Construction of attenuated HIV-1 accessory gene immunization cassettes

Delivery of genetic expression cassettes into animals can effectively induce both humoral and cellular immunity to the expressed gene product. Previously, we used this strategy to immunize against HIV-1 structural and enzymatic proteins in mice, non-human primates and in humans. In contrast, the use of the accessory genes including vif, vpr, vpu and nef as immunotherapeutic vaccine targets has not been well characterized. Our goal is to design an effective genetic HIV vaccine, which includes the accessory genes as part of a multi-component immunogen. In order to develop accessory genes as genetic vaccines, we have molecularly cloned and analysed the sequence variation and immunogenic potential present in these genes derived from viral isolates obtained from HIV-1 infected patients and laboratory isolates. Prototype genetic variants were selected and their ability to induce humoral and cellular immune responses was studied in animal models. We observed that attenuated accessory genes can effectively induce both humoral and cellular responses in mice and the resulting immune response is directly correlated with DNA concentrations delivered and the number of boosts. This strategy can be used generally to develop an effective, safe DNA vaccine for any pathogen.