title: Leishmania major: Protective capacity of DNA vaccine using amastin fused to HSV-1 VP22 and EGFP in BALB/c mice model.
abstract: An intercellular spreading strategy using herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) VP22 protein is employed to enhance DNA vaccine potency of Leishmania major amastin antigen in BALB/c mice model. We evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of plasmid DNA vaccines encoding amastin-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and VP22-amastin-EGFP. Optimal cell-mediated immune responses were observed in BALB/c mice immunized with VP22-amastin-EGFP as assessed by cytokine gene expression analysis using real time RT-PCR. Vaccination with the VP22-amastin-EGFP fusion construct elicited significantly higher IFN-gamma response upon antigen stimulation of splenocytes from immunized mice compared to amastin as a sole antigen. Mice immunized by VP22-amastin-EGFP showed partial protection following infectious challenge with L. major, as measured by parasite load in spleens. These results suggest that the development of DNA vaccines encoding VP22 fused to a target Leishmania antigen would be a promising strategy to improve immunogenicity and DNA vaccine potency.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Immunology and Vaccine Research Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 69 Pasteur Ave., Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Azam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bolhassani
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gholami
authors.forename: Farnaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zahedifard
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moradin
authors.forename: Parto
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parsi
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Doustdari
authors.forename: Negar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Seyed
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Papadopoulou
authors.forename: Sima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rafati
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000235:genetics / Q000506:poisoning; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000592:standards; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D014162:Transfection; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000276:immunology / Q000592:standards; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015848:Interleukin-5; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins; C088681:amastin protein, Trypanosoma cruzi; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; C073413:herpes simplex virus type 1 protein VP22; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma