title: A synergistic effect of a combined bivalent DNA-protein anti-HIV-1 vaccine containing multiple T- and B-cell epitopes of HIV-1 proteins.
abstract: Immunogenic properties of the combined vaccine CombiHIVvac, comprising polyepitope HIV-1 immunogens, one being the artificial polyepitope protein TBI, containing the T- and B-cell epitopes from Env and Gag proteins, and the DNA vaccine construct pcDNA-TCI coding for the artificial protein TCI, carrying over 80 T-cell epitopes (both CD4+ CTL and CD8+ Th) from Env, Gag, Pol, and Nef proteins, are studied in this work. The data reported demonstrate clearly that a combination of two B- and T-cell immunogens (TBI and TCI) in one construct results in a synergistic increase in the antibody response to both TBI protein and the proteins from HIV-1 lysate. The level of antibodies induced by immunization with the constructs containing either immunogen alone (TBI protein or the plasmid pcDNA-TCI) was significantly lower as compared to that induced by the combined vaccine. The analysis performed suggests that the presence of CD4+ T-helper epitopes, which can be presented by MHC class II, in the protein TCI may be the main reason underlying the increased synthesis of antibodies to TBI protein due to a CD4-mediated stimulation of B-cell proliferation and differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Theoretical Department, State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology Vector, 630559 Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region, Russia. bazhan@vector.nsc.ru
authors.forename: Sergei I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Bazhan
authors.forename: Larisa I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Karpenko
authors.forename: Leonid R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Lebedev
authors.forename: Roman V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Uzhachenko
authors.forename: Pavel A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Belavin
authors.forename: Alexey M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Eroshkin
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ilyichev
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000819:agonists* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000276:immunology*; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D014764:Viral Proteins