title: C3d enhancement of neutralizing antibodies to measles hemagglutinin.
abstract: Measles remains a major cause of worldwide infant mortality despite the use of current live attenuated vaccines. New approaches to measles virus (MV) vaccine development are critical to interrupt the spread of MV. In this study, we report the results using a DNA vaccine expressing a fusion of the measles hemagglutinin (H) protein and the complement component, C3d, to enhance the titers of neutralizing antibody. Plasmids were generated that expressed a secreted (s) form of H and the same form fused to three tandem copies of the murine homologue of C3d (sH-3C3d). Analysis of titers of the antibody raised in vaccinated mice indicated that immunizations with the DNA expressing sH-3C3d had higher titers of anti-H antibodies compared to serum from mice vaccinated with DNA expressing sH only. In addition, sH-3C3d elicited higher neutralizing antibody titers that inhibited MV induced plaque formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Brody Health Sciences Building, 600 Moye Boulevard, Greenville, NC 27858-4354, USA.
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Rota
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D015933:Complement C3d / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007668:Kidney; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000276:immunology*; D008459:Measles virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014162:Transfection; D014611:Vaccination; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000276:immunology; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral; D008458:Measles Vaccine; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; C032397:hemagglutinin protein G, measles virus; D015933:Complement C3d