INDUCTION OF POLYCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO THE S1 SUBUNIT OF PERTUSSIS TOXIN BY SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES COUPLED TO PPD - EFFECT OF CONJUGATION METHOD, ADJUVANT, PRIMING AND ANIMAL SPECIES
Ph. Ibsen et al., INDUCTION OF POLYCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO THE S1 SUBUNIT OF PERTUSSIS TOXIN BY SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES COUPLED TO PPD - EFFECT OF CONJUGATION METHOD, ADJUVANT, PRIMING AND ANIMAL SPECIES, APMIS. Acta pathologica, microbiologica et immunologica Scandinavica, 100(2), 1992, pp. 159-169
Two peptides, designated L and K, covering a sequence near the NH-term
inal end of the S1 subunit of pertussis toxin (PT) were conjugated to
the PPD (purified protein derivative) of M. tuberculosis by either glu
taraldehyde (GLUT) or succinimidyl 4-(N-maleimidomethyl) cyclohexane-1
-carboxylate (SMCC) and N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate
(SPDP) and injected into groups of mice and guinea pigs. Initially, th
e effect of priming the animals with BCG vaccine and the use of alumin
ium hydroxide as adjuvant for the anti-peptide antibody response was s
tudied. The group of BCG-primed mice immunized with adsorbed peptide c
onjugates showed the highest anti-peptide conjugate antibody response.
Based on this finding, groups of BCG-primed mice were immunized four
times with either adsorbed peptide L-GLUT, peptide L-SMCC/SPDP or pept
ide K-SMCC/SPDP conjugates and the fine peptide specificity as well as
the PT and S1 cross-reactivity was investigated in ELISA. Mice immuni
zed with peptide L-GLUT showed a significant antibody response to the
homologous conjugate, only, whereas the group injected with the peptid
e L-SMCC/SPDP conjugate gave a significant response to both peptide K
and L conjugated by the SMCC-SPDP method. Likewise, mice immunized wit
h the peptide K-SMCC/SPDP conjugate reacted with the homologous and pe
ptide L-SMCC/SPDP conjugate, although only the response to the former
conjugate was significantly greater than the response to PPD. All grou
ps showed a strong anti-PPD response. The anti-PT/Sl cross-reactivity
of the antisera varied considerably within each group but was found to
be highest in the peptide L-GLUT-immunized animals. The results of th
e present study not only stress the importance of BCG priming and use
of aluminium hydroxide adjuvants for the immunogenicity of the peptide
s in question but also point to the specificity of the conjugation met
hods employed as low cross-reactivity between the anti-peptide L-GLUT
and L-SMCC/SPDP antisera was noted. Moreover, it appeared that the cho
ice of conjugation method may have an effect on the ability of the pep
tide conjugates to induce an antibody response cross-reacting with the
native protein.