IMMUNE-RESPONSES IN CONGENIC MICE TO MULTIPLE ANTIGEN PEPTIDES BASED ON DEFINED EPITOPES FROM THE MALARIA ANTIGEN PF332

Citation
N. Ahlborg et al., IMMUNE-RESPONSES IN CONGENIC MICE TO MULTIPLE ANTIGEN PEPTIDES BASED ON DEFINED EPITOPES FROM THE MALARIA ANTIGEN PF332, Immunology, 88(4), 1996, pp. 630-635
Citations number
30
Categorie Soggetti
Immunology
Journal title
ISSN journal
00192805
Volume
88
Issue
4
Year of publication
1996
Pages
630 - 635
Database
ISI
SICI code
0019-2805(1996)88:4<630:IICMTM>2.0.ZU;2-0
Abstract
Repeat sequences from the Plasmodium falciparum blood stage antigen Pf 332 frequently comprise the pentapeptide VTEEI, an epitope recognized by certain parasite neutralizing antibodies. This B-cell epitope was a ssembled in an octavalent multiple antigen peptide (MAP) system either as trimers (VTEEI)(3) (MAP1) or as an integral part of a naturally oc curring Pf332 undecamer repeat sequence SVTEEIAEEDK (MAP2). Characteri stics of the immunogenicity of these subunit constructs were evaluated in H-2 congenic mice. MAP1 generated antibody responses in mice of th e H-2(d), H-2(k) and H-2(q) haplotypes, but not in H-2(b) or H-2(s) mi ce, whereas MAP2 only induced antibodies in mice of H-2(k) haplotype. When analysing T-cell responses induced by the MAP, lymph node cells f rom responder strains primed in vivo with MAP1 proliferated in respons e to restimulation with both MAP1 and the peptide (VTEEI)(3). MAP2, ho wever, did not induce a detectable T-cell proliferation. Additionally, the lack of antibody response to MAP1 in H-2(b) mice could be circumv ented by combining the MAP1 peptide and a H-2(b)-restricted T-cell epi tope in a diepitope MAP construct. Despite the fact that the motif VTE EI has not been identified in Pf332 sequences in the form of a trimer, MAP1 did induce Pf332 protein-reactive antibodies. Assembly of multim ers of short defined epitopes in MAP constitutes an interesting approa ch for the design of polyvalent subunit immunogens.