Analysis of epitope recognition of antibodies induced by DNA immunization against hemagglutinin protein of influenza A virus

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 21; no. 23; pp. 3118 - 3125
• Main Authors: Tonegawa, Ken, Nobusawa, Eri, Nakajima, Katsuhisa, Kato, Takashi, Kutsuna, Takeo, Kuroda, Kazumichi, Shibata, Toshikatsu, Harada, Yuichi, Nakamura, Atsushi, Itoh, Makoto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 04.07.2003; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA immunization; DNA, Complementary - biosynthesis; DNA, Complementary - genetics; Epitopes - immunology; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; Hemagglutinin; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - genetics; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - immunology; Immune response; Immunization; Infections; Influenza; Influenza A virus; Influenza A virus - immunology; Influenza virus; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbiology; Neutralization Tests; Plasmids - genetics; Proteins; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - chemistry; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - immunology; Spleen - cytology; Survival; Vaccines; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Vaccines, DNA - immunology; Viral infections; Viral Vaccines - immunology; Virology; Viruses; DNA immunization; Influenza virus; Hemagglutinin; Immune response; Antigenic determinant; Antibody; Rodentia; Orthomyxoviridae; Genetic vaccine; Infection; Virus; Vertebrata; Influenzavirus A; Mammalia; Mouse; Influenza A virus; Viral disease; Animal; DNA; Influenza A; Recognition
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/S0264-410X(03)00257-3

In an effort to find efficient DNA vaccine candidates, cDNA of influenza A virus hemagglutinin (HA) gene and several derived mutants were injected into mice using a gene gun. Mice immunized with HA1 DNA, with or without a membrane domain, showed a humoral immune response and the survival rate against homologous virus challenge was comparable to that of mice injected with HA DNA. In order to analyze epitopes recognized by antibodies induced by gene gun immunization, we used a binding assay employing the chimeric HA protein method. Serum antibodies of mice immunized with HA DNA recognized the HA1 domain but not the HA2 domain. In addition, antisera obtained from mice immunized with HA1 DNA reacted with each of the known antigenic sites on the HA1 domain, similar to the results obtained with HA DNA immunization.