Cytokines stimulated by DNA vaccine against glutamic acid decarboxylase 65.

2003 JUL 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Regulatory cytokine production was stimulated by DNA vaccination against an altered form of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 in mice.

According to a study from Canada, "Nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice develop a T-cell dependent autoimmune form of diabetes, in which glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) is an important islet target antigen. Intramuscular DNA vaccination with a plasmid encoding native GAD65 (a cytosolic antigen) did not significantly alter the incidence of diabetes, but vaccination against an altered form of GAD65 with a signal peptide (spGAD), which is secreted in vitro, was protective."

"The preventive effect was further enhanced by repeated injections of the spGAD plasmid," said Yelena Glinka and colleagues at McGill University. "Following DNA injection into muscle GAD65 was expressed for several months, and this was not accompanied by an inflammatory response. Immunization against GAD65 was not associated with substantial alterations in cytokine production by splenic lymphocytes stimulated with immunogenic GAD65 peptides. In contrast, spGAD induced increased secretion of both interleukin 10 and interferon gamma and a striking decrease in the interferon gamma/interleukin 10 ratio in culture supernatants."

"Similarly, spGAD-immunized mice had higher serum interleukin 10 levels and lower serum ...