scholarly journals Coadministration of Gamma Interferon with DNA Vaccine Expressing Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus (WHV) Core Antigen Enhances the Specific Immune Response and Protects against WHV Infection

2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 5036-5042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Siegel ◽  
Mengji Lu ◽  
Michael Roggendorf
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Dna Vaccines ◽  
Hepatitis Virus ◽  
Dna Vaccination ◽  
Core Antigen ◽  
Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus ◽  
Lymphoproliferative Response ◽  
Virus Challenge ◽  
Cellular Immune

ABSTRACT DNA vaccinations are able to induce strong cellular immune responses in mice and confer protection against infectious agents. However, DNA vaccination of large animals appears to be less effective and requires repeated injections of large amounts of plasmid DNA. Enhancement of the efficiency of DNA vaccines may be achieved by coapplication of cytokine-expressing plasmids. Here we investigated, with woodchucks, whether coadministration of an expression plasmid for woodchuck gamma interferon (IFN-γ), pWIFN-γ, can improve DNA vaccination with woodchuck hepatitis virus core antigen (WHcAg). Animals were immunized with pWHcIm (a plasmid expressing WHcAg) alone or with a combination of pWHcIm and pWIFN-γ using a gene gun. Six weeks postimmunization, all animals were challenged with 105 genome equivalents of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). The antibody and lymphoproliferative immune responses to WHV proteins were determined after immunization and after challenge. Vaccination with pWHcIm and pWIFN-γ led to a pronounced lymphoproliferative response to WHcAg and protected woodchucks against subsequent virus challenge. Two of three animals vaccinated with pWHcIm alone did not show a detectable lymphoproliferative response to WHcAg. A low-level WHV infection occurred in these woodchucks after challenge, as WHV DNA was detectable in the serum by PCR. None of the pWHcIm-vaccinated animals showed an anti-WHcAg antibody response after DNA vaccination or an anamnestic response after virus challenge. Our results indicate that coadministration of the WIFN-γ gene with pWHcIm enhanced the specific cellular immune response and improved the protective efficacy of WHV-specific DNA vaccines.

scholarly journals Immunization of Woodchucks with Plasmids Expressing Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus (WHV) Core Antigen and Surface Antigen Suppresses WHV Infection

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 281-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengji Lu ◽  
Gero Hilken ◽  
Johannes Kruppenbacher ◽  
Thekla Kemper ◽  
Reinhold Schirmbeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Surface Antigen ◽  
Hepatitis Virus ◽  
Protective Efficacy ◽  
Core Antigen ◽  
Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus ◽  
Virus Challenge ◽  
Single Intramuscular Injection ◽  
Peripheral Mononuclear Blood ◽  
Cellular Immune

ABSTRACT DNA vaccination can induce humoral and cellular immune response to viral antigens and confer protection to virus infection. In woodchucks, we tested the protective efficacy of immune response to woodchuck hepatitis core antigen (WHcAg) and surface antigen (WHsAg) of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) elicited by DNA-based vaccination. Plasmids pWHcIm and pWHsIm containing WHV c- or pre-s2/s genes expressed WHcAg and WHsAg in transient transfection assays. Pilot experiments in mice revealed that a single intramuscular injection of 100 μg of plasmid pWHcIm DNA induced an anti-WHcAg titer over 1:300 that was enhanced by boost injections. However, two injections of 100 μg of pWHcIm did not induce detectable anti-WHcAg in woodchucks. With an increase in the dose to 1 mg of pWHcIm per injection, transient anti-WHcAg response and WHcAg-specific proliferation of peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PMBCs) appeared in woodchucks after repeated immunizations. Four woodchucks vaccinated with pWHcIm were challenged with 104or 105 of the WHV 50% infective dose. They remained negative for markers of WHV replication (WHV DNA and WHsAg) in peripheral blood and developed anti-WHs in week 5 after challenge. In contrast, woodchucks not immunized or immunized with the control vector pcDNA3 developed acute WHV infection. Two woodchucks immunized with 1 mg of pWHsIm developed WHsAg-specific proliferative response of PBMCs but no measurable anti-WHsAg response. A rapid anti-WHsAg response developed during week 2 after virus challenge. Neither woodchuck developed any signs of WHV infection. These data indicate that DNA-based vaccination with WHcAg and WHsAg can elicit immunity to WHV infection.

