Alphavirus Replicon DNA Vectors Expressing Ebola GP and VP40 Antigens Induce Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses in Mice.

Ebola virus (EBOV) causes severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans, and no approved therapeutics or vaccine is currently available. Glycoprotein (GP) is the major protective antigen of EBOV, and can generate virus-like particles (VLPs) by co-expression with matrix protein (VP40). In this study, we constructed a recombinant Alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) replicon vector DREP to express EBOV GP and matrix viral protein (VP40). EBOV VLPs were successfully generated and achieved budding from 293 cells after co-transfection with DREP-based GP and VP40 vectors (DREP-GP+DREP-VP40). Vaccination of BALB/c mice with DREP-GP, DREP-VP40, or DREP-GP+DREP-VP40 vectors, followed by immediate electroporation resulted in a mixed IgG subclass production, which recognized EBOV GP and/or VP40 proteins. This vaccination regimen also led to the generation of both Th1 and Th2 cellular immune responses in mice. Notably, vaccination with DREP-GP and DREP-VP40, which produces both GP and VP40 antigens, induced a significantly higher level of anti-GP IgG2a antibody and increased IFN-γ secreting CD8+ T-cell responses relative to vaccination with DREP-GP or DREP-VP40 vector alone. Our study indicates that co-expression of GP and VP40 antigens based on the SFV replicon vector generates EBOV VLPs in vitro, and vaccination with recombinant DREP vectors containing GP and VP40 antigens induces Ebola antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in mice. This novel approach provides a simple and efficient vaccine platform for Ebola disease prevention.

Protective immune response in mice induced by a suicidal DNA vaccine encoding NTPase-II gene of Toxoplasma gondii.

DNA-based alphaviral RNA replicon vectors, also called suicidal DNA vectors, have been employed to alleviate biosafety concerns attribution to its ability to induce apoptotic cell death of the transfected cells. Toxoplasma gondii nucleoside triphosphate hydrolase-II (TgNTPase-II), which facilitates the parasite to salvage purines from the host cell for survival and replication, have been demonstrated to be a potential vaccine candidate for toxoplasmosis. Herein, we evaluated the immunogenic potential of a suicidal DNA vaccine encoding TgNTPase-II gene, pDREP-TgNTPase-II, delivered intramuscularly in combination with electroporation. Immunization of mice with pDREP-TgNTPase-II elicited specific humoral responses, with high IgG antibody titers and a mixed IgG1/IgG2a response. The cellular immune response was associated with high level production of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-10 cytokines and low level IL-4 production as well as the increase of the percentage of CD8+ T cells, indicating that a Th1 predominant response was elicited. Furthermore, mice vaccinated with this suicidal DNA vaccine displayed partial protection against acute infection with the virulent RH strain as well as chronic infection with PRU cyst, which shows 77.7% and 71.4% reduction in brain cyst burden in comparison to PBS and pDREP-eGFP control group, respectively. Based on the cellular and antibody responses, the suicidal DNA vaccine elicited a Th1-predominant immune response against T. gondii challenge.