Potent specific immune responses induced by prime-boost-boost strategies based on DNA, adenovirus, and Sendai virus vectors expressing gag gene of Chinese HIV-1 subtype B

• Published in: Vaccine 2008-11, Vol.26 (48), p.6124-6131
• Main Authors: Yu, Shuangqing, Feng, Xia, Shu, Tsugumine, Matano, Tetsuro, Hasegawa, Mamoru, Wang, Xiaoli, Ma, Hongtao, Li, Hongxia, Li, Zelin, Zeng, Yi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenoviridae - genetics; Adenovirus; AIDS Vaccines - genetics; AIDS Vaccines - immunology; Allergy and Immunology; Animals; Antibody Formation - immunology; Antibody Specificity; Applied microbiology; Biological and medical sciences; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gag gene; Gene Products, gag - biosynthesis; Genes, gag - genetics; Genes, gag - immunology; Genetic Vectors - genetics; Heterologous vectors; HIV-1; HIV-1 - genetics; HIV-1 - immunology; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Humans; Immunization Schedule; Immunization, Secondary; Interferon-gamma - genetics; Interferon-gamma - immunology; Macaca mulatta; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Sendai virus; Sendai virus - genetics; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Vaccine; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies (general aspects); Vaccines, DNA - genetics; Vaccines, DNA - immunology; Virology
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2008.09.017

Abstract To study the immune responses elicited by multiple vectors and develop vaccines strategies against prevalent HIV-1 strains in China, we have examined the potency of vaccine regimens of plasmid DNA, adenovirus, and Sendai virus vectors expressing HIV-1 gag consensus sequence of HIV-1 isolates from China for inducing specific immune responses. In BALB/c mice, combination of these vectors induced higher Gag-specific cellular immune response than any regimen using single vector alone. The prime-boost-boost regimen consisting of the triple heterologous vectors induced Gag-specific T-cell responses the most efficiently. In rhesus macaques, the prime-boost-boost regimen induced potent Gag-specific cellular immune responses as well as long lasting humoral immune response, and each booster resulted in rapid and efficient expansion of Gag-specific T cells. These results indicate that this prime-boost-boost regimen using triple heterologous vectors is a promising AIDS vaccine candidate for efficiently inducing HIV-1-specific cellular and humoral immune responses. Its further studies as a promising scheme for therapeutic and/or prophylactic HIV-1 vaccines should be grounded.