Immune response to HIV-2 gp105 DNA vaccine in mice

AIM: To explore the immune response of mice vaccinated with HIV-2 gp105 nucleic acid vaccine. METHODS: pVAX1-gp105 recombinant DNA vaccine was constructed by inserting HIV-2 gp105 cDNA into an eukaryotic expression vector pVAX1. BALB/c mice were immunized with pVAX1-gp105, pVAX1 and PBS, respectively via intramuscular injection. Anti-HIV-2 antibody was detected by ELISA. The percentages of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell subsets from immunized mice were analyzed by flow cytometry and the specific killing activity of splenic CTLs was measured by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay. RESULTS: The titer of specific antibody, the numbers of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells and cytotoxic activity of specific CTLs in pVAX1-gp105 vaccination group were obviously higher than those in control group (P<0.01, P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: pVAX1-gp105 nucleic acid vaccine can elicit specific cellular and humoral immunities in mice.