Antitumor activity and immunogenicity of recombinant vaccinia virus expressing HPV 16 E7 protein SigE7LAMP is enhanced by high-level coexpression of IGFBP-3.

We constructed recombinant vaccinia viruses (VACVs) coexpressing the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) gene and the fusion gene encoding the SigE7Lamp antigen. The expression of the IGFBP-3 transgene was regulated either by the early H5 promoter or by the synthetic early/late (E/L) promoter. We have shown that IGFBP-3 expression regulated by the H5 promoter yielded higher amount of IGFBP-3 protein when compared with the E/L promoter.

Chemokine binding protein vCCI attenuates vaccinia virus without affecting the cellular response elicited by immunization with a recombinant vaccinia vector carrying the HPV16 E7 gene.

Viral CC chemokine inhibitor (vCCI) of the clone P13 vaccinia virus (VACV) strain PRAHA lacks eight amino acids in the signal peptide sequence. To study the influence of vCCI on virus biology, a virus with the vCCI gene coding for a prolonged signal sequence was prepared. We found that secreted vCCI attenuated the virus in vivo, and that it correlated with decreased levels of RANTES, eotaxin, TARC, and MDC in the blood in comparison with the parental virus.

Immunization with WT1-derived peptides by tattooing inhibits the growth of TRAMP-C2 prostate tumor in mice.

The expression of the transcription factor encoded by the Wilms tumor gene 1 (WT1) is associated with a variety of human cancers. WT1 protein has been reported to serve as a target antigen for tumor-specific immune responses. We observed that the immunization of mice with peptide vaccines derived from WT1 in a mixture with the CpG adjuvant (ODN 1826) by tattoo administration was superior to subcutaneous delivery of the peptides in combination with CpG formulated with the mineral oil adjuvant or a DNA vaccine or a recombinant vaccinia virus vaccine expressing the truncated WT1 protein.

Expression of soluble TGF-β receptor II by recombinant Vaccinia virus enhances E7 specific immunotherapy of HPV16 tumors.

Therapeutic immunization with double recombinants of vaccinia virus (VACV) co-expressing sTβRII increased rejection of established TC-1 tumors in C57BL/6 mice in comparison with single recombinant expressing SigE7LAMP. Recombinant VACV derived from vaccination strain Praha expressed either the sTβRII (ectodomain) or chimeric protein fused to immunoglobulin Fc fragment (sTβRII-Fc-Jun) under control of two different promotors together with the immunogenic tumor associated antigen HPV16 E7 oncoprotein in a form of SigE7LAMP fusion molecule. The ability of soluble receptors to bind TGF-β in vitro was proved.

Attenuation of vaccinia virus by the expression of human Flt3 ligand.

Background: Vaccinia virus, one of the best known members of poxvirus family, has a wide host range both in vivo and in vitro. The expression of Flt3 ligand (FL) by recombinant vaccinia virus (rVACV) highly influenced properties of the virus in dependence on the level of expression.

Results: High production of FL driven by the strong synthetic promoter decreased the growth of rVACV in macrophage cell line J774.