Hepatitis B virus precore protein augments genetic immunizations of the truncated hepatitis C virus core in BALB/c mice.
DNA immunization has been used to induce either humoral or cellular immune responses against many antigens, including hepatitis C virus (HCV). In addition, DNA immunizations can be enhanced or modulated at the nucleotide level. Genetic immunizations were examined in BALB/c mice through the use of plasmids and chimeric DNA constructs encoding HCV core proteins and hepatitis B virus (HBV) precore (preC) regions. Plasmids encoding the truncated HCV core induced potent humoral and cellular responses to HCV; pcDNA3.0A-C154 produced a stronger antibody response than pcDNA3.0A-C191 (P < 0.01) and pcDNA3.0A-C69 (P < 0.05). HBV preC enhanced the humoral and cellular immune responses of BALB/c mice to HCV; however, pcDNA3.0A-C69preC resulted in a weak cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response. In addition, the humoral and cellular immune responses to HCV of groups immunized with pcDNA3.0A-C154preC and pcDNA3.0A-C191preC plasmids were higher than those of groups immunized with pcDNA3.0A-C154 and pcDNA3.0A-C191. In vivo CTL responses verified that mice immunized with preC core fused DNAs showed significantly high specific lysis compared with mice immunized with HCV cores only (P < 0.01). In our study, pcDNA3.0A-C154preC led to the highest immune response among all DNA constructs.


CONCLUSIONS
DNA that encodes truncated HCV core proteins may lead to increased immune responses in vivo, and these responses may be enhanced by HBV preC.
Liao
Guoyang
G
Department of Viral Immunology, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China.
Wang
Yue
Y
Chang
Jinhai
J
Bian
Tao
T
Tan
Wenjie
W
Sun
Mingbo
M
Li
Weidong
W
Yang
Huijuan
H
Chen
Junying
J
Zhang
Xinwen
X
Bi
Shengli
S
Omata
Masao
M
Jiang
Shude
S
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000517:prevention & control; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects*; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000187:drug effects; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines