title: Co-delivery of LIGHT expression plasmid enhances humoral and cellular immune responses to HIV-1 Nef in mice.
abstract: The immunogenicity and efficacy of a DNA vaccine can be greatly enhanced when a gene adjuvant is used. LIGHT, a member of TNF superfamily, can function as a costimulatory molecule for human naïve T cells to proliferate and can be a potential gene adjuvant. In the current study, the eukaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA-nef was constructed by inserting a full-length nef gene into pcDNA3.1(+), and an in vitro transfection experiment suggested that the nef gene could be expressed successfully in mammalian cells. BALB/c mice were immunized with HIV-1 nef DNA vaccine plasmids alone or in combination with LIGHT expression plasmids, and the specific humoral and cellular immune responses were measured. The data showed that HIV-1 nef DNA vaccine plasmids could induce anti-Nef antibodies, Nef-specific lymphocyte proliferation and CTL activity, whereas stronger specific immune responses were induced in mice when co-immunizing with HIV-1 nef DNA vaccine plasmids and LIGHT expression plasmids, suggesting that the eukaryotic expression vector encoding HIV-1 nef is capable of inducing specific immune responses towards HIV-1 Nef and that LIGHT could be considered as a gene adjuvant for HIV-1 DNA vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200241, China.
authors.forename: Jiejun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Wenli
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Jiani
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Wenzheng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D004279:DNA, Viral; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010957:Plasmids / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D053326:Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 14 / Q000502:physiology*; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D004279:DNA, Viral; D053326:Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 14; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus