A truncated variant of the hepatitis C virus core induces a slow but potent immune response in mice following DNA immunization.
Vaccination of BALB/c mice with pIDKCo, a plasmid containing the coding sequence for the first 176 amino acids of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein, induced both humoral and cellular specific immune responses. Particularly, the level of anti-core antibodies increased slowly with time up to a mean value above 1:8000 that was generally superior than that found in anti-HCV positive individuals. Six out of nine anti-HCV positive human sera were able to inhibit at different extent the binding of mouse anti-core sera to a recombinant capsid protein. Our results show that it is possible to elicit a potent humoral and cellular immune response against the HCV core antigen in mice following DNA immunization.
Dueñas-Carrera
S
S
HCV Department, Vaccine Division, Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Bi otecnologá, Havan City, Cuba. juan.morales@cigb.edu.cu
Alvarez-Lajonchere
L
L
Alvarez-Obregón
J C
JC
Herrera
A
A
Lorenzo
L J
LJ
Pichardo
D
D
Morales
J
J
D000818:Animals; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines; C069130:nucleocapsid protein, Hepatitis C virus