The usefulness of DNA vaccine at priming step of heterologous prime-boost vaccination led to DNA vaccine closer to practical reality. DNA vaccine priming followed by recombinant viral vector boosting via systemic route induces optimal systemic immunity but no mucosal immunity. Mucosal vaccination of the reversed protocol (recombinant viral vector priming-DNA vaccine boosting), however, can induce both maximal mucosal and systemic immunity. Here, we tried to address the reason why the mucosal protocol of prime-boost vaccination differs from that of systemic vaccination.

To address the importance of primary immunity induced at priming step, mice were primed with different doses of DNA vaccine or coadministration of DNA vaccine plus mucosal adjuvant, and immunity including serum IgG and mucosal IgA was then determined following boosting with recombinant viral vector. Next, to assess influence of humoral pre-existing immunity on boosting CD8⁺ T cell-mediated immunity, CD8⁺ T cell-mediated immunity in B cell-deficient (µK/O) mice immunized with prime-boost regimens was evaluated by CTL assay and IFN-γ-producing cells.

Immunity primed with recombinant viral vector was effectively boosted with DNA vaccine even 60 days later. In particular, animals primed by increasing doses of DNA vaccine or incorporating an adjuvant at priming step and boosted by recombinant viral vector elicited comparable responses to recombinant viral vector primed-DNA vaccine boosted group. Humoral pre-existing immunity was also unlikely to interfere the boosting effect of CD8⁺ T cell-mediated immunity by recombinant viral vector.

This report provides the important point that optimally primed responses should be considered in mucosal immunization of heterologous prime-boost regimens for inducing the effective boosting at both mucosal and systemic sites.