Therapeutic vaccination with MVA-HIV-1 nef elicits Nef-specific T-helper cell responses in chronically HIV-1 infected individuals.
Vaccination is currently considered as an additional therapeutic approach to stimulate HIV-specific immune response in subjects that could not naturally control HIV. Ten chronically HIV infected individuals have been vaccinated with a modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA)-HIV-1(LAI)-nef vector in order to assess safety and immunogenicity. No significant adverse effects were observed during the course of vaccination indicating for the first time that the highly attenuated vaccinia-virus vector MVA is safe in HIV-1 infected individuals. We observed a CD4 T-cell response to Nef in the majority of vaccinated chronically HIV infected individuals. In two subjects CD4 T-cell response was directed to previously unidentified Nef epitopes. The strong Nef-specific CD4 T-cell response elicited by MVA-nef vaccination provides a rationale for immunotherapeutic interventions in HIV infected individuals with suppressed CD4 T-cell responses. Moreover, the CD4 T-cell response elicited was comparable with that usually detected in long-term non-progressor (LTNP) suggesting an improvement in the immunological status of the vaccinated subjects. Furthermore, the new putative CD4 epitopes described here hold promise as important tools for epitope-based vaccination.
Cosma
Antonio
A
Institute of Molecular Virology, GSF-National Research Centre for Environment and Health, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
Nagaraj
Rashmi
R
Bühler
Silja
S
Hinkula
Jorma
J
Busch
Dirk H
DH
Sutter
Gerd
G
Goebel
Frank D
FD
Erfle
Volker
V
D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015693:Gene Products, nef / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D016207:Cytokines; D015693:Gene Products, nef; C483360:MVA-HIV-1 nef vaccine; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus