Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research  2014;3(2):235-243

doi:10.7774/cevr.2014.3.2.235

DNA immunization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resuscitation-promoting factor B elicits polyfunctional CD8+ T cell responses.

Jino LEE 1 ; Jihye KIM ; Jeewon LEE ; Sung Jae SHIN ; Eui Cheol SHIN

Affiliations

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Keywords

Tuberculosis; Resuscitation-promoting factor B; Polyfunctional T cells; DNA vaccines

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

PURPOSE: T cell-mediated immune responses, and particularly activation of polyfunctional T cells that simultaneously produce multiple cytokines, are necessary for the control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the present study, we examined if DNA immunization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resuscitation-promoting factor B (RpfB) elicits polyfunctional T cell responses in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were immunized intramuscularly three times, at 3-week intervals, with RpfB-expressing plasmid DNA. For comparison, protein immunization was performed with recombinant RpfB in control mice. After immunization, RpfB-specific T cell responses were assessed by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay and intracellular cytokine staining (ICS), and T cell polyfunctionality was assessed from the ICS data. RESULTS: RpfB DNA immunization induced not only humoral immune responses, but also CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses. Immunodominant T-cell epitopes were identified within RpfB by assays with overlapping peptides. RpfB DNA immunization elicited a polyfunctional CD8+ T cell response that was dominated by a functional phenotype of IFN-gamma+/TNF-alpha+/IL-2-/CD107a+. CONCLUSION: RpfB DNA immunization elicits polyfunctional CD8+ T cell responses, suggesting that RpfB DNA immunization might induce protective immunity against tuberculosis.