Cold-adapted influenza and recombinant adenovirus vaccines induce cross-protective immunity against pH1N1 challenge in mice

Background

The rapid spread of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza virus (pH1N1) highlighted problems associated with relying on strain-matched vaccines. A lengthy process of strain identification, manufacture, and testing is required for current strain-matched vaccines and delays vaccine availability. Vaccines inducing immunity to conserved viral proteins could be manufactured and tested in advance and provide cross-protection against novel influenza viruses until strain-matched vaccines became available. Here we test two prototype vaccines for cross-protection against the recent pandemic virus.

Methodology/Principal Findings

BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice were intranasally immunized with a single dose of cold-adapted (ca) influenza viruses from 1977 or recombinant adenoviruses (rAd) expressing 1934 nucleoprotein (NP) and consensus matrix 2 (M2) (NP+M2-rAd). Antibodies against the M2 ectodomain (M2e) were seen in NP+M2-rAd immunized BALB/c but not C57BL/6 mice, and cross-reacted with pH1N1 M2e. The ca-immunized mice did not develop antibodies against M2e. Despite sequence differences between vaccine and challenge virus NP and M2e epitopes, extensive cross-reactivity of lung T cells with pH1N1 peptides was detected following immunization. Both ca and NP+M2-rAd immunization protected BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice against challenge with a mouse-adapted pH1N1 virus.

Conclusion/Significance

Cross-protective vaccines such as NP+M2-rAd and ca virus are effective against pH1N1 challenge within 3 weeks of immunization. Protection was not dependent on recognition of the highly variable external viral proteins and could be achieved with a single vaccine dose. The rAd vaccine was superior to the ca vaccine by certain measures, justifying continued investigation of this experimental vaccine even though ca vaccine is already available. This study highlights the potential for cross-protective vaccines as a public health option early in an influenza pandemic.     

用电穿孔方法研究 H5N1 禽流感病毒DNA 疫苗对动物的免疫保护作用

为了研究 H5N1 DNA 疫苗对小鼠和鸡的保护效率,用 H5N1 禽流感病毒 HA DNA 疫苗免疫 BALB/c 小鼠和 SPF 鸡 . 小鼠和鸡分别经电穿孔和肌肉注射免疫两次,间隔为 3 周 . 二次免疫后,用致死量的同源病毒进行攻毒实验 . 空白对照组在攻毒后全部死亡,而经电穿孔免疫的小鼠和鸡均获得了完全的保护,并能有效地抑制病毒在小鼠肺脏和鸡泄殖腔的繁殖 . 同时,电穿孔免疫的小鼠和鸡均产生了高水平的特异性抗体 . 经电穿孔免疫的小鼠攻毒后 CTL 反应明显加强 . 这些结果表明, HA DNA 疫苗能有效地保护小鼠和鸡对禽流感病毒的感染,同时也表明电穿孔免疫是 DNA 疫苗免疫的有效途径之一 .     

A porcine adenovirus with low human seroprevalence is a promising alternative vaccine vector to human adenovirus 5 in an H5N1 virus disease model

Human adenovirus 5 (AdHu5) vectors are robust vaccine platforms however the presence of naturally-acquired neutralizing antibodies may reduce vector efficacy and potential for re-administration. This study evaluates immune responses and protection following vaccination with a replication-incompetent porcine adenovirus 3 (PAV3) vector as an alternative vaccine to AdHu5 using an avian influenza H5N1 disease model. Vaccine efficacy was evaluated in BALB/c mice following vaccination with different doses of the PAV3 vector expressing an optimized A/Hanoi/30408/2005 H5N1 hemagglutinin antigen (PAV3-HA) and compared with an AdHu5-HA control. PAV3-HA rapidly generated antibody responses, with significant neutralizing antibody titers on day 21, and stronger cellular immune responses detected on day 8, compared to AdHu5-HA. The PAV3-HA vaccine, administered 8 days before challenge, demonstrated improved survival and lower virus load. Evaluation of long-term vaccine efficacy at 12 months post-vaccination showed better protection with the PAV3-HA than with the AdHu5-HA vaccine. Importantly, as opposed to AdHu5, PAV3 vector was not significantly neutralized by human antibodies pooled from over 10,000 individuals. Overall, PAV3-based vector is capable of mediating swift, strong immune responses and offer a promising alternative to AdHu5.     

