DEVELOPMENT OF PEPTIDE VACCINES INDUCING PRODUCTION OF NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODIES AGAINST HIV-1 VIRUSES IN HLA-DQ6 MICE

Peptide vaccines against HIV-1 were prepared according to the cassette theory that we had proposed previously. An amino acid sequence of B s ubtype consensus of the HIV-1 V3 region was introduced into the MHC bi nding component with a supermotif for various MHC class II. The peptid e vaccines induced T-cell responses in the DQ6 mice in which only DQ6 molecules were expressed as MHC class II. By contrast, an original V3 peptide including the consensus sequence was non-immunogenic in the DQ 6 mice. Antibodies obtained from the DQ6 mice immunized with the pepti de vaccines neutralized laboratory B subtype strains of HIV-1 in vitro . It may be anticipated that these peptide vaccines protect infection of HIV-1 in DQ6 positive individuals. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. A ll rights reserved.