Patent ID: 7311920

Claim:
A chimeric polypeptide comprising: a virus coat polypeptide sequence, a viral cell surface receptor polypeptide and an amino acid sequence spacer, wherein the amino acid sequence of the chimeric polypeptide is a full length reference sequence, a truncated sequence or modified sequences thereof, wherein the modified sequences have at least 95% identity to the full length reference sequence or truncated sequence, and wherein the full length reference sequence, truncated sequence and modified sequences have the functionality of forming an intramolecular interacting complex between the virus coat polypeptide and viral cell surface receptor and wherein the viral cell surface receptor polypeptide sequence and the virus coat polypeptide sequence comprises amino acid residues having binding affinity for each other, wherein the virus is HIV, and the amino acid sequence spacer is linked to both the virus coat polypeptide sequence and the viral cell surface receptor polypeptide sequence and positioned therebetween to form a single chain polypeptide of peptidic bonds, wherein the spacer consists of an amino acid sequence of sufficient length to allow the single chain polypeptide to fold thereby permitting the virus coat polypeptide sequence and the viral cell surface receptor polypeptide sequence to form the intramolecular interacting complex.