Characterization of immune responses to experimental polyvalent subunit vaccines assembled in iscoms.
Immune responses to experimental polyvalent subunit vaccines assembled in a particulate adjuvant/delivery system, iscoms, are described. The fusion protein ZZ-M5 comprises structures of staphylococcal protein A (ZZ) and the Plasmodium falciparum malaria antigen Pf155/RESA (M5). MHC congenic mice were immunized with ZZ-M5 conjugated to iscoms containing human influenza virus antigen (flu ag, M5-flu-isc) or to iscom matrix (iscom particles without flu ag, M5-isc). Comparison of antibody and T-cell responses to M5-isc and M5-flu-isc demonstrated that the flu ag in M5-flu-isc exhibits carrier-related helper functions and that the assembly of immunogens in M5-flu-isc did not result in any apparent antigenic competition. In addition, assembly of ZZ-M5 and flu ag in iscoms induced an alteration of the IgG subclass profile of the antibody response to M5. The results suggest that assembly of immunogens in iscoms may be a useful approach to the design of subunit vaccines but that both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the immunogenic properties of such constructs should be scrutinized.
Department of Veterinary Virology, National Veterinary Institute, Biomedicum, Uppsala, Sweden.
A
A
Sjölander
N
N
Ahlborg
S
S
Ståhl
R
R
Andersson
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016882:ISCOMs / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000235:genetics; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000145:classification; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000276:immunology; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D016882:ISCOMs; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A; C050256:ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen (RESA), Plasmodium falciparum