title: Vaccination against Schistosoma japonicum infection by DNA vaccine encoding Sj22.7 antigen.
abstract: To observe the in vitro expression of DNA vaccine pcDNA3-Sj22.7 and its immunological effect in mice, the recombinant plasmid pcDNA3-Sj22.7 was used to transfect HeLa cells with liposome-mediated method and the expression of Sj22.7 mRNA and protein was examined using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot. Then, the ability of pcDNA3-Sj22.7 to protect against Schistosoma japonicum challenge infections was analyzed according to worm reduction rate and egg reduction rate after vaccination of mice. The serum levels of specific IgG antibody and T lymphocyte proliferation response were also determined. After the challenge infection, Sj22.7-driven interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-4 was also quantified. Results showed that pcDNA3-Sj22.7 could express Sj22.7 mRNA and protein in vitro. Immunization resulted in a worm reduction rate of 29.70%, egg reduction rate of 47.25% (liver) and 51.73% (intestine), and egg reduction rate of 25.90% (eggs per female), suggesting induction of significant anti-fecundity in the pcDNA3-Sj22.7 group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis indicated that immunized mice generated specific IgG against Sj22.7. T lymphocytes from mice immunized with pcDNA3-Sj22.7 showed a significant proliferation response to rSj22.7. The culture of spleen cells showed that secretion of IFN-gamma increased but IL-4 decreased. The results indicate hat DNA vaccination by pcDNA3-Sj22.7 is sufficient to elicit significant levels of protective immunity against S. japonicum infection. The DNA vaccine could induce significant cellular and humoral immune response, and display predominant T helper cell type 1 type immune responses, which contribute to the protective immunity against challenge infection in mice.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Schistosomiasis Research, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Shiping
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Junlong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Shaorui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xianchu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Xueqin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Songhua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Fen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006099:Granuloma / Q000473:pathology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D012549:Schistosoma japonicum / Q000276:immunology*; D012554:Schistosomiasis japonica / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014611:Vaccination; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma