Amplification of T-cell and antibody responses in DNA-based immunization with HIV-1 Nef by co-injection with a GM-CSF expression vector.
Intradermal inoculation of mice with naked plasmid DNA encoding the regulatory HIV-1 Nef protein was shown to induce Nef-specific T and B cell responses. Co-inoculation with an expression vector encoding murine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a cytokine known to facilitate the induction of primary immune responses, resulted in a markedly enhanced response to Nef. This was manifested both as an increase in Nef-specific T cell responses and antibody levels. DNA immunization with the Nef and GM-CSF vectors induced primarily a Th1 response as judged by the raised levels of both IFN-gamma and IL-2 from re-stimulated T cells. The immunostimulatory activity of GM-CSF DNA was locally restricted and was observed only if both plasmid vectors were injected at the same site.
Svanholm
C
C
Microbiology and Tumorbiology Center (MTC), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Löwenadler
B
B
Wigzell
H
H
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D004247:DNA / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D015693:Gene Products, nef / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015754:Genes, nef / Q000235:genetics*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010957:Plasmids; D011817:Rabbits; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
D015693:Gene Products, nef; D007376:Interleukin-2; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D004247:DNA