Tumor necrosis factor DNA enhances immune response against herpes.

2004 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) DNA enhances the immune response in DNA immunization against the herpes simplex virus.

"A study was made of the adjuvant effect of the mouse tumor necrosis factor alpha (mTNF-alpha) on DNA immunization against the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1). The HSV1 gD gene (pDNAgD) served as an immunogen; mTNF-alpha or its gene cloned in an eukaryotic expression vector (pDNAmTNF) were used to modulate the immune response. Double immunization with pDNAgD led to a six-fold increase in the in vitro T-cell response, a high (1:2000) titer of anti-HSV1 antibodies (including virus-neutralizing antibodies), an increase in IgG2a/IgG1 (suggesting a shift of the immune response to the Th1 type), and no change in CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio," researchers in Russia report.

"A single injection of mTNF-alpha along with inactivated HSV1 allowed a twice higher antibody titer and a four-fold higher T-cell response as compared with immunization with HSV1 alone," said R. R. Klimova and colleagues at the Ivanovsky Research Institute of Virology. "Double immunization with both pDNAgD and pDNAmTNF increased the titer of anti-HSV1 antibodies and the T-cell response by factors of 8 and 1.5 respectively, as compared with immunization with ...