Abstract: Objective To investigate the cellular immune response to the recombinant DNA vaccine CRT120/HPV6bE7 in mice. Methods The recombinant encoding HPV6bE7, linked with CRT120, was constructed in pcDNA3.1 eukaryotic vector with the report gene GFP. The pcDNA3.1-GFP -HPV6bE7 was transfected into B16 cells by a lipofectamine kit. The C57BL/6 mice were vaccinated with recombinant DNA plamids. The T-cell phenotype in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of the immunized mice was measured by flow cytometry. The CTL activity of the lymphocytes from the spleens and lymph nodes, and the levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ were analyzed. Results The constructed recombinant plasmid CRT120/HPV6bE7 was analyzed. Positive transfected cell clones were established and could stably express the target gene HPV6bE7. Compared with HPV6bE7, CRT120/HPV6bE7 plasmid enhanced to a greater extent CD8+ T-lymphocyte differentiation, the number of TCRγδ T-lymphocytes and the levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ (all P<0.05). The lymphocytes of CRT120/HPV6bE7 vaccinated mice exhibited significant CTL activity against B16/HPV6bE7 cells. Conclusions The recombinant CRT120/HPV6bE7 DNA vaccine can effectively elicits specific cellular immunity in mice.

Key words: Papillomavirus, human, Vaccines, DNA, Calreticulin