An HIV-1 Mini Vaccine Induced Long-lived Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mehdi Mahdavi 1
Massoumeh Ebtekar 2
Zuhair Mohammad Hassan 2
Sobhan Faezi 3
Hamidreza Khorram Khorshid 4
Morteza Taghizadeh 5
Keyhan Azadmanesh 6
1 Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
3 Department of Mycobacteriology and Pulmonary Research, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
4 Genetics Research Centre, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
5 Department of Medical Virology, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Karaj, Iran
6 Department of Virology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Memory formation is the most important aspect of a vaccine which can guarantee long-lasting immunity and
protection. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the memory immune responses after immunization
with a mini vaccine. Mice were immunized with human immunodeficiency virus-1 P24-Nef fusion peptide and
then cellular and humoral immune responses were evaluated. In order to determine long-lived memory, immune
responses were monitored for 20 weeks after final immunization. The results showed that the candidate vaccine
induced proliferation and cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses and shifted cytokine patterns to T helper-1 profile.
Evaluation of humoral immune responses also showed an increase in total peptide specific-IgG titer and a shift to
IgG2a humoral response. Monitoring of immune responses at weeks 4, 12 and 20 after last immunization
showed that immunologic parameters have been sustained for 20 weeks. Our findings support the notion that
long-lived memory responses were achieved using a mini vaccine immunization.
Keywords
BALB/c mice
HIV-1
long-lived immune responses
P24-Nef fusion peptide