Hepatitis E virus chimeric DNA vaccine elicits immunologic response in mice.

Aim: To construct the plasmid pcHEV23 containing fragments of HEV ORF2 and ORF3 chimeric gene and to assess its ability to elicit specific immunologic response in mice.

Methods: The gene encoding the structural protein of HEV ORF2 fragment and full-length ORF3 was amplified by PCR. The PCR products were cloned into an eucaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA3. The resulting plasmid pcHEV23 was used as a DNA vaccine to inoculate BALB/c mice intramuscularly thrice at a dose of 100 or 200 microg. Mice injected with empty pcDNA3 DNA or saline served as control and then specific immune responses in the mice were detected.

Results: After 2-3 times of inoculation, all mice injected with pcHEV23 had anti-HEV IgG seroconversion and specific T lymphocyte proliferation. The lymphocyte stimulation index in the group immunized with pcHEV23 (3.1+/-0.49) was higher than that in the control group (0.787+/-0.12, P<0.01). None in the control group had a detectable level of anti-HEV IgG.

Conclusion: DNA vaccine containing HEV ORF2 and ORF3 chimeric gene can successfully induce specific humoral and cellular immune response in mice.