DNA VACCINATION WITH ALTERED ANTIGENS

分化抗原已经成为癌症治疗的靶标。我们将研究DNA疫苗，旨在打破耐受性和提高免疫效力，对黑色素瘤分化黑色素瘤分化抗原将被靶向，包括酪氨酸，gp 75 TRP-1，TRP-2和gp 100。这些抗原覆盖黑素细胞/黑素瘤分化的早期和晚期阶段，并且被特别选择以克服肿瘤异质性。这些分化抗原被抗体以及黑素瘤患者的CD 4+和CD 4 + T细胞识别。这就提出了一种可能性，即疫苗可以被设计为一般的体液和细胞反应，包括辅助和细胞毒性T细胞。我们在实验室模型中的结果表明，通过DNA免疫可以诱导针对肿瘤分化抗原的抗体和T细胞应答，但是需要编码改变的抗原的基因。有效的免疫力。由于分化抗原是自身抗原，可能是弱免疫原性的，我们将研究和比较三种DNA疫苗接种方法，以增强免疫原性和/或克服免疫耐受：1。异种DNA免疫; 2.用编码分选至抗原呈递区室的抗原的DNA免疫; 3.用编码异型肽的DNA小基因免疫，和4.通过GM-CSF DNA增强免疫力。我们希望这些方法将导致黑色素瘤抗原的DNA疫苗的发展。

The differentiation antigens have emerged as targets for cancer therapy. We will investigate DNA vaccines that are designed to break tolerance and enhance potency of immunization against melanoma differentiation Melanoma differentiation antigens will be targeted, including tyrosine, gp75TRP-1, TRP-2 and gp100. These antigens cover early and late stages of melanocyte/melanoma differentiation and are specifically selected to overcome tumor heterogeneity. These differentiation antigens are recognized by antibodies and both CD4+ and CD4+ T cells of patients with melanoma. This raises the possibility that vaccines can be designed that general humoral and cellular responses, including helper and cytotoxic T cells. Our results in laboratory models show that both antibody and T cells responses can be induced against tumor differentiation antigens by DNA immunization, but genes encoding altered antigens are required. for effective immunity. Because differentiation antigens are self antigens that are likely to be weakly immunogenic, we will investigate and compare three approaches of DNA vaccination to enhance immunogenicity and/or overcoming immune tolerance: 1. Immunization with xenogeneic DNA; 2. Immunization with DNA encoding antigens that sort to antigen presenting compartments; 3. Immunization with DNA minigenes encoding heteroclitic peptides, and 4. Augmentation of immunity by GM-CSF DNA. We expect that these approaches will lead to development of DNA vaccine of antigens of melanoma.