title: A simple technique to enhance the humoral immune response to intracellular protein antigens in genetic immunizations.
abstract: A simple technique to enhance the humoral immune response to intracellular protein antigens in genetic immunizations is demonstrated in mice. In this approach, the intracellular protein is intentionally secreted from expressing cells as a chimeric protein, comprising an N-terminal secreted protein fused to the intracellular protein antigen. Using the Leishmania chagasi Ldccys1 cysteine protease (411CP) as an example of an intracellular protein antigen and both human and murine granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GMCSF) as examples of N-terminal secretion competent fusion partners in chimeric proteins, a humoral response in plasmid DNA immunized mice could only be detected by Western blotting when the expressed 411CP was secreted.
authors.affiliation: Schulich School of Engineering, Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4. pjfarrel@ucalgary.ca
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.forename: Ashwini S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kucknoor
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iatrou
authors.forename: Lashitew
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gedamu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D056724:Immunity, Humoral / Q000276:immunology*; D007114:Immunization; D007125:Immunogenetics / Q000379:methods*; D042541:Intracellular Space / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D011506:Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C111469:Ldccys1 protein, Leishmania chagasi