Maternal immune status influences HIV-specific immune responses in pups after DNA prime protein boost using mucosal adjuvant

This study was designed to determine the impact of maternal HIV-1 specific immunity on HIV-DNA immunization of 2 weeks old pups during the breast-feeding period. Adult female mice received intranasal or intradermal HIV DNA (gp160Env, p37Gag, Nef, Tat and Rev) prime and recombinant protein booster immunizations that induced mucosal and systemic HIV-1 specific B and T cell responses. Intranasal administration of the immunogens induced higher serum IgG titers to HIV antigens than the intradermal immunization. Furthermore, predominantly higher HIV-1 specific fecal IgA titers were obtained in nasally immunized mice. The capacity to respond to one single prime with DNA and one boost with recombinant protein was then compared in pups born to mothers displaying HIV-1-specific immune responses and in pups born to non-vaccinated mothers. Immune responses to the greatest number of antigens were detected in pups born to mothers having the highest HIV-1 specific immune responses. These data suggest that HIV-1 DNA-plasmid immunization during breast-feeding and recombinant protein boosting shortly thereafter enhances the breadth of the humoral HIV-1 specific immune responses.Original publication: Andreas Bråve, Kari Johansen, Paolo Palma, Reinhold Benthin and Jorma Hinkula, Maternal immune status influences HIV-specific immune responses in pups after DNA prime protein boost using mucosal adjuvant, 2008, Vaccine, (26), 47, 5957-5966. Copyright: Elsevier B.V., http://www.elsevier.com