Effect of AcHERV-GmCSF as an Influenza Virus Vaccine Adjuvant

Introduction

The first identification of swine-originated influenza A/CA/04/2009 (pH1N1) as the cause of an outbreak of human influenza accelerated efforts to develop vaccines to prevent and control influenza viruses. The current norm in many countries is to prepare influenza vaccines using cell-based or egg-based killed vaccines, but it is difficult to elicit a sufficient immune response using this approach. To improve immune responses, researchers have examined the use of cytokines as vaccine adjuvants, and extensively investigated their functions as chemoattractants of immune cells and boosters of vaccine-mediated protection. Here, we evaluated the effect of Granulocyte-macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GmCSF) as an influenza vaccine adjuvant in BALB/c mice.

Method and Results

Female BALB/c mice were immunized with killed vaccine together with a murine GmCSF gene delivered by human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) envelope coated baculovirus (1×10⁷ FFU AcHERV-GmCSF, i.m.) and were compared with mice immunized with the killed vaccine alone. On day 14, immunized mice were challenged with 10 median lethal dose of mouse adapted pH1N1 virus. The vaccination together with GmCSF treatment exerted a strong adjuvant effect on humoral and cellular immune responses. In addition, the vaccinated mice together with GmCSF were fully protected against infection by the lethal influenza pH1N1 virus.

Conclusion

Thus, these results indicate that AcHERV-GmCSF is an effective molecular adjuvant that augments immune responses against influenza virus.     

共表达H5N1流感病毒M1和HA基因的DNA疫苗与腺病毒载体疫苗的小鼠免疫评价

为评价在小鼠体内表达流感病毒M1和HA基因诱导的免疫反应,制备共表达H5N1亚型禽流感病毒 (A/Anhui/1/2005) 全长基质蛋白1 (M1) 基因和血凝素 (HA) 基因的重组DNA疫苗pStar-M1/HA和重组腺病毒载体疫苗Ad-M1/HA,将其按初免-加强程序免疫BALB/c小鼠,共免疫4次,每次间隔14 d。第1、3次用DNA疫苗,第2、4次用重组腺病毒载体疫苗,每次免疫前及末次免疫后14 d采集小鼠血清用于检测体液免疫应答,末次免疫后14 d采集小鼠脾淋巴细胞用于检测细胞免疫应答。血凝     

HIV-1 p24 DNA和P24蛋白联合免疫小鼠的效果

DNA疫苗能够诱导机体产生特异的细胞免疫和体液免疫反应,在肿瘤和感染性疾病的疫苗开发中显示出巨大的潜能。以HIV-1核心蛋白P24为抗原基因,构建pVAX1-p24 DNA,经Western blotting和动物活体成像检测证明,pVAX1 DNA携带的外源基因可以在293T 细胞和小鼠肌肉组织有效表达。采用不同的免疫策略免疫BALB/c小鼠 (DNA/DNA,DNA/Protein),实验结果表明：pVAX1-p24单独免疫BALB/c小鼠,可诱导明显的体液免疫及细胞免疫反应;pVAX1-p24与P24蛋白联合免疫诱导的体液免疫反应高于pVAX1-p24单独免疫,所获得的抗体滴度是单独免疫的7.3~8.0倍,但细胞免疫反应则不及单独免疫组。研究结果表明采取不同的免疫策略可以诱导产生不同的免疫反应,根据具体情况调整免疫策略将获得更好的免疫效果。这些研究为艾滋病疫苗的研发提供了实验依据。     

A Pandemic Influenza H1N1 Live Vaccine Based on Modified Vaccinia Ankara Is Highly Immunogenic and Protects Mice in Active and Passive Immunizations

Background

The development of novel influenza vaccines inducing a broad immune response is an important objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate live vaccines which induce both strong humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against the novel human pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, and to show protection in a lethal animal challenge model.

