A study on the immune response induced by a DNA vaccine encoding Mtb32C-HBHA antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Objective(s): Tuberculosis (TB) has still remained a global health issue. One third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis and the current BCG vaccine has low efficiency; hence, it is necessary to develop a new vaccine against TB. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficiency of a novel DNA vaccine encoding Mtb32C-HBHA antigen in inducing specific immune responses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: A DNA plasmid vaccine expressing Mtb32C-HBHA fusion protein was constructed and its ability in protein expression was examined by RT-PCR and Western blot methods. Female BALB/c mice were vaccinated with 100 μg of purified recombinant vector in an attempt to assess its immunogenicity and protective efficacy. Further, the cytokines, IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-β were assessed. Results: The levels of all the studied cytokines were significantly increased (P