Objective To compare the mRNA level of macrophage inflammatory protein-3α(MIP-3α) in 3 different mucosal epithelial cell lines. Methods RNA standards were prepared by in vitro transcription. One-step real-time RT-PCR was established and optimized using TaqMan EZ RT-PCR Core Reagents with TaqMan probes and primers specific to human MIP-3α mRNA sequence. The specificity of one-step real-time RT-PCR method was confirmed by sequencing the PCR products. The sensitivity and reproducibility of the method was examined by repeating the test 8 times with the same sample. Results The one-step real-time RT-PCR with a wide detection range is sensitive, reproducible. It was found that MIP-3α mRNA level in Caco-2 and T-84 cells was much higher than that in the HeLa cells. Conclusion High level of MIP-3α mRNA could be found in mucosal epithelial cells and difference in transcription level of MIP-3α may exist in epithelial cells from different mucosa.

SHIV-CN97001 played an important role in assessing the immune effect and strategy of the AIDS vaccine which included genes of the predominant prevalent HIV-1 strain in China. In this study, SHIV-CN97001 was in vivo passaged serially to construct pathogenic SHIV-CN97001/rhesus macaques model. To identify variation in the gp120 region of SHIV-CN97001 during passage, the fragments of gp120 gene were amplified by RT-PCR from the plasma of SHIV-CN97001 infected animals at the peak viral load time point and the gene distances (divergence, diversity) were calculated using DISTANCE. The analysis revealed that the genetic distances of SHIV-CN97001 in the third passage animals were the highest during in vivo passage. It had a relationship between viral divergence from the founder strain and viral replication ability. The nucleic acid sequence of the V3 region was highly conservative. All of the SHIV-CN97001 strains had V3 loop central motif (GPGQ) and were predicted to be using CCR5 co-receptor on the basis of the critical amino acids within V3 loop. These results show that there was no significant increase in the genetic distance during serial passage, and SHIV-CN97001 gp120 gene evolved toward ancestral states upon transmission to a new host. This could partly explain why there was no pathogenic viral strain obtained during in vivo passage.

Objective To investigate and compare the features of the HIV-1-specific CTL responses among three HIV-infected groups with varied infection history. Methods Three HIV-infeeted groups were enrolled in this study, including two groups infected by blood transmission (one group has been infected for more than 10 years and the other for 1-2 years) and one group of the man who have sex with man. The HIV-1-specific CTL responses were quantified by an IFN-γ based ELISPot assay with a peptide matrix system containing overlapping peptides spanning the entire HIV-1 Clade B genomic consensus sequences. Results The responding rate of CTL responses against all 17 peptide pools among the group that infected 1-2 years,the group infected more than 10 years and the group of MSM were 40% ,65% ,23%. One way ANOVO analysis showed that the responding rate of CTL responses against all 17 peptide pools were statistical significant among the three groups (F=19.96, P＜0.01);the magnitude of CTL responses of the three groups were 0-5 835 SFCs/106 PBMC, 0-7 225 SFCs/106PBMC, 0-9 740SFCs/106pBMC, Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the magnitude of CTL responses were statistical significant among the three groups( H = 101.90 , P ＜0.01);the breadth of CTL were 7 ( 2-11 ), 11(9-14) and 4 (2-6) respectively and Kruskal- Wallis test showed that the breadth of CTL had no statistical significant among the three groups( H = 34. 75 ,P ＜0. 01 ). The sequence of responding rate, magnitude and breadth of CTL from high to low was the group that had been infected for more than 10 years, the group infected 1-2 years and the sex transmission group. The common characteristics of the CTL response among the three groups were that the responding rate and the magnitude of the peptide Nef and Gag was higher than other peptide's. The magnitude of CTL responses among three different CD4count groups (CD4 ＜ 200/μl, CD4 200-500/μl, CD4 ≥500/μl,) was 0-18 475 SFCs/106pBMC, 350-34 095 SFCs/106pBMC, 490-21 550 SFCs/106 PBMC and had no statistic difference among the three different CD4 groups(H=2.93, P=0.23) while the breadth of CTL was 3(0-8), 10(2-17), 10 (1-17)respoctively and the breadth of CTL was lower in the group of CD4 count less than 200/μl than the other two groups( H = 14. 72, P ＜ 0. 01 ). The magnitude of CTL responses among three different viral load (VL)groups (VL＜ LDL, LDL ＜ VL ＜ 1 × 104 copys/ml, VL≥1 ×104 copys/ml) was 490-18 475 SFCs/106pBMC, 0-24 115 SFCs/106pBMC, 770-34 095 SFCs/106 pBMC and had no statistic difference among the three different viral load groups ( H = 0.79, P=0.67) and the breadth of the three different viral load groups CTL was 8( 1-17), 11 (0-17), 8 (1-16) and Kruskal-Wallis test showed that there was no statistic difference among the three different viral load groups (H =5.27, P =0. 07). Conclusions All groups predominantly develope T cell immune responses against Nef and Gag proteins. With the elapse of HIV infection, the CTL responses are increased in both magnitude and responding rate. This information is important for vaccine development.

