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.
Department of Parasitology and Immunology, University of Tokushima School of Medicine, Japan.
T
T
Sakai
T
T
Horii
H
H
Hisaeda
M
M
Zhang
K
K
Ishii
Y
Y
Nakano
Y
Y
Maekawa
K
K
Izumi
Y
Y
Nitta
J
J
Miyazaki
K
K
Himeno
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