title: Heterologous and homologous protection against influenza A by DNA vaccination: optimization of DNA vectors.
abstract: We have recently shown that direct injection of DNA can be an effective vaccine strategy eliciting both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Vectors were designed specifically for vaccination by direct DNA injection and refined to improve plasmid production in Escherichia coli. The vectors consist of a pUC-19 backbone with the cytomegalovirus (CMV) IE1 enhancer, promoter, and intron A transcription regulatory elements and the BGH polyadenylation sequences driving the expression of the reporter gene CAT or influenza A nucleoprotein (NP) or hemagglutinin (HA). The respective vectors expressed high levels of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and NP in tissue culture, and yielded 14-15 mg of purified plasmid per liter of Escherichia coli culture. Immunization of mice with the NP and HA expression vectors resulted in protection from subsequent lethal challenges of influenza using either heterologous or homologous strains, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virus and Cell Biology, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Montgomery
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Shiver
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Leander
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ulmer
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D005814:Genes, Viral; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D009698:Nucleoproteins; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014162:Transfection; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D009698:Nucleoproteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins