Polarity of immunogens: implications for vaccine design

Eur J Immunol. 1990 Oct;20(10):2363-6. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830201031.

Abstract

Peptide constructs have been engineered consisting of amino acid sequence determinant recognized by T cells (TD) co-linearly linked to haptenic peptides. It was found that high anti-hapten antibody titers were induced after immunization with those constructs which had the TD sequence in the N-terminal position with respect to the hapten. Low or zero titers were elicited when the TD was in C-terminal position. Also, a high anti-hapten antibody titer corresponded to a low or zero anti-TD antibody titer and vice versa. These results suggest that immunogens are polar and stress the relevance of searching the more adequate position of the TD within a peptide construct when designing immunogens or synthetic peptide vaccines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antigens / chemistry
  • Antigens / immunology*
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Epitopes / chemical synthesis
  • Epitopes / chemistry
  • Epitopes / immunology
  • Lymphocyte Activation / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Vaccines, Synthetic / administration & dosage
  • Vaccines, Synthetic / chemistry
  • Vaccines, Synthetic / immunology*

Substances

  • Antigens
  • Epitopes
  • Vaccines, Synthetic