[Inducement of cytotoxic T cell responses in mice by constructing a multi-CTL epitope-based DNA vaccine]

Abstract

Aim: To construct a multi-CTL epitope-based DNA vaccine to induce specific CTL responses.

Methods: Multi-CTL epitope gene which encoded two HCV epitopes(H-2(d)) was cloned into the eucaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1 to construct a multi-CTL epitope-based DNA vaccine. BALB/c mice were vaccinated with the DNA vaccine and the specific CTL responses to target cells (P815, H-2(d)) pulsed by different CTL epitope peptide were detected.

Results: The multi-CTL epitope-based DNA vaccine which directed against two HCV CTL epitopes induced specific CTL responses to each of the two CTL epitopes independently and enhanced the total specific CTL response.

Conclusion: The multi-CTL epitope-based DNA vaccine is constructed by using multi-CTL epitopes linked as encoding sequence through natural flanking amino acid residues. It can not only induce specific CTL responses to each CTL epitope independently but also enhance the total specific CTL response.