Methodology/Principal Findings

For this purpose, the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of the influenza A/California/07/2009 (H1N1) strain (CA/07) were inserted into the replication-deficient modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus - a safe poxviral live vector – resulting in MVA-H1-Ca and MVA-N1-Ca vectors. These live vaccines, together with an inactivated whole virus vaccine, were assessed in a lung infection model using immune competent Balb/c mice, and in a lethal challenge model using severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice after passive serum transfer from immunized mice. Balb/c mice vaccinated with the MVA-H1-Ca virus or the inactivated vaccine were fully protected from lung infection after challenge with the influenza H1N1 wild-type strain, while the neuraminidase virus MVA-N1-Ca induced only partial protection. The live vaccines were already protective after a single dose and induced substantial amounts of neutralizing antibodies and of interferon-γ-secreting (IFN-γ) CD4- and CD8 T-cells in lungs and spleens. In the lungs, a rapid increase of HA-specific CD4- and CD8 T cells was observed in vaccinated mice shortly after challenge with influenza swine flu virus, which probably contributes to the strong inhibition of pulmonary viral replication observed. In addition, passive transfer of antisera raised in MVA-H1-Ca vaccinated immune-competent mice protected SCID mice from lethal challenge with the CA/07 wild-type virus.

Conclusions/Significance

The non-replicating MVA-based H1N1 live vaccines induce a broad protective immune response and are promising vaccine candidates for pandemic influenza.     

Efficacy of seasonal pandemic influenza hemagglutinin DNA vaccines delivered by electroporation against aseasonal H1N1 virus challenge in mice

Prophylactic DNA vaccines against the influenza virus are promising alternatives to conventional vaccines. In this study, we generated two candidate gene-based influenza vaccines encoding either the seasonal or pandemic hemagglutinin antigen (HA) from the strains A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1) (pV1A5) and A/California/04/2009 (H1N1) (pVEH1), respectively. After verifying antigen expression, the immunogenicity of the vaccines delivered intramuscularly with electroporation was tested in a mouse model. Sera of immunized animals were tested in hemagglutination inhibition assays and by ELISA for the presence of HA-specific antibodies. HA-specific T-cells were also measured in IFN-γ ELISpot assays. The protective efficacy of the candidate influenza vaccines was evaluated by measuring mortality rates and body weight after a challenge with 100 LD(50) of mouse-adapted A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1). Mice immunized with either one of the two vaccines showed significantly higher T cell and humoral immune responses (P<0.05) than the pVAX1 control group. Additionally, the pV1A5 vaccine effectively protected the mice against a lethal homologous mouse-adapted virus challenge with a survival rate of 100% compared with a 40% survival rate in the pVEH1 vaccinated group (P<0.05). Our study indicates that the seasonal influenza DNA vaccine completely protects against the homologous A/New Caledonia/20/99 virus (H1N1), while the pandemic influenza DNA vaccine only partially protects against this virus.     

汉滩病毒84Fli株DNA疫苗诱导小鼠免疫应答的初步研究

为了加强我国病毒性出血热的防治,本研究将汉滩病毒84Fli株核蛋白S和糖蛋白M编码片段分别克隆至pcDNA3.0载体,构建了pcDNA3/84S和pcDNA3/84M重组质粒,等量混合采用肌肉注射途径免疫C57BL/6小鼠,免疫3次,每次间隔2周,同时与双价出血热病毒灭活疫苗进行对比。ELISA及免疫荧光(IFA)分别检测小鼠血清中汉滩病毒核蛋白及糖蛋白特异性抗体,流式细胞仪和ELISPOT方法分析小鼠免疫后的细胞免疫水平。微量中和试验检测小鼠血清抗体的的中和活性。结果显示,DNA疫苗免疫组C57BL/6小鼠在初次免疫2周后即能检测到汉滩病毒核蛋白与糖蛋白的特异性抗体,与灭活疫苗组相比,重组质粒诱导的抗体滴度高,产生时间早,产生的抗体具有中和活性;同时可诱导产生特异性细胞免疫应答。研究表明,汉滩病毒pcDNA3/84S和pcDNA3/84M重组质粒能有效刺激小鼠产生特异性体液免疫和细胞免疫应答。     

