PROTECTION BY MINIGENES - A NOVEL-APPROACH OF DNA VACCINES

To test the principle that genetically engineered epitopes in a plasmi d DNA can efficiently induce specific immunity, a minigene cassette en coding cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), helper T and B cell epitopes from herpes simplex virus (HSV) was constructed and placed in an expressio n vector named pcMini. Following immunizations with pcMini, mice devel oped epitope-specific CTLs comparable to the response induced by live HSV. Less effective but detectable antibody, lymphoproliferative, and T cell cytokine responses were also produced, In addition, pcMini-prim ed mice elicited a recall response upon restimulation with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing HSV antigen. The protection provided by min igene vaccination was significant, although not as efficient as live v irus vaccine. The DNA minigene approach may prove useful to define and induce immune responses against minimal antigenic determinants. (C) 1 998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.