Protection of chickens from Newcastle disease by vaccination with a linear plasmid DNA expressing the F protein of Newcastle disease virus

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 14; no. 8; pp. 747 - 752
• Main Authors: Sakaguchi, Masashi, Nakamura, Hideki, Sonoda, Kengo, Hamada, Fukusaburo, Hirai, Kanji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.06.1996; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Viral - biosynthesis; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Line; Chickens; Cloning, Molecular; DNA vaccine; DNA, Recombinant - administration & dosage; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; F protein; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Microbiology; Newcastle disease; Newcastle Disease - prevention & control; Newcastle disease virus; Plasmids; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Vaccines, Synthetic - administration & dosage; Vaccines, Synthetic - genetics; Vaccines, Synthetic - standards; Viral Proteins - genetics; Viral Proteins - immunology; Viral Vaccines - administration & dosage; Viral Vaccines - genetics; Viral Vaccines - standards; Virology; DNA vaccine; F protein; Newcastle disease; Immunoprotection; Avian paramyxovirus; Immune response; Newcastle virus; Vaccine; Linear DNA; Paramyxoviridae; Infection; Virus; Plasmid; Vertebrata; Viral disease; Chicken; Aves; Paramyxovirus; Humoral immunity
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/0264-410X(95)00254-X

To evaluate the usefulness of a DNA vaccine for chickens, we constructed a plasmid vector expressing the Newcastle disease virus F protein (NDV-F) under the control of the human cytomegalovirus immediate early enhancer and chicken β-actin gene promoter. One-week-old chickens injected intramusculary with the circular plasmid DNA did not produce significant levels of antibody against NDV-F. However, two of five birds injected with the linearized plasmid DNA produced high levels of the antibody. Moreover, four of five birds injected with a mixture of the linearized-plasmid and Lipofectin produced the antibody efficiently. At 9 weeks post-injection, chickens were challenged with the velogenic NDV Sato strain. These chickens that had the antibody against NDV-F were protected from lethal NDV challenge. These results demonstrate that the DNA vaccine conferred efficient protection against the disease.