Suppression of lethal Plasmodium yoelii malaria following protective immunization requires antibody-, IL-4-, and IFN-gamma-dependent responses induced by vaccination and/or challenge infection

Immunization with Plasmodium yoelii merozoite surface protein (PyMSP)-8 protects mice from lethal malaria but does not prevent infection. Using this merozoite surface protein-based vaccine model, we investigated vaccine- and infection-induced immune responses that contribute to protection. Analysis of prechallenge sera from rPyMSP-8-immunized C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice revealed high and comparable levels of Ag-specific IgG, but differences in isotype profile and specificity for conformational epitopes were noted. As both strains of mice were similarly protected against P. yoelii, we could not correlate vaccine-induced responses with protection. However, passive immunization studies suggested that protection resulted from differing immune responses. Studies with cytokine-deficient mice showed that protection was induced by immunization of C57BL/6 mice only when IL-4 and IFN-gamma were both present. In BALB/c mice, the absence of either IL-4 or IFN-gamma led to predictable shifts in the IgG isotype profile but did not reduce the magnitude of the Ab response induced by rPyMSP-8 immunization. Immunized IL-4-/- BALB/c mice were solidly protected against P. yoelii. To our surprise, immunized IFN-gamma-/- BALB/c mice initially controlled parasite growth but eventually succumbed to infection. Analysis of cytokine production revealed that P. yoelii infection induced two distinct peaks of IFN-gamma that correlated with periods of controlled parasite growth in intact, rPyMSP-8-immunized BALB/c mice. Maximal parasite growth occurred during a period of sustained TGF-beta production. Combined, the data indicate that induction of protective responses by merozoite surface protein-based vaccines depends on IL-4 and IFN-gamma-dependent pathways and that vaccine efficacy is significantly influenced by host responses elicited upon infection.     

Leishmania major: Protective capacity of DNA vaccine using amastin fused to HSV-1 VP22 and EGFP in BALB/c mice model

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.     

alpha-Galactosylceramide can act as a nasal vaccine adjuvant inducing protective immune responses against viral infection and tumor

alpha-Galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) is a ligand of invariant Valpha14+ NKT cells and is presented by CD1d molecule on APC. NKT cells produce a large amount of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in response to alpha-GalCer-presented APC. In this study, we assessed whether alpha-GalCer could act as an effective nasal vaccine adjuvant for mucosal vaccine that would be capable of inducing systemic as well as mucosal immune responses. When alpha-GalCer was administered with OVA via the intranasal route to C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, significant OVA-specific mucosal secretory IgA, systemic IgG, and CTL responses were induced with mixed Th1 and Th2 cytokine profiles seen in both strains of mice. Interestingly, as BALB/c mice were intranasally immunized with PR8 hemagglutinin Ag isolated from influenza virus A/PR/8/34 together with alpha-GalCer, significant protection was afforded against influenza viral infection. When alpha-GalCer was coimmunized with a replication-deficient live adenovirus to BALB/c mice, it significantly induced both humoral and cellular immune responses. In addition, intranasal administration of OVA with alpha-GalCer showed complete protection against EG7 tumor challenge in C57BL/6. The adjuvant effects induced by intranasal coadministration with alpha-GalCer were blocked in CD1d-/- mice, indicating that the immune responses were exclusively mediated by CD1d molecule on APC. Most interestingly, intranasally coadministered alpha-GalCer activated naive T cells and triggered them to differentiate into functional effector T cells when CFSE-labeled OT-1 cells were adoptively transferred into syngeneic mice. Overall, our results are the first to show that alpha-GalCer can act as a nasal vaccine adjuvant inducing protective immune responses against viral infections and tumors.     

