrane for dot hybridization and a part of the suspension was reinfected to Sf9 cells to proliferate the virus.

After the treatment with 0.5N NaOH for 10 minutes and with 1M Tris-hydrochloride buffer for 5 minutes was repeated 3 times, the spotted membrane was treated with 1.5M NaCl and 0.5M Tris-hydrochloride buffer for 5 minutes. The treated membrane was saturated with 2-fold SSC (1-fold SSC: 0.15M NaCl, 0.015M sodium citrate) followed by annealing at 80.degree. C. for 2 hours. Then, treatment was performed with 4-fold SET (0.6M NaCl, 0.08M Tris-Cl, 4 mM EDTA (pH 7.8))-10-fold Denhardt-0.1% SDS at 68.degree. C. for 2 hours. 4-Fold SET-10-fold Denhardt-0.1% SDS-0.1% Na.sub.4 P.sub.2 O.sub.7 -50 .mu.g/ml-modified salmon sperm DNA and Japanese encephalitis virus E protein cDNA labeled with .sup.32 P were hybridized by nick translation at 68.degree. C. for 14 hours. After washing, the membrane was put on an X ray film, which was subjected to autoradiography and an exposed spot on the film was selected. The virus solution corresponding to the exposed spot was again diluted suitably and the dilution was infected to Sf9 cells to develop plaques. The developed plaques were treated as above and the procedure for purification was repeated until the developed plaques were all positive by dot hybridization. The thus obtained virus was the objective recombinant Baculovirus and named AcJ3.

Production of Japanese encephalitis virus E protein by recombinant Baculovirus:

Sf9 cells were grown in monolayer to reach a density of 5.times.10.sup.6 /ml. The growth medium was removed and a medium containing 5 p.f.u./cell of AcJ3 was supplemented to cause infection at 23.degree. C. After the infection, the cells were cultured for 2 days to express E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus in the infected cells. The expression protein was confirmed by Western blotting method (Bernet, W.N., Analyt. Biochem., 112, p. 195-203, 1981) using antisera to E protein. The results reveal that the infected cells of AcJ3 produced a protein having a molecular weight of about 53000 daltons. The molecular weight of 53000 daltons is the same as that of the one presumed from the amino acid sequence of E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus (FIG. 4).

In spite that preM, M and a part of NS1 (non-structural protein) were contained in addition to E in cDNA (J3) integrated into AcJ3 genome, the protein of 53000 daltons is expressed. From this fact, it is easily assumed that the protein expressed in the infected cells would be subject to processing similar to E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus to be E protein of 53000 daltons. The E protein expressed in the infected cells of AcJ3 is reactive with antisera to E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus and it is thus clear that the expressed E protein has antigenicity. Therefore it can be used for vaccines or diagnostics. The E protein produced in the infected cells is able to be detected in the Western blotting method previously mentioned even though the E protein is detected from the cell extracts of only 200 infected cells. It is thus understood that E protein is produced on a considerable level. Instead of AcJ3, wild Baculovirus was likewise infected to cells of Sf9 cells to examine the protein in the cells. However, no protein reactive with antisera was detected.

Animal immunity experiment with Japanese encephalitis virus E protein expressed by recombinant Baculovirus:

4.times.10.sup.7 Sf9 cells were cultured in monolayer. After the growth medium was removed, a medium containing 5 p.f.u./cell of AcJ3 was supplemented to cause infection at 23.degree. C. After the infection, the cells were cultured for 2 days to express E protein of Japanese encephalitis virus in the infected cells. Then, the infected cells were harvested by centrifuging at 3,000 rpm for 20 minutes. The thus harvested cells were washed with 1 ml of PBS buffer and sonicated. The supernatant obtained by centrifuging at 3,000 rpm for 20 minutes was taken as a test sample for animal immunity.

Four male mice of C3H/He at the age of 4 weeks (obtained from Shizuoka Experimental Animals Co-operation) were inoculated intraperitoneally with 0.1 ml of the above-mentioned test sample containing E protein, respectively. Two weeks later, two of them were bled. The rest of them were boosted with 0.1 ml of the same test sample and then bled a week later. A serum was taken from the collected blood in a conventional manner and the neutralizing antibody titer against Japanese encephalitis virus in the serum was measured in such a manner as described in "Tissue Culture Technique for Virus Test" (authored by Takashi KITAMURA, published by KINDAI Inc., p. 250-255). The results of the measurement are shown in Table 1.

As apparent from the results, the inoculation of Japanese encephalitis virus E protein produced by recombinant Baculovirus AcJ3 raised the neutralizing antibody against Japanese encephalitis virus in the blood of animal. Accordingly, the efficacy as a vaccine is proved.

While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it is apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention.