Potent immunogenicity of an HIV-1gag-polfusion DNA vaccine delivered by in vivo electroporation

A plasmid DNA vaccine containing a fusion gene consisting of an HIV-1 subtype Cgagand a modified subtype Cpolwas compared to a mixture ofgagpluspolorgagplus HIVenvplasmids. Plasmid DNA was delivered by intramuscular injection followed by electroporation in vivo. Two vaccinations were sufficient to induce high levels of Gag- and Pol-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells in peripheral blood. Thegag-polfusion plasmid was as immunogenic as the plasmid mixtures. Thus, DNA vaccination by intramuscular electroporation was an effective means for inducing high levels of Gag- and Pol-specific T cells, and a singlegag-polfusion DNA vaccine was sufficient for eliciting immune responses against both antigens.