Evaluation of new approaches to prophylactic and therapeutic vaccinations against hepatitis B viruses in the woodchuck model.
The woodchuck model is most suitable for vaccine studies of prophylaxis and therapeutic treatment of hepatitis B virus infection. Recently, methodological advances allowed the examination of antigen-specific T cell responses in woodchucks during woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) infection and vaccinations. Similar to hepatitis B virus infection in humans, multispecific T-cell responses to WHV occur during acute self-limiting infection in woodchucks. Immunizations with WHV core antigen (WHcAg) or DNA vaccines expressing WHcAg demonstrated that priming of specific T-cell responses leads to the control of WHV infection. B-cell responses but no T-cell responses to WHV surface antigens (WHsAg) were induced in chronically WHV-infected woodchucks by the therapeutic immunizations with WHsAg. Breaking T-cell tolerance appears to be critical for immunotherapeutic approaches to chronic hepatitis B.
Lu
M
M
Institut für Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Essen, Deutschland. mengji.lu@uni-essen.de
Roggendorf
M
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy*; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017919:Hepatitis B Virus, Woodchuck / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D008392:Marmota / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use
D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D019444:Vaccines, DNA