nature biotechnology
JUNE 1998 PRESS RELEASE
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Research paper p. 561 and Research news p. 517
Alphaviruses make the most of DNA vaccine
Amplification is a good way to get your message across. Similarly, an unusual type of virus---alphaviruses---employ a novel mechanism to amplify their mRNA in the cell to produce unprecedented amounts of protein. Now, a team of scientists in Sweden have exploited this intriguing facet of alphavirus biology to make a DNA vaccine that generates unprecedented amounts of influenza virus antigen, rendering mice resistant to influenza infection. The alphavirus-derived vaccine provides protective immunity comparable to conventional DNA vectors, but requires between 10 and 1000-fold less DNA.
Peter Liljestrom and colleagues have created a DNA construct that contains sequences required for replication of an alphavirus, called Semiliki Forest virus (SFV), linked to sequences encoding the influenza virus antigens, nucleoprotein and hemagglutinin. When this construct was injected into mice, humoral and cellular immune responses developed to higher levels than when a conventional DNA vaccine was administered. The majority of mice immunized with vectors were protected from challenge with influenza virus. Such alphavirus-derived DNA vaccines may be more efficacious for human therapy. As John Polo and Thomas Dubensky point out in an accompanying commentary, similar results have also been obtained recently using alphavirus DNA vaccines against herpes virus and HIV.
CONTACT:
Dr. Peter Liljestrom
Microbiology and Tumorbiology Center (MTC)
Karolinska Institute, Box 280
S-171 77 Stockholm SWEDEN
tel +46-8-728 6306
fax +46-8-31 9587
e-mail [email protected]
Dr. John M. Polo
Applied virology in the Department of Viral and Genetic Therapeutics
Chiron Technologies Center for Gene Therapy, 11055 Roselle St., San Diego, CA 92121
tel: 619 824 7399
fax: 619-452-7569
[email protected]
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