AIM: To characterize the immunogenicity of a hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 DNA vaccine alone or with a protein vaccine boost in murine and porcine animal models. METHODS: A DNA vaccine expressing a secreted form of H...AIM: To characterize the immunogenicity of a hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 DNA vaccine alone or with a protein vaccine boost in murine and porcine animal models. METHODS: A DNA vaccine expressing a secreted form of HCV E2 protein was constructed and used to vaccinate mice and piglets with or without boosting with a recombinant E2 protein vaccine formulated with CpG ODN and 10% Emulsigen. The immunogenicity of HCV E2 vaccines was analyzed by ELISA for antibody responses, MTT assay for lymphocyte proliferation, ELISPOT for the number of interferon-γ secreting cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte assays. RESULTS: Intradermal injection of E2 DNA vaccine induced strong Th1-1ike immune responses in mice. In piglets, E2 DNA vaccine elicited moderate and more balanced immune responses. A DNA vaccine prime and protein boost vaccination strategy induced significantly higher E2-specific antibody levels and shifted the immune response towards Th2-1ike ones in piglets. CONCLUSION: A DNA vaccine expressing a secreted form of HCV E2 protein elicited E2-specific immune responses in mice and piglets. Recombinant E2 protein vaccination following DNA immunization significantly increased the antibody response in piglets. These HCV E2 vaccines may represent promising hepatitis C vaccine candidates for further investigations.展开更多
Despite the great successes achieved in the fields of virology and diagnostics,several difficulties affect improvements in hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection control and eradication in the new era.New HCV infections stil...Despite the great successes achieved in the fields of virology and diagnostics,several difficulties affect improvements in hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection control and eradication in the new era.New HCV infections still occur,especially in some of the poorest regions of the world,where HCV is endemic and long-term sequelae have a growing economic and health burden.An HCV vaccine is still no available,despite years of researches and discoveries about the natural history of infection and host-virus interactions:several HCV vaccine candidates have been developed in the last years,targeting different HCV antigens or using alternative delivery systems,but viral variability and adaption ability constitute major challenges for vaccine development.Many new antiviral drugs for HCV therapy are in preclinical or early clinical development,but different limitations affect treatment validity.Treatment predictors are important tools,as they provide some guidance for the management of therapy in patients with chronic HCV infection:in particular,the role of host genomics in HCV infection outcomes in the new era of direct-acting antivirals may evolve for new therapeutic targets,representing a chance for modulated and personalized treatment management,when also very potent therapies will be available.In the present review we discuss the most recent data about HCV epidemiology,the new perspectives for the prevention of HCV infection and the most recent evidence regarding HCV diagnosis,therapy and predictors of response to it.展开更多
基金Supported by the Canadian Network for Vaccines and Immuno-therapeutics
文摘AIM: To characterize the immunogenicity of a hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 DNA vaccine alone or with a protein vaccine boost in murine and porcine animal models. METHODS: A DNA vaccine expressing a secreted form of HCV E2 protein was constructed and used to vaccinate mice and piglets with or without boosting with a recombinant E2 protein vaccine formulated with CpG ODN and 10% Emulsigen. The immunogenicity of HCV E2 vaccines was analyzed by ELISA for antibody responses, MTT assay for lymphocyte proliferation, ELISPOT for the number of interferon-γ secreting cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte assays. RESULTS: Intradermal injection of E2 DNA vaccine induced strong Th1-1ike immune responses in mice. In piglets, E2 DNA vaccine elicited moderate and more balanced immune responses. A DNA vaccine prime and protein boost vaccination strategy induced significantly higher E2-specific antibody levels and shifted the immune response towards Th2-1ike ones in piglets. CONCLUSION: A DNA vaccine expressing a secreted form of HCV E2 protein elicited E2-specific immune responses in mice and piglets. Recombinant E2 protein vaccination following DNA immunization significantly increased the antibody response in piglets. These HCV E2 vaccines may represent promising hepatitis C vaccine candidates for further investigations.
文摘Despite the great successes achieved in the fields of virology and diagnostics,several difficulties affect improvements in hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection control and eradication in the new era.New HCV infections still occur,especially in some of the poorest regions of the world,where HCV is endemic and long-term sequelae have a growing economic and health burden.An HCV vaccine is still no available,despite years of researches and discoveries about the natural history of infection and host-virus interactions:several HCV vaccine candidates have been developed in the last years,targeting different HCV antigens or using alternative delivery systems,but viral variability and adaption ability constitute major challenges for vaccine development.Many new antiviral drugs for HCV therapy are in preclinical or early clinical development,but different limitations affect treatment validity.Treatment predictors are important tools,as they provide some guidance for the management of therapy in patients with chronic HCV infection:in particular,the role of host genomics in HCV infection outcomes in the new era of direct-acting antivirals may evolve for new therapeutic targets,representing a chance for modulated and personalized treatment management,when also very potent therapies will be available.In the present review we discuss the most recent data about HCV epidemiology,the new perspectives for the prevention of HCV infection and the most recent evidence regarding HCV diagnosis,therapy and predictors of response to it.