Human papilloma virus (HPV) 16 causes cervical cancer. Induction of oncogenesis by HPV 16 is primarily dependent on the function of E6 and E7 proteins, which inactivate the function of p53 and pRB, respectively. Thus, blocking the activity of the E6 and E7 proteins from HPV 16 is critical to inhibiting oncogenesis during infection. We have expressed and purified soluble HPV 16 E6 and E7 fusion immunoglobulin (Ig), which were combined with the constant region of an Ig heavy chain, in a mammalian system. To assess whether soluble E6 and E7 fusion Igs induce effective cellular immune responses, immature dendritic cells (DCs) were treated with these fusion proteins. Soluble E6 and E7 fusion Igs effectively induced maturation of DCs. Furthermore, immunization with soluble E6 and E7 fusion Igs in mice resulted in antigen-specific activation of T helper 1 (Th1) cells. This is the first comprehensive study to show the molecular basis of how soluble HPV 16 E6 or E7 fusion Igs induces Th1 responses through the maturation of DCs. In addition, we show that DC therapy using soluble HPV E6 and E7 fusion Igs may be a valuable tool for controlling the progress of cervical cancer.

CD127 (the alpha chain of the IL-7 receptor) is an 80 kDa type I membrane glycoprotein that mediates the signal for the differentiation, maturation, and survival of lymphocyte development. In this study, the full-length cDNA of pig Cd127 was cloned and sequenced. Pig CD127 cDNA contains an open reading frame (1,380 bp) encoding 459 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that pig CD127 is most homologous to that of cow (Bos taurus) with 87% amino acid identity and less homologous to that of chicken (Gallus gallus) with 36% amino acid identity among those of species. Structurally, pig CD127 has well-conserved cytoplasmic tail that transmits a signal and little diversity of extracellular domain, compared with those of other mammalian species. Expression analysis indicates that the mRNA transcript of pig CD127 is mainly detected in lymphoid tissues, but still detected in nonlymphoid tissues. Future studies will be focused on determining a more defined expression pattern of pig CD127 and the role of CD127 during the lymphocyte development in pigs.