DNA priming improves HSV-1 amplicon vector immunogenicity.

2003 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - DNA priming improves the immunogenicity of herpes simplex virus-based vectors expressing HIV proteins, researchers in the United States report.

"A single inoculation of herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) amplicon vectors encoding human immunodeficiency virus type-1 gp120 (HSV:gp120) results in robust, specific immune responses to gp120," explained Xiuqing Wang and colleagues at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York and the University of California at Davis.

These vaccines work even better as part of a prime-boost regimen including gp120 plasmid DNA, Wang and coauthors found.

The researchers assessed the efficacy of priming vaccine recipients with naked amplicon plasmid DNA before immunization with packaged gp120-expressing amplicon particles. TetrAm analysis showed that this approach significantly increased HIV-specific T-cell activity compared to HSV:gp120 vaccination alone, they said.

The utility of sequential treatment with HSV:gp120 was also evaluated. An additional immunization augmented ...