Abstract
Although DNA-based cancer vaccines have been successfully tested in mouse models, a major drawback of cancer vaccination still remains, namely that tumour antigens are weak and fail to generate a vigorous immune response in tumour-bearing patients. Genetic technology offers strategies for promoting immune pathways by adding immune-activating genes to the tumour antigen sequence. In this work, we converted a model non-immunogenic antigen into a vaccine by fusing it to domain I of the filamentous bacteriophage coat protein III gene. Vaccination with a DNA construct encoding the domain I fusion generated antigen-specific T helper 1-type cellular immune responses. These results demonstrate that the incorporation of protein III into a DNA vaccine formulation can modulate the gene-mediated immune response and may thus provide a strategy for improving its therapeutic effect.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Immunology |
| Volume | 117 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Pages (from-to) | 502-6 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| ISSN | 0019-2805 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2006 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Adjuvants, Immunologic
- Animals
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Cancer Vaccines/immunology
- Capsid Proteins
- Cytokines/biosynthesis
- DNA-Binding Proteins/immunology
- Female
- Immunity, Cellular
- Immunoglobulin G/biosynthesis
- Immunoglobulin Variable Region/immunology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/immunology
- Th1 Cells/immunology
- Vaccination
- Vaccines, DNA/immunology
- Viral Fusion Proteins/immunology
