Regarding the infectivity of naked DNA

[Pearse Ward]

In article <3p9lrk$ik3 at dingo.cc.uq.oz.au>, mikep at biosci.uq.oz.au wrote:


> With reference to an NH&MRC grant that a friend of mine has submitted
this year:
> 
> "...Aim 2 To examine whether vaccination with cDNA segments from the
> nonstructural polyprotein region can provide protection..."
> 
> Preliminary un published results:  Mice inocculated with 50 ug of cDNA
in saline
> intra muscularly were partly protected from subsequent viral challenge
> 

What's the evidence that said mice were protected by muscle cells
expressing viral proteins, as opposed to say APC's taking up the DNA? I
have seen several papers on the ability of muscle cells totake up naked
DNA and express proteins encoded by it, but haven't seen convincing
evidence that the "partial protection" induced by this stems from
expression of the exogenous antigen by the muscle cells.

Pearse