Prime-boost immunization using alphavirus replicon and adenovirus vectored vaccines induces enhanced immune responses against classical swine fever virus in mice

This study was designed to evaluate the prime-boost vaccination regimens as a novel immunization strategy for DNA vaccine against classical swine fever virus (CSFV). BALB/c mice were primed with the alphavirus replicon-vectored DNA vaccine pSFV1CS-E2-UL49 encoding the E2 protein of CSFV fused with the UL49 gene encoding the transduction protein VP22 of pseudorabies virus, followed by either homologous boosting with pSFV1CS-E2-UL49 or heterologous boosting with the recombinant adenovirus rAdV-E2 expressing the E2 protein or with the baculovirus-produced recombinant E2 protein (rE2) in adjuvant. The humoral and cell-mediated immune responses following prime-boost vaccination were assessed. The results showed that: (1) boosting with either rAdV-E2 or rE2 elicited high-level antibodies, whereas homologous boosting with pSFV1CS-E2-UL49 elicited low-level antibodies (below positive threshold); (2) heterologous boosting with rAdV-E2 resulted in stronger CD8+ and CD4+ T cells proliferation responses and higher stimulation indexes; and (3) heterologous boosting with rAdV-E2 induced more IFN-γ production. These results support the notion that a regimen of DNA prime-recombinant adenovirus boost enhances humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, and the DNA prime-protein boost regimen enhances humoral immune responses.