DNA immunization with Plasmodium falciparum serine repeat antigen: regulation of humoral immune response by coinoculation of cytokine expression plasmid.
We immunized mice with plasmid expressing the 47-kDa amino-terminal domain of the Plasmodium falciparum serine repeat antigen (SERA) using gene gun and investigated humoral immune response to SERA antigen. Significant SERA-specific IgG was observed in BALB/c mice after immunization three times with SERA expression plasmid. Furthermore, these levels were increased by the coinoculation of cytokine (IFN-gamma, IL-4, GM-CSF, or IL-12) expression plasmid. In respect to the SERA-specific Ig subclasses, coinoculation of IFN-gamma, GM-CSF, or IL-12 expression plasmid increased the levels of SERA-specific IgG2a, and these were much higher than that in mice immunized with SERA expression plasmid alone. In contrast to the SERA-specific IgG2a, coinoculation of any cytokine expression plasmid did not change the levels of SERA-specific IgG1. These results indicate that cytokine expression plasmid enhances and regulates humoral immune response elicited by SERA DNA immunization.
Sakai
T
T
Department of Parasitology and Immunology, University of Tokushima School of Medicine, Japan.
Horii
T
T
Hisaeda
H
H
Zhang
M
M
Ishii
K
K
Nakano
Y
Y
Maekawa
Y
Y
Izumi
K
K
Nitta
Y
Y
Miyazaki
J
J
Himeno
K
K
D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D019470:Biolistics / Q000379:methods; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000517:prevention & control; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010957:Plasmids; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000276:immunology*
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D016207:Cytokines; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; C057495:serine repeat antigen, Plasmodium