Hsp70-NP Recombinant Protein Enhances HTNV NP Specific Cellular Immune Response in vivo

To examine whether the recombinant protein Hsp70-NP could induce the N-specific CTLs, we immunized C57/BL6 mice with purified protein Hsp70-NP, NP or Hsp70. The lymphoproliferative responses and CTL activities of spleen cells from vaccinated mice were determined. Accordingly, in order to get the target cells for cytotoxic assay, we tranfected pcDNA3.1/S into mice melanoma cells B16 with Lipofectamine2000, and selected stable transfectants with G418. RT-PCR, Western blots and immunofluorescence were used to identify the B16-N. The lymphoproliferative responses of spleen cells of mice vaccinated with Hsp70-NP, NP clearly showed proliferation in the presence of the N protein. But the stimulation indexes of splenocytes to NP of Hsp70-NP group were significantly higher than that of NP group. The CTL results showed that the cytotoxic effect of lymphocyte of the Hsp70-NP group was higher than that of the NP gorup. The results showed that Hsp70 could enhance the potency of NP to elicit HTNV NP specific cellular immune responses in vivo.