title: DNA as an adjuvant: capacity of insect DNA and synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides to augment T cell responses to specific antigen.
abstract: How strong adjuvants such as complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) promote T cell priming to protein antigens in vivo is still unclear. Since the unmethylated CpG motifs in DNA of bacteria and other nonvertebrates are stimulatory for B cells and antigen-presenting cells, the strong adjuvanticity of CFA could be attributed, at least in part, to the presence of dead bacteria, i.e., a source of stimulatory DNA. In support of this possibility, evidence is presented that insect DNA in mineral oil has even stronger adjuvant activity than CFA by a number of parameters. Synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing unmethylated CpG motifs mimic the effects of insect DNA and, even in soluble form, ODNs markedly potentiate clonal expansion of T cell receptor transgenic T cells responding to specific peptide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kishimoto
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sprent
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D001717:Birds; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018899:CpG Islands / Q000276:immunology; D004247:DNA / Q000276:immunology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant / Q000276:immunology; D007313:Insecta; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000276:immunology*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics; D005719:gamma-Globulins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000941:Antigens; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D005719:gamma-Globulins; D004247:DNA; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine