Aims Bacteriophage vectors have potential as gene transfer and vaccine delivery vectors because of their low cost, safety and physical stability. However, little is known concerning phage-mediated gene transfer in mammalian hosts. We therefore performed experiments to examine phage-mediated gene transfer in vivo . Methods and Results Mice were inoculated with recombinant lambda phage containing a mammalian expression cassette encoding firefly luciferase (luc). Efficient, dose-dependent in vivo luc expression was detected, which peaked within 24 h of delivery and declined to undetectable levels within a week. Display of an integrin-binding peptide increased cellular internalization of phage in vitro and enhanced phage-mediated gene transfer in vivo . Finally, in vivo depletion of phagocytic cells using clodronate liposomes had only a minor effect on the efficiency of phage-mediated gene transfer. Conclusions Unmodified lambda phage particles are capable of transducing mammalian cells in vivo , and may be taken up – at least in part – by nonphagocytic mechanisms. Surface modifications that enhance phage uptake result in more efficient in vivo gene transfer. Significance and Impact of the Study These experiments shed light on the mechanisms involved in phage-mediated gene transfer in vivo , and suggest new approaches that may enhance the efficiency of this process.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection of dendritic cells (DCs) has been documented in vivo and may be an important contributor to HIV-1 transmission and pathogenesis. HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cells respond to HIV antigens presented by HIV-1-infected DCs and in this process become infected, thereby providing a mechanism through which HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cells could become preferentially infected in vivo. HIV-2 disease is attenuated with respect to HIV-1 disease, and host immune responses are thought to be contributory. Here we investigated the susceptibility of primary myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) to infection by HIV-2. We found that neither CCR5-tropic primary HIV-2 isolates nor a lab-adapted CXCR4-tropic HIV-2 strain could efficiently infect mDCs or pDCs, though these viruses could infect primary CD4+ T cells in vitro. HIV-2-exposed mDCs were also incapable of transferring virus to autologous CD4+ T cells. Despite this, we found that HIV-2-specific CD4+ T cells contained more viral DNA than memory CD4+ T cells of other specificities in vivo. These data suggest that either infection of DCs is not an important contributor to infection of HIV-2-specific CD4+ T cells in vivo or that infection of DCs by HIV-2 occurs at a level that is undetectable in vitro. The frequent carriage of HIV-2 DNA within HIV-2-specific CD4+ T cells, however, does not appear to be incompatible with preserved numbers and functionality of HIV-2-specific CD4+ T cells in vivo, suggesting that additional mechanisms contribute to maintenance of HIV-2-specific CD4+ T-cell help in vivo.

Small-animal models are needed to test human immunodeficiency virus (HIV

Dendritic cells (DC) are potent antigen-presenting cells that play a crucial role in antigen-specific immune responses. Thus, the targeting of exogenous antigens to DC has become a popular approach for cancer immunotherapy and vaccine development. In this report, we studied the interplay between murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) and human monocyte-derived DC. The results showed that an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-encoding, replication-competent MCMV vector underwent abortive infection in human DC; this was accompanied by the efficient expression of EGFP. Infection of human DC by this vector resulted in a modest increase in the expression of cell surface proteins associated with DC maturation and has no significant effect on the immunostimulatory function of the cells, as reflected by their ability to support T-cell proliferation in a mixed-lymphocyte reaction. Finally, an MCMV vector encoding the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp120 envelope glycoprotein was constructed and used to infect cultured human DC. The infected DC were shown to be capable of stimulating the expansion of autologous, gp120-specific, class I-restricted T lymphocytes from an HIV-1-negative donor, as determined by tetramer staining and enzyme-linked immunospot analysis. Taken together, these results suggest that MCMV may have potential utility as a vector for human vaccine development.

Helper-free herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) amplicon vectors elicit robust immune responses to encoded proteins, including human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) antigens. To improve this vaccine delivery system, seven amplicon vectors were constructed, each encoding HIV-1 Gag under the control of a different promoter. Gag expression levels were analyzed in murine and human cell lines, as well as in biopsied tissue samples from injected mice; these data were then compared with Gag-specific T cell responses in BALB/c mice. The magnitude of the amplicon-induced immune response was found to correlate strongly with the level of Gag production both in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, the best correlation of the strength of the amplicon-induced immune response was with antigen expression in cultured DC rather than expression at the tissue site of injection or in cultured cell lines. These findings may have implications for the generation of improved HSV-1 amplicon vectors for HIV-1 vaccine delivery.