• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2007

Heat shock protein (HSP) is one of cellular protein commonly present in major periodontopathogenic bacteria as well as mammalian cells. The protein may play a role in the immunopathogenesis by modulating autoimmune reaction due to its high level of sequence homology between bacteria and human counterpart. Hence, identifying immunodomiant epitope of bacteria HSP that is cross-reactive to periodontopathogenic bacteria with a specificity to human HSP may comprise a critical strategy for development of a periodontal vaccine. The present study was performed to establish clones producing monoclonal antibody reactive to Porphyromonas gingivalis (p. gingivalis) HSP with a specificity to human HSP. 4 different hybridomas were cloned producing monoclonal IgG antibodies to P, gingivalis HSP and evaluated for their reactivity and specificity to other periodontopathogenic bacteria as well as to human HSP. These four monoclonal antibodies reacted with p. gingivalis HSP only with specificities to other bacteria tested and human HSP as well. The antigenic epitopes producing the 4 monoclonal antibody may be potentially developed as vaccine candidates. Further investigations are under way to identify more clones producing monoclonal antibodies reactive to P, gingivalis HSP and to other periodontopathogenic bacteria as well, while maintaining specificities to human counterpart.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.277-283
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• 1999

To investigate the development of a subunit vaccine against theileriosis in cattle, the DNA fragments encoding piroplasm surface protein (p33) of Theileria sergenti of a Korean isolate were expressed in baculoviruses. The expressed p33 was characterized by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) and western blotting analysis. The expression of p33 was mainly detected on the surface of infected Sf21 cells by IFA. The immunoblotting analysis revealed the presence of a same molecular weight protein band of p33. The antigenicity of expressed polypeptide was further examined through the inoculation of a guinea pig. The sera of guinea pigs immunized with p33 expressed cell Iysate showed similar fluorescent antibody patterns and reacted with the same molecular weight protein of T. sergenti in immunoblotting analysis, thus indicating that this protein can be a promising candidate for a subunit vaccine in the future.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.7
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• pp.515-523
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• 2016

Long-term immunity to many viral and bacterial pathogens requires$ CD8^+$ memory T cell development, and the induction of long-lasting$ CD8^+$ memory T cells from a $na{\ddot{i}}ve$, undifferentiated state is a major goal of vaccine design. Formation of the memory$ CD8^+$ T cell compartment is highly dependent on the early activation cues received by $na{\ddot{i}ve}$ $CD8^+$ T cells during primary infection. This review aims to highlight the cellularity of various niches within the lymph node and emphasize recent evidence suggesting that distinct types of T cell activation and differentiation occur within different immune contexts in lymphoid organs.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.89-97
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• 2022

More than 2 years after the explosion of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, extensive efforts have been made to develop safe and efficacious vaccines against infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The pandemic has opened a new era of vaccine development based on next-generation platforms, including messenger RNA (mRNA)-based technologies, and paved the way for the future of mRNA-based therapeutics to provide protection against a wide range of infectious diseases. Multiple vaccines have been developed at an unprecedented pace to protect against COVID-19 worldwide. However, important knowledge gaps remain to be addressed, especially in terms of how vaccines induce immunogenicity and efficacy in those who are elderly. Here, we discuss the various vaccine platforms that have been utilized to combat COVID-19 and emphasize how these platforms can be a powerful tool to react quickly to future pandemics.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.89-110
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• 2012

Meningococcal Disease, manifesting as meningitis and septicemia, is a life-threatening bacterial infection that results in significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in childhood. Its epidemic potential and limited opportunities for clinical intervention due to its rapid course present unique public health and clinical challenges. Incidence is highest in infants and young children, with a secondary peak of risk in adolescents. Approximately 10% of cases are fatal and survivors can be left with serious and permanent sequelae including amputations, hearing loss and cognitive impairment. Transmission is only from human-to-human, by infected respiratory tract secretions or saliva and therefore crowding poses a tremendously elevated risk for disease development. Military recruits and university students are at high risk due to the high carriage rate in adolescents, their behavior patterns and close contact. Menveo$^{(R)}$ (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics), a novel quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine directed against meningococcal serogroups A, C, W-135 and Y, has been shown to be immunogenic and well tolerated in all age groups and was recently licensed for use in Korea. Recent cases and deaths among military recruits drew public attention to their elevated risk and the Korean government has recommended vaccination of all new military recruits. Many Korean students seek to attend school, university, or language institutes in countries where routine meningococcal vaccination is required - clinicians should be aware of such requirements to ensure that students are vaccinated prior to arrival in the destination country.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.407-416
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• 1989

