Detection and characterization of functional T-cell epitopes on the structural proteins VP2, VP3, and VP4 of foot and mouth disease virus O1 Campos

Foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) is the cause of a widespread infectious disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals. It is controlled by vaccination w ith immune-inactivated virus grown in tissue culture. However, peptide vacc ines represent a safer alternative to the current virus-inactivated immunog ens. Their design requires the identification and evaluation of the sequenc es recognized by T- and B-lymphocytes. Four structural proteins, VP1, VP2, VP3, and VP4, comprise the viral capsid of the FMDV, but only VP1 has been extensively studied regarding the existence of relevant T-cell epitopes. He re, we utilize a murine model to present a functional T-cell epitope mappin g on the complete sequences of VP2, VP3, and VP4 of FMDV O1 Campos. We used two in vitro assays to describe 13 amino acid sequences, each one of them including at least one T-cell epitope. The in vivo T-cell helper function o f these sequences was studied in an adoptive cell-transfer assay in mice. I mmunization experiments with a fusion peptide containing one of the sequenc es characterized were also done comparing the helper activity of this seque nce with other T-cell epitopes included in the major immunogenic region of VP1. (C) 2000 Academic Press.