title: Functionally-inactive and immunogenic Tat, Rev and Nef DNA vaccines derived from sub-Saharan subtype C human immunodeficiency virus type 1 consensus sequences.
abstract: The efficacy of cellular immune responses elicited by HIV vaccines is dependent on their strength, durability and antigenic breadth. The regulatory proteins are abundantly expressed early in the viral life cycle and CTL recognition may bring about early killing of infected cells. We synthesised DNA vaccine constructs that encode consensus HIV-1 subtype C Tat, Rev and Nef proteins. Proteins carrying inactivating mutations were tested for functional activity and highly expressing, inactive Tat, Rev and Nef mutants were identified and their reading frames fused into a TatRevNef cassette. Single- and polygene Tat, Rev and/or Nef constructs were immunogenic in BALB/c mice. These constructs may serve to increase the antigenic breadth for an HIV-1 vaccine that is relevant for sub-Saharan Africa.
authors.affiliation: The Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Scriba
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: zur Megede
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Glashoff
authors.forename: Florette K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Treurnicht
authors.forename: Susan W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Estrelita Janse
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: van Rensburg
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D016384:Consensus Sequence / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D015754:Genes, nef / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D015757:Genes, rev / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D015756:Genes, tat / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009154:Mutation; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated