DITUFTSIN AND POLYTUFTSIN INDUCE AN ANTIPEPTIDE IGG RESPONSE TO NONIMMUNOGENIC PEPTIDES IN MICE

The effect of covalently attaching multiple forms of the immunomodulat ing tetrapeptide tuftsin to normally non-immunogenic peptides was stud ied in BALB/c and C57Bl/6 mice. The peptides: (NANP)(3) from the Plasm odium falciparum circumsporozoite protein and peptides 136-152 and 205 -213 derived from the capsid protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus w ere coupled to polytuftsin or dituftsin. Anti-peptide IgG titers were determined after two immunizations. All of these three non-immunogenic peptides coupled to polytuftsin or dituftsin induced anti-peptide ant ibody production in mice while peptides alone did not elicit IgG. In a ddition, a conjugate of (NANP)(3) and polytuftsin with built-in glycop eptide adjuvant elicited an anti-peptide response comparable in magnit ude with that of a peptide-KLH conjugate. The data suggest that when n on-immunogenic peptides are synthesized in tandem with dituftsin or co njugated to polytuftsin a significant immune response to the peptides may be elicited. This approach may be employed in synthetic vaccine de sign.