title: Prevention of autoimmune diabetes by DNA vaccination.
abstract: DNA vaccination with antigen expression plasmids has been introduced as a simple method of inducing immunity to the antigens of infectious agents or tumors. Although DNA vaccination is generally immunostimulatory, it is possible to design suppressive vaccines that protect against autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes. In mice prone to diabetes, investigators have delivered a plasmid encoding an islet-cell antigen such as insulin B chain, glutamic acid decarboxylase, or antigen/immunoglobulin G-Fc fusion constructs, with or without co-delivery of another gene encoding a cytokine or other immunoregulatory molecule. This approach has led to protection against disease, related to the generation of regulatory T-cells and increased production of regulatory cytokines. DNA vaccination is a promising approach to autoimmune disease prevention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, St. Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Room 2013CC, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8, Canada. prudhommeg@smh.toronto.on.ca
authors.forename: Gérald J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Prud'homme
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D019444:Vaccines, DNA