title: The processing of antigens delivered as DNA vaccines.
abstract: The ability of DNA vaccines to provide effective immunological protection against infection and tumors depends on their ability to generate good CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses. Priming of these responses is a property of dendritic cells (DCs), and so the efficacy of DNA-encoded vaccines is likely to depend on the way in which the antigens they encode are processed by DCs. This processing could either be via the synthesis of the vaccine-encoded antigen by the DCs themselves or via its uptake by DCs following its synthesis in bystander cells that are unable to prime T cells. These different sources of antigen are likely to engage different antigen-processing pathways, which are the subject of this review. Understanding how to access different processing pathways in DCs may ultimately aid the rational development of plasmid-based vaccines to pathogens and to cancer.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Sciences Division, University of Southampton School of Medicine, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Howarth
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Elliott
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014162:Transfection; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D010455:Peptides; D019444:Vaccines, DNA