RESUMO
T cell-mediated immune responses play an important role in the containment of HIV-1 replication. Therefore, an effective vaccine against HIV-1 should be able to elicit high frequencies of virus-specific CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells. The highly attenuated poxvirus-based vaccine candidate, NYVAC-SIV-gag-pol-env (NYVAC-SIV-gpe), has been shown to induce and/or expand SIV-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses in both naive and infected macaques. In this study, the immunogenicity of NYVAC-SIV-gpe alone was compared with a combination regimen where priming with an optimized DNA-SIV-gag-env vaccine candidate was followed by a NYVAC-SIV-gpe boost. In macaques immunized with the prime-boost regimen, the extent and durability of CD8(+) T cell response to an immunodominant SIV gag epitope was increased and these animals recognized a broader array of subdominant SIV epitopes in the cytolytic assay. In addition, the prime-boost regimen significantly enhanced the proliferative responses to both SIV gag and env proteins. Thus, the combination of these vaccine modalities may represent a valuable strategy in the development of a vaccine for HIV.
Assuntos
Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/imunologia , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/imunologia , Vacinas contra a SAIDS/imunologia , Síndrome de Imunodeficiência Adquirida dos Símios/prevenção & controle , Vírus da Imunodeficiência Símia/imunologia , Vacinas Virais/imunologia , Animais , Anticorpos Antivirais/biossíntese , Anticorpos Antivirais/imunologia , Antígenos Virais/imunologia , Células Cultivadas , Testes Imunológicos de Citotoxicidade , Esquemas de Imunização , Imunização Secundária , Interferon gama/biossíntese , Cinética , Ativação Linfocitária , Macaca mulatta , Síndrome de Imunodeficiência Adquirida dos Símios/imunologia , Vírus da Imunodeficiência Símia/genética , Vacinas Atenuadas/imunologia , Vacinas de DNA/imunologiaRESUMO
Prolonged antiretroviral therapy (ART) is not likely to eradicate human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-I) infection. Here we explore the effect of therapeutic immunization in the context of ART during primary infection using the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV251) macaque model. Vaccination of rhesus macaques with the highly attenuated poxvirus-based NYVAC-SIV vaccine expressing structural genes elicited vigorous virus-specific CD4 + and CD8+ T cell responses in macaques that responded effectively to ART. Following discontinuation of a six-month ART regimen, viral rebound occurred in most animals, but was transient in six of eight vaccinated animals. Viral rebound was also transient in four of seven mock-vaccinated control animals. These data establish the importance of antiretroviral treatment during primary infection and demonstrate that virus-specific immune responses in the infected host can be expanded by therapeutic immunization.