The mechanism(s) responsible for autoimmunity to DNA and nucleosomes in SLE is largely unknown. We have demonstrated that nucleosome-polyomavirus T-Ag complexes, formed in context of productive polyomavirus infection, activate dsDNA-specific B cells and nucleosome-specific CD4(+) T cells. To investigate whether de novo expressed T-Ag is able to terminate nucleosome-specific T cell tolerance and...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the major pathogen involved in nosocomial infections, leading to high rates of morbidity and mortality in hospitals worldwide. The methicillin resistance occurs due to the presence of an additional penicillin-binding protein, PBP2a, which has low affinity for beta-lactam antibiotics. In the past few years, vancomycin has been the only antibi...

Genetic immunization is an attractive approach to generate antibodies because native proteins are expressed in vivo with normal posttranscriptional modifications, avoiding time-consuming and costly antigen isolation or synthesis. Hydrodynamic tail or limb vein delivery of naked plasmid DNA expression vectors was used to induce antigen-specific antibodies in mice, rats, and rabbits. Both methods...

We have previously reported that a targeted anti-caries DNA vaccine, pGJA-P, induced accelerated and increased antibody responses compared with a non-targeted anti-caries DNA vaccine. Recently, pGJA-P/VAX, a new targeted anti-caries DNA vaccine for human trials, was constructed by replacing the pCI vector used in the construction of pGJA-P with pVAX1, the only vector authorized by the US Food a...

This study was designed to determine the impact of maternal HIV-1 specific immunity on HIV-DNA immunization of 2-week-old pups during the breast-feeding period. Adult female mice received intranasal or intradermal HIV-DNA (gp160Env, p37Gag, Nef, Tat and Rev) prime and recombinant protein boost immunizations, which induced mucosal and systemic HIV-1 specific B and T cell responses. Intranasal ad...

The aim of this work was to evaluate the immunogenicity and efficacy of DNA and MVA vaccines encoding the RVFV glycoproteins Gn and Gc in an ovine model of RVFV infection. Adult sheep of both sexes were challenged 12 weeks after the last immunization and clinical, virological, biochemical and immunological consequences, were analyzed. Strategies based on immunization with homologous DNA or hete...

Background: DNA immunization with plasmid DNA encoding bacterial, viral, parasitic, and tumor antigens has been reported to trigger protective immunity. The use of plasmid DNA vaccinations against many diseases has produced promising results in animal and human clinical trials; however, safety concerns about the use of DNA vaccines exist, such as the possibility of integration into the host gen...

BACKGROUND Trueperella pyogenes is a commensal and opportunistic pathogen that normally causes mastitis, liver abscesses and pneumonia of economically important livestock. To develop efficacious and potent vaccine against T. pyogenes, chimeric gene DNA vaccines were constructed and encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles (pPCFN-CpG-CS-NPs). RESULTS The pPCFN-CpG-CS-NPs consists of the plo, cbp...

background: hepatitis c (hcv) is a worldwide problem without an effective vaccine with more than 170 million chronically infected people worldwide. dna vaccines expressing antigenic portions of the virus with adjutants have recently been developed as a novel vaccination technology. objectives: in the present study, a dna vaccine expressing hcv core protein was developed with il12 as a genetic a...