title: Genetic immunization with codon-optimized equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) surface unit (SU) envelope protein gene sequences stimulates immune responses in ponies.
abstract: In the context of DNA vaccines the native equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV)-envelope gene has proven to be an extremely weak immunogen in horses probably because the RNA transcripts are poorly expressed owing to an unusual codon-usage bias, the possession of multiple RNA splice sites and potential adenosine-rich RNA instability elements. To overcome these problems a synthetic version of sequences encoding the EIAV surface unit (SU) envelope glycoprotein was produced (SYNSU) in which the codon-usage bias was modified to conform to that of highly expressed horse and human genes. In transfected COS-1 cell cultures, the steady state expression levels of SYNSU were at least 30-fold greater than equivalent native SU sequences. More importantly, EIAV-specific humoral and lymphocyte proliferation responses were induced in ponies immunized with a mammalian expression vector encoding SYNSU. However, these immunological responses were unable to confer protection against infection with a virulent EIAV strain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA. rfcook1@uky.edu
authors.forename: R Frank
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Sheila J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Pamela S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Bolin
authors.forename: Laryssa J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Howe
authors.forename: Weisong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ronald C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Montelaro
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Issel
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004859:Equine Infectious Anemia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006736:Horses; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D004860:Infectious Anemia Virus, Equine / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes; D013997:Time Factors; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines