title: Polyvalent vaccination against hepatitis B surface and core antigen using a dicistronic expression plasmid.
abstract: Genes encoding the small (S) surface antigen (HBsAg) or the core (C) antigen (HBcAg) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) were cloned into the monocistronic expression vectors pCMV-1 or pCMV-2 under HCMV-IE promoter control. Coding fragments of these vectors were fused to generate a dicistronic expression construct pCMV/C-S in which the antigens HBcAg and HBsAg are coexpressed. Transient in vitro transfection studies demonstrated that HBcAg and HBsAg are coexpressed from this construct. Vaccination of mice of different H-2 haplotypes with mono- or dicistronic expression plasmids induced humoral and cellular immune responses to HBsAg and the HBcAg. In particular, intramuscular injection of 'naked' dicistronic plasmid DNA into mice elicited polyvalent humoral and cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses to HBsAg and HBcAg. The studies demonstrate that dicistronic expression plasmids are a novel way to construct a polyvalent vaccine against HBV that comprises HBsAg and HBcAg as immunogens.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grüner
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Metzger
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuhröber
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Pudollek
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schirmbeck
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reimann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010957:Plasmids; D014162:Transfection; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D019444:Vaccines, DNA