Epstein-barr virus vaccines
Vaccines are provided that elicit neutralizing antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Some vaccines comprise nanoparticles that display envelope proteins from EBV on their surface. The nanoparticles comprise fusion proteins comprising a monomeric subunit of a self-assembly protein, such as ferritin, joined to at least a portion of an EBV envelope protein. The fusion proteins self-assemble to form the envelope protein-displaying nanoparticles. Such vaccines can be used to vaccinate an individual against infection by different types of Epstein-Barr viruses as well as Epstein-Barr viruses that are antigenically divergent from the virus from which the EBV envelope protein was obtained. Also provided are fusion proteins and nucleic acid molecules encoding such proteins.
1. A nucleic acid molecule encoding a recombinant protein, the recombinant protein comprising at least 25 contiguous amino acids from a monomeric subunit protein capable of self-assembling to form a nanoparticle, joined to at least one immunogenic portion from a first Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) envelope protein is gp350,
wherein the encoded recombinant protein comprises an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical to a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:77 and SEQ ID NO:80.