Expression of a viral protein by muscle cells in vivo induces protective cell-mediated immunity.
Intramuscular injection of plasmid DNA expression vectors results in transfection of myocytes in situ. To determine whether expression of antigen by myocytes is sufficient to induce protective cell-mediated immunity, stably transfected myoblasts expressing influenza nucleoprotein (NP) were transplanted into mice. These animals produced high-titer anti-NP antibodies and MHC class I-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and were protected from a cross-strain lethal challenge with influenza A virus. Therefore, antigen expression by muscle cells in vivo is sufficient to confer protective cell-mediated immunity.
Ulmer
J B
JB
Department of Virus and Cell Biology, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, USA.
Deck
R R
RR
DeWitt
C M
CM
Fu
T M
TM
Donnelly
J J
JJ
Caulfield
M J
MJ
Liu
M A
MA
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D009698:Nucleoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014162:Transfection; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000276:immunology*; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; C048842:NP protein, Influenza A virus; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D009698:Nucleoproteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D014758:Viral Core Proteins