Advantage of gene gun-mediated over intramuscular inoculation of plasmid DNA vaccine in reproducible induction of specific immune responses

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 18; no. 17; pp. 1725 - 1729
• Main Authors: Yoshida, Atsushi, Nagata, Toshi, Uchijima, Masato, Higashi, Takahide, Koide, Yukio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 06.03.2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Antibody Formation - drug effects; Antibody Formation - immunology; Antigens, Bacterial - genetics; Antigens, Bacterial - immunology; Applied microbiology; Biolistics; Biological and medical sciences; Cells, Cultured; Cytotoxic T lymphocyte; Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; Cytotoxins - genetics; Cytotoxins - immunology; DNA vaccine; DNA vaccines; Epitopes - immunology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; g-Interferon; Gene gun; Immunity, Cellular - drug effects; Immunity, Cellular - immunology; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Injections, Intramuscular; Interferon-gamma - metabolism; Listeria monocytogenes - immunology; Lymphocyte Activation - immunology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbiology; Ovalbumin; Ovalbumin - genetics; Ovalbumin - immunology; Peptide Fragments - genetics; Peptide Fragments - immunology; Plasmids - administration & dosage; Plasmids - immunology; Reproducibility of Results; Spleen - cytology; Spleen - immunology; Spleen - metabolism; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic - immunology; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies (general aspects); Vaccines, DNA - administration & dosage; Vaccines, DNA - immunology; DNA vaccine; Gene gun; Ovalbumin; Cytotoxic T lymphocyte; Glycoprotein; Rodentia; Intradermal administration; Recombinant DNA; Genetic vaccine; Route of administration; Intramuscular administration; Plasmid; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Immunogenicity; Mouse; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/S0264-410X(99)00432-6

Utilizing a plasmid DNA encoding a single cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope and that encoding ovalbumin (OVA), we compared the reproducibility in the induction of immune responses by gene gun and intramuscular immunization. As compared to intramuscular inoculation, gene gun DNA immunization appeared to bring about highly reproducible and reliable results in the induction of specific CTL and IFN-γ production to the CTL epitope and production of anti-OVA IgG. The results obtained by intramuscular inoculation vary significantly. Our data shown here strongly suggest that gene gun immunization of skin is a much more reliable method for DNA vaccination to induce effective immune responses in an animal model.