Briefly,

200 μl of whole mouse blood was lysed with 2 ml of a lysing buffer (BD Biosciences) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The cells were then incubated with 10 μg/ml of the HIV p18 peptide (RGPGRAFVTI) or with 0.2 μg/ml per peptide of the HIV-1MN Env peptide pool (obtained from the NIH AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program; Cat. 6451; no match between the HIV-MN and the HIV-1IIIB stains in the p18 region) containing 0.2 μg/ml of HIV p18 peptide. The cells were further incubated with 1 μg/ml of BD GolgiStop for 6 h at 37 °C before assay. The cells were then washed with a staining buffer (3% fetal calf serum (FCS) and 0.1% sodium azide (NaN3) in PBS) followed by staining with 0.25 μg of a PE-conjugated anti-mouse CD8a antibody (clone 53-6.7; Biolegend). The cells were then suspended in 250 μl of cytofix/cytoperm solution at 4 °C for 10 min, washed with a perm/wash solution, Selleckchem Navitoclax and stained with 0.2 μg of FITC-conjugated anti-mouse IFNγ (clone XMG1.2; eBioscience) at 4 °C for 30 min. After washing with a staining buffer, the peripheral blood mononuclear cell BGB324 cell line (PBMC) samples were analyzed on a flow cytometer (Beckman Coulter Inc., Fullerton, CA). A

96-well plate was coated with 20 μg/ml of HIVIIIB peptide (NNTRKRIRIQRGPGRAFVTIGKIGN) at 37 °C for 2 h. The wells were then blocked with 1% BSA containing PBS at 37 °C for 2 h. After washing with 0.05% Tween-20 in PBS, 50-fold diluted mouse serum samples were applied,

and the plate was further incubated at 37 °C for 2 h. After washing, horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled anti-mouse IgG (ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc., Costa Mesa, CA) was PDK4 applied, and the plate was further incubated at 37 °C for 1 h. After washing, the antibodies bound to the peptide were detected by adding a substrate solution (an OPD tablet in 0.1 M citric acid (pH 5.6) and 1 μl/ml of 30% H2O2). The substrate reaction was terminated by adding 1 N H2SO4, and the absorbance was determined at 450 nm. The human lung carcinoma cell line (A549) was infected with Ad-HIV, MVA-HIV, Ad-GFP, and MVA-GFP in various combinations. After 24 h, the cells were washed and lysed with a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) buffer (125 mM Tris–HCl (pH 6.8), 4% SDS, 20% glycerol, 0.01% bromophenol blue, and 10% β-mercaptoethanol) and heated at 95 °C for 5 min. The antigens were subjected to 10% SDS-PAGE and transferred onto a PVDF membrane. The membranes were blocked overnight at 4 °C with 5% (w/v) skimmed milk dissolved in PBS containing 0.05% Tween-20 (PBST). After blocking, the blots were probed with a mouse anti-HIV gp120 monoclonal antibody (mAb) (Hybridoma 902; AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) or mouse anti-β-actin mAb (Sigma, St Louis, MO, USA). Affinity-purified HRP-labeled anti-mouse IgG was used as the secondary antibody.