pVAC is a DNA vaccine plasmid designed to stimulate a humoral immune response by intramuscular injection.
Antigenic proteins are targeted and anchored to the cell surface by cloning the gene of interest in frame upstream of the C-terminal transmembrane anchoring domain of placental alkaline phosphatase.
The antigenic peptide produced on the surface of muscle cells is thought to be taken up by antigen presenting cells (APCs) and processed through the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II pathway.
Two pVAC backbones are available, pVAC1-mcs for the cloning of an antigenic gene that is not naturally secreted and pVAC2-mcs for the cloning of an antigenic gene that possesses a signal sequence.
References:
- Corr M. et al. 1999. In vivo priming by DNA injection occurs predominantly by antigen transfer. J Immunol. 163(9):4721-7.
- Forns X. et al. 1999. DNA immunization of mice and macaques with plasmids encoding hepatitis C virus envelope E2 protein expressed intracellularly and on the cell surface. Vaccine 17:1992-2002.
- McCluskie MJ et al. 1999. Route and method of delivery of DNA vaccine influence immune responses in mice and non-human primates. Mol Med 5:287-300.
