Protection against mouse and avian influenza A strains via vaccination with a combination of conserved proteins NP, M1 and NS1.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Experimental data accumulated over more than a decade indicate that cross-strain protection against influenza may be achieved by immunization with conserved influenza proteins. At the same time, the efficacy of immunization schemes designed along these lines and involving internal influenza proteins, mostly NP and M1, has not been sufficient.

OBJECTIVE:

To test the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of DNA vaccination with a combination of NP, M1 and NS1 genes of influenza virus.

METHODS:

The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of DNA vaccination with NP, M1 and NS1 was tested in mice and chickens. Mice were challenged with mouse-adapted viral strains H3N2 and H5N2 and chicken challenged with avian H5N3 virus.

RESULTS:

In these settings, wild-type NS1 did not impede the cellular and humoral response to NP/M1 immunization in vivo. Moreover, addition of NS1-encoding plasmid to the NP/M1 immunization protocol resulted in a significantly increased protective efficacy in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS:

The addition of NS1 to an influenza immunization regimen based on conserved proteins bears promise. It is feasible that upon further genetic modification of these and additional conserved influenza proteins, providing for their higher safety, expression and immunogenicity, a recombinant vaccine based on several structural and non-structural proteins or their epitopes will offer broad anti-influenza protection in a wide range of species.

• Authors: Oleg P Zhirnov, Elena I Isaeva, Tatyana E Konakova, Galini Thoidis, Lyudmila M Piskareva, Irina I Akopova, Alex Kartashov, Anatoly D Altstein, Petr O Ilyinskii, Alexander M Shneider
• Journal: Influenza and other respiratory viruses (Influenza Other Respir Viruses) Vol. 1 Issue 2 Pg. 71-9 (Mar 2007) ISSN: 1750-2659 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 18784792 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)

Chemical References

• INS1 protein, influenza virus
• Influenza Vaccines
• M1 protein, Influenza A virus
• NP protein, Influenza A virus
• Nucleocapsid Proteins
• RNA-Binding Proteins
• Vaccines, DNA
• Viral Core Proteins
• Viral Matrix Proteins
• Viral Nonstructural Proteins

Topics

• Animal Diseases (immunology, virology)
• Animals
• Birds
• Influenza A virus (immunology)
• Influenza Vaccines (therapeutic use)
• Influenza in Birds (immunology, prevention & control)
• Mice
• Nucleocapsid Proteins
• Orthomyxoviridae Infections (immunology)
• RNA-Binding Proteins (genetics, immunology)
• Vaccines, DNA (therapeutic use)
• Viral Core Proteins (genetics, immunology)
• Viral Matrix Proteins (genetics, immunology)
• Viral Nonstructural Proteins (genetics, immunology)