posed to direct peptide immunizations, this method allows As the chimpanzee, the only reliable animal model for host processing of newly synthesized viral proteins, which hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, is impractical for early includes ensuring correct glycosylation and conformation of stage testing of HCV vaccine candidates, we have evaluthe proteins and proteolytic processing, known to be key facated the immune response in mice to an experimental tors in both humoral and cellular immune responses. Endogeplasmid based HCV vaccine. We used this system benous antigen processing may also lead to appropriate antigen cause DNA vaccines can be rapidly constructed without presentation by major histocompatibility complex class I and the necessity of large scale protein production and puriclass II molecules, an essential feature in T-cell recognition fication. In this preliminary study we tested the immune of the antigen. response in mice to HCV envelope glycoprotein, E2, inWhile the need for hepatitis C prevention is clear, a path duced by a eukaryotic expression plasmid. Protein exfor vaccine development is not. There exists support for the pression was monitored by immunofluorescence in concept that the hypervariable domain (HVR1) near the Ntransfected tissue culture cells. Each mouse was inocuterminus of E2 is an important neutralization site. However, lated intramuscular with 100 mg plasmid DNA and some genetic variability within this region may allow the virus to mice were boosted after 5 weeks. Among 12 BALB/C mice escape immune surveillance. 7-10 It has been difficult to show inoculated, 10 developed antibody to E2 by the second immune protection in either humans or experimentally inweek. The antibody levels increased steadily before fected chimpanzees. Cross-challenge experiments and even reaching a plateau in mice receiving the booster, but in rechallenge experiments in which chimpanzees were inocuthe nonboosted mice the antibody declined over time.lated several times with the same inoculum have shown that The serum from one mouse was tested against a series there is not solid immunity following infection. 11,12 This may of overlapping peptides covering most of E2. This serum be because of the presence of multiple quasispecies in the contained antibodies recognizing two distinct epitopes inoculum. On the other hand, experimental vaccines probeginning at amino acid 57 and amino acid 113 but no duced from synthetic envelope glycoproteins have been antibody was directed against peptides representing the shown to induce at least a low-level protection in chimpanhypervariable region of E2, antibody to which is thought zees against a homotypic challenge. 13 In addition, cellular to be important in HCV neutralization. We have shown immune responses to E2 have been reported 14,15 and these that the use of plasmid based vaccines can induce a spemay play a role in protection or recovery from hepatitis C cific immune response in mice against HCV antigens.virus (HCV) infection. This system should be useful as the fir...