title: A protective cocktail vaccine against murine cutaneous leishmaniasis with DNA encoding cysteine proteinases of Leishmania major.
abstract: The protection elicited by the intramuscular injection of two plasmid DNAs encoding Leishmania major cysteine proteinase type I (CPb) and type II (CPa) was evaluated in a murine model of experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis. BALB/c mice were immunized either separately or with a cocktail of the two plasmids expressing CPa or CPb. It was only when the cpa and cpb genes were co-injected that long lasting protection against parasite challenge was achieved. Similar protection was also observed when animals were first immunized with cpa/cpb DNA followed by recombinant CPa/CPb boost. Analysis of the immune response showed that protected animals developed a specific Th1 immune response, which was associated with an increase of IFN-gamma production. This is the first report demonstrating that co-injection of two genes expressing different antigens induces a long lasting protective response, whereas the separate injection of cysteine proteases genes is not protective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, PO Box 11365-6699, Tehran, Iran. sima-rafatisy@institute.pasteur.ac.ir
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rafati
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Salmanian
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taheri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vafa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fasel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017778:Vaccines, Combined / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; D017778:Vaccines, Combined; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases