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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1996 Oct 29;93(22):12496–12501. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.22.12496

DNA-mediated immunization in a transgenic mouse model of the hepatitis B surface antigen chronic carrier state.

M Mancini 1, M Hadchouel 1, H L Davis 1, R G Whalen 1, P Tiollais 1, M L Michel 1
PMCID: PMC38020  PMID: 8901610

Abstract

Transgenic mice expressing the sequences coding for the envelope proteins of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the liver have been used as a model of the HBV chronic carrier state. We evaluated the possibility of inducing a specific immune response to the viral envelope antigens and thus potentially controlling chronic HBV infection. Using HBV-specific DNA-mediated immunization in this transgenic model, we show that the immune response induced after a single intramuscular injection of DNA resulted in the complete clearance of circulating hepatitis B surface antigen and in the long-term control of transgene expression in hepatocytes. This response does not involve a detectable cytopathic effect in the liver. Adoptive transfer of fractionated primed spleen cells from DNA-immunized mice shows that T cells are responsible for the down-regulation of HBV mRNA in the liver of transgenic mice. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a potential immunotherapeutic application of DNA-mediated immunization against an infectious disease and raises the possibility of designing more effective ways of treating HBV chronic carriers.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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