The stability of human respiratory syncytial virus is enhanced by incorporation of the baculovirus GP64 protein

Current efforts to develop a vaccine against human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) are focused on live attenuated strains. However, the unstable nature of HRSV is a major challenge for the preparation, storage and distribution of live vaccine candidates. We report here that the stability of HRSV can be improved by incorporation of the GP64 glycoprotein from baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus. GP64 was incorporated in place of or in addition to the homologous HRSV glycoproteins and was either expressed from the HRSV genome or provided by propagating the virus in a Vero cell line constitutively expressing GP64 (Vbac cells). The infectivity of the different virus stocks was monitored after storage at 4 °, 22 ° or 37 °C, over a period of 8 weeks. The results showed that the infectivity of HRSV could be stabilized by up to 10,000-fold by the GP64 protein, when stored at 22 °C for 6 weeks. This approach for stabilizing live HRSV may be important for vaccine development and may also prove useful for stabilizing other enveloped viruses.