Protection of neonatal mice from lethal enterovirus 71 infection by maternal immunization with attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing VP1 of enterovirus 71

This study describes the potential use of attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains to express and deliver VP1 of enterovirus 71 (EV71) as a vaccination strategy to prevent EV71 infection in mice. When orally administered to BALB/c mice, both attenuated carrier strains, CNP101 and SL7207, were able to efficiently invade livers and spleens, while only the virulence plasmid-carrying strain SL7207 persisted for more than 30 days in these organs. A recombinant in vivo-regulated promoter expression plasmid expressing VP1 antigen of EV71 was constructed. The expression of the VP1, directed by the pagC promoter, in attenuated Salmonella was confirmed by Western blot hybridization. Both humoral and cellular immune responses were elicited in mice by oral immunization with such Salmonella-based VP1 vaccines. We evaluated the protective efficacy of the vaccines in mice using a maternal immunization protocol. With a lethal challenge, ICR newborn mice born to dams immunized with Salmonella-based VP1 vaccine showed a 50-60% survival; in contrast, none of the mice in the control group survived the challenge. Our data indicated that Salmonella-based VP1 subunit vaccines are a promising vaccine strategy in the prevention of EV71 infection.     

乙型肝炎病毒全S基因疫苗诱导小鼠的特异性免疫应答

乙型肝炎病毒 (ＨＢＶ)感染是我国常见病及多发病。ＨＢＶ难以清除的原因之一就是机体的免疫功能障碍。目前虽然基因重组ＨＢＶ表面抗原 (ＨＢｓＡｇ)疫苗预防ＨＢＶ感染取得了较好的效果 ,但基因重组ＨＢｓＡｇ疫苗主要能诱导特异性体液免疫 ,不能刺激机体的细胞免疫应答。近年来发现基因疫苗可诱导机体产生细胞及体液免疫反应 ,特别是诱导细胞免疫反应的能力优于蛋白、多肽类疫苗 ,更适应于慢性病毒感染的预防与治疗[1,2 ] 。为了探讨应用ＨＢＶ基因疫苗预防ＨＢＶ感染的可能性 ,本文构建了ＨＢＶ全Ｓ基因和ＨＢｓＡｇ基因疫苗 ,观察和比…     

幽门螺杆菌Lpp20-IL2核酸疫苗免疫活性

【目的】观察pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2免疫C57BL/6小鼠后所产生的体液免疫和细胞免疫应答水平,为研制高效、新型的幽门螺杆菌核酸疫苗提供实验依据。【方法】构建pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2重组载体,并转染HeLa细胞,用Western-blot观察鉴定其在真核细胞得到表达后免疫C57BL/6小鼠,ELISA间接法测定小鼠血清中抗Lpp20IgG抗体水平,ELISA双抗体夹心法检测脾淋巴细胞培养上清中IFN-γ、IL4水平,MTT比色法检测脾淋巴细胞增殖反应,免疫荧光组化法检测Lpp20蛋白在小鼠肌肉组织中的表达情况。【结果】成功构建了pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2真核表达载体,且重组质粒能在HeLa细胞内有效表达目的蛋白;小鼠接种pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2核酸疫苗后能产生特异性IgG抗体,8w后ELISA测定血清抗体A450值明显升高。核酸疫苗pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2免疫组小鼠脾淋巴细胞经特异性抗原刺激后,培养上清中IFN-γ、IL4含量明显升高。pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20-IL2和pcDNA3.1(+)/Lpp20核酸疫苗组小鼠脾淋巴细胞经特异性抗原刺激后,刺激指数明显高于空质粒组和PBS组。Lpp20蛋白在小鼠肌肉组织中能够有效表达。【结论】幽门螺杆菌Lpp20-IL2融合基因核酸疫苗和Lpp20单基因核酸疫苗均能刺激机体产生较强细胞免疫应答和体液免疫应答,且前者能诱导更强的细胞免疫应答。     

Recombinant herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) codelivering interleukin-12p35 as a molecular adjuvant enhances the protective immune response against ocular HSV-1 challenge

