Improvement of the T-cell response to a non immunogenic peptide by its tandem association with a highly efficient T-helper peptide

Immunopharmacology. 1994 Nov-Dec;28(3):215-22. doi: 10.1016/0162-3109(94)90057-4.

Abstract

The 45-69 peptide, an helper T-cell epitope derived from the HIV nef protein is strongly immunogenic. A T-cell proliferative response was observed following immunization of Lou/M rats with 45-69 peptide administered in low dose and without any adjuvant. It is already known that the T-cell response to the 115-131 peptide of Sm28GST antigen, a protein of the parasite Schistosoma mansoni, requires the presence of a carrier of the use of peptidic constructs. We demonstrate here that a T-cell response against the 115-131 peptide can be obtained in the absence of adjuvant using peptidic constructs (115-45 and 45-115 peptides) resulting from tandem synthesis of 115-131 and 45-69 peptides. A covalent association of both peptides is necessary, since the coinjection of 45-69 and 115-131 peptides is not sufficient to induce a detectable anti-115-131 T-cell response. The mutual orientation between the respective tandem peptides (45-115 and 115-45) is critical for the T-cell response. These peptidic constructs possess distinct properties of antigenicity and immunogenicity but both allowed to reveal the existence of a specific T-cell response normally undetectable using 115-131 peptide alone. This immunopharmacological approach should be useful in the rational design and construction of vaccines.

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / administration & dosage
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Helminth / genetics
  • Epitopes / genetics
  • Gene Products, nef / genetics
  • Gene Products, nef / immunology
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptides / genetics
  • Peptides / immunology*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred Lew
  • Schistosoma mansoni / genetics
  • Schistosoma mansoni / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*

Substances

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Antigens, Helminth
  • Epitopes
  • Gene Products, nef
  • Peptides