IMMUNOGENICITY AND PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY INDUCED BY SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES ASSOCIATED WITH A CATALYTIC SUBDOMAIN OF MUTANS GROUP STREPTOCOCCAL GLUCOSYLTRANSFERASE
Dj. Smith et al., IMMUNOGENICITY AND PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY INDUCED BY SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES ASSOCIATED WITH A CATALYTIC SUBDOMAIN OF MUTANS GROUP STREPTOCOCCAL GLUCOSYLTRANSFERASE, Infection and immunity, 65(11), 1997, pp. 4424-4430
We examined the immunogenicity and induction of protective immunity of
two 19-mer sequences (GGY and AND) which overlapped a highly conserve
d region which has recently been implicated in the enzymatic activity
of glucosyltransferases (GTFs) of the mutans group streptococci, These
peptides were synthesized as eight-branched constructs on a lysine co
re. Serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody, induced by subcutaneous (s.
c. [salivary gland vicinity]) injection with these peptide constructs,
reacted with the inciting antigen, with mutans streptococcal GTFs, an
d with a 21-mer peptide (CAT) containing an aspartate previously shown
to covalently bind sucrose, Several of these antisera also inhibited
the ability of Streptococcus sobrinus GTF to synthesize insoluble gluc
an, Significant levels of salivary IgA antibody were also induced by G
GY and AND peptide constructs after s.c. injection, The effect of immu
nization with the GGY and AND peptide constructs on the cariogenicity
of Streptococcus mutans was studied in three experiments by immunizati
on of weanling Sprague-Dawley rats, twice at 7- to 14-day intervals wi
th peptides, S. sobrinus GTF, or phosphate-buffered saline, All rats w
ere then orally infected with S. mutans SJ. After 63-day infection per
iods, the GGY and AND-injected groups had significant dental caries re
ductions compared with sham-injected groups in most experiments, These
studies support the existence of an additional catalytic subdomain wi
thin the sequence defined by the GGY and AND peptides. Furthermore, th
e epitopes defined in these sequences have significant immunogenicity,
can induce immune responses which interfere with GTF-mediated glucan
synthesis in vitro, and can protect rats from experimental dental cari
es.