An important aspect of ocular herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) vaccine development is identification of an appropriate adjuvant capable of significantly reducing both virus replication in the eye and explant reactivation in trigeminal ganglia. We showed recently that a recombinant HSV-1 vaccine expressing interleukin-4 (IL-4) is more efficacious against ocular HSV-1 challenge than recombinant viruses expressing IL-2 or gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) (Y. Osorio and H. Ghiasi, J. Virol. 77:5774-5783, 2003). We have now constructed and compared recombinant HSV-1 viruses expressing IL-12p35 or IL-12p40 molecule with IL-4-expressing HSV-1 recombinant virus. BALB/c mice were immunized intraperitoneally with IL-12p35-, IL-12p40-, IL-12p35+IL-12p40-, or IL-4-expressing recombinant HSV-1 viruses. Controls included mice immunized with parental virus and mice immunized with the avirulent strain KOS. The efficacy of each vaccine in protecting against ocular challenge with HSV-1 was assessed in terms of survival, eye disease, virus replication in the eye, and explant reactivation. Neutralizing antibody titers, T-cell responses, and expression of 32 cytokines and chemokines were also evaluated. Mice immunized with recombinant HSV-1 expressing IL-12p35 exhibited the lowest virus replication in the eye, the most rapid virus clearance, and the lowest level of explant reactivation. The higher efficacy against ocular virus replication and explant reactivation correlated with higher neutralizing antibody titers, cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte activities, and IFN-gamma expression in recombinant HSV-1 expressing IL-12p35 compared to other vaccines. Mice immunized with both IL-12p35 and IL-12p40 had lower neutralizing antibody responses than mice immunized with IL-12p35 alone. Our results confirm that recombinant virus vaccines expressing cytokine genes can enhance the overall protection against infection, with the IL-12p35 vaccine being the most efficacious of those tested. Collectively, the results support the potential use of IL-12p35 as a vaccine adjuvant, without the toxicity-associated concerns of IL-12.     

稳定携带H5亚型禽流感病毒候选DNA疫苗减毒沙门氏菌的构建及其免疫原性

采用PCR技术从重组质粒pVAX1-HA扩增出禽流感病毒JSGO(H5N1)株的血凝素(HA)基因,将其克隆入真核表达质粒pmcDNA3.1 中,获得重组表达质粒pmcDNA3.1-HA。通过电穿孔转化法将重组质粒转入减毒鼠伤寒沙门氏菌SL7207*,构建成功携带DNA疫苗的重组沙门氏菌SL7207*(pmcDNA3.1-HA)。经体内体外试验证实,重组质粒pmcDNA3.1-HA在沙门氏菌中的稳定性显著高于pcDNA3.1-HA。将重组菌SL7207*(pmcDNA3.1-HA)和SL7207*(pcDNA3.1-HA)分别以2×109CFU剂量两次口服免疫BALB/c小鼠,免疫小鼠可产生针对禽流感病毒HA蛋白的黏膜抗体。重组菌以5×109CFU剂量两次口服免疫试验鸡,免疫鸡的小肠样品中可测到针对禽流感病毒HA蛋白的黏膜抗体,且SL7207*(pmcDNA3.1-HA)免疫组的抗体效价高于SL7207*(pcDNA3.1-HA)免疫组。免疫保护试验结果显示,SL7207*(pmcDNA3.1-HA)和SL7207*(pcDNA3.1-HA)免疫组的免疫保护率均与空载体组之间存在显著性差异(P<0.05),且SL7207*(pmcDNA3.1-HA)免疫组的保护率较SL7207*(pcDNA3.1-HA)免疫组提高了22.6%,说明稳定携带H5亚型禽流感病毒DNA疫苗的减毒沙门氏菌具有良好的免疫原性和免疫保护性。     

Immune responses with DNA vaccines encoded different gene fragments of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in BALB/c mice

