Cytokine GM-CSF genetic adjuvant facilitates prophylactic DNA vaccine against pseudorabies virus through enhanced immune responses

Microbiol Immunol. 2006;50(2):83-92. doi: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2006.tb03773.x.

Abstract

Granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulatory factor (GM-CSF) is an attractive adjuvant for a DNA vaccine on account of its ability to recruit antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to the site of antigen synthesis as well as its ability to stimulate the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). This study evaluated the utility of GM-CSF cDNA as a DNA vaccine adjuvant for glycoprotein B (gB) of pseudorabies virus (PrV) in a murine model. The co-injection of GM-CSF DNA enhanced the levels of serum PrV-specific IgG with a 1.5-to 2-fold increase. Moreover, GM-CSF co-injection inhibited the production of IgG2a isotype. However, it enhanced production of an IgG1 isotype resulting in humoral responses biased to the Th2-type against PrV antigen. In contrast, the co-administration of GM-CSF DNA enhanced the T cell-mediated immunity biased to the Th1-type, as judged by the significantly higher level of cytokine IL-2 and IFN-gamma production but not IL-4. When challenged with a lethal dose of PrV, the GM-CSF co-injection enhanced the resistance against a PrV infection. This suggests that co-inoculation with a vector expressing GM-CSF enhanced the protective immunity against a PrV infection. This immunity was caused by the induction of increased humoral and cellular immunity in response to PrV antigen.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / genetics
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Brain / virology
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / genetics
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / immunology*
  • Herpesvirus 1, Suid / immunology*
  • Immunoglobulin Isotypes
  • Interferon-gamma / immunology
  • Interleukin-2 / immunology
  • Interleukin-4 / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Plasmids / genetics
  • Plasmids / immunology
  • Pseudorabies / immunology*
  • Pseudorabies / prevention & control
  • Pseudorabies Vaccines / genetics
  • Pseudorabies Vaccines / immunology*
  • Pseudorabies Vaccines / therapeutic use
  • Vaccines, DNA / genetics
  • Vaccines, DNA / immunology*
  • Vaccines, DNA / therapeutic use
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / genetics
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / immunology

Substances

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin Isotypes
  • Interleukin-2
  • Pseudorabies Vaccines
  • Vaccines, DNA
  • Viral Envelope Proteins
  • glycoprotein gII, pseudorabies virus
  • Interleukin-4
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor