Brief Reports
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 7, 2005; 11(29): 4583-4586
Published online Aug 7, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i29.4583
Novel DNA vaccine based on hepatitis B virus core gene induces specific immune responses in Balb/c mice
Yi-Ping Xing, Zu-Hu Huang, Shi-Xia Wang, Jie Cai, Jun Li, Te-Hui W Chou, Shan Lu
Yi-Ping Xing, Zu-Hu Huang, Jie Cai, Jun Li, Department of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
Shi-Xia Wang, Te-Hui W Chou, Shan Lu, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, United States
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the 135 Project of Jiangsu Province, No. 044
Correspondence to: Associate Professor Yi-Ping Xing, Department of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China. yipingx@public1.ptt.js.cn
Telephone: +86-25-83718836-6394
Received: November 20, 2004
Revised: December 1, 2004
Accepted: December 3, 2004
Published online: August 7, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the immunogenicity of a novel DNA vaccine, pSW3891/HBc, based on HBV core gene in Balb/c mice.

METHODS: A novel DNA vaccine, pSW3891/HBc, encoding HBV core gene was constructed using a vector plasmid pSW3891. Balb/c mice were immunized with either pSW3891/HBc or empty vector DNA via gene gun. IgG anti-HBc responses in mouse sera were demonstrated by ELISA. Specific cytotoxicity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) of mice was quantitatively measured by lactate dehydrogenase release assay.

RESULTS: HBcAg was expressed effectively in 293T cell line transiently transfected with pSW3891/HBc. Strong IgG anti-HBc responses were elicited in mice immunized with pSW3891/HBc. The end-point titers of anti-HBc reached the highest 1:97 200, 4 wk after the third immunization. The specific CTL killing with the highest specific lysis reached 73.25% at effector:target ratio of 20:1 in mice that received pSW3891/HBc DNA vaccine.

CONCLUSION: pSW3891/HBc vaccination elicits specific anti-HBc response and induces HBc-specific CTL response in immunized Balb/c mice.

Keywords: DNA vaccine; Hepatitis B virus core antigen; Immunogenicity; Gene gun; CTL; HBV