The prospect of live vaccines consisting of genetically modified vaccinia virus expressing foreign genes is exciting, but important issues concerning safety and efficacy need to resolved. Vaccinia virus (VV) is an efficient expression vector with broad host range infectivity and large DNA capacity. This vector has been particularly useful for identifying target antigens for humoral and cell-mediated immunity. The WHO smallpox eradication program, involving the extensive use of VV vaccines, resulted in the late 1970s in the elimination of one of the world's most feared diseases. This achievement is a triumph for preventive medicine and for international collaboration in public health. In 1980, WHO recommended that the routine use of smallpox vaccine should be stopped. Against this background, the prospect of li ve vaccines consisting of genetically modified VV expressing foreign antigens arising from the work of Moss, and Paoletti and their colleagues in 1982 has been greeted with enthusiasm. These investigators have shown that genes coding for immunogenic proteins can be inserted into VV DNA without impairing the ability of the virus to grow in cell culture. Moreover experimental animals infected with VV recombinants containing genes coding for a variety of immunizing proteins have been shown to be protected against challenge infection with the corresponding infectious agent. In this communication, I describe current progress in the construction of a novel plasmid vector that facilitate the insertion and expression of foreign genes in VV as well as the selection of recombinants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1960-1965
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• 2015

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is highly contagious and often causes fatal disease that affects both wild and domestic rabbits of the species Oryctolagus cuniculus. A highly pathogenic RHDV variant (RHDVa) has been circulation in the Korean rabbit population since 2007 and has a devastating effect on the rabbit industry in Korea. A highly pathogenic RHDVa was isolated from naturally infected rabbits, and the gene encoding the VP60 protein was cloned into a baculovirus transfer vector and expressed in insect cells. The hemagglutination titer of the Sf-9 cell lysate infected with recombinant VP60 baculovirus was 131,072 units/50 μl and of the supernatant 4,096 units/50 μl. Guinea pigs immunized twice intramuscularly with a trial inactivated RHDVa vaccine containing recombinant VP60 contained 2,152 hemagglutination inhibition (HI) geometric mean titers. The 8-week-old white rabbits inoculated with one vaccine dose were challenged with a lethal RHDVa 21 days later and showed 100% survival rates. The recombinant VP60 protein expressed in a baculovirus system induced high HI titers in guinea pigs and rendered complete protection, which led to the development of a novel inactivated RHDVa vaccine.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.432-443
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• 1998

The poliovirus Sabin 1 strain has features that make it a particularly attractive live recombinant mucosal vaccine vehicle. Sabin 1 cDNA was manipulated to have multiple cloning sites and a viral specific 3C-protease cutting site at the N-terminal end of the polyprotein. The gene for the N-terminal 169 amino acids of the HIV-1 p24 was cloned into the multiple cloning site of the manipulated Sabin cDNA. A recombinant progeny virus was produced from HeLa cells when it was transfected with the RNA synthesized from the p24-Sabin chimeric cDNA. The recombinant progeny virus expresses substantial amounts of the HIV-1 p24 protein, which was clearly detected in the infected cell lysates and culture supernatants in Western blot experiments with rabbit anti-p24 serum and AIDS patients' sera. Differing from the Mahoney strain, the recombinant Sabin 1 poliovirus maintained the foreign gene stably during the subsequent passages. Replication capacity was about 1 to 1.5 log lower than that of the wild-type Sabin 1. Other physicochemical stability characteristics of the recombinant virus were similar to that of the wild-type Sabin 1. These results suggest that the manipulated Sabin 1 poliovirus can be used as a live viral vaccine vector for the development of mucosal vaccines.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2010

Progress in the development of DNA vaccines and their delivery strategies has been made since their initial concept as a next generation vaccine. Since DNA vaccine includes non-infectious DNA parts of pathogens, it can't cause disease yet it closely mimic the natural process of infection and immune responses. Despite their early promising results of controlling infectious diseases and cancer in small animal models, DNA vaccines failed to display a level of immunogenicity required for combating these diseases in humans, possibly due to their lower protein expression levels. However, increasing evidence has shown that DNA vaccines are clinically well-tolerated and safe. Furthermore, one notable advantage of DNA vaccines includes convenient utilities of plasmid DNAs coding for antigens. For instance, any emerging pathogens could be prevented easily and timely by allowing the simple exchange of antigen-encoding genes. In this review, newly developed DNA vaccine strategies, including electroporation, which has emerged as a potent method for DNA delivery, targeting infectious diseases and cancer will be discussed with a focus on any on-going DNA vaccine trials or progress made pre-clinically and in clinics.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.9039-9043
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• 2014

There is a continuing need for innovative alternative therapies for liver cancer. DNA vaccines for hormone/growth factor immune deprivation represent a feasible and attractive approach for cancer treatment. We reported a preventive effect of a DNA vaccine based on six copies of the B cell epitope GRP18-27 with optimized adjuvants against H22 hepatocarcinoma. Vaccination with pCR3.1-VS-HSP65-TP-GRP6-M2 (vaccine) elicited much higher level of anti-GRP antibodies and proved efficacious in preventing growth of transplanted hepatocarcinoma cells. The tumor size and weight were significantly lower (p<0.05) in the vaccine subgroup than in the control pCR3.1-VS-TP-HSP65-TP-GRP6, pCR3.1-VS-TP-HSP65-TP-M2 or saline subgroups. In addition, significant reduction of tumor-induced angiogenesis associated with intradermal tumors of H22 cells was observed. These potent effects may open ways towards the development of new immunotherapeutic approaches in the treatment of liver cancer.