Objective To construct two DNA vaccines encoding Gag-Env fusion protein and Tat-Rev-Integrase(C-half)-Vif-Nef fusion protein derived from the first HIV-1 CRF01_AE isolate(AE2f) in Chi-na and to evaluate the immunogenicity in mice. Methods Two DNA vaccines were constructed by inserting the codon optimized and synthesized gag-env fusion gene and tat-rev-integrase(c-half)-vif-nef fusion gene de-rived from AE2f into mammalian expression vector pDRVISV1. 0, the generated DNA vaccines were desig-nated as pSVAE/GE and pSVAE/TRIVN, respectively, and their in vitro expression were determined by Western blot with transfected 293T cells. Mice were i. m. immunized with either pDRVI1.0 as mock control, pSVAE/GE or pSYAE/TRIVN for 4 times at two-week interval. Two weeks following the final im-munization, cellular responses to pool of HIV-1 Env, Gag, Tat, Rev, Intergrase, Vif and Nef peptides were evaluated by ELISPOT assay. Results The construction of DNA vaccine pSVAE/GE and pSVAE/TRIVN was validated by restriction enzyme digestion and bidirectional sequencing. Western blot showed a specific band at molecular mass 220×10~3 in lane of pSVAE/GE transfeeted 293T cell and a specific band at 95×10~3 in the lane of pSVAE/TRIVN. Both DNA vaccines mounted significant specific T cell responses with (3010 ± 566) SFC/10~6 splenocytes for DNA vaccine pSV AE/GE and (948 ± 737) SFC/10~6 spleno-cytes for DNA vaccine pSVAE/TRIVN, whereas the mock control of pDRVISV1.0 only raised marginal T cell responses. Conclusion Both pSVAE/GE and pSVAE/TRIVN were capable of expressing the inserted fusion immunogen genes and able to elicit vigorous cellular immune responses, therefore, these DNA vac-cines are highly immunogenic.

ObjectiveTo explore the expression of CD3+ CD8+ human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2+T lymphocytes with specificity to the different hepatitis B virus (HBV) peptides in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)from the patients with hepatitis B associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).MethodsThe HLA-A2+ PBMC from four patients with hepatitis B associated HCC were incubated with five HBV/HLA-A2 pentamers respectively,which were HBV sAg (FLLTRILTI),HBV sAg (GLSPTVWLSV),HBV sAg (WLSLLVPFV),HBV core (FLPSDFFPSV),and HBV pol (FLLSLGIHL),as well as anti-CD3-pacific blue and anti-CD8-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC).Then,HBV/HLA-A2-CD3-CD8 positive cells were detected by flow cytometry. The monoclonal HBV/HLA-A2-CD3-CD8+ cells were acquired by fluorescenceactivated cell sorter,and cultured and identified by flow cytometry.The anti-HBV specific T lymphocytes were then cultured with HepG2 (HLA-A2+ ) cells and the release of interferon γ (IFN-γ)were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA),Res(a)ltsThe percentage of antiHBV T lymphoeytes with specificity to GLSPTVWLSV in total CD8+ T lymphoeytes from four patients with hepatitis B associated HCC was 1.44％±0.04％,which was higher than those to other four HBV antigen peptides (0.68％±0.08％ of FLLTRILTI,1.06％±0.09％ of FLPSDFFPSV,0.56％ ±0.04％ of FLLSLGIHL,and 0.46％ ±0.08％ of WLSLLVPFV) (t=0.001,P＜0.05).The two lines of monoclonal cell with specificity to GLSPTVWLSV both exhibited high level of IFN-γ expression after incubated with hepatic carcinoma cell line HepG2 (HLA-A2+)with HBV GLSPTVWLSV peptide.ConclusionsCD3+ CD8+ HLA-A2+ cells with specificity to the different HBV peptides exist in PBMC of patients with hepatitis B associated HCC.The expression level depends on HBV antigen peptide sequences and genomic sites.