scholarly journals Replication of Naturally Occurring Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus Deletion Mutants in Primary Hepatocyte Cultures and after Transmission to Naive Woodchucks

2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 3811-3818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengji Lu ◽  
Gero Hilken ◽  
Dongliang Yang ◽  
Thekla Kemper ◽  
Michael Roggendorf
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis Virus ◽  
Viral Population ◽  
Core Antigen ◽  
Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus ◽  
Deletion Mutants ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Lymphoproliferative Response ◽  
Hepatocyte Cultures ◽  
Liver Tissues

ABSTRACT Woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) mutants with core internal deletions (CID) occur naturally in chronically WHV-infected woodchucks, as do hepatitis B virus mutants in humans. We studied the replication of WHV deletion mutants in primary woodchuck hepatocyte cultures and in vivo after transmission to naive woodchucks. By screening 14 wild-caught, chronically WHV-infected woodchucks, two woodchucks, WH69 and WH70, were found to harbor WHV CID mutants. Consistent with previous results, WHV CID mutants from both animals had deletions of variable lengths (90 to 135 bp) within the middle of the WHV core gene. In woodchuck WH69, WHV CID mutants represented a predominant fraction of the viral population in sera, normal liver tissues, and to a lesser extent, in liver tumor tissues. In primary hepatocytes of WH69, the replication of wild-type WHV and CID mutants was maintained at least for 7 days. Although WHV CID mutants were predominant in fractions of cellular WHV replicative intermediates, mutant covalently closed circular DNAs (cccDNAs) appeared to be a small part of cccDNA-enriched fractions. Analysis of cccDNA-enriched fractions from liver tissues of other woodchucks confirmed that mutant cccDNA represents only a small fraction of the total cccDNA pool. Four naive woodchucks were inoculated with sera from woodchuck WH69 or WH70 containing WHV CID mutants. All four woodchucks developed viremia after 3 to 4 weeks postinoculation (p.i.). They developed anti-WHV core antigen (WHcAg) antibody, lymphoproliferative response to WHcAg, and anti-WHV surface antigen. Only wild-type WHV, but no CID mutant, was found in sera from these woodchucks. The WHV CID mutant was also not identified in liver tissue from one woodchuck sacrificed in week 7 p.i. Three remaining woodchucks cleared WHV. Thus, the presence of WHV CID mutants in the inocula did not significantly change the course of acute self-limiting WHV infection. Our results indicate that the replication of WHV CID mutants might require some specific selective conditions. Further investigations on WHV CID mutants will allow us to have more insight into hepadnavirus replication.

scholarly journals Immunization with the Gene Expressing Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus Nucleocapsid Protein Fused to Cytotoxic-T-Lymphocyte-Associated Antigen 4 Leads to Enhanced Specific Immune Responses in Mice and Woodchucks

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (10) ◽  
pp. 6368-6376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengji Lu ◽  
Masanori Isogawa ◽  
Yang Xu ◽  
Gero Hilken
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Antibody Response ◽  
T Lymphocyte ◽  
Nucleocapsid Protein ◽  
Dna Vaccines ◽  
Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte ◽  
Hepatitis Virus ◽  
Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus ◽  
Th Cell

ABSTRACT A number of options are available to modify and improve DNA vaccines. An interesting approach to improve DNA vaccines is to fuse bioactive domains, like cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), to an antigen. Such fusion antigens are expressed in vivo and directed to immune cells by the specific bioactive domain and therefore possess great potential to induce and modulate antigen-specific immune responses. In the present study, we tested this new approach for immunomodulation against hepadnavirus infection in the woodchuck model. Plasmids expressing the nucleocapsid protein (WHcAg) and e antigen (WHeAg) of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) alone or in fusion to the extracellular domain of woodchuck CTLA-4 and CD28 were constructed. Immunizations of mice with plasmids expressing WHcAg or WHeAg led to a specific immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a)-dominant antibody response. In contrast, fusions of WHcAg to CTLA-4 and CD28 induced a specific antibody response with comparable levels of IgG1 and IgG2a. Furthermore, the specific IgG1 response to WHcAg/WHeAg developed immediately after a single immunization with the CTLA-4-WHcAg fusion. Woodchucks were immunized with plasmids expressing WHeAg or the CTLA-4-WHcAg fusion and subsequently challenged with WHV. CTLA-4-WHcAg showed an improved efficacy in induction of protective immune responses to WHV. In particular, the anti-WHsAg antibody response developed earlier after challenge in woodchucks that received immunizations with CTLA-4-WHcAg, consistent with the hypothesis that anti-WHs response is dependent on a Th cell response to WHcAg. In conclusion, the use of fusion genes represents a generally applicable strategy to improve DNA vaccination.

