Th1型细胞因子基因对结核分枝杆菌基因疫苗诱导BALB/c小鼠产生抗CFP10抗体水平的影响

目的：研究分别表达含IL—12和IL-18基因的质粒，对结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium tuberculosis，MTB)H37R1株CFP1O基因疫苗诱导免疫应答的影响。方法：从正常人外周血单个核细胞(PMBCs)中提取RNA，用RT—PCR扩增IL-18 cDNA，并克隆人载体pGEM—Teasy中。测序证实后，亚克隆至真核表达载体pcDNA3．1的BamH Ⅰ和EcoR Ⅰ酶切位点。将分别表达小鼠IL—12和人IL—18基因的真核表达质粒pcmlL12和pclL18，与MTB CFP10基因疫苗联合肌注免疫BALB／c小鼠，共免疫3次，每次间隔2wk。每次免疫后2wk采血、分离血清，用ELISA检测小鼠血清抗CFP10抗体的滴度。结果：用RT—PCR成功地从人PMBC的RNA中扩增出IL—18 cDNA，测序结果正确，用BamH Ⅰ和EcoR Ⅰ酶切鉴定证实，目的基因已插入载体pcDNA3．1中，阳性克隆命名为pcIL18。pcCFP10组第1次免疫后，血清抗CFP10抗体的平均滴度为1：600，末次免疫后的滴度为1：4000。pcIL18 pcCFP10组联合免疫后，血清抗CFP10抗体的滴度高于pcCFP10组，最终达1：8000。而pcmIL12 pcCFP10组联合免疫后滴度仅为1：200。结论：pcIL18与CFP10基因疫苗联合免疫，可增强CFP10抗原的特异性体液免疫应答；pcmIL12则可使CFP10基因疫苗产生的抗体水平降低。pcIL18 pcCFP10基因联合免疫是否具有增强CFP10抗原特异性细胞免疫的作用有待进一步研究。

Effects of Th1 cytokine gene on anti-CFP10 antibody production in BALB/c mice induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA vaccine

AIM: To investigate the effects of plasmid containing mouse IL-12 and human IL-18 genes on the humoral immune response of mice immunized by CFP10 gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H(37)R(v) strain. METHODS: Human IL-18 cDNA was amplified from RNA of PBMCs by RT-PCR and cloned into the pGEM-Teasy vector. After sequencing it was subcloned into the the sites of BamH I and EcoR I digestion of pcDNA3.1. BALB/c mice were injected intramuscularly by eukaryotic expression plasmid pcmIL12 and pcIL18, together with MTB CFP10 DNA vaccine, respectively. The same immunization repeated three times at intervals of two weeks. Mouse sera were collected at two weeks after the each injection. The titer of anti-CFP10 antibody was detected by ELISA. RESULTS: IL-18 cDNA was amplified successfully from RNA of human PBMCs by RT-PCR and the result of sequencing was correct. The IL-18 gene was correctly inserted into the vector pcDNA3.1 by being confirmed with BamH I and EcoR I digestion analysis, positive plasmid was called pcIL18. After being immunized with pcCFP10 three times, the end point titer of anti-CFP10 was 1:4 000, while the titer obtained by being immunized with pcIL18 + pcCFP10 was 1:8 000, but yet, after being immunized with pcmIL12+pcCFP10, the end point titer of anti-CFP10 antibody was only 1:200. CONCLUSION: Combination of IL-18 gene with MTB CFP10 DNA vaccine can enhance the humoral immune responses to pcCFP10, whereas the immunization with IL-12 gene plus pcCFP10 made humoral immune response markedly descent. As for whether IL-18 gene plus MTB CFP10 DNA vaccine can induce markedly the cellular mediated immune response to CFP10 or not remains to be further investigated.