PROTECTION AGAINST PAPILLOMAVIRUS WITH A POLYNUCLEOTIDE VACCINE

Genital infections with human papillomavirus (HPV) are increasingly re cognized as a significant source of human disease; HPV is now implicat ed in up to 90% of cervical carcinomas. Neutralizing antibodies agains t papillomaviruses recognize conformational epitopes formed when viral capsid proteins assemble into virions or virus-like particles. Immuni zation with plasmid DNA encoding the major viral capsid protein L1 was studied as a means of inducing neutralizing antibodies and protection against virus challenge. In a cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) model, immunization with plasmid DNA encoding L1 elicited conformatio nally specific neutralizing antibodies and provided immunity against p apilloma formation upon challenge with CRPV. Immunization with DNA enc oding the capsid protein may provide a means of protecting humans agai nst HPV and would simplify the production of multivalent vaccines by c ombining plasmids that encode the viral capsid proteins of different s trains. This may be of importance given the multiplicity of HPV types capable of causing disease.