Variable effects of the co-administration of a GM-CSF-expressing plasmid on the immune response to flavivirus DNA vaccines in mice

As a cytokine adjuvant, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has been demonstrated to play central roles in the enhancement of the immune response and protection elicited by experimental vaccines. However, in our previous work, the co-administration of GM-CSF produced untoward effects on the immune response induced by a Japanese encephalitis virus DNA vaccine candidate. This study aimed to elucidate the adjuvant roles of GM-CSF in several Flaviviridae virus DNA vaccine candidates. Our results showed that the effects of GM-CSF were diverse: co-inoculated GM-CSF caused significant suppression to the dengue virus type 1 and type 2 prM-E DNA vaccinations and influenced protective efficiency against virus challenge. In contrast, GM-CSF showed little effect or an enhancement on the immune response elicited by hepatitis C virus C or E1 DNA vaccine candidates. Notably, these effects of GM-CSF were highly durable. Our results suggested that the adjuvant roles of the GM-CSF plasmid were complex and diverse, ranging from enhancement to suppression, depending on the immunogen of Flaviviridae virus DNA vaccine candidates. Therefore, the application of GM-CSF as a vaccine adjuvant or a therapeutic agent should be evaluated carefully.