Sustained biological effects of porcine interleukin 5 delivered to pigs as recombinant protein or via a DNA vector.

The ability of cytokines to act as natural immunotherapeutics to enhance the health and the disease resistance of animals is of particular interest to the intensive livestock industries. Antibiotics have been used for such purposes over a long period of time, however, there is growing concern that this practice will enhance the development of antibiotic resistance in a range of bacterial pathogens. In several species, interleukin 5 (IL-5) is known to enhance B cell activity and to increase the numbers of eosinophils in blood and tissues.

Bohle iridovirus as a vector for heterologous gene expression.

The large double-stranded DNA (ds DNA) viruses were among the first to be used to construct recombinant viruses, but to date this has not been achieved with any members of the ds DNA virus family, Iridoviridae. We identified a non-essential gene, the viral homologue of eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha (eIF-2alpha), in Bohle iridovirus (BIV, genus Ranavirus). A recombinant BIV was constructed with the neomycin resistance gene and the Bufo marinus (cane toad) adult globin gene inserted into the BIV eIF-2alpha region.

Comparative efficacy of subtype AE simian-human immunodeficiency virus priming and boosting vaccines in pigtail macaques.

Vaccination against AIDS is hampered by great diversity between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) strains. Heterologous B-subtype-based simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) DNA prime and poxvirus boost vaccine regimens can induce partial, T-cell-mediated, protective immunity in macaques. We analyzed a set of DNA, recombinant fowlpox viruses (FPV), and vaccinia viruses (VV) expressing subtype AE HIV type 1 (HIV-1) Tat, Rev, and Env proteins and SIV Gag/Pol in 30 pigtail macaques.

4-1BBL coexpression enhances HIV-specific CD8 T cell memory in a poxvirus prime-boost vaccine.

We have constructed a recombinant fowlpox virus expressing HIV antigens and the costimulatory molecule 4-1BBL. When included in the boost, but not the prime of a poxvirus prime-boost strategy, 4-1BBL significantly enhanced the anti-HIV T cell response generated to this vaccination in BALB/c mice, as detected by ex vivo IFNgamma ELISPOT responses, intracellular cytokine staining to HIV Gag antigens, and enumeration of Gag-reactive CD8 T cells. 4-1BBL however, is not capable of modulating the CD4 T cell response, nor the antibody response to this vaccination strategy.