Sterile immunity to malaria after DNA prime/adenovirus boost immunization is associated with effector memory CD8+T cells targeting AMA1 class I epitopes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fifteen volunteers were immunized with three doses of plasmid DNA encoding P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA1) and boosted with human adenovirus-5 (Ad) expressing the same antigens (DNA/Ad). Four volunteers (27%) demonstrated sterile immunity to controlled human malaria infection and, overall, protection was statistically significantly associated with ELISpot and CD8+ T cell IFN-γ activities to AMA1 but not CSP. DNA priming was required for protection, as 18 additional subjects immunized with Ad alone (AdCA) did not develop sterile protection.

Methodology/principal findings

We sought to identify correlates of protection, recognizing that DNA-priming may induce different responses than AdCA alone. Among protected volunt

SUBMITTER: Sedegah M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4161338 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature