Interleukin-18 modulates immune responses induced by HIV-1 Nef DNA prime/protein boost vaccine.

Many different HIV-1 vaccine strategics have been developed, but as yet none has been completely successful. Promising results from combined DNA prime/protein boost vaccines have been reported. Specific immune responses generated by DNA vaccines carl be modulated by the co-delivery of genes coding for cytokines, In this study, we have used the intradermal route by needle injection of a plasmid coding for the HIV-1 Nef accessory protein. We show that DNA prime/protein boost vaccine combinations increase the humoral and cellular immune responses against HIV-1 Nef and that the co-injection of DNA encoding Interleukin-18 (IL-18) modulates the specific immune response towards a Th1 type, (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.