title: Co-administration of antigen with chemokine MCP-3 or MDC/CCL22 enhances DNA vaccine potency.
abstract: We evaluated the utility of chemokine MCP-3 and MDC/CCL22 as molecular adjuvants of DNA vaccines for botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) in a Balb/c mouse model. Notably, the immunogenicity of the DNA vaccine against BoNT/A was not enhanced using a fusion of the AHc-C antigen with the MCP-3 or MDC/CCL22. Nevertheless, the potency of the DNA vaccine was significantly modulated and enhanced by co-administration of the AHc-C antigen with MCP-3 or MDC/CCL22. This strategy elicited high levels of humoral immune responses and protection against BoNT/A. The enhanced potency was further boosted by co-administration of the AHc-C antigen with both MCP-3 and MDC/CCL22 in Balb/c mice, but not by co-administration of AHc-C antigen with the MCP-3-MDC/CCL22 fusion. Co-immunization with both the MCP-3 and MDC/CCL22 constructs induced the highest levels of humoral immunity and protective potency against BoNT/A. Our results indicated that MCP-3 and MDC/CCL22 are effective molecular adjuvants of the immune responses induced by the AHc-C-expressing DNA vaccine when delivered by co-administration of the individual chemokines, but not when delivered in the form of a chemokine/antigen fusion. Thus, we describe an alternative strategy to the design and optimization of DNA vaccine constructs based on co-administration of the antigen with the chemokine rather than in the form of a chemokine/antigen fusion.
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Institute, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China.
authors.forename: Xinmei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wenliang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ruishuang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Qingli
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiaobin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000276:immunology*; D054422:Chemokine CCL22 / Q000276:immunology*; D054410:Chemokine CCL7 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D064166:Vaccine Potency; D019444:Vaccines, DNA
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; C515451:Ccl7 protein, mouse; D054422:Chemokine CCL22; D054410:Chemokine CCL7; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A; C545476:incobotulinumtoxinA