Recombinant coxsackievirus vectors for prevention and therapy of virus-induced heart disease.
Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of human death and have been linked to many different risk factors. Among them, coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), as a member of the enterovirus group, is one of the most important infectious agents of virus-induced myocarditis. Despite the fact that the molecular structure of this pathogen has been characterized very precisely, there is no virus-specific preventive or therapeutic procedure against CVB3-induced heart disease in clinical use today. A promising approach to prevent CVB3-caused myocarditis represents the mutation of the viral genome in a way that coding sequences of cytokines are integrated into the viral RNA. Recombinant cytokine-expressing CVB3 variants were established to increase the local cytokine concentration and to modulate TH1-/TH2-specific immune responses. Especially protective against CVB3-induced murine myocarditis is the application of an interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-expressing recombinant coxsackievirus variant. The local and simultaneous expression of an immuno-relevant cytokine by the virus itself induces a strong and long-lasting immune response which protects laboratory animals against lethal infections.
Henke
Andreas
A
Institute of Virology and Antiviral Therapy, Medical Center, Friedrich Schiller University, Hans-Knöll-Strasse 2, D-07745 Jena, Germany. i6hean@rz.uni-jena.de
Jarasch
Nadine
N
Martin
Ulrike
U
Wegert
Jenny
J
Wildner
Anja
A
Zell
Roland
R
Wutzler
Peter
P
D000818:Animals; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D010179:Pancreas / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014765:Viral Vaccines