Construction and characterisation of a candidate HIV-1 subtype C DNA vaccine for South Africa.

Journal article

A candidate DNA vaccine pTHgagC expressing the immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) gag gene from South African isolate Du422 was constructed and characterised. The isolate was selected on the basis of being the closest to the South African subtype C consensus sequence. Sequence analysis of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes showed that HIV subtype C-infected individuals have CTL responses to a number of epitopes present in the vaccine, but also revealed a more limited presence of subtype A- and any B-derived epitopes. A high level of expression of the immunogen was demonstrated in human cells and a potent, long-lived CTL response to a single inoculation of the DNA vaccine was elicited in BALB/c mice, which could be significantly increased by a boost vaccination at 4 weeks. This is the first candidate HIV-1 DNA vaccine employing the South African subtype C sequences, and constitutes a part of a vaccine scheduled to enter a clinical evaluation in South Africa in 2004.

Authors: van Harmelen, J; Shephard, E; Thomas, R; Hanke, T; Williamson, A

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Vaccine
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 27-30
• Pages: 4380-4389
• Publication date: 2003-10-01
• DOI: 10.1016/s0264-410x(03)00406-7
• EISSN: 1873-2518
• ISSN: 0264-410X
• Language: English
• Keywords: Molecular Sequence Data; Hela Cells; Humans; Vaccines, DNA; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Genes, gag; Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; Animals; South Africa; HIV-1; Immunization; Amino Acid Sequence; Mice; AIDS Vaccines; Interferon-gamma; Chromium Radioisotopes; Mice, Inbred BALB C; DNA, Complementary