title: Latent antigen vaccination in a model gammaherpesvirus infection.
abstract: Vaccines that can reduce the load of latent gammaherpesvirus infections are eagerly sought. One attractive strategy is vaccination against latency-associated proteins, which may increase the efficiency with which T cells recognize and eliminate latently infected cells. However, due to the lack of tractable animal model systems, the effect of latent-antigen vaccination on gammaherpesvirus latency is not known. Here we use the murine gammaherpesvirus model to investigate the impact of vaccination with the latency-associated M2 antigen. As expected, vaccination had no effect on the acute lung infection. However, there was a significant reduction in the load of latently infected cells in the initial stages of the latent infection, when M2 is expressed. These data show for the first time that latent-antigen vaccination can reduce the level of latency in vivo and suggest that vaccination strategies involving other latent antigens may ultimately be successfully used to reduce the long-term latent infection.
authors.affiliation: The Trudeau Institute, Saranac Lake, New York 12983, USA.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Usherwood
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Blackman
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Woodland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D018142:Gammaherpesvirinae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D014611:Vaccination; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D017735:Virus Latency / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D006183:H-2 Antigens; C024755:H-2K(K) antigen; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines