IMMUNIZATION WITH PLASMID DNA ENCODING FOR THE MEASLES-VIRUS HEMAGGLUTININ AND NUCLEOPROTEIN LEADS TO HUMORAL AND CELL-MEDIATED-IMMUNITY

We have evaluated the DNA vaccination strategy for measles virus (MV) hemagglutinin (HA) and nucleoprotein (NP) genes. Plasmids encoding eit her the MV, HA, or NP proteins inoculated intramuscularly into Balb/c mice induced both humoral and CTL class I restricted responses. Antibo dy responses were not increased by multiple inoculations. The major an tibody isotype induced by both the HA and NP was IgG2a consistent with a Th1 response. In contrast, immunization with a plasmid which direct ed the synthesis of a partially secreted form of HA gave mainly IgG1 a ntibodies. When the amount of DNA was reduced for the HA plasmid (1 or 10 mu g/animal), although the antibody was not induced, a CTL respons e was observed. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.