Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2410780 | Vaccine | 2005 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Immunization with naked plasmid DNA elicits strong cell-mediated immune responses. In the present study, we examine strategies to enhance epitope-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses using DNA constructs, expressing a minimal class I epitope of the gp120 of HIV-IIIB. Here, we evaluate the effect of CD4+ T cell (TH) epitope affinity for the MHC II molecule on the immunogenicity of our DNA vaccines. Our data indicate that a low-affinity TH epitope decreased the magnitude of the CTL responses. In addition, we observed decreased numbers of epitope-specific T helper cells and CTLs, as well as diminished cytokine secretion and proliferative responses. Thus, the immunogenicity of a DNA epitope vaccine can be modulated by altering the affinity of the TH epitope.
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Authors
Dimitrios N. Vatakis, Yi Ting Koh, Minnie McMillan,