Basic Study on DNA immunization against hepatitis C virus by using a transgenic mouse system

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Basic strategy for prevention of viral infection is, in general, to induce neutralizing antibody. This strategey, however, may not apply to hepatitis C,because there is no known neutralizing antibody that leads to the termination of infection. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) also eradicates viral infection. Methods of inducing CTL is not as well established as those of inducing antibodies. A new method of inducing CTL is to use a naked DNA coding target antigens as an immunogen. The objective of this study is to test whether this technology is applicable to hepatitis C virus.Mice were immunized with cDNA coding hepatitis C core region intramuscularly. Primed splenocytes showed a hepatitis C core protein specific proliferation. The splenocytes were also cultured with a cell line that expressed hepatitis C core protein. Cultured splenocytes showed specific CTL responses to hepatitis C core.These results suggest that the DNA immunization method is applicable to hepatitis C virus antigens. For further analysis, transgenic mouse systems that express hepatitis C virus antigens at a higher level are under construction.