To analyze the immune responses of DNA vaccine encoded different gene fragments of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-Cov), SARS-Cov gene fragments of membrane (M), nucleocapsid (N), spike a (Sa), and spike b (Sb) proteins were cloned into pcDNA3.1 (Invitrogen) vector to form plasmids pcDNAM, pcDNAN, pcDNASa, and pcDNASb, respectively. After mice were immunized intramuscularly with pcDNAM, pcDNAN or pcDNASa-pcDNASb plasmid, blood was collected and serum was separated. Humoral immune response was detected with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and cellular immune response of SARS-Cov DNA vaccines was detected with lymphoproliferation assay and cytotoxic T lymphocyte assay. Results show that cellular and humoral immune responses can be detected after immunization with pcDNAM, pcDNAN or pcDNASa-pcDNASb plasmids in BALB/c mice. However, pcDNAM stimulated the highest cellular immune response than other plasmids, and pcDNASa-pcDNASb stimulated the highest humoral immune response in week 12. The present results not only suggest that DNA immunization with pcDNAM, pcDNAN or pcDNASa-pcDNASb could be used as potential DNA vaccination approaches to induce antibody in BALB/c mice, but also to illustrate that gene immunization with these SARS DNA vaccines different immune response characters.     

Improving Cross-Protection against Influenza Virus Using Recombinant Vaccinia Vaccine Expressing NP and M2 Ectodomain Tandem Repeats

Conventional influenza vaccines need to be designed and manufactured yearly. However, they occasionally provide poor protection owing to antigenic mismatch. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop universal vaccines against influenza virus. Using nucleoprotein(NP) and extracellular domain of matrix protein 2(M2e) genes from the influenza A virus A/Beijing/30/95(H3N2), we constructed four recombinant vaccinia virus-based influenza vaccines carrying NP fused with one or four copies of M2e genes in different orders. The recombinant vaccinia viruses were used to immunize BALB/C mice. Humoral and cellular responses were measured, and then the immunized mice were challenged with the influenza A virus A/Puerto Rico/8/34(PR8). NP-specific humoral response was elicited in mice immunized with recombinant vaccinia viruses carrying full-length NP, while robust M2e-specific humoral response was elicited only in the mice immunized with recombinant vaccinia viruses carrying multiple copies of M2e. All recombinant viruses elicited NP-and M2e-specific cellular immune responses in mice. Only immunization with RVJ-4M2eNP induced remarkably higher levels of IL-2 and IL-10 cytokines specific to M2e. Furthermore, RVJ-4M2eNP immunization provided the highest cross-protection in mice challenged with 20 MLD_(50) of PR8. Therefore, the cross-protection potentially correlates with both NP and M2e-specific humoral and cellular immune responses induced by RVJ-4M2eNP, which expresses a fusion antigen of full-length NP preceded by four M2e repeats. These results suggest that the rational fusion of NP and multiple M2e antigens is critical toward inducing protective immune responses, and the 4M2eNP fusion antigen may be employed to develop a universal influenza vaccine.     

Evaluation of the Lon-deficient Salmonella strain as an oral vaccine candidate

We evaluated the efficacy of CS2022 (the Lon protease-deficient mutant strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium) as a candidate live oral vaccine strain against subsequent oral challenge with a virulent strain administered to BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. CS2022 persistently resided in the spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, Peyer's patches, and cecum of both strains of mice after a single oral inoculation with 1 x 10(8) colony-forming units. Finally, CS2022 almost disappeared from each tissue sample by week 12 in BALB/c mice, whereas CS2022 still resided in each tissue type at week 12 after inoculation of C57BL/6 mice. A significant increase in the serovar Typhimurium lipopolysaccharide-specific secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA), as measured for one of the mucosal immune responses, was detected in bile and intestinal samples of both strains of immunized mice at week 4 after immunization. In addition, the expression of gamma interferon mRNA in the spleens of both strains of immunized mice, especially those of C57BL/6 mice, was significantly increased at week 4 after immunization and was boosted during the following 5 days after the challenge was administered to the mice. Furthermore, peritoneal macrophages isolated from immunized mice at week 4 after immunization exhibited an increase in intracellular killing activity against both virulent and avirulent Salmonella. The present results suggested that salmonellae-specific s-IgA on the mucosal surfaces induced by immunization with CS2022 generally prevented mice from succumbing to an oral challenge with a virulent strain. Simultaneously, CS2022 promoted the protective immunity associated with macrophages in both strains of mice.