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Journal of Virology, January 1999, p. 281-289, Vol. 73, No. 1
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Immunization of Woodchucks with Plasmids Expressing Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus (WHV) Core Antigen and Surface Antigen Suppresses WHV Infection

Mengji Lu,1 Gero Hilken,2 Johannes Kruppenbacher,1 Thekla Kemper,1 Reinhold Schirmbeck,3 Joerg Reimann,3 and Michael Roggendorf1,*

Institut für Virologie1 and Zentraltierlabor,2 Universitätsklinikum Essen, Essen, and Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Immunologie, Universität Ulm, Ulm,3 Germany

Received 6 July 1998/Accepted 7 October 1998

DNA vaccination can induce humoral and cellular immune response to viral antigens and confer protection to virus infection. In woodchucks, we tested the protective efficacy of immune response to woodchuck hepatitis core antigen (WHcAg) and surface antigen (WHsAg) of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) elicited by DNA-based vaccination. Plasmids pWHcIm and pWHsIm containing WHV c- or pre-s2/s genes expressed WHcAg and WHsAg in transient transfection assays. Pilot experiments in mice revealed that a single intramuscular injection of 100 µg of plasmid pWHcIm DNA induced an anti-WHcAg titer over 1:300 that was enhanced by boost injections. However, two injections of 100 µg of pWHcIm did not induce detectable anti-WHcAg in woodchucks. With an increase in the dose to 1 mg of pWHcIm per injection, transient anti-WHcAg response and WHcAg-specific proliferation of peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PMBCs) appeared in woodchucks after repeated immunizations. Four woodchucks vaccinated with pWHcIm were challenged with 104 or 105 of the WHV 50% infective dose. They remained negative for markers of WHV replication (WHV DNA and WHsAg) in peripheral blood and developed anti-WHs in week 5 after challenge. In contrast, woodchucks not immunized or immunized with the control vector pcDNA3 developed acute WHV infection. Two woodchucks immunized with 1 mg of pWHsIm developed WHsAg-specific proliferative response of PBMCs but no measurable anti-WHsAg response. A rapid anti-WHsAg response developed during week 2 after virus challenge. Neither woodchuck developed any signs of WHV infection. These data indicate that DNA-based vaccination with WHcAg and WHsAg can elicit immunity to WHV infection.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut für Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-45122 Essen, Germany. Phone: 49-201-723-3550. Fax: 49-201-723-5929. E-mail: roggendorf{at}uni-essen.de.


Journal of Virology, January 1999, p. 281-289, Vol. 73, No. 1
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



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