COMPREHENSIVE DELINEATION OF ANTIGENIC AND IMMUNOGENIC PROPERTIES OF PEPTIDES DERIVED FROM THE NEF HIV-1 REGULATORY PROTEIN

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) nef regulatory protein, a pro tein involved in AIDS pathology, was used as a model to investigate an d analyze B- and T-cell epitopes. In this paper, we describe the poten tial structural basis of antigenic and immunogenic reactivity of synth etic peptides derived from the macromolecular antigen. The relationshi p between B- and T-cell determinants in the context of regulatory mech anisms involved in immune recognition, while integrating recent data c oncerning MHC presentation. As a result of the recent progress in the field of peptide recognition and presentation, the potential of the pe ptide approach for constructing successful synthetic vaccines needs to be continuously re-evaluated.