scholarly journals Increased Immune Response Elicited by DNA Vaccination with a Synthetic gp120 Sequence with Optimized Codon Usage

1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 1497-1503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie André ◽  
Brian Seed ◽  
Josef Eberle ◽  
Winfried Schraut ◽  
Andreas Bültmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Codon Usage ◽  
Dna Vaccination ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Cellular Immune Responses ◽  
Gp120 Sequence ◽  
Parasitic Pathogens ◽  
Cellular Immune

ABSTRACT DNA vaccination elicits humoral and cellular immune responses and has been shown to confer protection against several viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens. Here we report that optimized codon usage of an injected DNA sequence considerably increases both humoral and cellular immune responses. We recently generated a synthetic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp120 sequence in which most wild-type codons were replaced with codons from highly expressed human genes (syngp120). In vitro expression of syngp120 is considerably increased in comparison to that of the respective wild-type sequence. In BALB/c mice, DNA immunization with syngp120 resulted in significantly increased antibody titers and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte reactivity, suggesting a direct correlation between expression levels and the immune response. Moreover, syngp120 is characterized byrev-independent expression and a low risk of recombination with viral sequences. Thus, synthetic genes with optimized codon usage represent a novel strategy to increase the efficacy and safety of DNA vaccination.

scholarly journals Multivalent Fusion DNA Vaccine against Brucella abortus

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Gómez ◽  
Javiera Llanos ◽  
Emilia Escalona ◽  
Darwin Sáez ◽  
Francisco Álvarez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Brucella Abortus ◽  
Dna Vaccines ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
T Helper 1 ◽  
Lymphoproliferative Response ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Prevention Method ◽  
Cellular Immune ◽  
Reading Frames

As an alternative brucellosis prevention method, we evaluated the immunogenicity induced by new multivalent DNA vaccines in BALB/c mice. We constructed the vaccines by fusion of BAB1_0273 and/or BAB1_0278 open reading frames (ORFs) from genomic island 3 (GI-3) and the Brucella abortus 2308 sodC gene with a link based on prolines and alanines (pV273-sod, pV278-sod, and pV273-278-sod, resp.). Results show that immunization with all tested multivalent DNA vaccines induced a specific humoral and cellular immune response. These novel multivalent vaccines significantly increased the production of IgM, IgG, and IgG2a antibodies as well as IFN-γ levels and the lymphoproliferative response of splenocytes. Although immunization with these multivalent vaccines induced a typical T-helper 1- (Th1-) dominated immune response, such immunogenicity conferred low protection levels in mice challenged with the B. abortus 2308 pathogenic strain. Our results demonstrated that the expression of BAB1_0273 and/or BABl_0278 antigens conjugated to SOD protein can polarize mice immunity to a Th1-type phenotype, conferring low levels of protection.

scholarly journals Heterologous vaccination regimens with self-amplifying RNA and adenoviral COVID vaccines induce robust immune responses in mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra J. Spencer ◽  
Paul F. McKay ◽  
Sandra Belij-Rammerstorfer ◽  
Marta Ulaszewska ◽  
Cameron D. Bissett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Viral Vectors ◽  
Cytotoxic T Cells ◽  
Antibody Responses ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Vectored Vaccine ◽  
Cellular Immune

AbstractSeveral vaccines have demonstrated efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 mediated disease, yet there is limited data on the immune response induced by heterologous vaccination regimens using alternate vaccine modalities. Here, we present a detailed description of the immune response, in mice, following vaccination with a self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) vaccine and an adenoviral vectored vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrate that antibody responses are higher in two-dose heterologous vaccination regimens than single-dose regimens. Neutralising titres after heterologous prime-boost were at least comparable or higher than the titres measured after homologous prime boost vaccination with viral vectors. Importantly, the cellular immune response after a heterologous regimen is dominated by cytotoxic T cells and Th1+ CD4 T cells, which is superior to the response induced in homologous vaccination regimens in mice. These results underpin the need for clinical trials to investigate the immunogenicity of heterologous regimens with alternate vaccine technologies.

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