title: High antibody and cellular responses induced to HIV-1 clade C envelope following DNA vaccines delivered by electroporation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clade C is the predominant HIV-1 strain infecting people in sub-Saharan Africa, India, and China and there is a critical need for a vaccine targeted to these areas. In this study we tested a DNA based vaccine that encodes the SIVgag, SIVpol and HIV-1 envelope clade C.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rhesus macaques were immunized by electroporation with the DNA plasmid encoding optimized SIVgag, SIVpol and an HIV-1 env clade C with or without the adjuvant RANTES. Animals were monitored for immune responses and challenged following the final immunization with 25 animal infectious doses (AID) of SHIV-1157ipd3N4.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that the vaccine induced high levels of antigen specific IFN-γ producing effector cells and the capacity for CD4+ and CD8+ to proliferate upon antigen stimulation. Importantly, we found that the vaccine induced antibody titers as high as 1/4000. These antibodies were capable of neutralizing tier 1 HIV-1 viruses. Finally, when macaques were challenged with SHIV, viral loads were controlled in vaccinated groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that immunization with a simian/human immunodeficiency virus DNA-based vaccine delivered by electroporation can induce cellular and humoral immune responses that are able to control viral replication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 422 Curie Blvd, 505 SCL, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Jiangmei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Anlan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lecureux
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arango
authors.forename: Michele A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kutzler
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Mark G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Niranjan Y
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Sardesai
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Montefiore
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruprecht
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: Jean D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Boyer
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000276:immunology; D018274:Electroporation / Q000379:methods; D058501:Enzyme-Linked Immunospot Assay; D015752:Genes, env; D015750:Genes, gag; D015751:Genes, pol; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014611:Vaccination; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D007371:Interferon-gamma